SB Nation - Jacques Cesaire

Chargers Stat of the Day: Defensive Ratings

John (obviousman) — Tue, 17 Nov 2009 12:05:35 -0000

by Chris Park - AP

The San Diego Chargers defense swarms Brian Westbrook during the Chargers 31-23 victory in a NFL football game Sunday Nov. 15, 2009 in San Diego. (AP Photo/Chris Park)

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Attention all nerds. Do you head straight to Football Outsiders when you're looking for better-than-average stats? Well, I found another website that you're going to want to bookmark. (Editor's Note: This is not a paid advertisement. I've never even talked with the guys from this website. So if this sounds like a sales-pitch, it's not.)

ProFootballFocus.com is a website that football stat-geeks have been dying for without knowing it. Just about any question you have about the team can be answered within their stats. Want to know who has played the most defensive plays for the Bolts? Eric Weddle, with 544. How about which player has the most QB Pressures? It's a tie between Luis Castillo and Shaun Phillips (both have 10). Wondering who the best MLB on the Chargers is? You'll be surprised.

Let's delve into some of PFF's defensive stats and player ratings...

I was taught a long time ago to never argue with someone who was smarter than me. I almost never abide by this rule, but today I'll make an exception. These guys have done such a great job at collecting stats, that I'm going to assume they do just as good of a job comparing them.

In terms of defense, it appears they look at all of the stats (sacks, QB hits, QB pressures, tackles, penalties, missed tackles, stops) and compare them relative to the number of plays the player had played. So a played like Brandon Siler, who has 10 stops on 104 plays, would be looked at as a more efficient player when he's on the field than Stephen Cooper (22 stops in 454 plays).

Each player is rated based upon their work rushing the passer, stopping the run and in pass coverage. Also factored in are things like Penalties being called against that player (surprisingly, leading the Chargers D in penalties is a tie between Shawne Merriman, Shaun Phillips and Larry English) and Missed Tackles.

The missed tackles stat also needs to be looked at proportionally against actual tackles. For instance, Stephen Cooper leads the team with 10 missed tackles to go with his 48 tackles on the season. However, that's probably not as bad as Antonio Cromartie's 6 missed tackles with only 15 tackles to his name.

So, follow me down the rabbit hole as we look at PFF's ratings of Chargers defensive players by position group. The number next to each player is their PFF Rating, which is roughly explained here. In a nutshell, zero is average across the league and any number above that is above average. Any number below is obviously below average. Also, for the sake of this not being too confusing, I'm leaving out any player who has been on the field for less than 75 snaps.

Defensive Line

Travis Johnson -1.5
Ian Scott -3.0
Alfonso Boone -3.1
Ogemdi Nwagbuo -3.1
Jacques Cesaire -9.5
Luis Castillo -10.3

How about that trade for Johnson? The Castillo number is a bit jarring, but appears to be accurate. Although he's near the top on the team in terms of defensive stops and QB pressures, apparently relative to the number of plays he's played it's just not as impressive as it has seemed. Also, according to their individual rankings he's fairly average at rushing the passer and well below average at stopping the run. For those looking for a comparison, Castillo's 2008 was ranked at 0.8 (or just a little above average) and Jamal Williams' 2008 was ranked at 27.4. 27.4! In 2007, Castillo was well above average at 7.7 when he was on the field.

Linebackers

Brandon Siler 5.8
Shaun Phillips 2.7
Kevin Burnett 2.6
Stephen Cooper -2.4
Tim Dobbins -2.7
Shawne Merriman -3.3
Larry English -12.2

I told you this stuff was interesting. As mentioned above, Cooper is killed by his missed tackles and by being below-average (-1.5) in pass coverage. Siler is actually the only LB that ranks as above average against the run and in pass coverage this year. Phillips would probably be #1 if it weren't for the 4 penalties he's picked up this season. This group is greatly improved from 2008, when no LB ranked as average or above average (Wilhelm was -16.9 if you were wondering).

Cornerbacks

Antoine Cason 1.4
Steve Gregory -1.0
Quentin Jammer -3.8
Antonio Cromartie -5.6

Jammer is actually playing better than he did in 2008, when his season ranking was -5.9. The stats seem a little off for cornerbacks in terms of what's "average", but at least they appear to be consistent. Cromartie's 2008 rating? -27.4. He was the anti-Jamal Williams.

Safties

Eric Weddle 3.7
Paul Oliver 0.5
Clinton Hart -1.8
Kevin Ellison -2.7

Before you start screaming about Hart being rated ahead of Ellison, listen up. Here's what I gather as the explanation by looking at the stats they're presenting. Both players are equal against the run (0.5), and the rookie actually better in pass coverage (-2.3 to -3.7), but the main two factors that catapult Hart above Ellison is penalties (zero for Hart, 2 for Ellison) and pass rushing (1.4 for Hart, 0.1 for Ellison). I can't entirely disagree with that, and considering these guys are charting the plays and I'm not....I'm going to believe them.

Still, it was the right move to get rid of Hart. Ellison is an improving player and Clinton was a declining one. Also, it has opened up plenty of playing time for Paul Oliver (who is obviously playing well).

So what do you guys think? Interesting stuff, right? Obviously, like all stats, these are not perfect. From what I can tell, these ratings do not factor in the level of competition being faced (which explains why Gregory would be higher than Jammer and Cromartie) nor do they factor in double-teams (which explains why Luis Castillo is down this year and why Shaun Phillips had such a poor rating in 2008). Still, in terms of judging who is making the most impact with their time on the field....it's intriguing.

Stats and rankings taken from ProFootballFocus.com do not include information from the Week 10 match-up against the Philadelphia Eagles.

