Spero Dedes will be on the call for KABC-TV tonight with Dan Fouts when the Chargers return to preseason play against the New Orleans Saints.
Here are three things the longtime play-by-play man will keep his eye on:
Running Back Depth – "I think Branden Oliver has solidified himself as a primary running back (behind Melvin Gordon), but after that, I think it's pretty open. It's an interesting competition. (Head Coach) Anthony Lynn has talked about Andre Williams as somebody he really likes. He's a guy who is a former fourth round pick of the Giants, and he's gotten a lot of snaps. Kenjon Barner hasn't been able to play yet, so that's given a guy like Williams more snaps. Kenneth Farrow; we know what he is. He was the primary back up most of last season. But this Austin Ekeler – he's another kid who has turned some heads. Undrafted Division II player last year, so you always wonder if these kids project to the NFL. Apparently he's been one of the surprises so far in camp, and it sounds like he's had his best week of practice. I'm always interested to see how these guys transfer their success from the practice field to the game, especially a kid like that."
Perryman's Replacements– "The biggest thing right now is that linebacker position and who steps in for Denzel Perryman. We know it's been Korey Toomer and Nick Dzubnar as two guys Lynn has talked about to fill most of the void. Toomer we know is a more physical athlete, and Dzubnar from everything we've heard is really strong pre-snap. I think those are two different types of players who can fill that void, and that is a big focal point. Whenever you lose one of your better defensive (playmakers) and the guy who calls the plays in the huddle at this point, it's always tough. So I want to see how those two guys play."
QB Improvements– "I'm looking at the quarterbacks. Kellen Clemens obviously struggled some last week with a couple turnovers off of deflections. Overall, I thought everyone felt he wasn't his usual steady self. So for me, today is a day about Kellen Clemens first and then Cardale Jones. Those are two quarterbacks I think will get a chance to show improvement from last week to this week."
