Picture this: the San Diego Chargers’ new-look offense walk out onto the field for their first set in the first game of the 2016 season against the Kansas City Chiefs.
Philip Rivers breaks the huddle and sets up under center. Rivers looks to his right with Keenan Allen set outside the hashes; then Rivers looks to his left with Travis Benjamin set up opposite of Allen. Attached on the right side of the offensive line, next to Joe Barksdale, is Hunter Henry. Behind Rivers, in an unusual offset-I formation is Danny Woodhead, who is set up as a fullback behind the right side of the offensive line; directly behind Rivers, at runningback, is Melvin Gordon. Philip Rivers calls for the hike and the play then begins.
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Rivers takes the ball from 6’5 Matt Slauson and turns around to hand the ball off to Gordon. At the last moment, Rivers keeps the ball for a play-action pass. Rivers looks on with the ball as he sees Woodhead to his right near the line of scrimmage, who broke away during the play-action. Hunter Henry is in the middle of running an Antonio Gates patented dig pattern, and clandestinely sits in an opening of the defense.
Keenan Allen easily beat the press coverage and continues to run a phenomenal post route. However, even with all of these weapons at his disposal, Rivers launches the ball deep to his left. The ball arches deep into the air and falls into the hands of a wide-open Travis Benjamin, who easily broke away from a fleet-footed cornerback.
This is just one play that Chargers fans may be watching come the opening game of the 2016 season. With Ken Whisenhunt back on as the offensive coordinator, San Diego has the potential to once again be a dynamic offense. As shown above, the Chargers, when healthy, have no shortage of reliable weapons. Not even mentioned with that hypothetical play was Antonio Gates, Stevie Johnson, and Dontrelle Inman.
A huge factor that will be returning to the offense is Pro Bowl-caliber receiver Keenan Allen. To put into perspective just how important Allen is to San Diego’s offense, through the eight games that Allen played in before injury last season, the Chargers ranked number one in overall offense per Michael Gehlken. Yes, with Keenan Allen, the Chargers’ offense ranked tops in the NFL.
In the final eight games after Allen’s injury, the Chargers ranked 24th in total offense. Keenan Allen gives the Chargers a number one receiver who is capable of taking over games; through the eight games he played in last season, Allen was on pace for 134 receptions, nearly 1,500 yards, and eight touchdowns. In case anyone is wondering, those numbers are incredible.
It has also been a long time since Philip Rivers has had a deep threat such as the newly signed Travis Benjamin. Barring injury, Benjamin should have a career year given that last year he was catching passes from Josh McCown, Johnny Manziel, and Austin Davis. Recently drafted Hunter Henry is said to have as reliable hands as any, making an ideal protégé and successor to Antonio Gates.
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The San Diego Chargers may have gone 4-12 last season, but when healthy, they are as talented on offense as any team. With quarterback Philip Rivers still at the helm, the Chargers have an elite quarterback who is supremely adept at leading any offense. The memories of last season’s terror should be fading, the upcoming season should be fun to watch, and opponents of the Bolts should be worried for what is to come.