EL SEGUNDO — Derwin James Jr. took one look at the NFL schedule last spring and said to himself: “Let’s (expletive) go, let’s go, let’s go.” The Chargers’ season opener is Sunday afternoon against the AFC West rival Las Vegas Raiders, the team that laid a 63-21 beatdown on the Chargers the last time the teams played.
“Come on, man,” James said when asked if his excitement about facing the Raiders in Week 1 was based on the Dec. 14 game in Las Vegas that prompted the firings of Brandon Staley as coach and Tom Telesco as general manager one day later. “Come on, man, you can’t embarrass me like that.”
In fact, the Raiders didn’t need much help in embarrassing the Chargers on Thursday Night Football, with the known football universe tuned in and expecting to see something resembling a competitive game. It was, instead, a game in which the Chargers seemed unprepared to play.
Quarterback Justin Herbert was sidelined by a season-ending finger injury. Wide receivers Keenan Allen and Mike Williams also were dealing with season-ending injuries. Backup quarterback Easton Stick threw for three second-half touchdowns in his first NFL start, but it was nothing but a consolation prize.
Defensively, it was the most points given up in Chargers history, topping the 57 they gave up in a loss to the then-St. Louis Rams in the 2000 season. The Raiders led 42-0 by halftime, tying the franchise record and falling just three points shy of the NFL record for the most points scored in a first half.
The Chargers fired Staley and Telesco at 9 a.m. the following day.
“I remember it, personally, for myself,” James said when asked Thursday to recall the game at Allegiant Stadium. “But a lot of these guys (in the Chargers’ locker room) weren’t around here then. But I remember it. This is Raiders week. It’s a division opponent. It means that much more.”
The Chargers have a great many reasons to win and deliver some payback to the Raiders, not the least of which is giving new coach Jim Harbaugh a victory in his return to the NFL after nine seasons at the University of Michigan. Harbaugh led the Wolverines to the national championship last season.
Harbaugh and new GM Joe Hortiz gave the Chargers’ roster a makeover in the offseason and well into training camp, but it remains to be seen whether their work pays off. Certainly, no one expects an improved defense to surrender 63 points again.
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“I feel like we’re in a good spot, but we’ve got to go out there Sunday and show it to the world,” said James, a safety who has been selected for the Pro Bowl three times in his six-season career. “It doesn’t matter where we feel like we’re at, we’ve got to go out there Sunday and put it on film for the world to see.”
For James, a new season represents new challenges, new opportunities to prove himself and erase one 60-minute nightmare of a game from his memory.
“It definitely feels different because it’s new, everything is new for us,” James said of playing with a new coach and with new teammates in a new training facility. “But all that don’t mean nothing. We’ve got to go out there and play Sunday. We’ve got a game against the Raiders. It’s a division game and we’ve just got to go out there and play.”
INJURY UPDATES
The Chargers added Herbert to their injury report because of the plantar fascia injury in his right foot. He was listed as a full participant in Thursday’s practice. … Wide receiver Joshua Palmer (knee) also was added to the list but was a full participant. … Wide receiver DJ Chark Jr. (hip) did not join his teammates for the second consecutive day. … Cornerback Tarheeb Still (hip) was limited.