Matching up with the Chargers

Emmett Smith — Thu, 15 Oct 2009 12:30:15 -0000

More photos » by Chris Schneider - AP

Denver Broncos coach Josh McDaniels salutes the crowd after the Broncos defeated the New England Patriots 20-17 in overtime in an NFL football game Sunday, Oct. 11, 2009, in Denver. (AP Photo/Chris Schneider)

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Living in San Diego now (up north, in Carlsbad), I've had a classic opportunity to follow and spy on the Chargers. Milling around the town, lounging on the beach, watching the newspapers and the tube analysis, as well as breaking down the games, I had a year-long chance to get a little insight into the team. I wanted to share with you some of the things that I've seen over that time. The Bolts are a walking contradiction, just as they are every year, of late. They're starting slow, they have seemed unmotivated and they're been fighting injuries. They are going to be playing for their season, though. It's a great Monday night matchup, and I'm going to enjoy it.

So saying, here's to 5-0, 6-0, and another Monday Night slugfest!

Denver vs. San Diego

This is probably one of the best opportunities that Denver will have this year. They can take this one on the road and put SD in a deep, deep hole - IF they can control the tempo of this game. I've been living in SD for 15 months now, and spying on the Chargers organization the entire time. I have a lot of respect for them. Taking them lightly will get you beaten, but Denver won't do that. In that fact, can lie the road to victory.

Let's take it one area at a time. I'm going to start where every game starts - with the Trench Warfare (dedicated to firstfan):

Denver O-line vs. the Chargers D-line.

This is one battle that I think Denver can win hands down. Again - I'm not suggesting that it will be easy, just that it's very winnable. Ryan Clady is the best in the game. Ryan Harris is healthier, Casey Wiegmann is doing fine and while I'm not excited about Russ Hochstein, I do think that he's up to the job. I also think that Chris Kuper is better than any fans (even Denver fans) give him credit for. Like most fans, I'm worried about Ben Hamilton, but I do think that he's up to this one if he plays. Perhaps he will do better at center, perhaps he's fading a bit. That's why grooming Seth Olsen makes so much sense.

On the Bolts' side of the ball, it's a different story. Jamal Williams is injured; he's also pushing 35, is gone for the year, and (in my mind) probably won't be back next season. He's most likely done, and SD didn't find anyone to get prepared and polished for this moment. Bad planning, A.J. Smith (Chargers GM). Igor Olshansky was uneven in his play and a problem in the locker room last year, so they don't miss him. However, Ryon Bingham was supposed to replace him and he's on injured reserve. Jacques Cesaire, backing up Bingham, has some injury problems of his own. A local rookie made good in Ogemdi Nwagbuo is trying to handle NT.

Luis Castillo has been uneven but can't be overlooked. Monster Vaughn Martin from Canada isn't ready for the NFL game, but he's probably the Chargers' future at NT, at least as the roster is currently set. The Chargers found a warm body in Alfonso Boone, formerly of the Chiefs. If a Chiefs castoff is your option at DL, you're in seriously deep kimchi (Note - Seoul Food, on 6th Avenue, is/was a very fine restaurant for those who like Korean cuisine). Travis Johnson, a recent Chargers acquisition from the Houston Texans, has had issues with motivation and injury; but he will now be back for Monday's game, as will all players except Center Nick Hardwick. The current plan is for Johnson to take some of the reps at NT which he played for 14 games in 2008 for Houston, although that was in a 4-3 line.

Backing up the front line on the Chargers side are the linebackers. Shawne Merriman is still trying to recover from his knee surgery. He won't be fully back until next season (and he may be working for another team by then), but he will be on the field. The rest of the Chargers LBs are good, but not stars; they brought in Kevin Burnett from Dallas, and he's played well. 1st-round draft pick Larry English will be a very good-to-great one, but not this year. Shaun Phillips, Antwan Applewhite, Stephen Cooper, Tim Dobbins, and Brandon Siler fill out the squad. Jyles Tucker spent some time injured last year, but he showed enough for the Chargers to know that he has serious potential. Even so, they aren't a bad squad, but they seem disorganized and unmotivated. The Broncos have a chance here to paste one on them.

Denver's offensive playmakers vs. Chargers secondary:

The first fact that Denver has to face is that one of the trade-offs to Kyle Orton's incredible home record is that he hasn't been as effective on the road prior to this season. That may not be a concern, since everything this year is different, but it's something to watch for. Orton's numbers are good and becoming much more so.

In fact, Orton has a better QB rating right now than Philip Rivers. He's got a much better TD/INT ratio (Orton - 7/1, Rivers - 6/3 in 1 fewer game). Orton also has an INT percentage of 0.6%; Rivers is 12th in the league at 2.0% - not bad, but not as good. Overall, Rivers is a top-5 QB -- in theory. But right now, his playmakers aren't producing like Orton's and that's affecting his numbers.

The Denver running game is better than the Chargers' front 7. Knowshon Moreno is coming into his own, and he's going to be very good indeed. LaDainian Tomlinson has been out, injured. He should be back, but even so - he's been playing like he's getting older and isn't the same. I love Darren Sproles, but he's not an all-game answer.

The Denver WRs could have a stellar day. The secondary of SD is being coached by Steve Wilks, formerly of Chicago a friend of Ron Rivera's who came over to help Ron out. The Bolts are playing in the secondary like they're being coached by Pee Wee Herman.

I speak periodically with Bolts From The Blue Contributing Editor Brian; he got his start on MHR and he's a well-informed, interesting guy who is open about sharing his knowledge. This is what he had to say about the Chargers' secondary following their loss to the Steelers...

I think it's also time to pull Cromartie for Cason; he is just a train wreck out there. And why Rivera stuck with deep zones when they were eating us alive underneath, I have no clue. I still have a lot of belief in the linebackers, but time will tell. We have almost no sacks; from AJ's perspective he is losing a ton of talent this year and these guys look to be mailing it in sometimes. I guess that is the heart of it; they perform exceptionally in spots and weakly in others, it is strange considering how many could be making a play for a starting job.

