"Just win, baby!"
Okay, so that used to be the slogan of another team that used to be in Los Angeles, but that is what it's going to take for the Chargers to get fans to support them.
I don't remember any 49er fans before Bill Walsh and Joe Montana. Ditto for Patriots fans before Bill Belichick and Tom Brady. Once they started winning the fans followed.
The hype surrounding the Chargers this year is over the top. This for a team that went 9-7 last year. A team that hasn't beaten the defending AFC West Champs, the KC Chiefs since 2013. A team with no home field advantage and will play one of those home games in London. A team that seemingly has to overcome early injuries every season. In 2017 it was 1st and 2nd round picks G Forest Lamp and WR Mike Williams. CB Jason Verrett was lost for the season in the 1st game. 2018 is no exception with Antonio Gates heir apparent TE Hunter Henry and CB Jason Verrett is again out for the year.
Still, I can see why sportscasters are predicting good things. Despite an 0-4 start, they were the #1 offense in passing yards and the #3 defense in points against. This team has talent at every position. Under Offensive Coordinator Ken Whisenhunt, Philip Rivers has had two
Pro Bowl seasons. He regressed last season when Whisenhunt left for a
Head Coaching job only to return as OC the following year. Rivers was only sacked 18 times and the Chargers' added C Mike Pouncey, a 3-time Pro Bowler, in free agency. Lamp will also get his chance this season. The WR core is deep and talented and Mike Williams is reported to be making an impact in training camp this year.
Despite the loss of Verrett, the DBs are stacked and the Chargers added #1 pick S Derwin James. This defense led the league in fewest passing yards allowed. Everyone knows about Joey Bosa and Melvin Ingram. The defensive coordinator is Gus Bradley who created the "Legion of Boom" in Seattle.
Still there are issues...
Can they get past the KC Chiefs? The Chiefs' defense seems to have Rivers' number. He had only 10 passes intercepted last year, but 6 were picked off by the Chiefs. If Patrick Mahomes plays as good as Alex Smith they'll be fine, after all they won the Division with him. If he plays as good as the Chiefs think he is, then the Chiefs offense is going to be tough to stop because there's a lot of offensive talent surrounding Mahomes.
Rivers is 37 years old. You have to wonder if the drop off will come suddenly aka Peyton Manning.
Injuries. Lamp isn't 100% yet. CB Trevor Williams has an ankle injury and will miss all of the preseason. Williams played great last season in place of Verrett. Rookie WR Dylan Cantrell is out with a bone bruise and will also miss the preseason. While the WR position is deep, Keenan Allen has played in all 16 games just once (last season). C Pouncey has been injury prone, missing games in 4 of the last 5 seasons. The two Melvin's (Ingram and Gordon) have been durable lately, but both were injury prone early in their careers. While not an injury, DT Corey Liuget is suspended for the first 4 games of the season. Chargers got a big scare when Bosa limped off the field during practice, but it wasn't anything serious.
Bottom line; Beat the Chiefs, overcome the lack of home field advantage, and avoid serious injuries to key players and the Chargers will be in the playoffs. Do that and the talent is there to make a run at a Championship.
Showing posts with label San Diego Chargers. Show all posts
Showing posts with label San Diego Chargers. Show all posts
Thursday, August 9, 2018
Friday, November 7, 2014
NFL Week 9 Thoughts, London, Denard Robinson, Patriots Prove Me Wrong
Didn't want to watch the Rewind of the Chargers-Dolphins game, but did anyway. Nothing good to be said. Chargers didn't force a punt until the end of the 3rd quarter. Phillip Rivers played one of the worse games I've seen him play ever, going 12-23, 138 yards, 3 interceptions. He was going into the game with a franchise record 7 straight games with multiple TD passes...obviously that's over. If it wasn't for Andy Dalton's pathetic display last night, the sportscasters may be talking about Rivers. The offensive line was horrid, getting beat consistently one-on-one by Dolphin defenders. I read somewhere that the Dolphins only blitzed 6 times, but sacked Rivers 4 times and harassed him all night.
It was an awful performance by the entire team...well the special teams played OK.
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I don't know how I feel about games in London. I know it has to be a burden on both teams and really detrimental to the team that has to give up a home game. It's not like they're going to give London a game that could possibly bring in a big TV audience here in the states. Next years London games are Dolphins-Jets (first time for a divisional matchup...don't know who's the home team, but that doubly hurts losing a home division game), Bills-Jaguars, and Lions-Chiefs. You think a Broncos-Patriots game will ever be in London as long as Manning and Brady are playing?
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RB Denard Robinson is an interesting story. Robinson played QB in college and in high school, he was once ranked as the 16th best CB prospect in the country...and he had never played the position. Over the last three weeks, Robinson has more rushing yards than anyone in the NFL not named Demarco Murray. This Bleacher Report story covers how Robinson became an NFL running back.
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I've been claiming here that despite the winning record, that the Patriots are a team in decline. Well, in Week 9 the Pats beat the Broncos, the team most sportscasters say will return to the Super Bowl, quite handily. I don't know where that performance came from, but it sure wasn't the team I've watched for the first 8 weeks of the season. This was a defense that got mauled by Alex Smith for 41 points and an offense that managed only 16 against the Raiders. That's earlier in the season you say? Just two weeks ago they needed a blocked field goal to beat the Jets. Patriots are on a bye in Week 10, but go to Indianapolis in Week 11...that will be interesting to watch.
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And the crazy QB statistics keep coming. Last week Ben Roethlisberger became the first QB to toss for 6 TDs in back-to-back games. Prior to this, YA Tittle (1962) was the only QB ever to do it twice in the same season. I wonder if it's a product of the new pass defense rules...figure it's has to have at least played a part.
It was an awful performance by the entire team...well the special teams played OK.
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I don't know how I feel about games in London. I know it has to be a burden on both teams and really detrimental to the team that has to give up a home game. It's not like they're going to give London a game that could possibly bring in a big TV audience here in the states. Next years London games are Dolphins-Jets (first time for a divisional matchup...don't know who's the home team, but that doubly hurts losing a home division game), Bills-Jaguars, and Lions-Chiefs. You think a Broncos-Patriots game will ever be in London as long as Manning and Brady are playing?
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RB Denard Robinson is an interesting story. Robinson played QB in college and in high school, he was once ranked as the 16th best CB prospect in the country...and he had never played the position. Over the last three weeks, Robinson has more rushing yards than anyone in the NFL not named Demarco Murray. This Bleacher Report story covers how Robinson became an NFL running back.
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I've been claiming here that despite the winning record, that the Patriots are a team in decline. Well, in Week 9 the Pats beat the Broncos, the team most sportscasters say will return to the Super Bowl, quite handily. I don't know where that performance came from, but it sure wasn't the team I've watched for the first 8 weeks of the season. This was a defense that got mauled by Alex Smith for 41 points and an offense that managed only 16 against the Raiders. That's earlier in the season you say? Just two weeks ago they needed a blocked field goal to beat the Jets. Patriots are on a bye in Week 10, but go to Indianapolis in Week 11...that will be interesting to watch.
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And the crazy QB statistics keep coming. Last week Ben Roethlisberger became the first QB to toss for 6 TDs in back-to-back games. Prior to this, YA Tittle (1962) was the only QB ever to do it twice in the same season. I wonder if it's a product of the new pass defense rules...figure it's has to have at least played a part.
Thursday, October 30, 2014
NFL Week 8 Thoughts, All On Chargers
OK, one non-Charger thought. Did you know that Tom Brady is the only QB in the history of the NFL to pass for 350+ yds, 5 or more TDs, 0 interceptions, and better than 85% completions in the same game? Will, last week against the Bears he did it for the 2nd time (1st was in 09 vs. the Titans).
I mentioned in my Week 4 Thoughts post that people were over-blowing the Chargers 5-1 record. Now after 2 straight loses some sportscasters are jumping off the bandwagon, like in this Around the NFL article. Just watched the Broncos game on rewind last night and I'm not that discouraged (that might change if they lose to the Dolphins this week).
Chargers defense played the Broncos tough in the first quarter. They made the Broncos punt in their first two drives...how many times has that happened to Broncos this year? The halftime score was 14-7 Broncos, but mostly because the Chargers were robbed of a turnover (even the instant replay official calling the game said it should have been a fumble) and partially because CB Jason Verrett went out with a shoulder injury. Branden Flowers was already out, so both starting CBs out versus Peyton Manning...not likely that's going to work out well. Manning immediately started picking on replacement Richard Marshall. Marshall was so bad that the Chargers cut him after the game. You have to play pretty lousy to get cut when a team has both starters at your position injured.
Phillip Rivers threw 2 interceptions, but neither one was terrible. On the first, Keenan Allen slipped on the cut. The bad part was that it happened in the opening drive of the 3rd quarter. On the previous drive the Chargers went 13 plays, 84 yards to tie the score at 7-7.The 2nd interception was towards the end of the game down 2 TDs. Rivers was trying to go deep to Malcolm Floyd, but a Bronco safety was over the top. Considering the game situation I can see why Rivers' gambled, but it still wasn't a good decision.
With the Broncos up 28-14 Eric Weddle made a great interception that could have changed the game. The interception was overturned by a tricky-tack holding call on Marcus Gilchrist. I can see why they called it because Gilchrist put a hand on the receivers hip, but he never turned him or impeded his progress.
Lastly, with time left to turn the game around, Broncos up 35-21, Weddle punched the ball out of Emmnauel Saunders hands. Unfortunately, despite several Chargers defenders around the ball, Wes Welker ended up recovering it.
The point is all the breaks went the Broncos way. Are Broncos a better team? Absolutely, so when you lose the turnover battle 2-0 you should get blown out. The Chargers lost handily by 2 TDs, but it wasn't a blowout. Add to that they could have easily had 3 Bronco turnovers and I don't feel like the Chargers were over matched (especially considering 2 starting CBs, and OLB Melvin Ingram were out). It was really encouraging how well the defense played before Verrett went out. Broncos only TD while Verrett was in the game was set up by a great catch by Saunders...and it was well covered.
Unfortunately, Verrett may be out for awhile and Ingram isn't due back anytime soon. Flowers should play against the Dolphins and the Chargers signed ex-Washington CB Richard Crawford. Who knows how soon Crawford can play. The Chargers defense has been a lot better when Flowers and Verrett have been on the field, but Shareece Wright has been serviceable when either of the two has been out. Rookie Chris Davis has been getting playing time and getting better.
The schedule does get tougher late November into December, but if they can beat the Dolphins the Chargers will be on a bye so they should be able to get a few players back from injury for Week 11 including a very realistic return by Ryan Mathews. Branden Oliver made a splash running for 100+ against the Jets and Raiders, but hasn't been able to duplicate that success against the Chiefs or Broncos. Love Oliver and he does have talent, but I'm guessing his success had something to do with the opponent.
If the Chargers are at full strength going into the last five game gauntlet of @Ravens, Patriots, Broncos, @49ers, @ Chiefs, I'll still give this team a decent shot at the playoffs.
I mentioned in my Week 4 Thoughts post that people were over-blowing the Chargers 5-1 record. Now after 2 straight loses some sportscasters are jumping off the bandwagon, like in this Around the NFL article. Just watched the Broncos game on rewind last night and I'm not that discouraged (that might change if they lose to the Dolphins this week).
Chargers defense played the Broncos tough in the first quarter. They made the Broncos punt in their first two drives...how many times has that happened to Broncos this year? The halftime score was 14-7 Broncos, but mostly because the Chargers were robbed of a turnover (even the instant replay official calling the game said it should have been a fumble) and partially because CB Jason Verrett went out with a shoulder injury. Branden Flowers was already out, so both starting CBs out versus Peyton Manning...not likely that's going to work out well. Manning immediately started picking on replacement Richard Marshall. Marshall was so bad that the Chargers cut him after the game. You have to play pretty lousy to get cut when a team has both starters at your position injured.
