1999 record: 8-8, tied for third in AFC West.

Coach: Mike Riley (8-8 in one season with San Diego, his first as an NFL head coach).

Playoff past: In 1994, San Diego had a majestic season, going 11-5 and squeaking past Miami and Pittsburgh to reach Super Bowl XXIX, where it was smothered by San Francisco. A year later, the Chargers lost an AFC wild-card game to Indianapolis, and the team has failed to register a winning record in four consecutive seasons since.

Outlook

Mike Riley earned plenty of praise in his first season as an NFL coach. His optimistic outlook provided invaluable inspiration toward the end of last season, which the Chargers salvaged by winning four of their final five games.

An offense that was incredibly inept in 1999 has gotten rave reviews from Riley so far during training camp, but he said he will not hesitate to blast those who aren't producing or make changes.

Linebacker Junior Seau is the consistent anchor for the Chargers' top-flight defense.(Allsport)

Good luck. San Diego finished 8-8 despite an offense that scored a league-low touchdowns, 22, for the second time in three years. In 1997, the Bolts were Dolts, too, with a paltry 17.

The Chargers were doomed by a six-game losing streak, in which they were outscored 81-6 over one stretch, in the middle of last season.

The team is celebrating its 40th season in 2000, and it all started so well. San Diego played in five of the first six AFL title games. And even though they lost four of those, the Sid Gillman-inspired Chargers became known for their electric air show.

That aerial attack has crashed and burned lately.

Kurt Warner of St. Louis threw more touchdown passes (41) last season than San Diego has in its past three seasons combined (35). In that ugly stretch, only three teams scored fewer points than San Diego last season -- only one did in '98 -- and the Chargers defense scored more TDs (six) than their running backs (five) in '97.

New player personnel director Billy Devaney acquired speedster Curtis Conway to bolster the Chargers receiving corps, which also consists of Jeff Graham, Charlie Jones and Mikhael Ricks.

Ricks, 25, might be poised to explode. He is 6-feet-5, weighs 235 pounds and should terrorize secondaries with his deceptive speed, hands, height and physical nature. But he didn't take one of his 40 receptions into the end zone last season and has been the subject of trade rumors during the preseason.

"I'm trying to concentrate and learn things from Jeff Graham and Curtis Conway," Ricks said. "Hopefully, I'll get used to situations that will help the team. I need to give the coaches confidence to throw the ball to me in certain situations.

"We have a lot of different options. We've focused on speed, and everyone is picking up the blitz like we need to. We just have to keep everyone healthy and get into a groove. We need a foundation to build upon."

Ryan Leaf, or no Ryan Leaf. The quarterback for whom now-departed general manager Bobby Beathard mortgaged San Diego's future is coming along slowly from shoulder surgery, so the Chargers will likely end up with Jim Harbaugh at quarterback.

Moses Moreno is around to push Harbaugh, but Moreno's strong arm is offset by his inexperience.

A Riley-inspired work ethic is another fine way to start building for the future, and less than a week into camp, Riley was concerned that his players were working too hard. That's bold, considering the resort-like weather conditions at UC San Diego.

The defense, led by linebacker Junior Seau, has never taken the Club Med approach, however, and it ranked third against the run in the NFL last season.

It's also bold because Riley is so cognizant of keeping a steady pace out of the gate and building each week, culminating in the Chargers playing their best football at the end of the season.

To think San Diego might be playing for a spot in the playoffs late might be a stretch, since so much must be proved by whoever will be throwing the football.

So far, Riley has no reason to be critical.

"We have more team speed, we have more good receivers, we have more versatility and our quarterbacks are more decisive," Riley said. "Those things are all happening, and I feel great about the work we've done to get better. We've made some good moves, strategically. We just have to make it happen."

"But the proof will be in the ball games."

Schedule preview: The Chargers had better begin well, as two of their first three are at Oakland and at Kansas City. Those were two of the three worst losses in the team's six-game skid that ruined 1999. The third road game is at the Super Bowl champion St. Louis Rams. Oddly, none of San Diego's four December games are against division foes. But by then it might be academic.

1999 offensive ranking: No. 27 overall, No. 17 passing, No. 27 rushing.

1999 defensive ranking: No. 12 overall, No. 22 passing, No. 3 rushing.

Key players lost from 1999: RB Natrone Means (released), OG Aaron Taylor (retired), LB Lew Bush (to Kansas City), CB Charles Dimry, DT Norman Hand (to New Orleans), CB Terrance Shaw (to Miami), LT John Jackson (to Cincinnati), CB Jimmy Spencer (to Denver), QB Erik Kramer (released).