I don't have a lot to add. He's pretty much nailed it. Eric Weddle was laid out by the Steelers, Clinton Hart was doing so-so but the Chargers released him Wednesday in a surprise move in order to add DT Ian Scott. Antonio Cromartie looks terrible. Steve Gregory is playing alright, but this isn't a group that inspires confidence. At this point, they claim that they're still not sure who will start in Hart's place, but 6th round pick Kevin Ellison is one option. When you consider that they aren't stopping the run effectively and that the line isn't bringing pressure to stop the pass, this could be a long day for the Chargers defense.

Chargers offense against the Denver defense:

Philip Rivers is always dangerous; in fact, he's the only reason that SD is in the race at all. The Chargers O-line has been porous and despite his relative mobility, Rivers has been sacked 10 times in 4 games. His QB rating is down to 90.2 after a year's rating of 105.5 last year. It's mostly because of the O-line, and I'll get to that in a moment.

But there is a strength that I haven't discussed for the Chargers. Before the season I was talking to Brian, of Bolts from the Blue; he noted that Rivers had a lot of skills and strengths, but that he just hadn't mastered the long ball yet. His deep passes were a weakness that other teams could exploit. That's not at all so anymore. Rivers has completed 16 passes of 20 yards or longer, with 4 surpassing 40 yards; both place him among the NFL's leaders despite having been on bye last week.

Look for Rivers to throw mostly out of the shotgun. After going from the shotgun on 16 of his 39 drops (41%) at Oakland Week 1, Rivers was in the shotgun 29 times in 47 drops (62%) against the Ravens and 27 times in 35 drops (77%) against the Dolphins. Rivers needs the extra time since his line has been so weak. The Broncos secondary has been strong thus far; this could be their toughest challenge yet.

Trench Warfare:

LT Marcus McNeill had two surgeries during the offseason. LG Kris Dielman went to his second Pro Bowl last season - he's very good. They did lose C Nick Hardwick until at least November, and he's been replaced by Scott Mruczkowski. They cut Mike Goff at right guard (who then went on to infect Kansas City) and replaced him by drafting Louis Vasquez, who has fought injuries as a rookie but should play Monday. Jerome Clary is uneven at right tackle, and Elvis Dumervil may snack on him as the game wears on. In fact, I do not believe that the Chargers can stand up to our DL over the course of a full game. That is probably our ace in the hole. Like All QBs, Rivers can get frustrated if he's harassed.

Expect the Chargers to feature their TEs and use more max protection Monday. Antonio Gates is still strong and effective, and the Chargers have two young talents in Brandon Manumaleuna and Kris Wilson who are perfect for their roles. Both are good blockers, can run routes, go in motion, and confound opposing defensive coordinators. I see the tight ends as one of the Chargers' biggest strengths.

On the other side of the ball is a Denver group that doesn't have a single well-known household name, but they play like unbridled fury. Ronald Fields and Marcus Thomas are splitting time at NT, and both look good. The starting ends have been surprising players - Ryan McBean (formerly of the Steelers practice squad) and Kenny Peterson, and they are rotated with Vonnie Holliday. Le Kevin Smith isn't back from his knee injury fully, but he is a solid backup. The front seven is rounded out with a big group of linebackers. Elvis 'Doom' Dumervil and Mario Haggan are backed by Darrell Reid and Robert Ayers. At ILB, D.J. Williams and Andra Davis are leading the team in tackles. This isn't an even contest - the Broncos have the advantage across the board. I expect them to notch a few sacks on Rivers. If they can harass him into mistakes, this could turn ugly for the Bolts.

Rushing to Victory

I believe that the Chargers are in trouble here. Tomlinson has already been injured. He's dangerous if he's healthy this Monday, as is predicted, but he's not the player he once was. Like the team overall, I don't recommend underestimating LDT, but he can be stopped, especially behind that line. The Chargers have a potent weapon in Darren Sproles on kickoffs and in relief of LDT. Michael Bennett is also an option. They Chargers surprised me by cutting Gartrell Johnson, who only had one good game in preseason but was a 4th round pick: I believe that admits indicates sloppy drafting.They can hurt Denver here, but the O-line has to step up for that to happen.

On the other hand, Knowshon Moreno is coming into his own and is running behind a very good Denver O-line, which is bad news for the rest of the league. My only concerns with Knowshon were that he might be a little light for the league - he's put in the time in the weight room to counteract that and will continue to get tougher, and that I honestly didn't know if he was the kind of player that Bobby Turner wanted. I wasn't convinced that he wasn't, just interested to see what Denver thought. Could he pick up and play within the system? The answer to both questions is a resounding "Yes". Correll Buckhalter may be back, which would make the game easier. I'm disappointed in Peyton Hillis so far, and LaMont Jordan is a good back for running out the clock and a very good receiver, but his minutes will be limited. The Broncos are near the top of the league in rushing with 139 yards per game and have a nice average of 4.6 YPA. They will be hard to stop and the Chargers haven't been great at stopping the run.

Slow Starts:

What is it with the slow starts in San Diego? Ever since Norv Turner came to town, the trend has been to stink up the beginning of the year and to firm up later. With the Broncos coming into the game undefeated, that just won't cut it in the AFC West. The Bolts need to wake up NOW if they are to have any chance at all in the division, much less in the playoffs.

I did a little checking, and it seems that historically the Chargers have had recurring issues in this regard. In fact, they are the only team since 1970 to make the playoffs after a 0-4 start, having managed that in 1992 (Final regular season record, 11-5 that year). At 2-2, they aren't in that kind of trouble, but unless they pull themselves together, they soon will be.

That's the big potential trap here - the Chargers have had two weeks to game-plan, which puts them almost even with an 8-day Josh McDaniels plan. They are at home, they are coming off a bye week, and they are fighting for the season. A loss at this point could end their Super Bowl aspirations for the year. They may be a very tough team on Monday night; but they are still, without question, vulnerable. Unless they can really put a lot of points on the board early, the Denver defense will probably shut them down in the second half.

