Sep 7, 2007, 16:51 GMT
- The San Diego Chargers are set to begin the Norv Turner era this Sunday, when they play host to the defending NFC champion Chicago Bears at Qualcomm Stadium.
The matchup will feature the clubs who had the best record in their respective conferences last year. San Diego topped the AFC with a 14-2 mark, while the Bears finished 2006 with a 13-3 record.
San Diego closed out last year's regular-season with 10 straight wins and went undefeated at home for the first time in club history. Normally, a team coming off the best record in the NFL doesn't enter the next season with a new head coach, but such is the case for the Chargers after Marty Schottenheimer dismissal following San Diego's loss to New England in last January's AFC Divisional Playoffs.
An inability to win in the playoffs and a bad relationship with general manager A.J. Smith led to Schottenheimer's downfall, and the club will also enter this year without last season's offensive and defensive coordinators, as both Cam Cameron and Wade Phillips left for head coaching jobs with Miami and Dallas, respectively.
In as head coach is Turner, who spent last season as San Francisco's offensive coordinator. Clarence Shelmon takes over as San Diego's new offensive coordinator, while Ted Cottrell will run the defense. The coaching staff even has some Chicago flavor to it, as new linebackers coach Ron Rivera spent the last previous seasons as the Bears' defensive coordinator.
Turner will attempt to become the fourth consecutive Chargers coach to win his first game with the team, joining Schottenheimer (2002), Mike Riley (1999) and June Jones (1998).
None of the new coaches have much work cut out for them. Shelmon inherits an offense with a rising young quarterback in Philip Rivers and the reigning league MVP in LaDainian Tomlinson. Cottrell, meanwhile, gets to coach the likes of Shawne Merriman and Jamal Williams, who anchor a defense that allowed the sixth-fewest yards per game in the AFC last year.
The Bears, meanwhile, will take the field in a meaningful game for the first time since losing to the Indianapolis Colts in last season's Super Bowl and will now try to buck recent history trends. Prior to last season, none of the previous five Super Bowl losers reached the playoffs the following year until Seattle did so in 2006.
The biggest change for the Bears from last year is not at quarterback, where Rex Grossman frustrated coaches and fans alike with his inconsistent play, but at running back. Cedric Benson takes over the starting role without competition for the first time since he was drafted fourth overall by the club in 2005. That came about when Chicago traded Thomas Jones to the New York Jets. Benson has the talent to shine, but his attitude and work ethic have come into question before.
Another new face on offense was last year's breakout star in the return game, Devin Hester, who set an NFL record in his rookie campaign with six return touchdowns, including a league record-tying 108-yard return of a missed field goal attempt against the New York Giants.
Hester showed breakaway speed last year and will shift from corner to wide receiver while still returning kicks. It will be up to Ron Turner, Chicago's offensive coordinator and Norv's brother, to find a way to exploit Hester's speed.
Chicago will begin the season in search of its third straight NFC North title and will try to win consecutive season openers for the first time since 1995-96. The club bested Green Bay in its lid-lifter last season.
SERIES HISTORY
Chicago leads the all-time series with San Diego, 5-4, breaking a deadlock in the series with a 20-7 win at Soldier Field in 2003. The Bears have won four straight against the Chargers since last dropping a game in the series in 1984, and are 2-0 in San Diego since that 20-7 loss.
Norv Turner is 3-0 in his career against the Bears as a head coach, with all of the matchups dating back to his tenure with Washington (1994-2000). The Bears' Lovie Smith will be meeting both Turner and San Diego for the first time as a head coach.
WHEN THE BEARS HAVE THE BALL
When Grossman was good, he was really good, as evidenced by his 3,193 passing yards and 23 touchdowns last year. But when he was bad, he was downright awful. The 27-year-old had five games last year in which he threw three or more interceptions, and his performance in the Super Bowl left some further doubting his ability to lead an offense. To make matters worse, he lost his safety net in Thomas Jones, but the Bears hope the running game won't miss a step with Benson (647 rushing yards, 6 TD in 2006). The former first-round pick has been slowly working his way out of the doghouse in Chicago in what could be a pivotal year for him. While Hester could be a matchup nightmare for the Chargers' defense, it is Bernard Berrian (51 receptions, 6 TD) and Muhsin Muhammad (60 receptions, 5 TD) who will most often be in Grossman's scope when he unleashes the ball. Berrian is the deep threat, as six of his eight career touchdowns have gone for over 30 yards. Missing from the passing game on Sunday will be rookie tight end Greg Olsen, who will have his debut delayed because of a knee injury. The club will also be without reserve fullback Obafemi Ayanbadejo, who is serving a four-game suspension for violating the NFL's steroids policy. Chicago's offensive line returns all five starters from last year, including a pair of Pro Bowl selections in left guard Ruben Brown and center Olin Kreutz.
