Chargers 'game' was good, considering

Aug. 7, 2014 9:30 PM PT

This game lived up to expectations.

No, really. Not being a smart aleck.

Okay, maybe a tiny bit.

Look, it was an exhibition. I had to look up the final score to even write it here: Chargers 27, Dallas Cowboys 7.

Chargers v. Cowboys

The players you’ll draft in your fantasy leagues and pay to see on Sundays and whose jerseys you wear, they were spectators most of this night.

But if you care about the Chargers, if you want to get an idea who will fill out their roster this season, then Thursday was fascinating.

You also saw a little bit of their starting offense and defense, and thus, a little bit of what they could be and how far they might have to go.

If what you got watching this game was a little bored and a lot of information, then it was a good preseason opener.

What the information we gleaned will ultimately mean is yet to be processed.

But this team is good and deep, and confirmation of that is enough for a glorified practice in early August.

All you want at this point is enough for a progress report.

We wanted to see the receivers fighting for the final two spots, and we did. Dontrelle Inman continued to do make catches (one for 70 yards and a touchdown) and solidify his spot. Seyi Ajirotutu had one catch for 10 yards and remained on the No.1 kick coverage units. Tevin Reese caught a pass for 17 yards on a crossing route that showed what he could offer. Consider the battle for the final spot ongoing.

We had previously only seen undrafted rookie running back Branden Oliver making guys miss in practice, where there is no tackling. The Cowboys defense tackles at least some of the time, so Oliver’s 64 yards on seven carries, including a 16-yard touchdown run, showed he’s a real threat to be the Chargers’ fourth running back. Oliver entered the game before sixth-round pick Marion Grice and looked faster and stronger.

We’d thought David Johnson -- listed as a tight end, most valuable playing fullback -- was an asset. While many people were recalling Darren Sproles as Oliver ran, others of us were more inclined to remember when a guy named Lorenzo Neal was opening holes for Chargers running backs. As good as Oliver was, he got the chance on his two longest runs because of Johnson’s blocks. (Wait until you see Johnson catch. You’ll be almost as impressed.)

We knew Kwame Geathers was ahead of fifth-round pick Ryan Carrethers, which was confirmed when Geathers started at nose tackle while Sean Lissemore played end in place of the injured Corey Liuget. Based on how he was used and how he played, undrafted rookie Tenny Palepoi might soon move ahead of Carrethers as well.

We’d thought Ryan Mathews was more elusive in the open field in practice. We saw him escape a tackle on his first carry. That shows progress, if not as much as his lost fumble at the goal line shows regress.

Donald Brown (three carries, 22 yards) and Danny Woodhead (two carries, 10 yards and a 25-yard reception) had the kind of nights, too, that validate what they have looked like in practice.

We figured the Chargers’ defense would be better than the group that limped to a barely good-enough 2013. In its one series, the starting unit, played 14 snaps. The Chargers got manhandled up front by a good offensive line, but Melvin Ingram, now more than a year post-op, got pressure on a third-and-18 to end Dallas’ drive. It was a sliver, but it remains to be seen if the Chargers can get pressure without the aid of defensive coordinator John Pagano’s imagination.

As for that pass rush, we knew the competition was fierce for who would be the fifth outside linebacker. That remains the case. Tourek Williams has been outplaying Thomas Keiser and, as he has in practice, got the early reps Thursday. But Thomas Keiser, who made the team with big plays last preseason, forced a fumble on a sack in the third quarter.

So, really, we saw enough to make us want to see more. So it was worth it.

Chargers ‘game’ was good, considering

Chargers v. Cowboys

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