A last point on SD:

I've been hearing from some intelligent Chargers fans that there "wasn't anyone out there who could have an impact at NT (and a few other positions)". I've had to bite my tongue before casually asking if they'd looked at Ron Fields lately. The fact is, there were good players at many of the positions that SD now needs sitting out there this past offseason. You can get a good look at most of them on the Broncos roster next Monday night. Blame this one firmly on A.J. Smith, who was too smart for his own good this time.

With all of these factors in mind, this has the makings of another great game. SD will be highly motivated - they're at home, the numbers favor them becuase they're coming off a bye at home and they know that their season may well rest on this game. That and their offense (other than the line) are concerns.

The Broncos, on the other hand, will be prepared.They will be well aware of the dangers. They will be recipients of the McDaniels/Nolan game plans. We have the same offense that has scored when ever it had to and which is looking to break the habit of starting slowly. They can - they know each other better each week. SD isn't, frankly, as good as New England. Could we drop emotionally. Honestly, not on Monday Night Football. I see that as a small benefit - our guys are given a chance to prove, on national and international TV, who they are.

They will. Broncos over the Bolts, 27-24. Rivers has a good night, Doom gets a couple of sacks and Orton continues to do his job and do it well. How's that for playing it safe?

Go Broncos!

If I Were the San Diego Chargers' GM: Q1 Review

John (obviousman) — Wed, 07 Oct 2009 17:08:32 -0000

More photos » by Jack Smith - AP

Being the Chargers GM must be awesome. (AP Photo/Jack Smith)

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My greatest love, as it pertains to football, is personnel. Even during an entertaining, late season game my brain can't help from scouting the players on my screen and thinking about improvements that need to be made to the roster. Even in the very early stages of an unpredictable season, I love nothing more than to throw my GM hat on and pretend I'm A.J. Smith.

I have two dream jobs. Well, three I guess. Number one would be playing Quarterback in the NFL. However, I'm about 4 inches shorter than Drew Brees and 9 inches shorter than Philip Rivers, so that might be hard. I will admit that I've always been an accurate passer in my backyard and even won my wife a stuffed duck on one of those boardwalk games where you have to hit the target inside of the swinging tire. Still, that one ain't happening.

My second dream job would be as GM in the NFL. This is the reason I look through stats endlessly and the reason I've read Ernie Accorsi's book twice already. If I could one day be the GM of any NFL team, I think I'd skip everywhere instead of walking. Also, I'd do it for free.

My third dream job I'm practically doing. It would be to write about the San Diego Chargers. To share my passion and contribute words to the world that are appreciated, even if it's by a small group of people.

So while writing about it, I'm going to be doing quarterly looks ahead to see the potential holes in the roster in 2010 and to tel you what I would do if I were Mr. Smith. My first attempt at this is after the jump.

Free Agents

Team FAs

Since I don't want to write this post two different ways every time I do it, let's go off the assumption that there will be a new CBA in place by time free agency rolls around. Here's who the Chargers are at risk of losing:

Who to Keep

Vincent Jackson
Brandon Manumaleuna
Marcus McNeill
Tim Dobbins

Look, the WR situation is not as bad as it might seem. Where will we find the money to pay VJ? Simple. We'll give him Chambers' money. Chris is one of the top 20 WRs in the league in terms of base salary. Moving that money over to Jackson, plus VJ's current salary and a little extra, should be enough to keep this dynamic WR in San Diego for another 5 years as least. That's a move that I would do as GM.

Manumaleuna can be kept because he'd probably be cheap. He's an effective blocking TE who can fill in at OT or FB in a pinch. Unless somebody else falls in love with Dobbins, I'd keep him around for run support, depth and his special teams prowess. McNeill is kept because he's an adequate LT that has tremendous potential. It's really hard to find a good LT these days and even harder to try to play without one.

Merriman can go because his price tag is too high. The team cannot afford to be paying starter's money to 3 OLBs. Also, the Chargers could do worse than having Antwan Applewhite and Jyles Tucker as the backups. I'd like to keep Osgood, but don't see him staying. Somebody that likes tall receivers (Bengals?) will give him a chance to catch balls and he'll be gone. Chambers, Sproles and Whitehurst will all cost much more than they're worth on the free agent market.

It would probably cause too many issues to slap the franchise tag onto Merriman. He wouldn't want to play on the one-year deal, he'll feel he's getting underpaid, etc. etc. I'd personally go without a franchised player in 2010.

Roster Holes

The 2009 offseason was the first in a few years where there was legitimate holes on the roster. As of right now, I don't know that the team did a very good job of filling all of those holes. In 2010, those same weaknesses exist along with new ones.

Running Back - The bad news is that LT can't take the beating of a starting RB in the NFL anymore. The good news is that his restructured contract makes him cheap enough that he could be the second option in the ground game without killing the cap.

Trying to buy a running back as a free agent is absurd, unless you find a diamond in the rough (like Priest Holmes). It's even harder when there's only a couple of decent free agents RBs. After this season, the only RBs that might become free agents (they could still sign a contract with their current team) that have any starting experience are LenDale White, Pierre Thomas, Chester Taylor, Willie Parker and Le'Ron McClain. Jerious Norwood is an intriguing name, although he hasn't started much at all since being drafted. I don't think any of these guys are worth the money that they're going to get, so I point my eyes towards the draft.

I think it is absolutely, 100% necessary to use the Chargers 2010 first round draft pick on a running back that can start immediately. Unfortunately, this draft class currently looks thin at RB. Perhaps it's just too early. Even so, I have my eye on Clemson's C.J. Spiller and from the looks of it he might want the chance to apprentice under Tomlinson.

Strong Safety - From what I've seen, Kevin Ellison is not the answer at Strong Safety. He's the Brandon Siler of that position. He's a strong, big hitter than is good against the run but will get burned if he has to cover anybody downfield. I don't think Clinton Hart or Steve Gregory are good enough that I feel secure in having either of them as my starting SS in 2010.

