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2006 Chargers Betting Preview

NFL News- August 10th, 2006 1:00pm
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Vip.com - Chargers Preview - August 09, 2006

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Sports Edge's NFL betting preview of all 32 teams continues with the AFC West's San Diego Chargers.

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VIP Odds

San Diego is 35:1 to win the Super Bowl, 17:1 to win the AFC Championship, and 3:1 to win the AFC West. Their Over / Under win total is 9.

Schedule

San Diego’s 2006 opponents had a record of 125-131 in 2005. That is tied for the 6th easiest schedule in the AFC. The Chargers get their bye-week very early after Week 3.

The Chargers finished last season at 9-7, which was third place in the AFC West. The benefit to that is they get to play Buffalo and Tennessee this year as they finished in 3rd place in their divisions. Those two are winnable games, as are their two Oakland games. San Diego hopes to stay in the division race until December, when they play three out of their last four at home.

Sports Edge Analysis

Phillip Rivers is a third year quarterback who has sat on the bench behind Drew Brees. Rivers has a ton of pressure on him as he was a high first round draft pick, and Brees was very popular with the fans and his teammates. Rivers does not have any grace period and must prove he can win right away.

Rivers has an interesting receiving core that is highlighted by tight end, Antonio Gates. While Gates may be the best in the NFL at his position, receivers Keenan McCardell and Eric Parker are just average. McCardell is also 36 years-old, so the team is relying on young, Vincent Jackson for a breakthrough season.

The running back situation is in great hands as LaDainian Tomlinson remains a force, and Michael Turner and Darren Sproles are two interesting options behind him. Sproles is one of the shortest players in the NFL, but also a potential game-breaker.

The offensive line is led by center, Nick Hardwick who just signed a big deal to stay with the team. Overall, the unit has a good chance to be above average, but having left tackle Roman Oben protecting Rivers’ blindside is a little scary.

San Diego’s defense was 6th in the AFC in yards allowed last year and 7th in points allowed. The Chargers play a base 3-4 defense that was tops in the conference in stopping the run last year.

A lot of that credit goes to nose tackle, Jamal Williams who ties up blockers and allows inside linebackers like Donnie Edwards and Randall Godfrey to make the plays. The outside linebackers are very exciting with Shawne Merriman rushing from one side, and Steve Foley coming off the other.

The secondary has been the weaker part of the defense with the starting cornerbacks combining for just two interceptions. Quentin Jammer is set on one side, although the coaches would like his hands to be a little stickier. The Chargers also hope that first round pick, Antonio Cromartie will eventually take over the other cornerback spot.

Predictions

The Chargers lost their first two games last year and their last two games. In between, they played very good football at 9-3. Alas, that was not good enough to make the playoffs, and it ended up being a very disappointing season overall.

Coach Marty Schottenheimer needs to win this year or it could be his last. However, much of the team’s success will hinge on Rivers. If he plays well, then this is a definite playoff team. If he struggles some, then this is a .500 team. The prediction here is right in the middle, and that means the Chargers finish with a 9-7 record.

Click any of the following teams for their NFL 2006 Betting Previews

Posted by miker at August 10, 2006 1:10 PM

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