The San Diego Chargers have reached the playoffs in five of the past seven season in what has been the best run in franchise history.

Whether it is a testament or indictment of the job A.J. Smith has done as general manger, but the Chargers have always received the label of underachievers.

RealGM has been using a statistic called the Trench Counter to rank NFL teams since the 2007 season.

The Trench Counter accounts for average yards per pass, yards per carry, penalty yards, first downs and turnovers to determine how well teams control the game in the most meaningful ways.

The Chargers rank 4th in Trench Counter from the 2007 season through 2011.

Below are their season-by-season rankings, Trench Counter totals and actual record in parentheses.

2007: 9th, +4.4 (11-5)
2008: 11th, +2.4 (8-8)
2009: 3rd, +5.9 (13-3)
2010: 1st, +8.7 (9-7)
2011: 13th, +1.0 (8-8)