Yes, we know that this is taking a while!

As many of you know, we at Notinhalloffame.com are slowly generating the top 50 of each major North American sports team. That being said, we have existing Top 50 lists and consistently look to update them when necessary and based on necessity. As such, we are delighted to present our post-2023 revision of our top 50 Los Angeles Chargers.

As for all of our top 50 players in football, we look at the following:

1.  Advanced Statistics.

2.  Traditional statistics and how they finished in the National Football League.

3.  Playoff accomplishments.

4.  Their overall impact on the team and other intangibles that are not reflected in a stat sheet.

Last year, the Chargers did not accomplish much, and there were no new entrants to the Top 50.  There was one elevation.

As always, we present our top five, which saw no changes:

1. Junior Seau
2. LaDainian Tomlinson
3. Lance Alworth
4. Dan Fouts
5. Philip Rivers

You can find the entire list here.

Wide Receiver Keenan Allen climbed to #12 from #14.  He is now with the Chicago Bears.

Defensive End Joey Bosa, who has been battling injuries, only moved up spot to #38.

Running Back, Austin Ekeler, who is now with Washington, remained at #40.

We thank you for your continued support of our lists on Notinhalloffame.com.

Regular visitors of Notinhalloffame.com know that we are slowly working on the top 50 of every major team in the NHL, NBA, NFL, and MLB. Once that is done, we will examine how each team honors its past players, coaches, and executives. As such, it is important to us that the Los Angeles Chargers will be inducting former owners, Alex and Faye Spanos to their franchise Hall of Fame.

This will bring a total of 43 members to the Hall.

Alex Spanos bought the San Diego Chargers in 1984 and oversaw the team until his death in 2018. His wife, Faye, died two months later.

The team is now owned and run by their son, Dean Spanos, who credited their parents for the vision of the team and that the team would not have relocated to Los Angeles.

2023: Pre-Season Rank: #136.  Peak Period: 2018-23*

After a spectacular rookie year (2018) where he was the runner-up for the Defensive Rookie of the Year, James missed 11 Games in 2019 with a foot injury and the entirety of 2020 with a torn meniscus. James defied the odds, and the Safety had a two-year run in the Pro Bowls afterward. Can James make a run for the Hall despite his early injury bug?

*Missed the entire 2020 Season.

In July, the LA Chargers signed QB Justin Herbert on a five-year contract extension worth $262.5 million, making him the highest paid QB in history – but what is behind this decision, and why do the Chargers have so much pinned on the handsome, reticent player barely out of his rookie season?

If you are looking for another way to play online, and fancy a break from the Eye of Horus slot games, you might want to look at sports betting and the NFL in particular – and knowing the latest news before the start of the season might help you decide on what to bet on.

Before we delve into Herbert, let’s look at the LA Chargers.

Who are the LA Chargers?

The LA Chargers play in the NFL and their home games are played at the SoFi Stadium, which the team shares with the LA Rams in Inglewood, California.

The team was founded in 1959, and played their first season in the American Football League in 1960.

In 1961, the team relocated to San Diego, and played as the San Diego Chargers for decades, winning the AFL Championships in 1963.

One of the best performances of the Chargers was in 194, when they won the AFC Championship and a place in the Superbowl but lost 49-26 to the San Francisco 49ers.

2017 saw the Chargers return to LA, and since then they have worked hard to remain in the top flight of the AFC West, finishing 2^nd last year and earning a place in the Wild Card Playoff, which they unfortunately lost to the Jacksonville Jaguars 31-30.

With the contract extension for Justin Herbert, the LA Chargers are showing that they have big plans for the upcoming season, putting their introverted quarterback at the forefront of their plans for domination.

Why Justin Herbert?

Born in March 1998, Justin Herbert developed his amazing throwing arm in his early life, competing in the softball throw tournaments from the age of 7 and winning again and again. The movement into football was almost a no-brainer, and by his senior year of high school, he was named First Team All-State and awarded the Southwest Conference Offensive Player of the Year at Sheldon High School.

College saw him named as QB2 when he started at Oregon, but he soon became a starter, as his freshman season saw him equalling or setting records for things like passing yards and TD passes. While the 2016 season for his college team wasn’t exactly full of glory, it wasn’t for a lack of talent in their QB, at least. The rest of his college career saw him win the Rose Bowl, the Redbox Bowl, and many personal accolades, including Academic All-American for his 4.08 grade point average in Biology.