Phillip Rivers threw 2 interceptions, but neither one was terrible. On the first, Keenan Allen slipped on the cut. The bad part was that it happened in the opening drive of the 3rd quarter. On the previous drive the Chargers went 13 plays, 84 yards to tie the score at 7-7.The 2nd interception was towards the end of the game down 2 TDs. Rivers was trying to go deep to Malcolm Floyd, but a Bronco safety was over the top. Considering the game situation I can see why Rivers' gambled, but it still wasn't a good decision.
With the Broncos up 28-14 Eric Weddle made a great interception that could have changed the game. The interception was overturned by a tricky-tack holding call on Marcus Gilchrist. I can see why they called it because Gilchrist put a hand on the receivers hip, but he never turned him or impeded his progress.
Lastly, with time left to turn the game around, Broncos up 35-21, Weddle punched the ball out of Emmnauel Saunders hands. Unfortunately, despite several Chargers defenders around the ball, Wes Welker ended up recovering it.
The point is all the breaks went the Broncos way. Are Broncos a better team? Absolutely, so when you lose the turnover battle 2-0 you should get blown out. The Chargers lost handily by 2 TDs, but it wasn't a blowout. Add to that they could have easily had 3 Bronco turnovers and I don't feel like the Chargers were over matched (especially considering 2 starting CBs, and OLB Melvin Ingram were out). It was really encouraging how well the defense played before Verrett went out. Broncos only TD while Verrett was in the game was set up by a great catch by Saunders...and it was well covered.
Unfortunately, Verrett may be out for awhile and Ingram isn't due back anytime soon. Flowers should play against the Dolphins and the Chargers signed ex-Washington CB Richard Crawford. Who knows how soon Crawford can play. The Chargers defense has been a lot better when Flowers and Verrett have been on the field, but Shareece Wright has been serviceable when either of the two has been out. Rookie Chris Davis has been getting playing time and getting better.
The schedule does get tougher late November into December, but if they can beat the Dolphins the Chargers will be on a bye so they should be able to get a few players back from injury for Week 11 including a very realistic return by Ryan Mathews. Branden Oliver made a splash running for 100+ against the Jets and Raiders, but hasn't been able to duplicate that success against the Chiefs or Broncos. Love Oliver and he does have talent, but I'm guessing his success had something to do with the opponent.
If the Chargers are at full strength going into the last five game gauntlet of @Ravens, Patriots, Broncos, @49ers, @ Chiefs, I'll still give this team a decent shot at the playoffs.
Wednesday, October 22, 2014
NFL Week 7 Thoughts
Thought the Chargers moved away from their identity last week versus the Chiefs. The majority of Rivers passes were down the field instead of the short passing game that has made this offense a success. Maybe it was the way the Chiefs played defense (I haven't watched the game on Rewind yet), but if that's the case it's an issue also. That would mean that the Chargers' future opponents are going to play them the same way and dare the Chargers to beat them deep. With Jason Varett out and Branden Flowers playing hurt, the Chargers' defense isn't the same. Still, the Chargers were able to win last year without those guys. More than any other game this season the offense needed to protect the defense, but it was the Chiefs who dominated the time of possession. Also, the last two drives into Chiefs territory resulted in FGs. Rivers wasn't sharp, missing Floyd on a couple end zone throws. A TD in either of those drives and the Chargers had a decent chance of escaping with a win. How in the world did the Seahawks get fooled on that punt? If you haven't seen it the Rams duped the Seahawks punt coverage team by pretending to receive the punt on one side of the field, while the punt was actually fielded on the other side. Wouldn't it be called in the huddle which side of the field their punter is kicking the ball so they can set the coverage? They tried to explain it in this article on Business Insider, but that even makes it worse for the Seahawks. According to the article, Seahawk punter Jon Ryan almost always punts to his left when he's trying to pin teams deep. The Broncos victory over the 49ers was the best game I've seen a team play in quite a while. As a Charger fan I'm hoping that's an anomaly and not who the Broncos really are. If that's who the Broncos really are, give them the Super Bowl trophy now, because if they play like that every week no one is going to beat them. Oh and congratulations to Peyton Manning for the career TD record. It's crazy to know that he could realistically push the record close to 600 before he retires. Speaking of records, DeMarco Murray broke Jim Brown's record for consecutive 100 yard games to start a season, going for 100+ in his 7th straight game. A lot of football people consider Brown a running back god, so breaking one of his records is a really big deal. Those same people may diminish the accomplishment by saying it's easier to run now with spread offenses, but there's always two sides to a coin. With spread offenses, less and less backs have the opportunity to carry the ball enough times to get to 100. Many teams are protecting the health of their RBs by platooning, also leading to less opportunities. In today's NFL a back has to pass protect and catch passes or he isn't going to stay in the game, again leading to less RBs with an opportunity to go for 100 yards a game. Finally, if it was so easy, why hasn't anyone done it before Murray? Are Green Bay Packers fans relaxing now? What happened to the Legend of Doom? Russell Wilson becomes the first QB to throw for 300+ and rush for 100+ in the same game...and the Seahawks lose. The Saints are in trouble. Maybe the anomaly wasn't when they missed the playoffs two years ago, but when they made the playoffs last year. I still believe the Patriots are a declining club, but with a 5-2 record they keep finding ways to win. They still needed a blocked FG to get pass the lowly Jets. Will the Jaguars winning (and convincingly over the Browns 24-6), the Raiders are the remaining winless club. Coincidently, they play the Browns next week. The Raiders remaining schedule includes only 2 teams with records currently below .500 (at St. Louis, home vs the Bills). Not saying they won't win a game, but the thought did cross my mind.
Tuesday, October 14, 2014
NFL Week 6 Thoughts
Phillip Rivers is playing some great QB right now, setting a record with 5 consecutive games with a QB Rating over 120, but lets not get carried away with the Super Bowl contender talk. Yes, the Chargers are 5-1 and would be the #1 seed if the playoffs started today, but 4 of the wins came over the Bills, Jaguars, Jets, and Raiders...and they had to come from behind to beat the Raiders.
The Dallas Cowboys are 5-1 after beating the Seahawks, who lost only their 2nd home game in 2 seasons. Cowboys are performing way above expectations this year, but you have to wonder if DeMarco Murray can hold up getting 30 touches a game (26.5 rushes, 3.5 catches). Murray previous high in carries is 217 and he already has 159. He's also on pace to have 66 catches which would best his career high of 53.
Joe Flacco set a record by throwing for 5 TD passes in 16 minutes. That broke the previous record by 12 minutes!!!
Bengals' kicker Mike Nugent has to feel like crap after missing a gimme 36 yarder in OT that preserved a 37-37 tie with the Panthers. I saw a lot of articles written on how games shouldn't end in a tie, but if you miss a 36 yarder you shouldn't deserve a 2nd chance.
After getting fined $10,000 for wearing Beats headphones in a post game interview, Colin Kaepernick used the same headphones again during his post game interview after Monday nights game...but this time there was masking tape over the Beats logo. If you didn't know, the NFL has a sponsorship deal with Bose as the official headphone of the league. Beats is getting a lot of free publicity from this, much more than if the NFL never fined Kaepernick.
Panther's rookie wide out pulled a Donovan McNabb, saying "I didn't even know you tie in the NFL."
Kirk Cousins isn't the answer in Washington. In 13 games he has thrown 18 interceptions and fumbles 3 times. In 8 starts his record is 1-7. Maybe RGIII wasn't so bad after all.
The Dallas Cowboys are 5-1 after beating the Seahawks, who lost only their 2nd home game in 2 seasons. Cowboys are performing way above expectations this year, but you have to wonder if DeMarco Murray can hold up getting 30 touches a game (26.5 rushes, 3.5 catches). Murray previous high in carries is 217 and he already has 159. He's also on pace to have 66 catches which would best his career high of 53.
Joe Flacco set a record by throwing for 5 TD passes in 16 minutes. That broke the previous record by 12 minutes!!!
Bengals' kicker Mike Nugent has to feel like crap after missing a gimme 36 yarder in OT that preserved a 37-37 tie with the Panthers. I saw a lot of articles written on how games shouldn't end in a tie, but if you miss a 36 yarder you shouldn't deserve a 2nd chance.
After getting fined $10,000 for wearing Beats headphones in a post game interview, Colin Kaepernick used the same headphones again during his post game interview after Monday nights game...but this time there was masking tape over the Beats logo. If you didn't know, the NFL has a sponsorship deal with Bose as the official headphone of the league. Beats is getting a lot of free publicity from this, much more than if the NFL never fined Kaepernick.
Panther's rookie wide out pulled a Donovan McNabb, saying "I didn't even know you tie in the NFL."
Kirk Cousins isn't the answer in Washington. In 13 games he has thrown 18 interceptions and fumbles 3 times. In 8 starts his record is 1-7. Maybe RGIII wasn't so bad after all.
Thursday, September 25, 2014
Chargers - Bills Thoughts
On the Chargers 1st series Danny Woodhead was carted off the field. According to CBS Sports, Woodhead will undergo season-ending surgery. This after losing Ryan Mathews in Week 2. Whether the Chargers had plans to work Donald Brown more into the offense or not, he is now going to be main ball carrier for San Diego. Behind Brown is undrafted free agent Branden Oliver. At 5'7", 208 lbs., Oliver is built a lot like Woodhead,, but is more a one-cut, between the tackles runner. He's a good pass blocker, but hasn't shown good receiving skills. I think he's a good backup for Brown, but he's not going to replace Woodhead's skill set. I expect the Chargers to go after someone to add depth at RB, but the question is who?
Brown gained just 62 yards on 31 carries against the Bills. I know that Buffalo's front seven is stout, but 2.0 yards per carry is pretty pathetic. Hopefully it was just an off game for Brown, who still was productive, catching 5 for 27 yards to finish with 89 total yards from scrimmage. No way Brown, who had never had more that 18 carries in a game, will see 31 carries again this season. With a week of practice, the Chargers will utilize Oliver more.
Thought the offense got too conservative after they went up 20-10. Luckily the defense stepped up and shut Buffalo out in the 4th quarter. They put good pressure on EJ Manual getting a sack and a safety on an intentional grounding call. I thought the Chargers might have trouble containing Manual with Melvin Ingram out, but Dwight Freeney, Kendell Ruiz, and Corey Luiget each recorded a sack.
Last season, the Chargers were giving up 100 yard receiving games to wide receivers almost every week. So far this season they've held Sammy Watkins to 2 catches 19 yards and Percy Harvin to 1 catch 15 yds (leading receivers: Buffalo - CJ Spllier 3-37, Seattle - Jermaine Kearse 4-61) They did give up 5-119 to Michael Floyd in Week 1, but shut out Larry Fitzgerald. Overall, I would say that's an improvement over last year.
Up coming is a stretch of very winnable games for the Chargers (Jaguars, Jets, @Oakland, Chiefs) all ahead of the first match up against the Broncos in Denver. Chargers were very erratic last year because they very dependent on the offense to hold the ball to protect a very suspect defense. While this years' defense has been better, I don't know if they're good enough to win games yet. Charger fans will have a month of football to find out.
Saturday, September 20, 2014
Melvin Ingram Placed on IR - Designated to Return
The "Designated to Return" label can only be used on one player per season, so the Chargers won't be able to use the exemption for the remainder of 2014. Ingram suffered a hip injury in last weeks game against the Seahawks. Since 2012, the rule allows a player to return to action instead of missing the entire season as with a non-Designated to Return labeled IR. By the rule, Ingram cannot practice for at least 6-weeks.
