San Diego is one of Americas most beautiful cities, a place where the sun shines, on average, over 300 days a year. For the past several years, it has also been home to The Chargers, an AFC West Division powerhouse.

With all-world LaDanian Tomlinson running wild , with a spectacular overland passing game , a top-of-the-line defense , and great West Coast weather for every home game, San Diegos Chargers have been a terror throughout the AFC.

And yet, the team has won nothing except a whole bunch of regular season games. Every year in the playoffs, teams like the Patriots and the Steelers have led the charge to represent the Conference in the Super Bowl. And San Diego, with all of its talent, has always gone home a little too early.

Every team, with a core of great players, only has a limited window of opportunity to achieve great things before age robs or reduces skills , trades change the chemistry , retirements create on-field deficiencies, and the window closes for good.

Has that happened to the San Diego Chargers? Its probably still too early to tell. But, one fact remains: the clock is ticking on this team , and its chance to achieve greatness may be slipping. Already, Tomlinson is not the player he was as recently as a year or two ago. Thats not a surprise … running backs tend to perform at a top level for only a few years in the NFL because they all take a terrible pounding , a physical beating that slows them down, often when they are still quite young.

The Chargers seem strong at quarterback , have been good on defense , respectable on special teams, but experts have questioned their coaching staff. Is it good enough to lead the team deep in the playoffs? Thats a question that will be answered by on-field performance in the upcoming 2009-2010 Season.

One thing is certain: the Chargers need to be good , or changes lots of them are likely to occur and shred the fabric of this team. That would, of course, be a terrible shame. The Chargers were built to win, with their current roster of players. If it doesnt happen, this team, and its players, will be remembered for its failures.

In recent years, the Chargers have been a fun team for fans to watch and enjoy because of their high-powered offense and overall good play. Theyve been a solid bet for people who like to wager because theyve been able to cover the spread. But if this team is changing, will the perceptions change in the new season?

Will the Chargers be a top offensive team , will they turn wagers into winning bets , or are they about to enter a new phase?