When it came to the draft, Herbert was picked sixth overall in the first round, and named as backup QB to Tyrod Taylor. His arrival was watched with interest; his play style and movie-star good looks made him seem to be the ultimate sports personality.

This seemed to be spot on for the fans, as he became the starting QB in just the second game of the year. His awesome skills and extensive power in his throw saw him named as Rookie of the Year and Offensive Rookie of the Year in 2020.

It was in 2021 that Herbert really came to life, smashing franchise records across the field – from completing 5014 passing yards, 38 passing touchdowns, 63 carries for 302 rushing yards, three rushing touchdowns, and 15 interceptions in just one season.

What is the secret sauce that makes Herbert so good – and worth so much?

Well, there is that unnaturally good throwing arm. Even his own teammates sometimes are awed by just how far – and how straight - he can throw. Despite this, he is steady and uncomplicated, humble, and quiet.

Unlike some of the other quarterbacks in the NFL, Herbert seems completely disinterested in the trappings of the position. He Is noticeably uncomfortable in front of a microphone, uneasy when put in the spotlight, and often deflecting personal questions to make them about the performance of the team.

Does this make him a better player? Perhaps, he is certainly more focused on his play, running practice drills until they are perfect with that attention to detail that even his teammates are fascinated with.

This ultra focused player looks the part, with his handsome features and good hair – but the only thing that matters is the football. He has no delusions about his position, often the only player who tidies after himself in the locker room and packs his own holdall before away games.

His third season saw Herbert come out of himself a bit more. Maybe through maturity or being more comfortable with his important position – whatever it is, he was more relaxed in interviews, making jokes on camera, and actively encouraging his teammates.

Whatever the secret is, it has transformed Justin Herbert’s career – he was scheduled to earn $4.23 million in his fourth year for the Chargers, and thanks to his new contract that number is about $52.5 million.

Yes, we know that this is taking a while!

As many of you know, we here at Notinhalloffame.com are slowly generating the 50 of each major North American sports team. That being said, we have existing Top 50 lists out and we always consistently look to update them when we can and based on necessity. As such, we are very happy to present our post 2022 revision of our top 50 Los Angeles Chargers.

As for all of our top 50 players in football we look at the following:

1. Advanced Statistics.

2. Traditional statistics and how they finished in the National Football League.

3. Playoff accomplishments.

4. Their overall impact on the team and other intangibles not reflected in a stat sheet.

Last year, the Chargers returned to the playoffs, but were bounced in the first game. This past season saw one new entrant and one elevation.

As always, we present our top five, which did not change.

1. Junior Seau

2. LaDainian Tomlinson

3. Lance Alworth

4. Dan Fouts

5. Philip Rivers

You can find the entire list here.

Wide Receiver, Keenan Allen, climbed from #20 to #13.

Running Back, Austin Ekeler, makes his first appearance at #40.

It is noteworthy that Joey Bosa held the same spot (#39), and that Quarterback, Justin Herbert, just missed out. He should have a huge debut next year.

We welcome your input and comments and as always, we thank you for your support.

Austin Ekeler is an interesting Running Back to rank on any list, as to date, he has yet to break 1,000 Yards on the ground in a season, but year-by-year, he has become a better dual-threat back in professional football.

Undrafted from Western State in 2017, Ekeler made the Chargers, playing in a reserve capacity, but would break out in his third season, starting eight Games and accumulating over 1,500 Yards from Scrimmage. Missing six Games in 2020 due to injury, Ekeler was money in the 2021 and 2022, leading the NFL in Touchdowns iwith a combined YFS close to 3,200.  Ekeler's production fell in 2023 (1,064 YFS/6 TDs), and he signed with the Washington Commanders at season's end

Ekeler overall compiled 8.239 Yards From Scrimmage with 69 Touchdowns.

Yes, we know that this is taking a while!

As many of you know, we here at Notinhalloffame.com are slowly generating the 50 of each major North American sports team.  That being said, we have existing Top 50 lists out and we always consistently look to update them when we can and based on necessity.  As such, we are very happy to present our post-2021 revision of our top 50 Los Angeles Chargers.

As for all of our top 50 players in football we look at the following: 

1.  Advanced Statistics.

2.  Traditional statistics and how they finished in the National Football League. 

3.  Playoff accomplishments.

4.  Their overall impact on the team and other intangibles not reflected in a stat sheet.

Last year, the Los Angeles Chargers failed to make the playoffs but were one of the more exciting teams to watch with several young players on the rise.  There were no new entrants in the Top 50, but one jump of an existing player.