This is really disappointing for me as it looked like the combination of Ingram and Dwight Freeney at OLB was causing problems for opposing offenses. Jarret Johnson, who missed the Seattle game because his wife was giving birth, will be back at outside linebacker and rookie Jerry Attaochu will see action as a designated pass rusher. I like Attaochu, he was all over the field in Week 1 against Arizona, but as a rookie he's not an every down player yet. Attaochu is listed as questionable for Sunday. Johnson is in his 12th season (first 9 with Baltimore) the last 3 as the Chargers starting OLB, but isn't the pass rusher that Ingram is. Chargers could also use Tourek Williams, who started last season when Freeney and Ingram were out.
Ingram's speed helped contain Russell Wilson (18 yard rushing) and the Chargers face another mobile QB this week in the Bills' EJ Manual. Johnson is tough against the run, but doesn't have the foot speed to run QB's like Wilson and Manual down from behind like Ingram can. Attaochu has the tools, but don't know how much he will play.
Some good news for the Chargers...Brandon Flowers, who missed the Seattle game with a groin injury, says he's comfortable running at full speed and cutting, so he should play against the Bills. It will be interesting to see if Flowers or rookie Jason Verrett is on Sammy Watkins. Mel Kiper Jr.'s rookie rankings has Watkins #1 and Verrett #2.
The Chargers can beat anyone if the offense keeps the ball in their hands. That's the key to every Chargers game. Although Ingram's absence will be missed, Donald Brown's performance in place of Ryan Mathews will make more of an impact. If Brown can replace Mathew's production the offense has a good chance of dominating time of possession. If they do that, the Chargers win Sunday over the Bills.
This is really disappointing for me as it looked like the combination of Ingram and Dwight Freeney at OLB was causing problems for opposing offenses. Jarret Johnson, who missed the Seattle game because his wife was giving birth, will be back at outside linebacker and rookie Jerry Attaochu will see action as a designated pass rusher. I like Attaochu, he was all over the field in Week 1 against Arizona, but as a rookie he's not an every down player yet. Attaochu is listed as questionable for Sunday. Johnson is in his 12th season (first 9 with Baltimore) the last 3 as the Chargers starting OLB, but isn't the pass rusher that Ingram is. Chargers could also use Tourek Williams, who started last season when Freeney and Ingram were out.
Ingram's speed helped contain Russell Wilson (18 yard rushing) and the Chargers face another mobile QB this week in the Bills' EJ Manual. Johnson is tough against the run, but doesn't have the foot speed to run QB's like Wilson and Manual down from behind like Ingram can. Attaochu has the tools, but don't know how much he will play.
Some good news for the Chargers...Brandon Flowers, who missed the Seattle game with a groin injury, says he's comfortable running at full speed and cutting, so he should play against the Bills. It will be interesting to see if Flowers or rookie Jason Verrett is on Sammy Watkins. Mel Kiper Jr.'s rookie rankings has Watkins #1 and Verrett #2.
The Chargers can beat anyone if the offense keeps the ball in their hands. That's the key to every Chargers game. Although Ingram's absence will be missed, Donald Brown's performance in place of Ryan Mathews will make more of an impact. If Brown can replace Mathew's production the offense has a good chance of dominating time of possession. If they do that, the Chargers win Sunday over the Bills.
Friday, September 19, 2014
Did the Chargers Show the Broncos How to Beat Seattle?
Watching the Chargers-Seahawks game on NFL Rewind. With the Broncos-Seahawks rematch coming up Sunday everyone is talking about if the Chargers provided the recipe to beat the Legend of Doom. My first reaction is that all the Chargers did was do what they did in almost all of their wins last year...hold the ball forever and protect their defense, which wasn't very good last season.
Right off the first possession for Seattle though I see a different Charger defense. OLBs Melvin Ingram and Dwight Freeney (both missed most of last season and never were on the field at the same time) made big plays. Ingram breaking in to the backfield stopping Robert Turbin for a loss then Freeman sacking Russell Wilson for a loss in back-to-back plays. Ingram picked up another sack on the Seahawks next drive. Chargers kept the pressure on Wilson all game and held him to 18 yards rushing.
The Chargers D also had a great series to seal the win. Seahawks tried the jet sweep to Percy Harvin that got them a TD in the first quarter, but the Chargers dropped Harvin for a loss. Pressure on Wilson made him flip the ball to check offs that the Chargers immediately stuffed for no gain on the next two plays. Last pass on 4th by Wilson had no chance. Rivers then took 3 knees and the Chargers kicked a FG to make the final score 30-21.
The question though, was did the Chargers show how to beat the Seahawks?
Well I saw a lot of things that the Broncos like to do that the Chargers were successful with. Mainly, bunch receiver sets and wide receiver screens. Chargers also went to a lineup with 3 receivers to the left with Gates lined up in a normal TE position on the right side of the line. This put Richard Sherman to the opposite side of the field from his normal position on the right side of the defense. If they split Gates out, then I believe Sherman would pickup Gates as a WR. Gates caught several passes out of this formation, including his first two TDs. I can see the Broncos going to this formation to put their talented TE Demaryious Thomas with the whole right side to work with against LBs and safeties. Will be interesting to see if the Seahawks have an answer for that.
What I saw that I don't believe the Broncos can duplicate is the way Phillip Rivers was able to escape pressure and the versatility of the Chargers' running backs.
While Rivers' mobility is sort of an oxymoron, he was able to escape the pressure several times to make plays including 17 rushing yards. On the last two TDs to Gates, Rivers escaped what could have been sacks before hitting Gates for the TD. Peyton Manning, at this stage in his career, doesn't have the same escapablity (is that a real word).
While RB Monte Ball is a talented back, he isn't a great pass blocker which was why he lost the starting job last year to Knowshon Moreno. All 3 of the Chargers backs (Ryan Mathews, Danny Woodhead, Donald Brown) can block, catch passes, and are good runners. It made it tough on the Seahawks to key on what the Chargers were going to do by what personnel was on the field. Ball also has just 5 catches through two games and C.J. Anderson has 0 catches so far this season. In this game alone, the Chargers RBs caught 9. WR Malcolm Floyd was shut down by the Seahawks secondary, but the Chargers RBs more than made up for it.
The one thing I really question about the Broncos is their ability to pressure a QB when they have to. Yes, I know that they signed DeMarcus Ware and Von Miller is back from injury. I also know that they recorded 5 sacks in Week 1 versus the Colts and 3 against Kansas City in week 2. The numbers are there, but in both games, with a big lead, the Broncos' D had a hard time putting pressure on the QB allowing both Andrew Luck and Alex Smith to bring their teams back with a shot at winning/tying the game at the end. Give the Broncos defense credit for preventing those scores, but it seems to me like living on the edge. Also, consider that both Indy and KC have offensive line issues.
I'm not saying I think the Broncos can't win. That's a very talented club in Denver that deserves to be the favorite to be the AFC Champion again this season. I just don't think the Broncos can duplicate the "hold the ball" formula the Chargers used to beat the Seahawks. To use a baseball analogy, the Chargers are built to hit singles and doubles. Besides Wes Welker, the Broncos have home run hitters.
The Broncos can win, they just need to do it their way and not try to duplicate someone else. On offense, there is no physical reason they should have been shut down like they were in the Super Bowl.
Mike McCoy was asked after the game what the Chargers did to beat the Seahawks, he said, "We played our game."
Right off the first possession for Seattle though I see a different Charger defense. OLBs Melvin Ingram and Dwight Freeney (both missed most of last season and never were on the field at the same time) made big plays. Ingram breaking in to the backfield stopping Robert Turbin for a loss then Freeman sacking Russell Wilson for a loss in back-to-back plays. Ingram picked up another sack on the Seahawks next drive. Chargers kept the pressure on Wilson all game and held him to 18 yards rushing.
The Chargers D also had a great series to seal the win. Seahawks tried the jet sweep to Percy Harvin that got them a TD in the first quarter, but the Chargers dropped Harvin for a loss. Pressure on Wilson made him flip the ball to check offs that the Chargers immediately stuffed for no gain on the next two plays. Last pass on 4th by Wilson had no chance. Rivers then took 3 knees and the Chargers kicked a FG to make the final score 30-21.
The question though, was did the Chargers show how to beat the Seahawks?
Well I saw a lot of things that the Broncos like to do that the Chargers were successful with. Mainly, bunch receiver sets and wide receiver screens. Chargers also went to a lineup with 3 receivers to the left with Gates lined up in a normal TE position on the right side of the line. This put Richard Sherman to the opposite side of the field from his normal position on the right side of the defense. If they split Gates out, then I believe Sherman would pickup Gates as a WR. Gates caught several passes out of this formation, including his first two TDs. I can see the Broncos going to this formation to put their talented TE Demaryious Thomas with the whole right side to work with against LBs and safeties. Will be interesting to see if the Seahawks have an answer for that.
What I saw that I don't believe the Broncos can duplicate is the way Phillip Rivers was able to escape pressure and the versatility of the Chargers' running backs.
While Rivers' mobility is sort of an oxymoron, he was able to escape the pressure several times to make plays including 17 rushing yards. On the last two TDs to Gates, Rivers escaped what could have been sacks before hitting Gates for the TD. Peyton Manning, at this stage in his career, doesn't have the same escapablity (is that a real word).
While RB Monte Ball is a talented back, he isn't a great pass blocker which was why he lost the starting job last year to Knowshon Moreno. All 3 of the Chargers backs (Ryan Mathews, Danny Woodhead, Donald Brown) can block, catch passes, and are good runners. It made it tough on the Seahawks to key on what the Chargers were going to do by what personnel was on the field. Ball also has just 5 catches through two games and C.J. Anderson has 0 catches so far this season. In this game alone, the Chargers RBs caught 9. WR Malcolm Floyd was shut down by the Seahawks secondary, but the Chargers RBs more than made up for it.
The one thing I really question about the Broncos is their ability to pressure a QB when they have to. Yes, I know that they signed DeMarcus Ware and Von Miller is back from injury. I also know that they recorded 5 sacks in Week 1 versus the Colts and 3 against Kansas City in week 2. The numbers are there, but in both games, with a big lead, the Broncos' D had a hard time putting pressure on the QB allowing both Andrew Luck and Alex Smith to bring their teams back with a shot at winning/tying the game at the end. Give the Broncos defense credit for preventing those scores, but it seems to me like living on the edge. Also, consider that both Indy and KC have offensive line issues.
I'm not saying I think the Broncos can't win. That's a very talented club in Denver that deserves to be the favorite to be the AFC Champion again this season. I just don't think the Broncos can duplicate the "hold the ball" formula the Chargers used to beat the Seahawks. To use a baseball analogy, the Chargers are built to hit singles and doubles. Besides Wes Welker, the Broncos have home run hitters.
The Broncos can win, they just need to do it their way and not try to duplicate someone else. On offense, there is no physical reason they should have been shut down like they were in the Super Bowl.
Mike McCoy was asked after the game what the Chargers did to beat the Seahawks, he said, "We played our game."
Tuesday, September 16, 2014
NFL Week 2 Thoughts
I know the 49ers' defense has been decimated by injuries and suspensions, but they just got ripped apart by two Bears' receivers that could barely run down the field (Marshal and Jeffries nursing leg injuries). Usually the preseason doesn't mean much, but the 49ers struggled during the preseason and struggled against the Bears. I know they won Game 1, but that was more Tony Romo turning the ball over and facing a Cowboy defense that isn't very good. 49ers barely got any pressure on Cutler allowing him to wait on his receivers.