I'm very intrigued with C.J. Spillman as an option here. He was very fast and hit really hard during the preseason. He reminded me of Melvin Bullitt, who I am a big fan of. I'm hopeful that the only reason he's listed as a FS and saw time their in the preseason is because the team liked what they saw from both him and Ellison and did not want them competing for the third SS job. If I was A.J. Smith, I have a meeting with Norv Turner and Ron Rivera and ask them point blank of Spillman is a viable option to start at SS before I make any other moves.

Let's assume they say no. "There's nobody on the roster we're excited about starting at SS." Well, let's see what else is out there. The aforementioned Melvin Bullitt (RFA) is part of a strong class of free agent Strong Safeties that also includes Atari Bigby, Abram Elam, Dawan Landry and Brodney Pool. These guys may cost more than trying to find a decent SS through the draft, but with more important needs to fill with rookies I think the Free Agent route would be the one to take. Any of those 5 guys mentioned, with the possible exception of Brodney Pool, would be a great improvement over Hart and Gregory.

Defensive Tackle - I originally thought this position was a HUGE need, but it may not be by the end of this season. If Ogemdi Nwagbuo and Vaughn Martin both show improvement during the season, to the point where they could both be competent starters on the defensive line, then the Chargers have incredible depth in 2010. That would leave them with 5 legitimate starters (Nwagbuo, Martin, Luis Castillo, Jamal Williams, Jacques Cesaire) and no need for anyone beyond that besides maybe Ryon Bingham.

If neither of them pan-out, the Chargers will continue to look for a young replacement for Jamal Williams. There are plenty of good DTs in the 2009 draft class, including 365 lb. Terrence Cody, so that would be the way to go there. As for right now, Shaun Rogers would be someone that I would inquire about but it would cause problems for the future of the defensive line. Rogers is signed for 5 seasons after 2009, and considering the Chargers would have to give up at least a first round draft pick to get him they would not be eager to dump him once Jamal Williams came back or one of the young kids started to show promise. That means they would have to give up on J-Will, OG and/or Martin and I don't think they're ready to do any of that. If I'm A.J. Smith, I'd like to stand pat and see how the young kids play for the rest of the season. However, the idea of Rogers pushing the line around with Nwagbuo subbing in and Martin playing backup DE seems like one I'd have to jump on if the price was right.

Center - This one kindof kills me. After talking with him at training camp, I can say that Nick Hardwick is one of the nicest people I've ever met. Not one of the nicest Chargers or nicest football players, nicest people. I also think he's a fantastic Center when he's able to stay healthy. I just think the Chargers need a better backup plan for when he gets injured.

Tyronne Green brought some hope. He was a very good OG at Auburn, and they hoped to turn him into the backup Center. Considering he's the 3rd Center and probably the 5th Guard, it's safe to say this pick has yet to pan out. If he shows something before next season, great. He can be a solid Center and nobody else is needed. If he shows nothing, he needs to be cut and a legitimate Center needs to be drafted. It's damn near impossible to find a decent Center as a free agent because of how valuable they are to each team's offensive line.

Summary

It's obviously not a full plan, but there's direction there. Sign Vincent Jackson to the contract he's worth. Scout every college RB in the country. Aggressively pursue the free agent Strong Safeties. Make a decision to trade for a NT or put your confidence in Nwagbuo and Martin for the future. Find a real Center to backup Hardwick. The rest will fall into place as the season goes along, and I hope some of these weaknesses turn into strengths. Right now, that's what I would focus on if I were the General Manager of the San Diego Chargers.

What's Right with the San Diego Chargers?

John (obviousman) — Tue, 06 Oct 2009 12:41:21 -0000

More photos » by Keith Srakocic - AP

2 months ago: Pittsburgh Steelers wide receiver Hines Ward, left, can't come up with the ball as San Diego Chargers safety Eric Weddle defends in the second half of the NFL football game in Pittsburgh, Sunday, Oct. 4, 2009. The Steelers won 38-28. (AP Photo/Keith Srakocic)

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Time to get positive people. We can't sit around for the next two weeks talking about firing Norv Turner and A.J. Smith. It's not going to happen mid-season and without a horrible season it's not going to happen period.

Thanks to some people responding calmly to yesterday's post, I have some good ideas as far as what San Diego Chargers fans have to be happy about and should be looking forward to in the future. So wipe that frown off your face, get ready to support your team again and check out the entire list after the jump.

		Passing									Rushing					Sacks
	G	Rating	Comp	Att	Pct	Yds	Y/G	Y/A	TD	INT	Rush	Yds	Y/G	Avg	TD	Sack	YdsL
2009 - Philip Rivers	4	90.6	88	150	58.7	1245	311.3	8.3	6	3	7	15	3.8	2.1	1	10	63

Philip Rivers - 2nd in the league in passing yards, 5th in pass attempts per game and 12th in QB rating. Is it a performance as good as 2008's? Not yet. However, Philip is facing possibly the most difficult situations of any starting QB in the league on a weekly basis.

The second time he got on the field on Sunday, the team was down by 14 points and had already shown that they were not going to be able to stop the Steelers offense. If Norv said to Philip "You have to throw every down and we need to score a touchdown on every possession", it would've been the truth. And although I've encouraged the Chargers to be a pass-first offense, I'm smart enough to know that the team needs a semblance of a running attack and a defense that can at least slow down the opposing offense.

Those things considered, Philip Rivers has been on fire. He's gotten a third of his passing yards and half of his passing TDs in the fourth quarter. He lead the Chargers to wins in Oakland and against Miami with a tattered offensive line that didn't help the weak running attack. If the rest of the team can improve, and take pressure of Rivers to win every game, Philip will benefit from this time and grow into an even greater QB than he already was. If they can't, he'll still fight to get this team to the playoffs.

