RichardsonMiron is a journalism juniorSend comments to: daletter@mail.sdsu.edu
There is no arguing with the fact that the 1999 season has beenanother disappointment for the San Diego Chargers. After the 4-1start, the Bolts seemed poised for a playoff run but fell on theircollective faces by losing six straight games and virtuallyeliminated any chance at the postseason.
I realize I may be in the minority, but things may not be as badas most experts predicted.
Granted, watching the club play during the losing streak was morepainful than a root canal, but the Chargers have showed signs thatbetter things may be ahead. Head coach Mike Riley has this club goingin the right direction.
It seems like everyone who has a voice disagrees, and believe thatthe Chargers are doomed not only for the rest of this season, but forupcoming years as well.
They say the Chargers are lacking explosive talent at the skillpositions, their defense is getting too old, and there isn’t muchdepth on the roster. They say general manager Bobby Beathard hastraded away too many No. 1 draft picks, and the team doesn’t haveenough money under the salary cap to sign any real quality players.
The NFL, however, is a funny place. And teams can get betterquickly if they make the right moves.
Take the St. Louis Rams. Who would have predicted that quarterbackKurt Warner would turn out to be an All-Pro and lead the Rams to adivision title for the first time since 1985? And who would haveguessed that the Indianapolis Colts (who went 3-13 last season) wouldbe the ranking team in the AFC?
I’m not saying the Chargers will win the Super Bowl anytime soon,but if I was the four remaining opponents on the Bolts’ schedule, Iwouldn’t take this team lightly.
Quarterback Jim Harbaugh has shown that if given enough time, hecan make plays. Two weeks ago against Minnesota, Harbaugh threw for404 yards and three touchdowns, easily his best game as a Charger.
The team may have lost that game 35-27, but that effort could bethe springboard for the club to start believing they can compete withanybody.
Last week the Chargers showed improvement, beating the Browns23-10. The defense was very impressive racking up six sacks, withdefensive end Raylee Johnson recording three of his own.
The offense was effective as well, as the club was able to poundover 100 yards on the ground for only the second time this season.
Rookie running back Jermaine Fazande is showing signs of whatBeathard saw in him last draft day. The second round pick rushed 12times for 42 yards and a touchdown, while another Beathard find,Kenny Bynum, is quickly developing into a factor as he went for 60yards on 17 tries and a score against the Browns.
Receivers Mikhael Ricks, Freddie Jones and Robert Reed have alsocontinued to improve and have