Nice win for the Chargers in their home opener over the defending Champ Seahawks. Offense held the ball for 42:15! You'll win a lot of games keeping the all for that long, especially if the opposing defense has to be on the field in 100 degree temps. Time of Possession was big for the Chargers last year. If they hold the ball, they protect the defense. Chargers led the league in ToP, 10 play drives, and 3rd down conversions last year...when they held the ball, they won.
Rivers to Gates already own the QB-TE TD record at 62...now 65 TDs and counting.
Chargers fans get to see if the money paid to Donald Brown was worth it. Looks like Ryan Mathews may miss significant time (4-5 weeks according to ESPN's NFL Nation). Mathews injured his knee going after a fumble. Chargers made Brown a 3 year, $10 million insurance policy on Mathews.
Now we get to see if Kirk Cousins can really carry the Redskins. Yes, I know the stats favor Cousins and he played great in relief on Sunday, but he was 0-3 last season when he started for RGIII.
Saints are 0-2. Too early to panic? Maybe, but history tells me that teams that start 0-2 only make the playoffs only 16% of the time.
The NFL is sure taking a PR hit lately. You know all about Ray Rice. The Panthers' Greg Hardy and the 49ers' Ray McDonald also charged with domestic violence. Now Adrian Peterson accused of child abuse (another story on USA Today says Peterson had been previously accused of abusing another son). I know reports are saying that Peterson will play next Sunday, but with this new story coming out I don't know how the NFL or the Vikings can afford the negative PR by allow him to play. Radisson already dropped their sponsorship deal with the Vikings. Covergirl dropped their website featuring "fanicures" after one of their pictures got photoshopped and went viral on social media.
The NFC West was the toughest division coming into the season. Two weeks in both the 49ers and Seahawks are 1-1. The Rams have lost key offensive (Sam Bradford, Tavon Austin) and defensive personnel (Chris Long) to injury. The Cardinals are 2-0, but the health of Carson Palmer is in doubt.
Nice win for the Chargers in their home opener over the defending Champ Seahawks. Offense held the ball for 42:15! You'll win a lot of games keeping the all for that long, especially if the opposing defense has to be on the field in 100 degree temps. Time of Possession was big for the Chargers last year. If they hold the ball, they protect the defense. Chargers led the league in ToP, 10 play drives, and 3rd down conversions last year...when they held the ball, they won.
Rivers to Gates already own the QB-TE TD record at 62...now 65 TDs and counting.
Chargers fans get to see if the money paid to Donald Brown was worth it. Looks like Ryan Mathews may miss significant time (4-5 weeks according to ESPN's NFL Nation). Mathews injured his knee going after a fumble. Chargers made Brown a 3 year, $10 million insurance policy on Mathews.
Now we get to see if Kirk Cousins can really carry the Redskins. Yes, I know the stats favor Cousins and he played great in relief on Sunday, but he was 0-3 last season when he started for RGIII.
Saints are 0-2. Too early to panic? Maybe, but history tells me that teams that start 0-2 only make the playoffs only 16% of the time.
The NFL is sure taking a PR hit lately. You know all about Ray Rice. The Panthers' Greg Hardy and the 49ers' Ray McDonald also charged with domestic violence. Now Adrian Peterson accused of child abuse (another story on USA Today says Peterson had been previously accused of abusing another son). I know reports are saying that Peterson will play next Sunday, but with this new story coming out I don't know how the NFL or the Vikings can afford the negative PR by allow him to play. Radisson already dropped their sponsorship deal with the Vikings. Covergirl dropped their website featuring "fanicures" after one of their pictures got photoshopped and went viral on social media.
The NFC West was the toughest division coming into the season. Two weeks in both the 49ers and Seahawks are 1-1. The Rams have lost key offensive (Sam Bradford, Tavon Austin) and defensive personnel (Chris Long) to injury. The Cardinals are 2-0, but the health of Carson Palmer is in doubt.
Tuesday, September 9, 2014
Thoughts This Week (NFL Week 1 addition)
According to SI, Antonio Gates restructured his contract to free up $1.5 million in salary cap space for the Chargers. Gates has two years left on the 6-year, $39 million contract he signed in 2010. He was due $5 million this season, but $3 million was converted to a salary bonus. My question is why now? Do the Chargers need to free up money to make a trade? That would be unusual so early in the year, but I can't think of any other reason why this would be done now.
No link for this one...the Ray Rice story is all over the net. All I'm going to say about it is that justice is finally served. That video takes away any shadow of a doubt that anyone may have had.
Monday Night Football: Kinda hate these double headers...luckily I don't live on the East Coast. Chargers 18-17 lost to the Cardinals was so disappointing on many levels. Phillip Rivers wasn't sharp. Players dropped potential first downs and interceptions. Critical mistakes; an interception, blown coverage to hand the Cards 3 points at the half and a botched snap to take the Chargers out of FG range at the end of the game. Defense couldn't step up to make one play in the Cardinals last two drives...Carson Palmer throws only 1 incomplete pass in those two drives (and it was a sure INT that was dropped) and never got sacked. Still Rivers had 2:25 left and 2 timeouts...and it ends on a dropped passed. Yea, I know it was tipped, but Keenan Allen had both hands on the ball and couldn't hold on. Difference between losing teams and winning teams is the winners find a way to make positive plays and limit negative ones...in a 1 point game only a few of those plays would have made the difference.
Bright spots for the Chargers were the two defensive rookies picked 1-2 by the Chargers in the draft. Jason Verrett held his own against the big Arizona receivers. Jerry Attaochu didn't play a lot, but it seemed like every time he was on the field he made an impact on the game. He made great plays in kick coverage, blocked a punt, and got the strip/sack on Palmer. This Chargers may not be great at getting a team ready early in the season, but their first two drafts have produced 4 potential stars (D.J. Fluker, Keenan Allen last year).
A co-worker and I were discussing all these so-so performances. Tom Brady, Nick Foles took a half to finally get going, even Peyton Manning wasn't sharp. Tony Romo looked terrible in the first half. We wondered if it could be that teams aren't preparing enough in the preseason (they're shorter now and teams are afraid their starters will get hurt). Almost none of the starters play any in the last preseason game. Chargers starters at most played a quarter of the "dress rehearsal" 3rd preseason game and only a series in the previous two. No starter that I remember played in the 4th game. Rivers and the Chargers as a team weren't sharp...even Antonio Gates was dropping passes. Would be interesting to find out how many minutes the teams that played well (Seahawks, Falcons/Saints - at least the offenses, Vikings, Lions) played their starters.
Bulldog over at Nothing If Not Random posted his preseason picks and mentioned the stat that 4-5 teams, on average, make the playoffs that didn't make it the previous season...of course that means 4-5 teams that made it last season don't make it back. Call this 1 game overreaction, but could one of those teams be the Patriots? Sooner or later the mighty have to fall. Could it be this year? Lets imagine the Viks and Lions are for real and it's not a 1 game aberration. Pats go to Minnesota next week and play the Lions in Week 12. They also play the Bengals and Broncos at home and have to go to Green Bay and Indy. Lets image they lose all those games...that's 6 losses and still have the rematch against Miami in Week 15. Can the Pats go 9-7 and miss the playoffs? I would say that's a one game overreaction, but if they lose next week in Minnesota...
It wouldn't be a stretch to imagine the Chiefs and Chargers missing the playoffs this year...that would account for the AFC teams. The NFC is a lot tougher to see a team not repeating. Falcons missed the playoffs last year and made a strong case that they'll be in this year...but who would be out? Packers lost in Week 1, but the Seahawks treat most teams that visit Seattle badly. Arizona was a 10-6 team last year and missed post season play, so they are a strong candidate to make it, but again who's out? Could it be the Saints? Saints and Packers are the only playoff teams to lose in Week 1. Before the season started I thought the Panthers would be one of the teams that miss out, but then they go and win a game with their backup QB at the helm. This was the team that everyone said had no WRs or RBs to help Cam Newton.
How many of you fantasy players have put in for Kelvin Benjamin and Allen Hurns?
Lions adopted the Saints offense this year and Week 1 they did a pretty good Saints imitation. That was an impressive offensive showing. Calvin Johnson is...well Calvin Johnson. Seeing him lineup against DBs...the size difference is alarming...and the guy can leap over tall buildings and is faster than a speeding bullet. Now Detroit has Golden Tate and Reggie Bush playing the role of Darren Sproles. If Stafford holds up his end this could finally be the year for the Lions.
When are the Indianapolis Colts going to admit they made a big mistake in acquiring Trent Richardson? The guy runs hard, but looks slow and doesn't change direction very well. Colts seem blindly committed to this guy for some reason.
After week 1, the #1 RB in fantasy football is Knowshon Moreno and will likely be the starting RB in Miami the rest of the season...how many of you predicted that? Please, drop your hands, I know your lying.
I won't go into why, because you know why, but Justin Forsett will be the #1 most picked up player in Fantasy Football this week.
No link for this one...the Ray Rice story is all over the net. All I'm going to say about it is that justice is finally served. That video takes away any shadow of a doubt that anyone may have had.
Monday Night Football: Kinda hate these double headers...luckily I don't live on the East Coast. Chargers 18-17 lost to the Cardinals was so disappointing on many levels. Phillip Rivers wasn't sharp. Players dropped potential first downs and interceptions. Critical mistakes; an interception, blown coverage to hand the Cards 3 points at the half and a botched snap to take the Chargers out of FG range at the end of the game. Defense couldn't step up to make one play in the Cardinals last two drives...Carson Palmer throws only 1 incomplete pass in those two drives (and it was a sure INT that was dropped) and never got sacked. Still Rivers had 2:25 left and 2 timeouts...and it ends on a dropped passed. Yea, I know it was tipped, but Keenan Allen had both hands on the ball and couldn't hold on. Difference between losing teams and winning teams is the winners find a way to make positive plays and limit negative ones...in a 1 point game only a few of those plays would have made the difference.
Bright spots for the Chargers were the two defensive rookies picked 1-2 by the Chargers in the draft. Jason Verrett held his own against the big Arizona receivers. Jerry Attaochu didn't play a lot, but it seemed like every time he was on the field he made an impact on the game. He made great plays in kick coverage, blocked a punt, and got the strip/sack on Palmer. This Chargers may not be great at getting a team ready early in the season, but their first two drafts have produced 4 potential stars (D.J. Fluker, Keenan Allen last year).
A co-worker and I were discussing all these so-so performances. Tom Brady, Nick Foles took a half to finally get going, even Peyton Manning wasn't sharp. Tony Romo looked terrible in the first half. We wondered if it could be that teams aren't preparing enough in the preseason (they're shorter now and teams are afraid their starters will get hurt). Almost none of the starters play any in the last preseason game. Chargers starters at most played a quarter of the "dress rehearsal" 3rd preseason game and only a series in the previous two. No starter that I remember played in the 4th game. Rivers and the Chargers as a team weren't sharp...even Antonio Gates was dropping passes. Would be interesting to find out how many minutes the teams that played well (Seahawks, Falcons/Saints - at least the offenses, Vikings, Lions) played their starters.
Bulldog over at Nothing If Not Random posted his preseason picks and mentioned the stat that 4-5 teams, on average, make the playoffs that didn't make it the previous season...of course that means 4-5 teams that made it last season don't make it back. Call this 1 game overreaction, but could one of those teams be the Patriots? Sooner or later the mighty have to fall. Could it be this year? Lets imagine the Viks and Lions are for real and it's not a 1 game aberration. Pats go to Minnesota next week and play the Lions in Week 12. They also play the Bengals and Broncos at home and have to go to Green Bay and Indy. Lets image they lose all those games...that's 6 losses and still have the rematch against Miami in Week 15. Can the Pats go 9-7 and miss the playoffs? I would say that's a one game overreaction, but if they lose next week in Minnesota...
