Challenges and Changes

Time of Death: 1:01, 4th Quarter.

Rigor Mortis is setting in, so let's get that body up on the table and do the post mortem.

The 2009 Chargers season was ultimately a disappointment. There were a lot of high points, including several wild finishes and big wins over good teams. An 11 game winning streak. Players we know and love reaching new heights. Rivers continuing to become an elite QB. Marcus McNeil having a strong year protecting the blind side, which had a direct correlation with Rivers's success. Gates, Jackson, Floyd and Nanee resurrecting Air Coryell. Several pro bowlers. One, apparently cursed, First Team All-Pro.

And of course, there was LT. 12 more TDs this year. Fastest ever to 150 TDS. Passing a number of greats, including the Immortal Jim Brown, on the all time rushing list. The cheesiest, funnest music video I've seen in a long time.

The season was one of challenges. How to replace Igor, Bingham and Jamal on the D-line? Who to replace Hart and Chambers after they were cut? How to replace Hardwick after he went down in the first game? How would they come back from 3 1/2 games down, after a pair of humiliating losses, and take back their division? How would they even make the playoffs?

Ron Rivera did an admirable job putting together a hybrid 3-4/4-3 defense after injuries ravaged his players. It didn't generate a ton of pressure or turnovers. It didn't stand up to the run all the time. It was held together with athletic tape and happy thoughts. But somehow they managed to be just good enough to propel the team to 13-3. I think its also fair to say that the defense, with the exception of one painful play, played pretty damn well yesterday.

There were a lot of games this year where Chargers fans had to seriously wonder going in how the Bolts were going to manage. How to handle the speed and explosiveness of the Eagles? How to go into Denver and wrestle away the division? How to stop the Dallas running game? How to handle the New York pass rush? How to deal with a physically punishing and emotionally fired up Bengals team? They passed all these tests, but ultimately failed the final exam.

Norv did a good job this year. Ultimately the failure rests on him, but hopefully he can learn from this as they all need to and be better moving forward.

Its just a game, and I know how silly it seems that sports should effect people at all, especially people who aren't even part of the team. Even if they had gone all the way this year, none of us would be getting Super Bowl Rings and Cristal showers. But still, this is rough. I've not been deprived of titles in my life as a sports fan, but the Chargers are my favorite team in my favorite sport playing in my favorite city. I wanted a Super Bowl for them. I wanted it for the city of San Diego. I wanted it for the franchise. I wanted it for all the players we love and coaches we love to hate.

But most of all, I wanted it for LT. He's given so much to the team and its fans, and the only thing he ever wanted was to win a Super Bowl for them. Its sad to think that the probabilities are strongly against him ever getting to play in the Super Bowl, and the odds are probably even longer against him doing it for the Bolts.

Things get pretty blurry from here, complicated by a large free agent class which might not actually exist, depending on a CBA which will probably not exist. The salary cap is likely coming off this year, which could be a blessing or a curse depending on how the Chargers play it. The Chargers have 6 draft picks currently, are 28th in the order, and are unlikely to get much help from supplemental picks.

At this point the only thing we can say for certain is that there will be changes. And, as always, more challenges ahead.

Arlington or Bust.