As always, we present our top five:

1. Junior Seau

2. LaDainian Tomlinson

3. Lance Alworth

4. Dan Fouts

5. Philip Rivers

The only change on the list is Nick Bosa, who climbed from #50 to #39.  The 2016 Defensive Rookie of the Year went to his fourth Pro Bowl last season.

You can find the entire list here.

We welcome your input and comments and as always, we thank you for your support.

2023 Pre-Season Rank: 116, 2022 Pre-Season Rank: #129.  Peak Period: 2020-23*

The Chargers have their Quarterback for the long haul in Justin Herbert, who was the 2020 Offensive Rookie of the Year and a Pro Bowl Selection in 2021, but he is coming off his weakest year in the NFL (3,134 PY 20-10 TD-INT) and has a losing overall record (30-32).  Herbert has a lot more to prove, and this will be a challenging year to do it.

*Herbert has only played four years.

Joey Bosa was a beat at Ohio State, earning two All-American honors, the Nagurski-Woodson Defensive Player of the Year and winning the National Championship.  The Chargers used their Third Overall Pick on the Buckeye, and it proved to be the correct decision.

Yes, we know that this is taking a while!

As many of you know, we here at Notinhalloffame.com are slowly generating the 50 of each major North American sports team.  We have a new one to unveil today, that of the Los Angeles Chargers. 

The Los Angeles Chargers came into existence in 1960 as a charter member of the American Football League.

The stay in Los Angeles was brief, as they moved south to San Diego the season after, but this was one of the most successful teams in the AFL.  They would make the playoff five times in the upstart league, winning the AFL Title in 1963.  

The Chargers would be part of the AFL-NFL merger, and while they have had their share of excellent players, they have only made the Super Bowl once, a losing effort in 1994.  In 2016, the Chargers moved back to Los Angeles.

As for all of our top 50 players in football we look at the following: 

1.  Advanced Statistics.

2. Traditional statistics and how they finished in the NFL.

3. Playoff accomplishments.

4. Their overall impact on the team and other intangibles not reflected in a stat sheet.

Remember, this is ONLY based on what a player does on that particular team and not what he accomplished elsewhere and also note that we have placed an increased importance on the first two categories.

This list is updated up until the end of the 2019 Season.

The complete list can be found here, but as always, we announce our top five in this article.  They are:

1. Junior Seau

2. LaDainian Tomlinson

3. Lance Alworth

4. Dan Fouts

5. Philip Rivers

We will continue our adjustments on our existing lists and will continue developing our new lists.  

Look for our more material coming soon!

Up next, will be the top 50 Cincinnati Bengals.

As always we thank you for your support.

A Second Round Pick from Rice in 1989, Courtney Hall won the starting job at Center as a rookie with the San Diego Chargers and save for his sophomore season where he was moved to Left Guard, which is precisely where he stayed.

From Washington State, Keith Lincoln elected to sign with the San Diego Chargers, as opposed to the Buffalo Bills, who chose him in the 1961 Draft.

One of the most unlikely defensive stars in the early days of the Chargers was Dick Harris, an undrafted player from McNeese State.

From Bethune-Cookman, Lee Williams played in the USFL for the L.A. Express before traveling south to San Diego, who chose him in the 1984 Supplemental Draft.

Vincent Jackson did not have a rocket-like start in the NFL as the Northern Colorado Wide Receiver missed half of his rookie season (2005) due to injury and the Second Round Pick barely played in the games, he did appear him.

Ernie Wright was an original member of the Los Angeles Chargers when they were an inaugural member of the American Football League in 1960, and the Ohio State Buckeye made the most of the opportunity.

A forgotten Quarterback in the annals of Chargers' history is Stan Humphries, who to date is the only pivot to take the organization to the Super Bowl.

In the second year of the Chargers’ existence, Washington Linebacker, Chuck Allen was a very late Draft Pick (28^thRound), so for him just to make the team was a bit of a long shot.  Allen would accomplish a lot more than that.

The professional career of Dave Kocourek began in 1959 when the Wisconsin Badger joined the Winnipeg Blue Bombers of the Canadian Football League.

Melvin Ingram was a First Round Pick in 2012 who was used as a backup Linebacker in his rookie year.  A torn ACL in his second training camp kept him out most of the year, but he returned and methodically worked his way into one of the better defensive players of the year.