It’s here. Football is finally here! With the Hall of Fame game last Thursday, the NFL preseason is now officially open. Thanks to the new schedule layout, one of the preseason games is now a regular season game, so teams will each play three preseason games. Today, the Los Angeles Chargers open their preseason against their hometown rival, the Los Angeles Rams. The Chargers and Rams both had very active offeseasons, with both teams seeing plenty of new faces. The Chargers have an entirely new coaching staff, with the head coach and both coordinators being rookies at their job. Meanwhile, the Rams made several high-profile moves in the offseason, such as trading quarterback Jared Goff for Matthew Stafford.
However, since this is preseason, many of the starters for each team will likely be on the bench. Chargers head coach Brandon Staley even announced that none of the starters for the Chargers will even start a single snap. This may be disheartening for fans that wanted to see their stars in powder blue play. However, this is a great opportunity to see the backups and rookies play in a game at real speed. With that said, here is the Chargers-Rams preseason Week 1 preview.
The Genius vs. The Protégé
Rams head coach Sean McVay has long been paraded as the young genius among NFL head coaches. At 35 years old, his impact on the NFL and the hiring process for head coaches cannot be understated. Since his hiring in 2017, several teams have followed suit and actively pursued young, offense-oriented head coaches, such as the Cardinals with former Texas Tech head coach Kliff Kingsbury. He led the Rams to their first Super Bowl appearance since 2001. He was the primary reason behind the Rams’ skyrocketing to success after years of struggle in a dominant NFC West.
Staley, on the other hand, is the opposite side of the same coin. He is young, being only 38 himself, but he is not an offensive genius like McVay. Instead, his greatest strength lies in his defensive genius. In his sole year with the Rams, Staley turned the Rams defense from a very solid top-10 defense into the undisputed best in the league. He deserves heaps of praise for that, as well as his ability to maximize the impact of his star players wherever he coaches. In Denver, he helped Von Miller and Bradley Chubb turn their efficiency up a notch, while in Chicago, he helped Khalil Mack have his best season with the Bears. Now the captain of the Chargers crew, Staley has two stars to work with in Joey Bosa and Derwin James, so hopes are high.
McVay vs. Staley has the makings for an intriguing rivalry. Two young coaches, once working for the same team, with opposing philosophies. While fans may not necessarily get to see that battle of wits today, it’ll certainly be something to watch down the road.
The Rooks in Action
The Chargers, per Staley’s orders, will not be putting out any starters for the preseason games. The Rams may follow suit, or at least give very limited playing time to their starters. After all, no one wants to risk injuries to key players in a game that doesn’t matter for the playoffs. Instead, preseason games are best for unearthing hidden gems on the teams’ depth charts and giving NFL game experience to younger players. Both teams will likely give extensive playing time to their rookies. That will be the best time for them to make a name for themselves. Here are some players to watch for each team going into this matchup.
Chargers
- Josh Palmer (WR) –
Asante Samuel Jr. should use this preseason game to better adjust to the speed of the NFL. (via Chargers) Palmer has been showing out at training camp, already building a solid rapport with Justin Herbert. His route running and solid hands will be key weapons that can det him apart from his competition in a stacked receivers’ room. It will be exciting to see what he can do with backup quarterback Chase Daniel at the helm.
- Asante Samuel Jr. (CB) – Samuel has had a decent camp so far, but he hasn’t fully lived up to the hype surrounding him yet. He will likely see some solid playing time in this matchup though, and the best way to adjust to the speed of the NFL is always going to be through playing in a game. Hopefully, building experience here can help him reach that potential.
Rams
TuTu Atwell has the makings of a longtime starter for the Rams. (via Louisville Athletics) TuTu Atwell (WR) – The speedy but undersized wide receiver from Louisville is an interesting case. He is a member of a trio of rookie receivers attempting to shift the paradigm around NFL receivers. Atwell, along with the Eagles’ Devonta Smith and the Jets’ Elijah Moore, are all very small compared to other receivers. However, that did not stop any of them from dominating at the collegiate level. Atwell, who sports excellent hands and blazing speed, has star potential in this league.
- Jacob Harris (TE/WR) –Â Harris, a soccer-turned-football player out of UCF, was a 5th-round pick, but looks can deceive. In only two years of collegiate football, Harris only caught 49 passes – for 987 yards. That’s an average of 20.1 yards per catch through 2 whole seasons! He’s 6’5, but ran a 40-yard dash in 4.39 seconds. If he can develop more experience simply playing football, Harris could end up being a potential steal of the draft.
Summary
In the end, the results of the game don’t truly matter. Both teams are simply going to garner some experience for their promising players. While a win would be nice for morale, it has no impact on a team’s playoff chances, so player development comes first. Giving young, developmental prospects some full-speed, live experience will be at the forefront of each team’s mind. This was the Chargers-Rams preseason Week 1 preview.