Anybody who watched LaDainian Tomlinson's morose press conference this week is probably asking the same question that Tomlinson is asking himself: What in the world is wrong with the Chargers?
One of the favorites to contend for the Super Bowl, San Diego has started the season 1-2. The surprising thing isn't that the Chargers are 1-2, because they had a tough opening schedule. It is how they are 1-2.
First of all, the offense looks out of sync -- did you see the pass attempt last week against the Packers where quarterback Philip Rivers hit Tomlinson in the back of the head on a screen pass? And the defense put very little pressure on Brett Favre, who seemingly passed at will.
So what's wrong with the Chargers? Is it the coaching change, the tough schedule or the lofty expectations? It's probably all three. Let's break it down on offense and defense.
Offense
There are a couple reasons why the Chargers could be struggling on this side of the ball. Let's start at the top, with the coaching change from Marty Schottenheimer to Norv Turner. I have been of the opinion that you don't fire coaches who go 14-2, no matter what happens in the playoffs.
Plus, Schottenheimer just seems to know how to teach the running game; the Chargers finished in the top 10 in rushing each year he was the coach in San Diego. Even dating back to his stops in Kansas City and Cleveland, Schottheimer's teams have finished in the top 10 in rushing in 13 of the 20 seasons he was a head coach. But with Tomlinson and the same offensive line from last season, the Chargers have struggled to run this year.
If you look back on Turner's career, his teams have struggled running the ball. Out of all his stops as head coach and offensive coordinator in Dallas, Washington, San Diego, Miami and Oakland, the only place he really had success was in Dallas with Emmitt Smith. Turner's teams have finished in the top 10 in rushing in only seven of his last 16 years of coaching.
Of course, you have to factor in former Chargers offensive coordinator Cam Cameron, who left in the offseason to become head coach in Miami. Turner might have installed the offense, but Cameron really made it work. And it's probably no coincidence that Dolphins running back Ronnie Brown looked a little bit like LT last week, rushing for 112 yard and two touchdowns, and hauling in six receptions for 99 yards and another TD.
Then there's Tomlinson. I know there are a lot of Chargers fans (and fantasy owners) fretting about the slow start LT has had this season, but keep in mind that he had a slow start on his record-breaking season last year. Tomlinson rushed for 131 yards in Week 1 against the Raiders, but did not top 100 rushing yards again until Week 7 against St. Louis, a start of a stretch where he ripped off nine consecutive 100-yard games.
From a game-plan standpoint, it looks like teams are stacking the box against the Chargers and Tomlinson, practically daring quarterback Phillip Rivers to throw it deep to Vincent Jackson and the other wide receivers. The Packers seemed content to let Antonio Gates run in space underneath, allowing him to catch 11 passes, but he never was able to break one for a long gain. The Chargers used a first-round pick on Craig "Buster" Davis out of LSU, and maybe it's time to let him fly and stretch the field.
Defense
The defense has been a big mystery, but this side of the ball also suffered a change in coordinators as Ted Cottrell replaced Wade Phillips, who left to become the head coach of the Dallas Cowboys. Many believed Cottrell would be more aggressive than Phillips in the 3-4 defense, especially with Shawne Merriman being his version of Bryce Paup, who Cottrell coached as defensive coordinator in Buffalo. That hasn't been the case.
Shaun Phillips has 2½ sacks (including a huge hit on Rex Grossman in Week 1) and Merriman has two, but the Chargers haven't had a visible pass rush in the past two weeks.
Part of the reason could be that teams have decided to go away from the Chargers' strength on defense, Jamal Williams, and have picked on the secondary instead. Brett Favre attempted 45 passes against the Chargers, virtually abandoning the run. In Week 2, Tom Brady threw 31 passes. Until the Chargers show that they can shut an opponents' passing game down, they should expect to see more passing and less running.
And until these problems on offense and defense are resolved, the Chargers shouldn't expect to see much change from the way the season has started for them.