Philip Rivers doesn’t need to look at last year’s record, or two straight years without the playoffs, to know the end could be near for the Chargers as we know them.
Rivers told Alex Marvez of FoxSports.com and Gil Brandt on Sirius XM NFL Radio that the retirements of former teammates LaDainian Tomlinson and Kris Dielman were a clear sign to him.
“What hit me right in the face was this doesn’t last forever,” Rivers said. “This does come to an end.”
That could be a theme, as general manager A.J. Smith, coach Norv Turner and a lot of folks are sitting on hot seats if the Chargers don’t turn things around in 2012.
Rivers said the Chargers have taken on a “backs-against-the-wall mentality.”
“We’re driven by not making the playoffs, not playing to our standard and not playing consistent,” safety Eric Weddle said. “We love our coach. We love this organization. But we don’t know what the future holds. All we can worry about is each day, each meeting, each practice and getting the most out of now.”
That’s why the Chargers are doing business differently this year.
Previously uneasy about free agency in general, Smith signed 17 free agents this offseason, while keeping with his previous tack of keeping core players such as left tackle Jared Gaither and center Nick Hardwick.
Smith described the depth additions as “layering” as he hopes to avoid the kind of injury fueled collapse that marked last year, during a six-game losing streak. The fact their 8-8 record was still nearly enough, losing playoff tiebreakers to Denver, made it sting that much more.
“In hindsight, maybe if I had done a better job in some backup situations, instead of six (losses) we do three,” Smith said. “You do the math.”
There were other problems, as they’ve changed defensive coordinators, added pass-rushers and made up for the loss of Vincent Jackson by buying receivers in bulk.
All those adjustments better pay off, or the more significant changes are still in the Chargers’ future.