Key additions for 2000: WR Curtis Conway (Bears), CB DeRon Jenkins (Ravens), FB Robert Chancey (Cowboys), G/T Ben Coleman (Jaguars), G Kevin Gogan (Dolphins), LB Richard Harvey (Raiders), LB Darren Mickell (Saints), G Joseph Cotton (Jaguars).

Rookies to watch: The Chargers were without a first-round pick in the 2000 NFL Draft, but their top two picks, FS Rogers Beckett (second round) and OT Damion McIntosh (third), are already pushing for playing time. McIntosh has had a particularly strong training camp, and if he can earn snaps at LT, it would allow the Chargers to slide versatile Ben Coleman to LG. Fourth-round picks DT Leonardo Carson and WR Trevor Gaylor are the only other rookies with a legitimate shot to help the team this season.

Offensive line: The unit has undergone a major overhaul and is the centerpiece of San Diego's attempt to revive the offense. Gone is veteran left tackle John Jackson, released for salary cap reasons and replaced by free agent Ben Coleman. Fellow newcomer guard Kevin Gogan was brought in to create holes for the running game on the right side. To his left will be center Roman Fortin, who will be busy helping out an inexperienced left guard, likely to be Raleigh Roundtree. Vaughn Parker is the front runner to land the starting right tackle job.

Wide receivers/tight ends: Curtis Conway and Jeff Graham combine for 18 years of NFL experience, and both -- for better or for worse -- know about Harbaugh, being former Chicago Bears. An ankle injury last season contributed to Conway's worst season since he was a rookie in 1993, and his health will be an issue. Tight end Freddie Jones has reliable hands but only seven TDs in three seasons. Mikhael Ricks must prove he's more than just a short-yardage target and justify his first-round pick status in '98.

Running backs: Jermaine Fazande gave hope to the running game with 183 yards in the 1999 finale, but there isn't much more history to a committee that includes Kenny Bynum, Terrell Fletcher and Robert Chancey, who didn't play college ball. The most offseason noise from the backfield, in fact, came from fullback Fred McCrary, when he scored major points from his teammates by blasting punk quarterback Ryan Leaf for his weak work ethic.

Quarterbacks: Jim Harbaugh started a dozen games in 1999, throwing more interceptions (14) than touchdowns (10) for the first time in six seasons. He has lost some zip in his right arm, which kept him from challenging cornerbacks last season. The challenger is rocket-armed Moses Moreno, who has only attempted 50 passes in his two seasons in the league. Meanwhile, Leaf strolls around as a high-priced cheerleader. He impressed early in training camp and might play by mid-season, but he has miles to go to earn his teammates' respect.

Defensive line: Tackle John Parrella is one of the under-rated front men of the Chargers' most-decorated unit, the defense. He and end Raylee Johnson were the only two defenders to start all 16 games for San Diego last season. In his seventh season, Parrella made a career-best 53 tackles, and Johnson recorded a team-high 10.5 quarterback sacks. Jamal Williams is set to replace Norman Hand at the other starting tackle position.

Linebackers: Junior Seau, the heart and soul of the defense, even helped on offense for a change last season, playing tight end. He only caught two balls, for short yardage, but he provided adrenaline for a meek unit. Gerald Dixon replaces Lew Bush and excels against the pass. With Seau around, that's fine. Orlando Ruff is trying to hold off free-agent signee Steve Tovar for the starting job in the middle.

Secondary: The Chargers received a bit of a scare last week when strong safety Rodney Harrison suffered a shoulder injury, but it wasn't to his surgically repaired left shoulder and he was back the next day. Last season, the team wasn't the same when Harrison went down in Week 5 and missed 10 games. Cornerback DeRon Jenkins would have been viewed as a steal of an acquisition if he had more than two interceptions in five years with the Ravens but was a strong pickup nonetheless. The other corner, Darryl Lewis, has 31 career picks. Veteran Michael Dumas is the starting free safety.

Special teams: Riley has no worries here, as punter Darren Bennett would say. The Aussie was flabbergasted last week when he was honored as the league's all-decade first-team punter after playing only five seasons in the '90s. John Carney has made 88 percent of his field goals over the past three seasons, the best three-year stretch of his 13-year career. Kenny Bynum will handle punt returns and wide receiver Charlie Jones will be the main man on kick returns.