It wouldn't be a stretch to imagine the Chiefs and Chargers missing the playoffs this year...that would account for the AFC teams. The NFC is a lot tougher to see a team not repeating. Falcons missed the playoffs last year and made a strong case that they'll be in this year...but who would be out? Packers lost in Week 1, but the Seahawks treat most teams that visit Seattle badly. Arizona was a 10-6 team last year and missed post season play, so they are a strong candidate to make it, but again who's out? Could it be the Saints? Saints and Packers are the only playoff teams to lose in Week 1. Before the season started I thought the Panthers would be one of the teams that miss out, but then they go and win a game with their backup QB at the helm. This was the team that everyone said had no WRs or RBs to help Cam Newton.
How many of you fantasy players have put in for Kelvin Benjamin and Allen Hurns?
Lions adopted the Saints offense this year and Week 1 they did a pretty good Saints imitation. That was an impressive offensive showing. Calvin Johnson is...well Calvin Johnson. Seeing him lineup against DBs...the size difference is alarming...and the guy can leap over tall buildings and is faster than a speeding bullet. Now Detroit has Golden Tate and Reggie Bush playing the role of Darren Sproles. If Stafford holds up his end this could finally be the year for the Lions.
When are the Indianapolis Colts going to admit they made a big mistake in acquiring Trent Richardson? The guy runs hard, but looks slow and doesn't change direction very well. Colts seem blindly committed to this guy for some reason.
After week 1, the #1 RB in fantasy football is Knowshon Moreno and will likely be the starting RB in Miami the rest of the season...how many of you predicted that? Please, drop your hands, I know your lying.
I won't go into why, because you know why, but Justin Forsett will be the #1 most picked up player in Fantasy Football this week.
Friday, September 5, 2014
What I Read This Week (NFL Week 1 edition)
Seahawks seem low on this list especially after the beat down they put on the Packers Thursday night. Not really feeling the 49ers after their preseason performance and injuries/suspensions on defense.
The interesting thing for me as a Charger fan was the AFC Championship picks. The Broncos are the favorite at a whopping 42.7%, but of the 4 teams that they gave a shot to beat out the Broncos, one of them was the Chargers (although they only gave them a 1.2% chance). To quote Jim Carrey from Dumb and Dumber, "So you're telling me there is a chance...YEAH!"
The other prediction story I saw posted that caught my attention was on Yahoo Sports. It was about a prediction model called Cortana that Microsoft used to predict 15 out of 16 World Cup matches. If you're interested in the nuts and bolts of how Cortana works, you can read about it here. The predictions are for Week 1. Cortana gave the Seahawks a 74.2% chance of beating the Packers, which was the 2nd highest percentage. Cortana gave the Cardinals, the Chargers Week 1 opponent, a 58.2% chance of winning. That was the 2nd lowest chance of victory. Looking at it a from the other side, that means the Chargers have the 2nd best chance of pulling off a Week 1 upset.
History is on the side of the Chargers, according to an article on ESPN called A Tale of Two Mondays. Carson Palmer and the Cardinals have been so-so on Mondays, but Phillip Rivers and the Chargers have been pretty good. Rivers is also used to playing Monday night on the road, having done it 3 of the last 5 seasons.
According to Football Outsiders Defensive Efficiency Ratings, the Chargers were dead last in 2013. That's right, the Chargers had, according to advanced statistics, the worse defensive in the league, and still managed a 9-7 record and a playoff win. Last season, OLBs Dwight Freeney and Melvin Ingram played a total of 8 games combined and 0 games were they were both on the field at the same time. If the duo can stay healthy they will have a big impact on the defense as a whole. Add to that, #1 draft pick CB Jason Verrett and free agent pickup CB Brandon Flowers and they should be much higher on that list this season.
And one time before the season starts...
Thursday, September 4, 2014
San Diego Chargers - Thoughts before the season starts
Search on predictions for the San Diego Chargers and you'll see anywhere from going 10-6 and making the playoffs (ESPN) to being a one hit wonder (Bleacher Report). To be honest, I have no idea how this year's Chargers will do. They were a Jekyll and Hyde team last year...beating the Eagles in Philly, upset the Colts, swept the Chiefs, and split games with the Broncos, but also losing to the Texans, Redskins, and Raiders.
While the big questions are on the defensive side of the ball, there are some on the offensive side as well. Phillip Rivers looks like he's back, but fantasy guru's aren't giving him much love. Rivers is ranked as a QB2 in standard 12-team leagues. I picked him up as a backup in one league that has 14 teams and as the last QB1 that came off the board in another league that has 16 teams. While fantasy has nothing to do with reality, his low ranking shows that many experts aren't sold on Rivers' being able to repeat what he did last season.
I expect big things from the WR position this year. Keenan Allen says he's fully recovered from the knee injury that made teams pass on him in the draft. Allen claimed he wasn't able to run at full speed last year and reports from training camp says Allen is showing a burst that he didn't have before. Not only is Malcolm Floyd back from a neck injury that many thought would end his career, but he is being touted as training camp MVP. Floyd was the Chargers deep threat last season, but that neck injury in Game 2 ended his season. Allen should draw a lot of attention after breaking out last year. Add to that Antonio Gates and a predicted break out year for LaDarius Green...Floyd will get a lot of single coverage.
I'm wondering why the Chargers signed Donald Brown from Indianapolis for 3 years, 10 million. They have to have something planned for him. Remember that Danny Woodhead didn't play much in the preseason last year, but ended up a key piece in the offensive game plan.
New OC Frank Reich plans on doing a version of the K-gun (the offense the Bills ran while Reich was there). The Bills were the first team to run the no-huddle as the main offense and not just in given situations.
Here's the trivia question for you...Why was it called the K-gun? If you said it was named after QB Jim Kelly you would be wrong. It was named after Keith Keller. Keller was a hi-bred TE/FB. Part of the no-huddle strategy is to limit defensive substitutions. NFL substitutions rules state that if the offense makes a substitution, they have to give the defense time to also make a substitution. Keller gave Kelly the ability to call more of the playbook with out changing personnel by being able to lineup at FB or TE.
So what is one of the 1st things the Chargers do in the off season? They pick up David Johnson a hybrid FB/TE. Many people thought the Chargers' would go to a 2TE set, but everyone, including myself figured it would be Gates and Green...now it looks like it will be Johnson and Gates or Green. One of the things I'll be looking for in Week 1 is how often Johnson will be on the field.
While I can't wait to see the offense in action, the Chargers will still be around a .500 team again this season unless the defense gets better.
The big issues were bad corner play and an inability to generate consistent pressure on the QB. A bad combination in the modern NFL passing age. Not surprisingly the Chargers were ranked 29th in defense last season...which makes the Playoff appearance last year even more amazing. You also have to question how the Chargers defense managed to hold the Broncos' record setting offense to their lowest point total of the season (not counting the Super Bowl). The offense was more exceptional than they were being given credit for. They led the league in time of position and 3rd down conversion rate which protected the defense by limiting the other teams offensive possessions.
The Chargers drafted CB Jason Verrett with their 1st pick and picked up Brandon Flowers when the Chiefs released him. While neither played much in the preseason due to nagging injuries, both are reported to be good for the season opener against the Cardinals.
The inability to generate a pass rush had more to do with injuries than lack of ability. OLB Melvin Ingram was lost during the preseason. Dwight Freeney was lost in Game 2. If they can avoid the injury bug this season the pass rush will be markedly better than last season. While it was only preseason, with Freeney at OLB, DT Cory Liuget looked like the disruptive force he was two years ago.
While I don't expect the Chargers to become a top 10 defense, any sort of improvement would go a along ways toward improving on last seasons 9-7 record and both the secondary and pass rush should improve this season barring injuries.
One thing the offense didn't do well at is scoring TDs. Chargers ranked 23rd in Red Zone TD percentage and 28th in TD percentage when goal-to-go. Chargers don't have a true power running game and defenses bracketed Gates in the Red Zone last season. The return of the 6' 5" Floyd will give Rivers another big target. TE/FB Johnson will provide more versatility. Ryan Mathews runs hard and has good speed, but isn't a power back...could Brown become the Red Zone back?
Questions, questions...the answers will start Monday night.
While the big questions are on the defensive side of the ball, there are some on the offensive side as well. Phillip Rivers looks like he's back, but fantasy guru's aren't giving him much love. Rivers is ranked as a QB2 in standard 12-team leagues. I picked him up as a backup in one league that has 14 teams and as the last QB1 that came off the board in another league that has 16 teams. While fantasy has nothing to do with reality, his low ranking shows that many experts aren't sold on Rivers' being able to repeat what he did last season.
I expect big things from the WR position this year. Keenan Allen says he's fully recovered from the knee injury that made teams pass on him in the draft. Allen claimed he wasn't able to run at full speed last year and reports from training camp says Allen is showing a burst that he didn't have before. Not only is Malcolm Floyd back from a neck injury that many thought would end his career, but he is being touted as training camp MVP. Floyd was the Chargers deep threat last season, but that neck injury in Game 2 ended his season. Allen should draw a lot of attention after breaking out last year. Add to that Antonio Gates and a predicted break out year for LaDarius Green...Floyd will get a lot of single coverage.
I'm wondering why the Chargers signed Donald Brown from Indianapolis for 3 years, 10 million. They have to have something planned for him. Remember that Danny Woodhead didn't play much in the preseason last year, but ended up a key piece in the offensive game plan.
New OC Frank Reich plans on doing a version of the K-gun (the offense the Bills ran while Reich was there). The Bills were the first team to run the no-huddle as the main offense and not just in given situations.
Here's the trivia question for you...Why was it called the K-gun? If you said it was named after QB Jim Kelly you would be wrong. It was named after Keith Keller. Keller was a hi-bred TE/FB. Part of the no-huddle strategy is to limit defensive substitutions. NFL substitutions rules state that if the offense makes a substitution, they have to give the defense time to also make a substitution. Keller gave Kelly the ability to call more of the playbook with out changing personnel by being able to lineup at FB or TE.
So what is one of the 1st things the Chargers do in the off season? They pick up David Johnson a hybrid FB/TE. Many people thought the Chargers' would go to a 2TE set, but everyone, including myself figured it would be Gates and Green...now it looks like it will be Johnson and Gates or Green. One of the things I'll be looking for in Week 1 is how often Johnson will be on the field.
While I can't wait to see the offense in action, the Chargers will still be around a .500 team again this season unless the defense gets better.
The big issues were bad corner play and an inability to generate consistent pressure on the QB. A bad combination in the modern NFL passing age. Not surprisingly the Chargers were ranked 29th in defense last season...which makes the Playoff appearance last year even more amazing. You also have to question how the Chargers defense managed to hold the Broncos' record setting offense to their lowest point total of the season (not counting the Super Bowl). The offense was more exceptional than they were being given credit for. They led the league in time of position and 3rd down conversion rate which protected the defense by limiting the other teams offensive possessions.
The Chargers drafted CB Jason Verrett with their 1st pick and picked up Brandon Flowers when the Chiefs released him. While neither played much in the preseason due to nagging injuries, both are reported to be good for the season opener against the Cardinals.
The inability to generate a pass rush had more to do with injuries than lack of ability. OLB Melvin Ingram was lost during the preseason. Dwight Freeney was lost in Game 2. If they can avoid the injury bug this season the pass rush will be markedly better than last season. While it was only preseason, with Freeney at OLB, DT Cory Liuget looked like the disruptive force he was two years ago.
While I don't expect the Chargers to become a top 10 defense, any sort of improvement would go a along ways toward improving on last seasons 9-7 record and both the secondary and pass rush should improve this season barring injuries.