		Rushing	Receiving
2009 - LaDainian Tomlinson	2	20	70	35	3.5	13	1	2	0	0	0	1	0

Rushing Receiving

G Rush Yds Y/G Avg Lng TD Rec Yds Y/G Avg Lng TD

2009 - LaDainian Tomlinson 2 20 70 35 3.5 13 1 2 0 0 0 1 0

LaDainian Tomlinson - I know, I know. This list is looking awfully familiar. The fact of the matter is, when LT has gotten the ball he has looked better than he did in 2008. His 3.5 YPC is a testament to that. An improvement in the defense, so the offense doesn't have to play catch-up, would get LT more carries and hopefully more 2009 success.

When you're looking for silver linings, having LT look like a solid RB again is one you can certainly focus on. He had his injury, he took time off, and now he has at least 12 more games ahead of him where he could become a star again.

Health - Not only do the Chargers have a bye next week, but the following week is a Monday night game in San Diego. That is two full weeks (14 days) without a football game and without having to travel. In NFL terms, that's ages. Players that have been struggling with minor injuries, such as Antwan Applewhite, Travis Johnson, Shawne Merriman, Louis Vasquez and LaDainian Tomlinson, should be able to get to 100% or very close to it by time the Monday night game rolls around. That should help, even incrementally, with stopping the run on defense and getting the running game going on offense.

Schedule - The Chargers opponents over the first 4 weeks of the season are currently 7-9. Their upcoming opponents are 22-25 through Week 4. With four games against teams that are currently 0-4, there should be a handful of easy victories for the Bolts during the season that could get momentum on their side.

San Diego faces each of their division opponents (5-7 combined) in the three weeks following next week's bye. As bad I felt about the Chargers following Sunday's game, a 5-2 record heading into the New York Giants game would certainly make me feel better about the Bolts' chances at winning the division and being successful in the playoffs. Even if the Chargers lose in New York, then lose to the Philadelphia Eagles the following week in San Diego, that would put them at 5-4 to face the weak remainder of their schedule (@DEN, KC, @CLE, @DAL, CIN, @TEN, WSH). That sounds like at least 10-6 to me.

There are differences between the Denver Broncos and Chargers, but perhaps the biggest difference is that the Broncos have faced the weak part of their schedule already (first 4 opponents: 6-10 combined record). Where the Chargers' remaining schedule is under .500, the Broncos' remaining schedule is currently 25-22 and includes games against the Patriots, Ravens, Steelers, Giants and Colts. The Chargers have only one game left against a team that currently has 3 or more wins and is not the Bengals or Broncos (it's the Giants). The Broncos have four.

There will be plenty of opportunities for the Bolts to beat up on lesser opponents and gain momentum, and there should be a legitimate chance to catch and pass the Broncos for the AFC West Championship.

Defense - Some of my favorite times watching the Chargers have been watching players grow and get better. Luis Castillo, Shawne Merriman, even Stephen Cooper had talent to begin with but seemed to get better with each game. I know a lot of Bolts fans who feel the same way, but with the current team is seems we've lost some of that love. A young, developing player that could be great if he was able to start for a full season and gain some experience is looked at as somebody who is taking the spot of a veteran free agent who could be "the final piece of the puzzle".

I'm going back to watching the young defensive guys get better. The Chargers second-half schedule is easy, and if these guys are getting better now the team will be set up to gain a ton of momentum heading into the playoffs. Here are the guys that I'm enjoying watching, as they sometimes stumble but always get back up and continue to grow:

Ogemdi Nwagbuo - Future star? Maybe, maybe not. One thing is for sure, the kid has been better than expected. He's the reason Ian Scott was cut and eventually he could be the reason Luis Castillo goes back to being single-teamed. It's ridiculous to try to compare him to Jamal Williams at this point, but if he can continue to grow and then provide 3/4 of J-Will's production for the final quarter of the season that would make the Bolts defense much more solid heading into January. What I like from him is that he's hungry. Now he just needs to stay healthy.
Vaughn Martin - Kindof the same deal. Martin has seen more time than he expected to due to the injuries to Ryon Bingham, Williams, Jacques Cesaire and Travis Johnson. While he hasn't been a dominating force, he has looked like he fits in. Just like Nwagbuo, the coaching staff raves about Martin's work ethic and desire to get better quickly. These are the types of guys that, given playing time, it "clicks" for them in the second half of the season and they start playing like stars.
Antoine Cason - As Antonio Cromartie has seemingly regressed, Cason has gotten better. There is now talk out of Chargers camp, not just from the fans, that the team is considering moving him up to starting CB and Cromartie back to the nickelback spot. I hope it happens, because every time I see Cason he seems to be getting better (the missed assignment in Baltimore excluded). I also think it'd be fun to send Cromartie on a blitz from the nickel spot, with his great speed, long arms and soft hands.
Larry English - As I said yesterday, I'm currently disappointed in this pick. Everyone was initially excited because the kid has potential, but we shouldn't have forgotten that there's still a big hole behind LT. Debating the pick gets us nowhere though. English has been getting better, little by little. He looked like a star against the Dolphins, but doesn't seem to be very effective when the Chargers put him as a DE as they did most of the night in Pittsburgh. The more effective he can get rushing the passer from the OLB spot, the more the defense will be able to play that way.
Eric Weddle - I know, it's his second year as the starter and his third with the team. He's still only 24 and could potentially be in the Chargers secondary for another decade. I've said it before, my philosophy is that I'm happy as long as I see progress being made. Not only is Weddle now a very good FS, but I see constant progress out of him. Whether it's in trying to lay a big hit, his coverage (superb) or even blitzing the QB occasionally. You can tell by watching him every week that Weddle works at his craft and will be better at the end of the season than he is right now.
Shawne Merriman - This one isn't progress in terms of talent, it's in terms of health. I get excited when Merriman is on the field because I see him getting better. I see him getting more pressure on the QB. I see the offense taking notice when he's on the field again. I don't think he'll be in "game shape" until the second half of the season. Which isn't to say he's out of shape, but I think a lot of time spent in the weight room and not a lot spent on the field has made him stronger but less flexible. Flexibility is key for a pass-rusher. Also, his knee is still not 100% and now his groin is bothering him. The bye week came at just the right time for him though. I'm expecting at least 5 sacks in the last 8 games of the season from him, and if English progresses as well it could equal an actual Chargers pass-rush for the playoffs. Wouldn't that be nice?

