Los Angeles Chargers

San Diego Chargers: Holiday wish list from the fans

Published Jun. 30, 2017 6:28 p.m. ET

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As we wind down this 2016 NFL season, we are reminded of a few things. The offseason is always a time to be optimistic and the holiday season is here. If Santa Claus were to show up bearing gifts for each NFL team, what are some of the things fans of the San Diego Chargers would hope for?

If we’re honest, there are several things fans of the Bolts will be hoping for this year. Whether they get them or not remains to be seen, but many of them will be eagerly anticipating whether they’ll receive these things or not, the same way many of them used to on Christmas morning.

Think about it. If you were to create a wish list of the things fans would want for the Chargers organization, what would be on it? I’ve come up with a few ideas, so though the offseason is a busy time and several NFL franchises want a lot too, let’s see how many of these things end up in San Diego.

Dear Santa, if you’re listening, try to bring at least a few of these things, if you’re not too busy, of course.

Click forward for each of the items on the wish list and then let us know in the comments how many of them you think will come to reality.

Aug 19, 2016; San Diego, CA, USA; Fans hold up a sign in reference to the Save Our Bolts initiative during the second quarter of the game between the San Diego Chargers and Arizona Cardinals at Qualcomm Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Orlando Ramirez-USA TODAY Sports

New Stadium Deal

Obviously, the top thing on this list is for the Chargers to stay where they belong….. in San Diego.

Fans do not want to see their team leave and in a recent poll conducted by Bolt Beat on Twitter, only about 58 percent of those fans said they would remain a Chargers fan if the team relocates to Los Angeles. That’s not good.

So whatever it takes. Whether it be a new stadium deal or Dean Spanos just sucking it up and dealing with what he has in Qualcomm, the team needs to remain in San Diego.

Yes, L.A. is still in California, but it wouldn’t be the same. Not for fans who have cheered this team on since it came to San Diego in 1961. It’s hard to say where this fan base would be as devastated as the one that lost the Cleveland Browns to Baltimore or more recently, when the Rams left St. Louis to go back to Los Angeles, but it would be a hard time.

You wouldn’t want that, would you Santa? So let’s find a way to keep this team around so those great fans don’t have to worry about it.

Nov 6, 2016; San Diego, CA, USA; San Diego Chargers head coach Mike McCoy looks on during the fourth quarter against the Tennessee Titans at Qualcomm Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Jake Roth-USA TODAY Sports

A New Head Coach

I honestly feel as though head coach Mike McCoy has done a decent job with the hand he’s been dealt this season, but there is no doubt that many fans have had enough of him.

Whether it be the feeling that he is too conservative, poor with his time management, or something else, it could be time for a change. He’s about to miss the playoffs for a third straight year and a new chief might be able to push players in another direction.

There is no quit in McCoy’s team, but he just hasn’t been able to find enough success translating to the win column. Should he take all the blame for a season that has been marred by injuries? Perhaps not, but if given the chance to get a new coach to lead the team into the future, I’d think most fans would be in favor of that.

Dec 3, 2016; Orlando, FL, USA; Clemson Tigers wide receiver Mike Williams (7) works out prior to the ACC Championship college football game against the Virginia Tech Hokies at Camping World Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Kim Klement-USA TODAY Sports

Mike Williams

Currently, the Chargers would be selecting at No. 11 in the first round of the draft. That can and likely will change in the next four weeks, but the mindset going into the draft should not.

This team needs to get Philip Rivers some more weapons.

Yes, Keenan Allen is great when he’s healthy, but unfortunately, that hasn’t been very often lately. Tyrell Williams has done a great job and Hunter Henry looks like a talented future prospect, but Rivers needs more. He has the talent to lead the most potent offense in the league.

Clemson’s Mike Williams will likely be the first wide receiver off the board in April.

Williams is a big, physical target that comes from a school that has churned out NFL players DeAndre Hopkins and Sammy Watkins. He will bring a tremendous combination of size, speed and good hands to the league.

It would be like when Rivers had a young Vincent Jackson to throw the ball to. Someone he could just throw the ball up to and have them go get it. Williams is capable of doing that.

If Rivers is ever going to win the Super Bowl, the franchise needs to surround him with players who can help him get there. Travis Benjamin and Dontrelle Inman are likely not those players.

Dec 4, 2016; San Diego, CA, USA; The San Diego Charger Girls perform during the first quarter against the Tampa Bay Buccaneers at Qualcomm Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Jake Roth-USA TODAY Sports

A Playoff Berth

The Chargers have an uphill climb to make the playoffs this year, to say the least. Currently, the Chargers sit at No. 12 in the AFC and would need a wild set of circumstances to occur in order to make the postseason. That said, until they are mathematically eliminated, we can keep hope alive, right?

The drawback to this would be that the Chargers would be drafting later in the first round if they qualified for the playoffs as opposed to if they didn’t, so there’s that to think about. Do fans even want the Chargers to make the playoffs at this point?

I’d hope so. You’re either in the tournament or you’re not and if you’re not, there’s no chance to win it all. If you’re in the field, there’s always that chance. How many people thought the Denver Broncos were going to win the Super Bowl at this time last year? Probably not that many.

If there’s a chance for the playoffs, you should always want it. Most fans in San Diego likely feel the same.

Aug 28, 2016; Minneapolis, MN, USA; San Diego Chargers running back Branden Oliver (43) is helped onto the cart after being injured during a play in the second quarter during a preseason game against the Minnesota Vikings at U.S. Bank Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Brace Hemmelgarn-USA TODAY Sports

Better Luck With Injuries

Santa, if nothing else, let the Chargers have a little better luck on the injury side of things next season. The team has been playing at less than one hundred percent since the preseason and though that’s the way it goes, fans have been left to wonder just how good this team could be all season.

Keenan Allen, Danny Woodhead, Caraun Reid, Sean Lissemore, Stevie Johnson, Branden Oliver, Jerry Attaochu, Nick Dzubnar, Dexter McCluster, Tyler Johnstone, Brandon Mebane, Javontee Herndon, Manti Te’o, Jason Verrett, Jeff Cumberland, Zamir Carlis, Brock Hekking and Donavan Clark. Those are the players who have been placed on IR this year. 18 players. It’s ridiculous.

The AFC West has been quite competitive this year, but don’t you think the Chargers would have fared better with all of these guys? Of course they would have.

So Santa, if you can’t bring all of the other stuff the great San Diego fans, have asked for, at least try to put your special touch on the team and help give it a fighting chance next year.