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“Chargers-Solve 1-Problem-Create Another”

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Quarterback sacks, hurries, hits, turnovers.

As much part of San Diego Chargers football as Powder Blue Jerseys and Lightning Bolts on the helmet.

Now what is Philip Rivers going to?

The weakest part of the team, just got weaker, with the surprise decision by the front office to blowout four year veteran starting offensive guard DJ Fluker, a cornerstone on their roster and in their lineup four straight seasons.

Yes, he was slated to earn (8.8M) salary this year, a very high figure for a guard, who was not a Pro Bowler. And yes, he seeminly had plateaued after the first two seasons of his career.

But you let him go, for nothing? Moved him out without trying to restructure down the contract? Did not try to change his off season habits, to get him to shed some of his 339-pound girth to become more flexible, more quicker? You gave up on a 1st round draft pick, who is still pretty young?

Left behind after the decision to dump Fluker, oft-injured DB-Brandon Flowers, and wide receiver Stevie Johnson, is 19M-cap space. As of this morning the Chargers now have 23M total space to re-sign a chunk of their in-house free agents, and maybe dabble a bit in free agency on the outside.

But also left behind is an offensive front where injuries and subpar performances were almost weekly occurrences. I’d choose a warrior like Fluker over what’s left on the field now, King Dunlap, Orlando Franklin, and Joe Barksdale.

Fluker was a warrior, maybe not the player we all envisioned after his rookie season, but still better than most of the others out there.

Rivers is a warrior too, but I cannot imagine tomorrow can be better than yesterday, with what is left on the offensive front after what they let go.

In his last five seasons, Rivers has piled up yards, thrown touchdowns, but has not won a playoff game. Yet his team has lost 25-of its last 35-games, and he is coming off his lowest QB rating (87) of his career as a starter.

In those five seasons of football, he has thrown 78-interceptions, lost 18-fumbles, put the ball on the ground 39-times, and taken an incredible 191-quarterback sacks.

The Chargers didn’t want to keep Fluker. They should have worked harder at it, financially, and from a football technique standpoint, physically.

I don’t see this team keeping Rivers upright going forward, with them getting rid of the cement-tough right guard. And here’s a scary thought. What if Flukers winds up with the Chiefs-Broncos-Raiders?

John Spanos and Tom Telesco may have solved one problem, one they created, the cap mess, but now they’ve created maybe a bigger problem, a really bad offensive front line, the one playing infront of the most important player on their roster, their quarterback.

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