Something to watch ...
One aspect of the Chargers season to keep an eye on will be the performance of Shawne Merriman.
The linebacker earned his second Pro Bowl berth in as many seasons in 2006 and led the league in sacks with 17, even though he incurred a four-game suspension after testing positive for a banned substance, something he claimed he'd mistakenly ingested from a dietary supplement.
This season, Merriman appears to have lost a noticeable amount of weight and is no longer as cut and buff as he was a year ago. With his shirt off, the only way you can tell it's the same guy is the tattoos.
For the record, he is listed on the Chargers' roster at 272 pounds, the same weight at which he was listed a year ago. But I believe my own eyes rather than the roster listing.
Will he be as formidable a force in the Chargers' pass rush? We'll see.