So there you have it, kids. Will the Chargers run over the entire league and be the clear-cut favorite to win the Super Bowl all season? Nope, but in a way we get the best of both worlds. A good team that should be able to make the playoffs if they at least maintain their current level of play (which is way beneath their potential), and a bunch of young guys that should make the team get better as the season goes along. Sounds fun to me.

Bolts & Dolts: Miami Dolphins at San Diego Chargers

John (obviousman) — Mon, 28 Sep 2009 13:38:22 -0000

More photos » by Denis Poroy - AP

2 months ago: San Diego Chargers wide receiver Vincent Jackson, front, hauls in a pass over Miami Dolphins safety Yeremiah Bell, right, and cornerback Will Allen, left, in the second half of an NFL football game Sunday, Sept. 27, 2009, in San Diego. (AP Photo/Denis Poroy)

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So my father, who sounded as sick as I was last week, called me up towards the end of Miami Dolphins' first drive to let me know that the sky was falling. Again an opposing team was showing how easy it was to run on the San Diego Chargers' defense. Again it looked as though the Chargers were not getting much of a pass-rush.

I said the same thing to him that I roughly outlined in my game preview, that once the Chargers started to score the Dolphins would be forced to abandon the run and the game would be easily won. I didn't know that the Chargers wouldn't score a touchdown until late in the third quarter, but I believed that eventually Miami would not be able to keep up with the Bolts' offense.

The Chargers deserved to win yesterday's game. In making up my Bolts & Dolts list, I found plenty of Bolts and not a lot of Dolts. I think the team played about as well as it could have considering their current health situation. However, even if Pittsburgh is without Troy Polamalu next week, there are a few players and coaching strategies that need to be improved if the Chargers want to beat a stronger opponent.

More details on all of the above after the jump.

Bolts

Offense

Philip Rivers - 18/33, 303 passing yards, 5 rushing yards, 1 rushing TD. The rushing touchdown I saw live. Right before the play happened I said out loud "The defense is not respecting the run at all. Philip should just run it in." Next week, when the Chargers are inside the Steelers 10 yard line, the defense will at least have to keep somebody in the area to watch for a run by either a RB or Rivers. It will clear a little bit of space in the coverage. It will help things. That was not just a momentary success and six points, that was a big play that should help future red zone conversions.

By the way, does anybody throw a better deep ball than Philip? His passes to Malcom Floyd and Vincent Jackson were right on the money every time but one (he overthrew VJ because of pressure). What was once considered a weakness is now one of Rivers' greatest strengths. If the offensive line can keep him from getting killed the rest of the season, he'll be in the MVP running.

Vincent Jackson - 5 catches, 120 yards. This game made me flip-flop on VJ. Did I think he was great? Absolutely, but I thought of the potential 2010 free agents for the Chargers he was one of the expendable ones. No way. Not a chance. The entire offense, which used to revolve around Antonio Gates and LaDainian Tomlinson, now revolves around Vincent Jackson. Unless he's being double-covered and going up against at least one All-Pro Cornerback, you can pencil him in for a dominating game. The Dolphins shied away from putting the rookie Sean Smith on him, so instead he made Will Allen look foolish and slow all game. I think VJ has progressed to the point where he's every bit as good as Larry Fitzgerald, Andre Johnson, Greg Jennings and other top WRs around the league. His football smarts have caught up with his freakish physical tools and he cannot be stopped.

Antonio Gates - 5 catches, 64 yards. Do those numbers blow me away? Not at all. Was it a dominating performance like VJ's was? Nope. However, the one thing that bothered me about Antonio's 2008 season was that Rivers lost his favorite third down target. Well, that has not been the case this season. Third and long, third and short, whatever the yardage is the ball is probably going to Gates and he's probably going to get the first down. Even when he caught the ball a yard and a half shy of the first down marker, he somehow knew where the first down was and dragged three Dolphins players the two yards to get it. That's what he's best at and that's what the Chargers need from him.

Malcom Floyd - 2 catches, 65 yards. After seeing both Floyd catches from last night, my wife turned to me and said "Why don't they throw to him more? He's great!" This will be a theme revisited later, by the way. My answer to her was that Malcom has a difficult time staying healthy. Just as I said that, the cameras show Floyd being checked on by the trainers on the sidelines. Oh boy. Malcom has the talent to be every bit as dangerous as Jackson, he just has to stay healthy. Although no injuries were reported after the game, I'll be keeping an eye on the practice participation reports this week for his name. I think he is somebody who was sorely missed in the playoff game last season and I would much rather go into Pittsburgh with lots of mismatches outside the numbers.

Legedu Naanee - 4 catches, 40 yards. He certainly learned from his mistake. Every time he got his sticky hands on the ball he would take off upfield. No more dancing around and possibly losing the game for him. I liked the screen passes to him too, as I think he may be the quickest receiver on the team and he has top-end speed if he finds some space as well. This was another one of those games that the coaches will look at and will say to themselves "Let's continue to get him the ball more often" because it's always a positive play.

Jeromey Clary - For all of the crap Clary took as the weak-link of the offensive line last season and into the offseason, the man deserves an apology. He has been the Chargers best offensive lineman so far this season and seems to win the battle against whatever pass-rusher he's facing about 90% of the time. His technique is vastly improved over 2008 (when I thought he was serviceable) and he holds his blocks longer than anyone else on the line. If you watch the pressure on Rivers these last few weeks, it almost always comes from up the middle or from whomever Marcus McNeill was trying to block. Outside of one missed assignment that turned into a sack on Rivers against the Raiders, I cannot remember Clary making a mistake or causing a sack.

