Check out 619 Sports later tonight for a postgame videocast after the Chargers/Raiders season opener!
It was the eve of another NFL season, and I was in a super mood. Or should I say, I was in a Super Bowl mood.
The Chargers would open the 2008 season at home against the Carolina Panthers the following day, and I was convinced they would end the 2008 season in Tampa holding the Vince Lombardi Trophy.
The ‘08 Chargers had everything a team could possibly hope for. They had a rising young superstar at quarterback, one of the greatest running backs of all-time who was healthy again after recovering from injury, and a loaded stable of wide receivers who, as good as they were, still played second-fiddle to an almost super-human tight end. Their offensive line was a veteran group with everybody back.
On defense they boasted the most dangerous game-changing linebacker in the league, who though he was struggling some with a knee injury, assured everybody he’d be 100-percent ready to go on opening day. The defensive line was big, tough and hungry, and the rest of the linebacking core — everybody said — was the best in the league. To cover passes, they had a cornerback who guaranteed he was going to set the all-time single-season record for interceptions. He’d had 10 as a rookie the year before, so who were we not to believe him?
The team had the depth, they had the coach who had gotten them close the previous year, they had the general manager with the magic tough, the ownership with the commitment — and a loyal fan base that was positive that this, the 2008 season, was going to be….THE SEASON!
I was so sure of it, I put a “zero tolerance” policy on the whole damn thing. That meant that nothing could get in our way, no obstacle couldn’t be brushed aside, and nothing less than a Super Bowl title would be…well, tolerated.
Of course, there was slight problem with my (our) thinking: the season started.
And the Chargers would lose to Carolina. And then they would lose to Denver (or Ed Hochuli, however you want to look at it). Then they would be 2-and-3, then 3-and-4 and then eventually 4-and-8. Remarkably, the team that just had to win it all never even got over the .500 mark once the entire season.
Thanks to Denver’s December collapse — and at least to be fair, a couple of gutty wins by the Bolts — the team at least wound up in the playoffs. But even a thrilling upset win over the Colts in the Wild Card round left the club nowhere near the preseason expectations.
Now, here we are getting ready to start the 2009 season. And it seems like the eve of ‘08 all over again.
The Chargers have a young, superstar (and well-paid) quarterback. They have one of the greatest running backs of all-time coming back from injury. They have the deep stable of receivers along with the big-time tight end. The offensive line is mostly back.
On defense, the game-changing linebacker is still struggling some with his knee but says he’ll 100-percent ready to go on opening day. The rest of the linebackers are quick, fast, healthier and better. The D-Line is big, tough and hungry. And that guy who was going to break the interception record is back to lead the secondary.
The team is deep, the coach is a year wiser, the general manager pulled off a couple of draft steals, the ownership is committed, and the fans are ready! (I mean you are ready, aren’t you?)
So this is finally going to be – at long, last — the season of the Lightning Bolt. They’ll start Monday night in Oakland, and they’ll finish up the first week of February in Miami. You know, the whole Lombardi Trophy thing.
We dream it, so it must come true. The 2009 season. I has to be the one. The Chargers are too good not to do it!
Just like last year.
– Ello –
MORE Chargers/Raiders preview:
Antonio Gates Is Ready For the Raiders
Chargers/Raiders: What To Watch For (guest: Josh Lewin)
3 Questions for Jamal Williams
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Chris Ello -
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