Ryan Mathews

[Tarquin]

I watched the game against the Bears.

The Bears have a terrible run defense though. It's also the first game of preseason and the defense always lags behind the offense for the run game.

Do you guys think he was the best use of your first round draft pick?

So far he's been impressive, but you could have had a lot of other really good players. Will another superstar that could decide to hold out in a season or two really add to the value of your team the way some of the other players on the board would have?

NFL Draft - These are he draft picks in order. Do you guys think Mathews was worth the players you took a pass on?

How many yards (both running and receiving) do you think he'll have this season?

What about TDs?

In what way does he benefit your offense more than a good DE would have or a solid WR?

[12and4]

Rushing yards... 1100
Receiving yards..250
TDs.................14?

[Tarquin]

Bio

This is kind of interesting.

He was born when his mom was only 16. Apparently his dad and he have only met a couple of times ever.

His mom worked multiple jobs to raise him and he started playing ball when he was five. She never missed a game.

Coming out of high school he was highly recruited by the Big 10 and Big 12 but he chose to go to Fresno State so that he could be closer to his family and help how he could.

He has three brothers, each apparently with a different father. From what I can gather they remain a close family.

Stories like this seem to get drowned out amid Favre-watch and Tebow Time.

Demaryius Thomas, Ryan Mathews, and many more.

[12and4]

This is kind of interesting.

He was born when his mom was only 16. Apparently his dad and he have only met a couple of times ever.

His mom worked multiple jobs to raise him and he started playing ball when he was five. She never missed a game.

Coming out of high school he was highly recruited by the Big 10 and Big 12 but he chose to go to Fresno State so that he could be closer to his family and help how he could.

He has three brothers, each apparently with a different father. From what I can gather they remain a close family.

Stories like this seem to get drowned out amid Favre-watch and Tebow Time.

Demaryius Thomas, Ryan Mathews, and many more.

yeah, his mother is white and father black.

he was recruited by USC, but turned them down to go to Fresno state.

[Mugen]

Ryan Matthews looked really sharp against the Bears. Mind you, it's against the Bears in preseason, but some vets were making mistakes against him in match-ups.

Brian Urlacher really had to go after him. I expect good things from this kid.

[CHARGER$]

As far as numbers go i have no clue what to expect. Hopefully somewhere near or over 1k yds. All i want is for the D to feel that there is a threat at RB so they don't focus on rivers and our recieving threats so much.

I think he was the best fit for our team, so as far as the draft goes im completely happy with the pick.

[Tarquin]

All i want is for the D to feel that there is a threat at RB so they don't focus on rivers and our recieving threats so much.

Against a team like Denver that is probably the best secondary in the NFL, do you think Mathews will be a big enough distraction?

[Chargerbomb]

I watched the game against the Bears.

The Bears have a terrible run defense though. It's also the first game of preseason and the defense always lags behind the offense for the run game.

Do you guys think he was the best use of your first round draft pick?

So far he's been impressive, but you could have had a lot of other really good players. Will another superstar that could decide to hold out in a season or two really add to the value of your team the way some of the other players on the board would have?

NFL Draft - These are he draft picks in order. Do you guys think Mathews was worth the players you took a pass on?

How many yards (both running and receiving) do you think he'll have this season?

What about TDs?

In what way does he benefit your offense more than a good DE would have or a solid WR?

The single biggest problem last year was a lack of a running game. By far. Teams loaded the box and blitzed incessantly, never worrying about sweeps or draws because we didn't have a guy who could break off a long run from the line of scrimmage. Mathews is that guy.

The team is fine at WR. Naanee and Davis will pick up the slack for VJ without much problem.

Some people wanted Odrick or Dan Williams instead of Mathews, but it appears that the Chargers got a steal in 5th round pick Cam Thomas. Competition for limited spots on the DLine has brought out the best in the guys that the Chargers have, and it appears (after 1 preseason game against a horrible OLine anyway) that the DLine won't be a major weakness.

A stud end like Odrick would've been nice, but the staff made the determination that the current group of ends was good enough. A workhorse back who is also a homerun threat will push this offense over the top.

[Chargerbomb]

Against a team like Denver that is probably the best secondary in the NFL, do you think Mathews will be a big enough distraction?

Try not to flatter your team too much. They certainly have the oldest and most experienced secondary in the NFL, but I don't think it's the best.

Rivers has made a point of picking on the Broncos secondary since taking over, targeting Bailey quite often. The only thing that stopped him versus Denver last year was a ferocious pass-rush in week 6 which didn't give him any time to throw. Without Dumervil, it'll be very tough for Denver to duplicate that feat.

But yes, I believe that Mathews power and speed combination will give a lot of D-Coordinators pause this year. You can't just overload the edges and blitz with impunity, because if Mathews gets past that first line of defense, he's gone. You can't play nickel all game, because Mathews has the power to grind out yards against a 3-3 or 4-2 front. You will have to line up some big, lane-clogging bodies at the front, and hope that they can get some type of pressure on Rivers or he will kill you. I do believe that Mathews adds a new dimension to the offense which we haven't seen since about 2007, back when Rivers was suffering through a slump trying to learn Turner's vertical offense. I'm excited to see the results.

[CHARGER$]

Against a team like Denver that is probably the best secondary in the NFL, do you think Mathews will be a big enough distraction?

I might have my homer glasses on, but i dont think there is a D that can completely shut down this O. Yes, as of now we are without 2 key players but we also added a huge piece in RM that doesn't have to do much to improve our team over last year. So now pick your poison, stack the box to stop RM and let rivers air it out or drop more men into the secondary and let RM have more space to run in.

[baphamet]

i am exited to see how he does, i think he will put up pretty good numbers as long as he stays healthy.

[baphamet]

Rushing yards... 1100
Receiving yards..250
TDs.................14?

i agree with these numbers except i don't know if he will have that many TD's

[Tarquin]

Isn't 1300 yards the new measuring stick for a "good" running back?

Then again he's a rookie.

He did look fierce against the Bears. What we've seen so far all points a positive way for the Chargers.

I'm sure that makes letting go of LT easier to stomach for many of you.

[baphamet]

Isn't 1300 yards the new measuring stick for a "good" running back?

Then again he's a rookie.

He did look fierce against the Bears. What we've seen so far all points a positive way for the Chargers.

I'm sure that makes letting go of LT easier to stomach for many of you.

rookies don't usually have that great of seasons, if he gets 1300 i would be stoked!

[Tarquin]

rookies don't usually have that great of seasons, if he gets 1300 i would be stoked!

I think he could.

He plays the Chiefs, Raiders and Broncos twice.

The Broncos aren't the world's best against the run. The Chiefs are pathetic and the Raiders are one injury away from 4-12.

If the injury bug stays in Broncos camp, you've got 6 pretty good shots at him having impressive days, just out of those 6 games.

Your schedule also isn't all that hard this season and you'll be relying more on the run game without Jackson in.

I could see him popping 1k easy. He might even get 1300. I do think Denver's run D is better this season and it sure looked that way from the Bengals game too, but the injuries are adding up already so we'll have to see how that pans out.

He could have a big rookie year though. Objectively, I'd take him on my fantasy team.