Kim Klement-USA TODAY Sports
It wouldn’t be an exaggeration to say that the wide receiver position was the weakest area of the 2012 San Diego Chargers. The meager 1,996 yards accumulated in total by every single wideout on the Bolts’ roster was nearly eclipsed by one man as Calvin Johnson of the Detroit Lions totaled 1,964 all by his lonesome. As embarrassing as that number is, the Chargers have to feel like that number can improve significantly in the upcoming season given the adjustments made this offseason.
Former General Manager A.J. Smith signed what he thought would be significant upgrades to the position last offseason in Robert Meachem and Eddie Royal, but combined they didn’t even total 500 yards receiving. An injury to breakout candidate Vincent Brown in the preseason severely handicapped the team as quarterback Philip Rivers had gained quite a rapport with the youngster during training camp. Malcom Floyd was his usual self missing a few games due to injury and racking up a little over 800 yards.
Perhaps the biggest addition to the team was found off the street in Danario Alexander who returns in 2013 with some lofty expectations. In just 10 games of action, his yards per catch average led the team by far at 17.8. His seven touchdowns also led all wide receivers and tied tight end Antonio Gates in that category.
Still the stats don’t lie and there is plenty of room for improvement in the upcoming season for this group. With everyone expected to be fully healthy (knock on wood) as well as a savvy choice in the third round of the 2013 NFL Draft stealing Keenan Allen, this unit should be solid.
Norv Turner is gone (finally) and Rivers will have a new voice in his ear with Head Coach Mike McCoy calling the shots. McCoy’s track record is impressive, especially last season leading Peyton Manning and the division rival Denver Broncos to a 13-3 season as the offensive coordinator. The expectations should be significantly higher for this squad, even after their disappointing performance a year ago. After all, there’s no where to go but up, right?
Anthony Blake is a Senior Writer/Copy Editor for Rant Sports. You Can Follow Him on Twitter, on Facebook, or add him to your network on Google.