Grossman, Benson and company will be put to the test early, as the Chicago offense will go against one of the toughest stop units in the league on Sunday. The discussion of San Diego's defense starts with Merriman (62 tackles, 17 sacks, 1 INT), who combined with fellow linebacker Shaun Phillips (65 tackles, 11.5 sacks) for 28 1/2 of San Diego's league-leading 61 sacks last year. Merriman enters the year with a slight chip on his shoulder, as he posted his outstanding stats despite taking a PR hit and sitting out four games due to a steroid suspension. He still finished third in voting for NFL Defensive Player of the Year, however. The club did lose inside linebackers Donnie Edwards and Randall Godfrey, with Stephen Cooper (53 tackles, 2.5 sacks) and Matt Wilhelm (27 tackles) replacing them in the starting lineup. San Diego's three-man front is anchored by nose tackle Williams (69 tackles, 2 sacks) and left end Luis Castillo (39 tackles, 7 sacks). If he has time, Grossman's best bet is to attack San Diego's secondary, although he should look away from standout cornerback Quentin Jammer (78 tackles, 4 INT).
WHEN THE CHARGERS HAVE THE BALL
All roads go through Tomlinson (1,815 rushing yards, 28 TD), who set 13 NFL records last year on the way to winning the MVP award. He added 508 receiving yards and another three touchdown catches, and threw a pair of TD passes for good measure. Tomlinson is the best running back in the league, bar none, and his play was huge for Rivers (3,388 passing yards, 22 TD, 9 INT), who guided the Chargers to the league's best record and earned a trip to the Pro Bowl in his successful debut as a full-time starter. Rivers did so without any eye- catching names at the wide receiver position, although he has one of the best tight ends to throw towards in Antonio Gates (71 receptions, 9 TD). With Keenan McCardell released and Eric Parker (48 receptions) out after having toe surgery, the Chargers will debut two new starting receivers in Vincent Jackson (27 receptions, 6 TD) and Malcolm Floyd (15 receptions, 3 TD). Both are young and unproven, however.
Much like the Bears' offense, the Chargers also have a tough task at hand in the form of the hard-hitting Chicago defense. The Windy City's formidable group features talent up and down the board, including three Pro Bowl selections in defensive tackle Tommie Harris and linebackers Lance Briggs and Brian Urlacher. Harris (28 tackles, 5 sacks) and end Adewale Ogunleye (43 tackles, 6.5 sacks) are both solid players up front, while the Bears have two new players backing up the defensive line in Darwin Walker (36 tackles, 6 sacks, 1 INT) and Anthony Adams (21 tackles, 2 sacks). Gone is team distraction Tank Johnson. Briggs (130 tackles, 2 INT, 1 sack) threatened to hold out for a better deal during training camp, but he's back and will again team with middle linebacker Urlacher (142 tackles) to punish opposing offenses. Cornerbacks Nathan Vasher (45 tackles, 3 INT), Charles Tillman (80 tackles, 5 INT), and Ricky Manning Jr. (53 tackles, 5 INT, 2 sacks) are no slouches in the secondary, either.
FANTASY FOCUS
This just in: start Tomlinson at running back. Even against a defense as great as the Bears' unit, the reigning MVP is a must-play every week. No other Charger is worth starting outside of Gates, however. Rivers will be a fine fantasy QB, but not against this unit. The same can be said for the Bears. Sit Grossman and Benson for sure and only start Berrian in deep leagues. It is a shame Benson draws such a tough matchup in the opener, as his expected production for owners is still vastly unknown and shouldn't be measured by this game. Obviously, both defenses are good starts this week as well, especially the Chargers against the interception-happy Grossman.
OVERALL ANALYSIS
Few games on the NFL docket this year will match the intensity and smash-mouth football that should be displayed Sunday afternoon. The Bears have the better defense, but not by much over the emotionally-stimulated Charger D. However, San Diego's offense has the Bears' unit beaten by a far wider margin, meaning on paper the Chargers should come out on top. There is no telling what kind of mental battle Grossman is going through right now, and getting planted onto the ground by Merriman and company won't help him at all. The game should be tight and close, but expect the Chargers' offense to decide the outcome.
Sports Network Predicted Outcome: Chargers 17, Bears 10
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