Chargers: Camp report | RapidReports | Camp tour | 
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SAN DIEGO -- Observations from San Diego Chargers camp:
1. It's time the Chargers get off to a decent start. In two years under Norv Turner, they have records of 1-3 and 2-2 in their first four games. Look at their first four starts this season, and you find Baltimore and Pittsburgh in there, which will be tough, but at least they get the Ravens at home. Now look what happens after their bye in the fifth week: They play three straight division games, with two of them at home. A year ago they were 5-1 vs. the AFC West, with their only loss to Ed Hochuli. They should lap the field again this season, which means even if they emerge with another 2-2 start there is relief -- and I'm not talking about waiting until December before making a charge. "The past two years we dug ourselves a hole," said quarterback Philip Rivers. "We were 1-3 [in 2007] and weren't playing real good. Then last year we lose two buzzer beaters or we're 4-0. We were two or three plays away from being 4-0. So to say last year we came out slow is a little bit of an overstatement."
| Out of Nowhere Man |
 At 6-feet-4, 320 pounds, defensive end Vaughn Martin is someone you can't miss on or off the field. Martin, who is Jamaican born and played his college football in Canada, makes the jump to the NFL and has a decent chance to make it with the Chargers. Though he is raw, there seems to be enough athletic ability to keep the club interested. Yes, the defensive line is crowded, but it can always use a run stuffer like Martin -- especially if he plays as he did in the preseason opener against Seattle. |
| SDCHARGERWEST picks S Kevin Ellison |
| This guy is a beast and in my opinion will end up starting over Clinton Hart. He can really fill on run plays and can cover. Teamed up with Weddle, it could be a killer combination. Oh by the way USC safeties are usually pretty good! |
| Who is your Out of Nowhere Man? |
2. Go ahead and knock Norv Turner. All the guy does is win down the stretch. The Chargers coach is 12-2 from December on, including 9-0 in December, and I know some fans in Dallas who would love to have that record.
3. General manager A.J. Smith has some big, big business decisions ahead. Now that he has Rivers re-signed, he can address the contracts of Shawne Merriman, tight end Antonio Gates and wide receiver Vincent Jackson. The contracts of Merriman and Jackson expire after the season; Gates can become a free agent after 2010. The team is bound to re-sign at least two, if not all three, and could franchise one of them. But a stalemate in the collective bargaining talks could help, too, with prospective free agents not unrestricted. "All I‘ll say is we’ll do the best we can to keep moving with the players we want," Smith said.
4. Rookie linebacker Larry English has been slowed by a hamstring injury, but nobody seems overly concerned. English is part of a deep group of linebackers, with the Chargers talking about having him, Merriman and Shaun Phillips on the field at the same time. That's one way to improve the pass rush. "He obviously missed some time with the hamstring," said Turner, "but he has a very explosive first step. He has some very good quickness. He can power rush. He can beat you with speed. And he's one of those guys who is relentless. He just keeps coming. So when we get in situations where we put him on one side and Merriman on the other and move Shaun Phillips around and get all those guys going at full power, it's going to help create some problems for the offense."
5. Another one of last season's disappointments, cornerback Antonio Cromartie, looks more like himself. Cromartie, who had 10 interceptions in 2007, tailed off to two last year. Yes, that was indicative of his play, as well as the play of the San Diego secondary. "He's been outstanding," defensive coordinator Ron Rivera said of Cromartie. "The pass rush works for the coverage, and the coverage works with the pass rush. I think he'll be one of the guys who will benefit from having Shawne Merriman back on the field."
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