One thing the offense didn't do well at is scoring TDs. Chargers ranked 23rd in Red Zone TD percentage and 28th in TD percentage when goal-to-go. Chargers don't have a true power running game and defenses bracketed Gates in the Red Zone last season. The return of the 6' 5" Floyd will give Rivers another big target. TE/FB Johnson will provide more versatility. Ryan Mathews runs hard and has good speed, but isn't a power back...could Brown become the Red Zone back?
Questions, questions...the answers will start Monday night.
Wednesday, January 15, 2014
Random Charger Thougts This Past Week
The Chargers came up short against the Broncos 24-17 this past Sunday. It wasn't much of a game for Chargers fans until the 4th quarter, when the Chargers scored all 17 of their points. Chargers bid for a comeback ended when the Broncos ran out the last 3:53 of the game converting on a 3rd and 17, a 3rd and 6th, and finally a 3rd and 1. Backup LB Bront Bird was in the game due to injuries and he was absolutely lost in pass coverage. Both the 3rd and longs were completed in Bird's area of coverage. I'm not blaming Bird though. Bird had played earlier in the season due to injuries so the coaches new he wasn't the best in coverage. The smarter move would have been to blitz Bird. Would it have made a difference? Who knows, but I believe Bird would have been better utilized as a blitzer than in coverage.
Although the failure of the defense to get the ball back sealed the Chargers faith, overall it was a good defensive effort. Three of the four lowest scoring games the record setting offense of the Broncos put up were against the Chargers. 28, 20, and 24 points for a team that was averaging about 39 a game. The other team that held the Broncos under 30 were the Chiefs on Week 11 (27 points). I also have to wonder if the game would have turned out differently if Shareece Wright hadn't dropped a sure interception on the Broncos 1st drive.
I've been hyping rookie WR Keenan Allen all year and he was really the only one that showed up on offense on Sunday against the Broncos. 6 catches, 142 yards, 2 TDs. The coaches were way too conservative against the Broncos. Rivers only threw 8 passes in the 1st half and ended the game 18-27, 217 yards, 2 TDs, 0 INTs. It wasn't garbage stats. The game was still in doubt when the Chargers started to throw the ball. There was still 3:56 on the clock when they closed the score to 24-17. I had all the confidence in the world that if they had gotten the ball back that Rivers would have led them to a tying TD.
I was pretty prophetic in my preseason post on the Chargers (Last Look Before the Season). In that post I said the Chargers look to be a .500 team and could possibly make the playoffs with a 9-7 record if they caught a few breaks. I also gave tight end Ladarius Green some props and thought he would eventually be Antonio Gate's heir apparent. I also thought that the coaching staff had a plan for Danny Woodhead even though he didn't play much during the preseason.
Although the failure of the defense to get the ball back sealed the Chargers faith, overall it was a good defensive effort. Three of the four lowest scoring games the record setting offense of the Broncos put up were against the Chargers. 28, 20, and 24 points for a team that was averaging about 39 a game. The other team that held the Broncos under 30 were the Chiefs on Week 11 (27 points). I also have to wonder if the game would have turned out differently if Shareece Wright hadn't dropped a sure interception on the Broncos 1st drive.
I've been hyping rookie WR Keenan Allen all year and he was really the only one that showed up on offense on Sunday against the Broncos. 6 catches, 142 yards, 2 TDs. The coaches were way too conservative against the Broncos. Rivers only threw 8 passes in the 1st half and ended the game 18-27, 217 yards, 2 TDs, 0 INTs. It wasn't garbage stats. The game was still in doubt when the Chargers started to throw the ball. There was still 3:56 on the clock when they closed the score to 24-17. I had all the confidence in the world that if they had gotten the ball back that Rivers would have led them to a tying TD.
I was pretty prophetic in my preseason post on the Chargers (Last Look Before the Season). In that post I said the Chargers look to be a .500 team and could possibly make the playoffs with a 9-7 record if they caught a few breaks. I also gave tight end Ladarius Green some props and thought he would eventually be Antonio Gate's heir apparent. I also thought that the coaching staff had a plan for Danny Woodhead even though he didn't play much during the preseason.
Tuesday, January 7, 2014
Chargers vs. Broncos, the Rubber Match
Random thoughts about the AFC playoffs...
OLB Melvin Ingram wasn't expected to play this season after suffering a knee injury in preseason, but came back to practice in just over 6 months. Ingram played a week later against the Giants and I don't believe that it's a coincidence that the defense has improved since Ingram came back. With Ingram in the lineup the Chargers beat the Giants 37-17, then the Broncos 27-20, and then the Raiders 26-13 despite the offense turning the ball over 3 times. Next was the Chiefs game that the Chargers should have lost. For some reason the Chargers couldn't get their collective act together for that game. Inexcusable for what it meant...a spot in the playoff. Regardless, the Chargers didn't squander the gift and upset the Bengals 27-10.
The other reason for the resurgent defense is that DC John Pagano inserted a new scheme for the Giants game. Jon Gruden called it the "Amoeba Defense" during the Thursday Night Broncos win after studying the Giants game the week before. I won't pretend to understand the ins and outs of how it works, but if you watch the Chargers defense they only put one or two of the front seven in a 3-point stance. They shift in and out of a 3-4/4-3 defense by using the weak side linebacker as either the OLB in the 3-4 or DE in the 4-3...in effect changing the roles of the players up front. Ingram's interception in the 4th quarter against the Bengals was a result of a shift from the 3-4 to 4-3. Ingram is the strong side OLB and the primary pass rusher in the 3-4, but when the Chargers shifted to the 4-3, the defensive end becomes the primary outside pass rusher. Ingram stayed in coverage and jumped the short route by the TE.
Before I give you the idea that "the Amoeba Defense" is something new, it isn't. Teams like the Browns, Steelers, Falcons, Patriots, and Saints (and most likely many others) have ran similar schemes from time-to-time (I notice that it's a base 3-4 defense sort of thing...I've never seen a base 4-3 team run it).
Interesting to note that, along with the Broncos, the three teams left in the AFC playoffs are the teams that gave the Broncos their three loses during the season. Colts 39-33 in Week7, Patriots 34-31 in Week 12, and the Chargers 27-20 in Week 15. The Chargers were the only one to do it in Denver.
Interesting note #2, the Broncos and Chargers have never met in the Playoffs.
Interesting note #3, Phillip Rivers is a perfect 6-0 when he wears gloves.
Whatever the reasons, the Chargers have historically given Peyton Manning a hard time. The Chargers are 7-6 all time against Manning. He is 4-4 vs. the Chargers at home. Manning is 3-1 vs. the Chargers since becoming a Bronco, including the 35-24 win in Denver in 2012 when the Chargers were up 24-0 at halftime aided by a fumble and interception return for TDs in the 2nd half. The other games were close...30-23 in San Diego last season, 28-20 in San Diego earlier this year, and the Charger 27-20 upset in Denver last month. While playing for the Colts, the Chargers knocked him out of the playoffs in back to back years (28-24 in 2007 and 23-17 in overtime in 2008) in the only times Manning has faced the Chargers in the playoffs.
I'm hoping the Chargers can even up the record against Manning on Sunday and keep the perfect record during the playoffs. It's going to take a great game on both sides of the ball against a record setting QB that is having the best statistical year in NFL history.
OLB Melvin Ingram wasn't expected to play this season after suffering a knee injury in preseason, but came back to practice in just over 6 months. Ingram played a week later against the Giants and I don't believe that it's a coincidence that the defense has improved since Ingram came back. With Ingram in the lineup the Chargers beat the Giants 37-17, then the Broncos 27-20, and then the Raiders 26-13 despite the offense turning the ball over 3 times. Next was the Chiefs game that the Chargers should have lost. For some reason the Chargers couldn't get their collective act together for that game. Inexcusable for what it meant...a spot in the playoff. Regardless, the Chargers didn't squander the gift and upset the Bengals 27-10.
The other reason for the resurgent defense is that DC John Pagano inserted a new scheme for the Giants game. Jon Gruden called it the "Amoeba Defense" during the Thursday Night Broncos win after studying the Giants game the week before. I won't pretend to understand the ins and outs of how it works, but if you watch the Chargers defense they only put one or two of the front seven in a 3-point stance. They shift in and out of a 3-4/4-3 defense by using the weak side linebacker as either the OLB in the 3-4 or DE in the 4-3...in effect changing the roles of the players up front. Ingram's interception in the 4th quarter against the Bengals was a result of a shift from the 3-4 to 4-3. Ingram is the strong side OLB and the primary pass rusher in the 3-4, but when the Chargers shifted to the 4-3, the defensive end becomes the primary outside pass rusher. Ingram stayed in coverage and jumped the short route by the TE.
Before I give you the idea that "the Amoeba Defense" is something new, it isn't. Teams like the Browns, Steelers, Falcons, Patriots, and Saints (and most likely many others) have ran similar schemes from time-to-time (I notice that it's a base 3-4 defense sort of thing...I've never seen a base 4-3 team run it).
Interesting to note that, along with the Broncos, the three teams left in the AFC playoffs are the teams that gave the Broncos their three loses during the season. Colts 39-33 in Week7, Patriots 34-31 in Week 12, and the Chargers 27-20 in Week 15. The Chargers were the only one to do it in Denver.
Interesting note #2, the Broncos and Chargers have never met in the Playoffs.
Interesting note #3, Phillip Rivers is a perfect 6-0 when he wears gloves.
Whatever the reasons, the Chargers have historically given Peyton Manning a hard time. The Chargers are 7-6 all time against Manning. He is 4-4 vs. the Chargers at home. Manning is 3-1 vs. the Chargers since becoming a Bronco, including the 35-24 win in Denver in 2012 when the Chargers were up 24-0 at halftime aided by a fumble and interception return for TDs in the 2nd half. The other games were close...30-23 in San Diego last season, 28-20 in San Diego earlier this year, and the Charger 27-20 upset in Denver last month. While playing for the Colts, the Chargers knocked him out of the playoffs in back to back years (28-24 in 2007 and 23-17 in overtime in 2008) in the only times Manning has faced the Chargers in the playoffs.
I'm hoping the Chargers can even up the record against Manning on Sunday and keep the perfect record during the playoffs. It's going to take a great game on both sides of the ball against a record setting QB that is having the best statistical year in NFL history.
Monday, December 30, 2013
Chargers Given A Gift
The Chargers were handed a playoff spot...no other way to put it. Not only did they have to have the Ravens and Dolphins both of their last two games, but they needed a blown 41 yard field goal and at least one (and in my opinion, two) blown calls by the refs. By now everyone knows the Chargers were lined up in an illegal formation on the field goal attempt at the end of regulation, but I also think it was a quick whistle on the fake punt in overtime.
Don't know what to think about this Charger team. They've beaten the Colts at home and the Eagles, Chiefs, and Broncos all on the road, yet have losses to the Texans, Raiders, and Redskins. And now they almost lose a game against the Chiefs' backups with a playoff spot on the line. If you understand this team please let me in on it.
Three weeks ago when the Dolphins upset the Patriots I figured the playoff chance had realistically ended for the Chargers. Dolphins needed just one win against the Bills or Jets in the last two weeks to clinch a spot. Talking to a co-worker (who is a Bronco fan) we were already discussing the possibility of a Colts-Broncos rematch after the Bengals eliminated the Dolphins and the Colts end the Chiefs season. Go figure that the Dolphins only score 7 points in those final two games. At the time the Ravens had the last playoff spot in the AFC, but I predicted to my co-worker that they would lose to the Pats and Bengals, so thought they would hand the last spot to the Dolphins.
No way the Chargers deserved to win yesterdays game. No way did they should have even had the chance. So what now for the Chargers? If I'm in the Charger organization I would have walked into the locker room this morning and said to the team, "We were given a gift...now lets go do something with it!"
