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Antwan Barnes finished his 2011 season as the leader in sacks for the San Diego Chargers. Barnes had 11, which was tied for 11th in the NFL. San Diego finished with 32 sacks, which was tied for 23rd in the league, and Barnes had 34 percent of his team’s sacks. Jared Allen, DeMarcus Ware, Jason Babin and Tamba Hali were the only players with a higher percentage of their team’s sacks. The addition of first round pick Melvin Ingramcould take pressure away from Barnes. Ingram had nine sacks in 12 games for the University of South Carolina in 2010, and 10 sacks in 13 games last season. It will be interesting to see if this translates to immediate success in the NFL. Shaun Phillips batted a foot injury in 2011, so he could return to form as well. Phillips had at least seven sacks in every season from 2005-2010.
Eric Weddle had seven interceptions last season, which was tied for the NFL lead with Charles Woodson and Kyle Arrington. Weddle had 41 percent of his team’s interceptions. Patrick Robinson was the only player with a higher percentage of his team’s interceptions. Quentin Jammer and Antoine Cason need to play better in 2012 and create more turnovers. Cason had two interceptions, but was torched in coverage and pulled as a starter for two games. Jammer had no interceptions, allowed over 10 yards per attempt when quarterbacks threw in his direction and allowed six touchdowns.
It will take a group effort for San Diego to create more turnovers. When quarterbacks feel pressure, they rush throws at times, which could lead to interceptions. If more pressure is put on quarterbacks and guys are beat in coverage, hitting the QB before he passes to his teammate in stride could prevent big plays from happening as well. San Diego needs to be better in coverage because they faced the third fewest pass attempts, and only five teams allowed a higher QB rating in 2011.
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