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Watt would have to be quick study

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Center for the 2014 Chargers is a position of adventure.

Sunday, Chris Watt could strap himself into the ride.

If Rich Ohrnberger remains out with injury, Watt would be the team’s fourth starter at center this year.

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A rookie, he’d want to be a quick study.

The Rams have one of the NFL’s hottest defenses, and guard is where Watt spent all of his four-year career at Notre Dame.

The Chargers wisely started Watt at center in the fourth exhibition. Filling in for injured starters in three games this season, he’s worked 64 snaps there. Also, the Chargers (6-4) have platooned him at right guard since Game 4.

“The old adage is, he’s no longer a rookie,” playcaller Frank Reich said Thursday. “He’s proven himself.”

How has Watt fared manning the always-important pivot?

He’s not been part of any snap-related gaffes with Philip Rivers, and that’s encouraging for a team that’s muffed -- and regained -- four snaps this season.

Watt’s quick feet have shown up increasingly at guard, where he pulls more than platoon mate Johnnie Troutman. He, more so than linemates, is able to get upfield to the linebackers. That’s especially important in sealing backside lanes. Though the 315-pounder can be buckled by power, he’s fairly quick to recover.

The biggest test playing center Sunday would be reading Rams defenders, calling out the line’s block calls (a role others may fill, too) and knowing where to be on defensive stunts.

The Rams have several better than-average defenders in their front. One of the NFL’s savvier linebackers, James Laurinaitis, runs their defense, and coordinator Gregg Williams, he of Bountygate infamy, is one of the league’s pressure-package experts.

Were Nick Hardwick the starter, it’d be an adventure. He’ll be on the sideline in street clothes.

For a rookie who’s never started at center, his margins slimmed by the playoff race?

This would be Sea World and Six Flags rolled into one.

But Watt, 24, has covered a lot of ground since arriving as a third-round pick. Beginning in May, the Chargers began exposing him to center.

“He’s tough. He’s smart. I look at him like he’s been here for 10 years,” Reich said. “You know that’s not true. But there’s a side of it that, that’s how it feels, and that’s how it needs to feel to him.”

Watt and Philip Rivers have put in extra work together of late. With Rivers making his 139th start, any center’s football IQ rises by extension. Expect Watt to provide a competitive performance if the Chargers call upon him.

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