They're a TD underdogs to the Bengals, and rightfully so. With the exception of the QB spot, the Bengals are a superior team and the Chargers lost to the Bengals 17-10 at home in Week 13. Look closer at that game though, and you would see that the Chargers turned the ball over twice deep in Bengals territory (fumble by Antonio Gates and an INT by Rivers on a pass that was caught by Gates, but ripped out of Gates hands). The score was also tied 7-7 at the half.
In all honesty, it's going to take a lot better game offensively then they played the last time (or this past Sunday against the Chiefs) and they need a better effort by the defense...but they've shown they have that ability at times this season. The defense, terrible for most of the season, held the Broncos to their lowest point total of the season (20) and also the Broncos 3rd lowest (28). The offense has also been able to protect that defense at times by leading the league in 10 play drives, time of possession, and #1 in 3rd down conversion percentage.
So the Chargers have it in them to pull off the upset...we'll see Sunday if they can.
Don't know what to think about this Charger team. They've beaten the Colts at home and the Eagles, Chiefs, and Broncos all on the road, yet have losses to the Texans, Raiders, and Redskins. And now they almost lose a game against the Chiefs' backups with a playoff spot on the line. If you understand this team please let me in on it.
Three weeks ago when the Dolphins upset the Patriots I figured the playoff chance had realistically ended for the Chargers. Dolphins needed just one win against the Bills or Jets in the last two weeks to clinch a spot. Talking to a co-worker (who is a Bronco fan) we were already discussing the possibility of a Colts-Broncos rematch after the Bengals eliminated the Dolphins and the Colts end the Chiefs season. Go figure that the Dolphins only score 7 points in those final two games. At the time the Ravens had the last playoff spot in the AFC, but I predicted to my co-worker that they would lose to the Pats and Bengals, so thought they would hand the last spot to the Dolphins.
No way the Chargers deserved to win yesterdays game. No way did they should have even had the chance. So what now for the Chargers? If I'm in the Charger organization I would have walked into the locker room this morning and said to the team, "We were given a gift...now lets go do something with it!"
They're a TD underdogs to the Bengals, and rightfully so. With the exception of the QB spot, the Bengals are a superior team and the Chargers lost to the Bengals 17-10 at home in Week 13. Look closer at that game though, and you would see that the Chargers turned the ball over twice deep in Bengals territory (fumble by Antonio Gates and an INT by Rivers on a pass that was caught by Gates, but ripped out of Gates hands). The score was also tied 7-7 at the half.
In all honesty, it's going to take a lot better game offensively then they played the last time (or this past Sunday against the Chiefs) and they need a better effort by the defense...but they've shown they have that ability at times this season. The defense, terrible for most of the season, held the Broncos to their lowest point total of the season (20) and also the Broncos 3rd lowest (28). The offense has also been able to protect that defense at times by leading the league in 10 play drives, time of possession, and #1 in 3rd down conversion percentage.
So the Chargers have it in them to pull off the upset...we'll see Sunday if they can.
Thursday, December 12, 2013
Chargers at Broncos.
I've been out of town the last couple weeks...I was actually in California...so I haven't posted about Charger games the last few weeks.
As I type this I'm actually watching the game via live look ins on NFL.com. If you've read my posts about cutting the cable you know I don't have cable TV anymore, so no NFL channel. I'm actually amazed that they are streaming game footage live, considering how much the NFL has been money hungry lately. They are not showing the entire game, but almost all of it.
First possession by the Broncos and they score a TD easily. Bad coverage by the CB (I think it was Wright). He had inside help from Weddle, but still bit on the inside move. Chargers only get a FG on their first drive...shades of the first meeting this season in San Diego when the Chargers settled for FGs on three possessions in the first half and came away with only 6 points (missed one) to trail 14-6 at halftime.
These NFL.com announcers are terrible. After a Vincent Brown catch for a first down they called him a money maker for the Chargers. Brown has had a very sub par year (36 catches, 380 yards) so far. Chargers manage to keep the Broncos to a FG and get a 19 yard TD from Keenan Allen with a great run after catch to tie the score 10-10 early in the 2nd quarter.
Chargers force a 3-n-out. How often have the Chargers done that...or for that matter how many time have the Broncos done that? Ask and you shall receive...according to the stat they just flashed on the screen, the Broncos only go 3-n-out 13.7% of the time. The Chargers just did it for the 2nd consecutive drive...and then a 3rd straight 3-n-out.
Chargers holding the ball on offense, almost 19 minutes in the half. Allen gets his 2nd TD...he should be Rookie of the Year. Chargers amazingly have a 17-10 halftime lead.
Scoring on the first possession of the 2nd half is huge. Mathews busting a 23 yard run for a TD to put the Chargers up 24-10. Broncos defense is getting run over...Chargers already over 100 yard rushing (Mathews 15 carries, 79 yards). Not a 3-n-out, but Broncos punting for the 4th straight possession.
Wow, big special teams mistake by the Broncos. They held the Chargers down inside their own 10, but get hit with an offsides penalty giving the Chargers the ball back. Broncos also get caught with 12 men on defense...the 2nd time in the game.
Broncos back in the game. More terrible play by the Chargers on a 4th down and 6. Don't know who it was, but the LB ran himself totally out of position to allow an easy pitch and catch for the first. Leads to a Bronco TD pass to Caldwell on a WR screen. 24-17 Chargers. with 10:25 left in the game.
Broncos have a shot. Mathews stuffed on 3rd and 1. Scifires somehow gets a great punt off on a muffed snap that gets out of bounds on the Broncos 3. Peyton with 5:50 left and 97 yards to go for a tying TD. Can the Chargers defense come up with a stop?
Liuget gets big pressure on Manning and he puts up a duck. Keiser gets an easy pick. They have the ball on the Broncos 33. Chargers go to an I-formation...that's old school running. Chargers don't throw a pass, running the clock down to 2:41 and getting a Novak 35 yard FG to put them up 27-17.
Would anyone have guessed the Chargers would hold the Broncos to 20 points? In Denver? Go figure. 27-20 Chargers win. Who would have thunk it?
As I type this I'm actually watching the game via live look ins on NFL.com. If you've read my posts about cutting the cable you know I don't have cable TV anymore, so no NFL channel. I'm actually amazed that they are streaming game footage live, considering how much the NFL has been money hungry lately. They are not showing the entire game, but almost all of it.
First possession by the Broncos and they score a TD easily. Bad coverage by the CB (I think it was Wright). He had inside help from Weddle, but still bit on the inside move. Chargers only get a FG on their first drive...shades of the first meeting this season in San Diego when the Chargers settled for FGs on three possessions in the first half and came away with only 6 points (missed one) to trail 14-6 at halftime.
These NFL.com announcers are terrible. After a Vincent Brown catch for a first down they called him a money maker for the Chargers. Brown has had a very sub par year (36 catches, 380 yards) so far. Chargers manage to keep the Broncos to a FG and get a 19 yard TD from Keenan Allen with a great run after catch to tie the score 10-10 early in the 2nd quarter.
Chargers force a 3-n-out. How often have the Chargers done that...or for that matter how many time have the Broncos done that? Ask and you shall receive...according to the stat they just flashed on the screen, the Broncos only go 3-n-out 13.7% of the time. The Chargers just did it for the 2nd consecutive drive...and then a 3rd straight 3-n-out.
Chargers holding the ball on offense, almost 19 minutes in the half. Allen gets his 2nd TD...he should be Rookie of the Year. Chargers amazingly have a 17-10 halftime lead.
Scoring on the first possession of the 2nd half is huge. Mathews busting a 23 yard run for a TD to put the Chargers up 24-10. Broncos defense is getting run over...Chargers already over 100 yard rushing (Mathews 15 carries, 79 yards). Not a 3-n-out, but Broncos punting for the 4th straight possession.
Wow, big special teams mistake by the Broncos. They held the Chargers down inside their own 10, but get hit with an offsides penalty giving the Chargers the ball back. Broncos also get caught with 12 men on defense...the 2nd time in the game.
Broncos back in the game. More terrible play by the Chargers on a 4th down and 6. Don't know who it was, but the LB ran himself totally out of position to allow an easy pitch and catch for the first. Leads to a Bronco TD pass to Caldwell on a WR screen. 24-17 Chargers. with 10:25 left in the game.
Broncos have a shot. Mathews stuffed on 3rd and 1. Scifires somehow gets a great punt off on a muffed snap that gets out of bounds on the Broncos 3. Peyton with 5:50 left and 97 yards to go for a tying TD. Can the Chargers defense come up with a stop?
Liuget gets big pressure on Manning and he puts up a duck. Keiser gets an easy pick. They have the ball on the Broncos 33. Chargers go to an I-formation...that's old school running. Chargers don't throw a pass, running the clock down to 2:41 and getting a Novak 35 yard FG to put them up 27-17.
Would anyone have guessed the Chargers would hold the Broncos to 20 points? In Denver? Go figure. 27-20 Chargers win. Who would have thunk it?
Tuesday, November 26, 2013
Chargers Keep Playoff Hopes, Upset Chiefs 41-38
That was a heck of a game. There were 9 scores in the 2nd half alternating for both teams accounting for 7 lead changes...luckily the Chargers get the last score for the win. Phillip Rivers was sharp all game.
Lets get the Chiefs injuries out of the way...did it make a difference in the game? Losing your two outside linebackers and sack leaders have to effect your defense, but I can counter that with the fact that the Chargers are also without their starting two outside linebackers and also the two that replaced them ( starters Melvin Ingram, Dwight Freeney; subs Larry English, Jarret Johnson). Sure Justin Houston and Tamba Hali are better players, but the Chargers are down to their 3rd stringers. Chargers also lost Ryan Mathews who had 55 yards on 14 carries and 1TD before he left the game.
Also, the Chargers DBs are terrible. This week it was Donnie Avery who beat them for 4 catches, 91 yards, 1TD. Alex Smith, who isn't exactly know for throwing the ball, went 26-38, 294 yards, 3 TDs, 1 INT. Corner Derek Cox was benched for the 3rd straight game. I know the Chargers paid $20 million in the free agent market to get Cox, but it's time to give up on him. He hasn't been able to cover anybody. The Chargers secondary was also hit for 4 pass interference calls and 1 holding...and I can't argue any of them.
Okay, enough of the negatives. Somehow the Chargers managed to pull off a big upset and a big reason why came from their draft.
Lets get the Chiefs injuries out of the way...did it make a difference in the game? Losing your two outside linebackers and sack leaders have to effect your defense, but I can counter that with the fact that the Chargers are also without their starting two outside linebackers and also the two that replaced them ( starters Melvin Ingram, Dwight Freeney; subs Larry English, Jarret Johnson). Sure Justin Houston and Tamba Hali are better players, but the Chargers are down to their 3rd stringers. Chargers also lost Ryan Mathews who had 55 yards on 14 carries and 1TD before he left the game.
Also, the Chargers DBs are terrible. This week it was Donnie Avery who beat them for 4 catches, 91 yards, 1TD. Alex Smith, who isn't exactly know for throwing the ball, went 26-38, 294 yards, 3 TDs, 1 INT. Corner Derek Cox was benched for the 3rd straight game. I know the Chargers paid $20 million in the free agent market to get Cox, but it's time to give up on him. He hasn't been able to cover anybody. The Chargers secondary was also hit for 4 pass interference calls and 1 holding...and I can't argue any of them.
Okay, enough of the negatives. Somehow the Chargers managed to pull off a big upset and a big reason why came from their draft.
