This is the first full off-season under the NFL's new collective bargaining agreement. The schedule of how, when, and for how long teams can practice has been changed. But, for Philip Rivers, it's not even a bump in the road.
"I really don't know how different it is," said the Pro Bowl quarterback.
They get done with their mini-camp a little later, and now have a month's wait for training camp. But for a man with six children, patience is not a problem.
The Chargers have a gaggle of new players from free agency and the draft, and after two years of missing the playoffs find themselves in an unfamiliar position.
With Peyton Manning in Denver, the Bolts are not the near-unanimous favorite to win the AFC West. That doesn't hold a whole lot of water in the San Diego locker room.
"We always expect to be great," said cornerback Quentin Jammer, the longest-tenured player on this year's team. "That's always our expectation."
At the end of July, we'll see if that expectation can turn out to be great.
