Thursday, July 15, 2004
Charger Training Camp set to openThe San Diego Chargers open training camp with their first practice from 3:30-5:30 pm on Friday, July 30 at the Home Depot Center in Carson, California.
Fans are invited to all practices at The Home Depot Center to watch the team prepare for the 2004 season. Admission is free. There is a $2.50 charge for parking on the campus of Cal State Dominquez Hills. There will be food and novelty stands as well as opportunities to purchase game tickets.
On Saturday, Aug. 7, the Chargers and Anheuser-Busch will host FanFest 2004 at The Home Depot Center. The afternoon event will include autograph opportunities, interactive games, face painters, balloon artists, live music and the Charger Girls.
The 2004 Chargers are led by All-Pro running back LaDainian Tomlinson. Last season, Tomlinson led the entire NFL with 2,370 total yards from scrimmage and became the first player in league history to rush for more than 1,000 yards and catch 100 passes in the same season. He did so behind the blocking of fullback Lorenzo Neal, a free-agent signed by General Manager A.J. Smith in 2003 who has been a lead-blocker for seven straight 1,000-yard rushers.
While the running back and fullback positions are undoubtedly set, one of the most highly-anticipated battles of training camp will take place at quarterback. It figures to be a three-way battle between returning starter Drew Brees, 41-year-old Doug Flutie and rookie Philip Rivers, who was acquired from the New York Giants in a blockbuster draft-day trade. Brees began and ended the season at the helm of the offense, starting 11 games in the process. He was replaced for five starts by Flutie.
Perhaps the most significant addition to the Chargers in 2004 was the hiring of defensive coordinator Wade Phillips. The former head coach of the Atlanta Falcons, Buffalo Bills and Denver Broncos, Phillips was hired in January to repair a defense which had sunk to 27th in the league, and last season, surrendered a club-record 36 touchdown passes. For the first time in team history, the Chargers will play a 3-4 defense.
The Chargers’ new defense will be centered around inside linebacker Donnie Edwards, the team’s defensive player of the year who set a career high with 162 tackles in 2003. The team is counting on other key performers like cornerbacks Quentin Jammer and Sammy Davis, the team’s top draft choices in 2002 and ’03, respectively. Up front, veteran nose tackle Jamal Williams will anchor the defensive line.
Skillful maneuverings by Smith have added a host of new players in 2004 through free agency, trades and the draft. This year alone, Smith signed several projected starters via free agency and trade. The team acquired tackle Roman Oben in a trade with Tampa Bay. The free agents include linebackers Randall Godfrey (Seattle) and Steve Foley (Houston), guard Mike Goff (Cincinnati), tackle Leander Jordan (Jacksonville) and wide receiver Kevin Dyson (Carolina). These six players have a combined 38 years of NFL experience.
Smith landed a total of 11 players in the 2004 NFL Draft, including Rivers. Other notable selections included massive defensive end Igor Olshansky from Oregon in the second-round and All-America and Lou Groza Award winning kicker Nate Kaeding from Iowa in the third-round. The team also selected 2003 NCAA sack leader Dave Ball from UCLA and offensive tackles Shane Olivea from Ohio State and Miami’s Carlos Joseph, who both played on national championship teams.
Fans are invited to all practices at The Home Depot Center to watch the team prepare for the 2004 season. Admission is free. There is a $2.50 charge for parking on the campus of Cal State Dominquez Hills. There will be food and novelty stands as well as opportunities to purchase game tickets.
On Saturday, Aug. 7, the Chargers and Anheuser-Busch will host FanFest 2004 at The Home Depot Center. The afternoon event will include autograph opportunities, interactive games, face painters, balloon artists, live music and the Charger Girls.
The 2004 Chargers are led by All-Pro running back LaDainian Tomlinson. Last season, Tomlinson led the entire NFL with 2,370 total yards from scrimmage and became the first player in league history to rush for more than 1,000 yards and catch 100 passes in the same season. He did so behind the blocking of fullback Lorenzo Neal, a free-agent signed by General Manager A.J. Smith in 2003 who has been a lead-blocker for seven straight 1,000-yard rushers.
While the running back and fullback positions are undoubtedly set, one of the most highly-anticipated battles of training camp will take place at quarterback. It figures to be a three-way battle between returning starter Drew Brees, 41-year-old Doug Flutie and rookie Philip Rivers, who was acquired from the New York Giants in a blockbuster draft-day trade. Brees began and ended the season at the helm of the offense, starting 11 games in the process. He was replaced for five starts by Flutie.
Perhaps the most significant addition to the Chargers in 2004 was the hiring of defensive coordinator Wade Phillips. The former head coach of the Atlanta Falcons, Buffalo Bills and Denver Broncos, Phillips was hired in January to repair a defense which had sunk to 27th in the league, and last season, surrendered a club-record 36 touchdown passes. For the first time in team history, the Chargers will play a 3-4 defense.
The Chargers’ new defense will be centered around inside linebacker Donnie Edwards, the team’s defensive player of the year who set a career high with 162 tackles in 2003. The team is counting on other key performers like cornerbacks Quentin Jammer and Sammy Davis, the team’s top draft choices in 2002 and ’03, respectively. Up front, veteran nose tackle Jamal Williams will anchor the defensive line.
Skillful maneuverings by Smith have added a host of new players in 2004 through free agency, trades and the draft. This year alone, Smith signed several projected starters via free agency and trade. The team acquired tackle Roman Oben in a trade with Tampa Bay. The free agents include linebackers Randall Godfrey (Seattle) and Steve Foley (Houston), guard Mike Goff (Cincinnati), tackle Leander Jordan (Jacksonville) and wide receiver Kevin Dyson (Carolina). These six players have a combined 38 years of NFL experience.
Smith landed a total of 11 players in the 2004 NFL Draft, including Rivers. Other notable selections included massive defensive end Igor Olshansky from Oregon in the second-round and All-America and Lou Groza Award winning kicker Nate Kaeding from Iowa in the third-round. The team also selected 2003 NCAA sack leader Dave Ball from UCLA and offensive tackles Shane Olivea from Ohio State and Miami’s Carlos Joseph, who both played on national championship teams.