Tuesday, November 19, 2013
Chargers Lose 3rd Straight, 20-16 to the Dolphins
I'm not sure what to make of this game. It was the lowest total points the Chargers put up all season and it was against a team that wasn't playing well and was surrounded in controversy. I really don't get how the offense didn't get it done when they needed a win to stay in playoff contention. Watching the game on NFL Rewind I really didn't see what the Dolphins did that should have gave the Chargers that big of a problem scoring. The Chargers got yards from Ryan Mathews (19 carries, 127 yards) and Phillip Rivers (22-34, 298 yards), but they only scored one TD. Rivers also threw an INT on the Chargers 1st possession on a pass to Vincent Brown. Rivers expected a route down the sideline and Brown turned the pattern inside. Don't know who's fault it was, but Rivers and Brown just haven't gotten on the same page this year.
Also being unable to put the ball in the end zone is getting to be a big problem with this team. Three times in the red zone last week and another three this week resulting in field goals. They had first and goal on the 6 with plenty of time left in the half and couldn't punch it in. Settled for a FG that tied the score 10-10, instead of going up 14-10 at the half.
I really like TE LaDarius Green. He had a team leading 81yards on 4 catches. I've said it since early in the season...with both starting wide receivers out, I would love to see the Chargers go to a double TE set with Antonio Gates and Green. Both TEs can play also be effected in the slot and that would give them a lot of flexibility on offense without having to substitute.
Missed tackles killed the Chargers in this game. Dolphin TE Charles Clay scored on a 39 play were he caught a short pass in the flat and ran thru/pass 5 Charger defenders. The defense definitely didn't play great either. When they needed a stop in the 4th quarter to give the Chargers' offense one last shot at the win, they got the job done, but not before the Dolphins were able to run 2 minutes off the clock and driving from their own 6 out to the 38. A great punt gave the Chargers the ball back with 1:25 left in the game on their own 17. The offense just couldn't get the winning TD, running out of time on the Dolphin 25.
Rookie WR Keenan Allen wasn't in the game on the last drive, hurting his knee and leaving early in the 4th quarter. Allen, the Chargers best receiver, could have made a difference. Luckily, it wasn't anything serious and reports are that Allen will play against the Chiefs Sunday.
So this leaves the Chargers 4-6 on the outside of the playoff picture looking in at the 5-5 Jets, who would be the last team in if the Playoffs started today. Losing to the Dolphins was big, since the Dolphins are also 5-5 and now own the head-to-head tie breaker. They are also stuck in a group of 5 other 4-6 teams, two of which are the Raiders and Titans, teams they've lost to earlier this year.
With two games against the Chiefs, one more against the Broncos (in Denver), and also the AFC North leading Bengals left on the schedule, the Chargers chances of making the playoffs doesn't look good.
Also being unable to put the ball in the end zone is getting to be a big problem with this team. Three times in the red zone last week and another three this week resulting in field goals. They had first and goal on the 6 with plenty of time left in the half and couldn't punch it in. Settled for a FG that tied the score 10-10, instead of going up 14-10 at the half.
I really like TE LaDarius Green. He had a team leading 81yards on 4 catches. I've said it since early in the season...with both starting wide receivers out, I would love to see the Chargers go to a double TE set with Antonio Gates and Green. Both TEs can play also be effected in the slot and that would give them a lot of flexibility on offense without having to substitute.
Missed tackles killed the Chargers in this game. Dolphin TE Charles Clay scored on a 39 play were he caught a short pass in the flat and ran thru/pass 5 Charger defenders. The defense definitely didn't play great either. When they needed a stop in the 4th quarter to give the Chargers' offense one last shot at the win, they got the job done, but not before the Dolphins were able to run 2 minutes off the clock and driving from their own 6 out to the 38. A great punt gave the Chargers the ball back with 1:25 left in the game on their own 17. The offense just couldn't get the winning TD, running out of time on the Dolphin 25.
Rookie WR Keenan Allen wasn't in the game on the last drive, hurting his knee and leaving early in the 4th quarter. Allen, the Chargers best receiver, could have made a difference. Luckily, it wasn't anything serious and reports are that Allen will play against the Chiefs Sunday.
So this leaves the Chargers 4-6 on the outside of the playoff picture looking in at the 5-5 Jets, who would be the last team in if the Playoffs started today. Losing to the Dolphins was big, since the Dolphins are also 5-5 and now own the head-to-head tie breaker. They are also stuck in a group of 5 other 4-6 teams, two of which are the Raiders and Titans, teams they've lost to earlier this year.
With two games against the Chiefs, one more against the Broncos (in Denver), and also the AFC North leading Bengals left on the schedule, the Chargers chances of making the playoffs doesn't look good.
Friday, November 15, 2013
Chargers Lose Faceoff With Broncos, 28-20
I didn't get a chance to re-watch the game on NFL rewind until this afternoon.
I was actually impressed with the defense and disappointed with the offense on this one...the opposite of almost every other game this season. I think the best thing they did on offense all game was the fake punt on the first possession. It was a gutsy call on their own 28, but it eventually led to a punt after a 39 yard run by Ryan Mathews got called back on a holding penalty. Mathews got hurt on the play and didn't play for the rest of the first quarter, but came back in the 2nd quarter ending with 14 carries, 59 yards, 1 TD.
The defense held the Broncos to their lowest point total of the year and kept the Chargers in the game by allowing only 1 TD by the Broncos in the 2nd half. That "Amoeba" front 7 the Chargers have been playing for the last 3 weeks got to Peyton Manning. It will be interesting to see what the Chiefs come up with this Sunday. The Chargers' defense made two big mistakes...the first on the Broncos first drive when Julius Thomas scored on a simple pass in the flat that he took 74 yards. No one covered the TE and Derek Cox should have easily forced him out of bounds (Cox ended up getting benched, but came back in in the 2nd half when his replacement got injured). The 2nd big mistake was on a bubble screen to Demaryius Thomas that scored a TD. Chargers got caught on a corner blitz so they were out manned on that side.
What really doomed the Chargers chances of winning was the offense getting into the red zone three times in the first half and came away with only 6 points (2 made FGs and 1 missed). Phillip Rivers was a pedestrian 19-29, 218 yards, 1 TD. Needed more from him if the Chargers had any chance of winning. Vincent Brown did drop a TD in the 2nd quarter.
Broncos did a good job of taking away Keenan Allen, who had been Rivers' favorite receiver the last few weeks. Allen ended up with only 4 catches for 41 yards.
The Chargers' again suffered injuries to two areas they couldn't afford to lose. LT King Dunlap left the game forcing rookie D.J. Fluker to move from RT to LT for the 2nd time this year. Dunlap is listed as out with a neck injury.
Allen (3rd round) and Fluker (1st round) have been two great pickups in the draft.
OLB Larry English also left the game in the 2nd half. The Chargers are already without their two starting OLBs and one of the backups. English was put on the IR earlier this week. Coincidentally, the Chargers picked up Andrian Robinson who had played 6 games for the Broncos this season.
Even though the final score looked close and the defense kept them in the game, the Chargers' offense never threatened the tying TD/2 point conversion. From a game plan perspective the Chargers did what they needed to, holding the ball and keeping the Broncos to only 11 possessions, but they didn't put the ball into the end zone enough times.
This game left me encouraged about the defense, but also left me wondering if the league has seen enough of their new offense and figured out how to defense it.
I was actually impressed with the defense and disappointed with the offense on this one...the opposite of almost every other game this season. I think the best thing they did on offense all game was the fake punt on the first possession. It was a gutsy call on their own 28, but it eventually led to a punt after a 39 yard run by Ryan Mathews got called back on a holding penalty. Mathews got hurt on the play and didn't play for the rest of the first quarter, but came back in the 2nd quarter ending with 14 carries, 59 yards, 1 TD.
The defense held the Broncos to their lowest point total of the year and kept the Chargers in the game by allowing only 1 TD by the Broncos in the 2nd half. That "Amoeba" front 7 the Chargers have been playing for the last 3 weeks got to Peyton Manning. It will be interesting to see what the Chiefs come up with this Sunday. The Chargers' defense made two big mistakes...the first on the Broncos first drive when Julius Thomas scored on a simple pass in the flat that he took 74 yards. No one covered the TE and Derek Cox should have easily forced him out of bounds (Cox ended up getting benched, but came back in in the 2nd half when his replacement got injured). The 2nd big mistake was on a bubble screen to Demaryius Thomas that scored a TD. Chargers got caught on a corner blitz so they were out manned on that side.
What really doomed the Chargers chances of winning was the offense getting into the red zone three times in the first half and came away with only 6 points (2 made FGs and 1 missed). Phillip Rivers was a pedestrian 19-29, 218 yards, 1 TD. Needed more from him if the Chargers had any chance of winning. Vincent Brown did drop a TD in the 2nd quarter.
Broncos did a good job of taking away Keenan Allen, who had been Rivers' favorite receiver the last few weeks. Allen ended up with only 4 catches for 41 yards.
The Chargers' again suffered injuries to two areas they couldn't afford to lose. LT King Dunlap left the game forcing rookie D.J. Fluker to move from RT to LT for the 2nd time this year. Dunlap is listed as out with a neck injury.
Allen (3rd round) and Fluker (1st round) have been two great pickups in the draft.
OLB Larry English also left the game in the 2nd half. The Chargers are already without their two starting OLBs and one of the backups. English was put on the IR earlier this week. Coincidentally, the Chargers picked up Andrian Robinson who had played 6 games for the Broncos this season.
Even though the final score looked close and the defense kept them in the game, the Chargers' offense never threatened the tying TD/2 point conversion. From a game plan perspective the Chargers did what they needed to, holding the ball and keeping the Broncos to only 11 possessions, but they didn't put the ball into the end zone enough times.
This game left me encouraged about the defense, but also left me wondering if the league has seen enough of their new offense and figured out how to defense it.
Chargers at Jaguars
Saw that I forgot to post this after the Jags game....
For the first time this year the Chargers win back-to-back games with a 24-6 win in Jacksonville. Chargers are also above .500 for the first time this season at 4-3.
Take these next stats with a grain of salt, because this was the Jaguars, but the Chargers defense has not allowed a TD in two straight games. The defense also had 6 sacks, the Chargers had just 13 total in the previous 6 games. I'm still trying to figure out exactly what the Chargers are doing on defense...what Jon Gruden called the "Amoeba Defense" last Monday night.
I read one story that said they were using a 2 DL lineup, but I don't think that's 100% accurate. Yes the two starting DE's Cory Liuget and Kendall Reyes are staying in the game and they pull NT Cam Thomas out, but the Chargers replace him with DE Thomas Keiser who sometimes stays upright (as opposed to down in a 3-pt stance) and it looks like a 2 DL lineup. Other times Keiser goes down in a 3-point stance like a DE and the other DEs end up being DTs with the opposite LB playing like a DE...so it's kind of a 4-3. Keiser recorded 2 sacks.
For the first time this year the Chargers win back-to-back games with a 24-6 win in Jacksonville. Chargers are also above .500 for the first time this season at 4-3.
Take these next stats with a grain of salt, because this was the Jaguars, but the Chargers defense has not allowed a TD in two straight games. The defense also had 6 sacks, the Chargers had just 13 total in the previous 6 games. I'm still trying to figure out exactly what the Chargers are doing on defense...what Jon Gruden called the "Amoeba Defense" last Monday night.
I read one story that said they were using a 2 DL lineup, but I don't think that's 100% accurate. Yes the two starting DE's Cory Liuget and Kendall Reyes are staying in the game and they pull NT Cam Thomas out, but the Chargers replace him with DE Thomas Keiser who sometimes stays upright (as opposed to down in a 3-pt stance) and it looks like a 2 DL lineup. Other times Keiser goes down in a 3-point stance like a DE and the other DEs end up being DTs with the opposite LB playing like a DE...so it's kind of a 4-3. Keiser recorded 2 sacks.
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