Defense

Kevin Burnett - 13 tackles, 1 sack, 2 QB hits. Kevin returned to being the monster we all saw in the preseason. A theory I had, and had mentioned once or twice, was that once the season started the defensive playbook was vastly expanded and Burnett was forced to play catch-up again. His monster game against Miami, where he seemingly made every tackle, lends credence to that theory. According to the box score, Burnett was the only Chargers player to touch a Dolphins QB behind the line of scrimmage. He led the team with 13 tackles, and the next closest guy was Stephen Cooper with 8. He also played a fair amount of man coverage on Anthony Fasano, Ronnie Brown and Ricky Williams, as where as zone coverage where he was quick to make the tackle. Kevin Burnett could not have had a better game.

Larry English - 2 tackles, 1 pass defended. I have one gripe about Larry English and it's that he goes outside on his pass-rush too much. I guess it's fine, because he's usually fast enough to get around the blocker, but with no pressure from the defensive line the QB can get away from him by simply stepping up in the pocket. I know the kid is young and inexperienced, but by time the playoffs roll around I'd like to see him trying the occasional spin move, swim move or bull-rush so that the offensive tackle doesn't know what to expect every play.

As for this game, Larry made three big plays that stand out to me. One was the play in which Chad Pennington left the game with a shoulder injury. The announcers missed it, but it looked to me that Chad hurt his shoulder because English grabbed Chad's arm while he was throwing. Even if that didn't happen, Chad had to get rid of the ball quickly because Larry got there to force pressure very quickly. The second play was Larry's defended pass, which was brilliant (he saw the screen and stopped to swat it down instead of trying for the sack) and saved a huge play (the RB had blockers and nobody in front of him). The third play was a non-play. A dead ball that the referees didn't whistle dead until after Chad Henne started making his reads in the pocket. Larry got there, grabbed Henne and then stopped himself from completing the sack. If he made the rookie mistake of throwing Henne to the ground, it would've been a 15 yard penalty and an automatic first down for the Dolphins.

Luis Castillo - 4 tackles (2 tackles for loss). With Jamal Williams out of the lineup, Luis is seeing a lot more double-teams than he's used to. Still, he may be playing the best football of his life to start the 2009 season. He wins every one-on-one matchup, is playing the run like he's a Nose Tackle and is generally using his speed and agility to get where he wants to be and screw up the play for the opposition. During obvious passing downs (like 3rd & long), I would sometimes see the Dolphins block him with two guys and have a RB standing by watching him in case he got by the offensive linemen. They knew that if the Chargers were not coming with the blitz, Castillo was the main guy to worry about. It's great to have such a dynamic player on the line still, and things will get better for the defensive line as Ogemdi Nwagbuo continues to improve and Jacques Cesaire gets healthier and in game shape.

Defensive Secondary - 9 passes caught by WRs for 67 yards. The strength of the Chargers is in the passing game on both sides of the ball. The Bolts' WRs are fantastic and the CBs are just as good. Antonio Cromartie may not have an interception this season, but that's because defenses are starting to throw away from him the same way they did with Quentin Jammer. Analysis time! Let's look at how often opposing QBs have been avoiding throwing to their WRs and how successful they've been when they've tried to:

In 3 games, Chargers opponents have targeted.....

Wide Receivers 38 times. They have completed 21 of the passes to WRs (55%). 25 of the passes to wide receivers have been thrown at a player defended by Cromartie or Jammer. They have completed 10 of those passes (40%).
Running Backs 27 times. They have completed 21 of the passes to RBs (77%).
Tight Ends 12 times. They have completed 8 of the passes to RBs (66%).

Do you see now why opposing offenses might try throwing to the RBs, TEs or slot receivers more when they play against the Chargers? After 3 weeks of games, statistics say that you only have a 40% chance of completing a pass to one of your top 2 receivers against San Diego. If you don't count the Louis Murphy 4th quarter TD, where Cromartie and Clinton Hart were standing around pointing at each other, Antonio and Quentin have yet to give up a receiving touchdown this season.

Dolts

Offense

Darren Sproles - 18 carries, 41 rush yards, 2 catches, 14 rec yards, 6 kick/punt returns, 76 returns yards. I know some people won't be happy about this. "It's not his fault, it's the offensive line's fault." I get that, and I agree with you. However, I cannot go another week pretending that Darren Sproles is a suitable #1 running back. I gave him the benefit of the doubt going into Baltimore because his only other time starting was against Pittsburgh in the playoffs. Darren's abysmal 2.4 Yards Per Carry is starting to wear on me though. While I appreciate the weapon he is and wouldn't want to see anybody else returning kicks for the Chargers, I'm left wondering where the initial "Michael Bennett Plan" went. You remember it. It was when the coaching staff told us that if anything happened to LT, Bennett would take over as the starter and Sproles' role would remain unchanged. It hasn't exactly played out that way.

By comparison, and it's a legitimate one because they're running behind the same mangled offensive line, Michael Bennett is averaging 3.1 Yards Per Carry. Does that make him an All-Pro? Heck no, but it makes him an improvement over Sproles. I wouldn't want the offense calling run plays every time Bennett comes on the field, because then it becomes obvious, but I would like to see him used more when the offense is trying to run time off the clock or get short-yardage. There's really no downside to it. Bennett has proven to have soft hands, went nuts with screen passes in the preseason and is a bigger, stronger runner with great speed. Why not keep Sproles fresh and useful?

It'll never happen but if I was Norv....Darren would get taken off of punt returns. I'm sorry, but when the ball is bouncing 10 feet in the air and there are 5 defenders within a foot of it...LEAVE IT ALONE. Who care if it's going to bounce back to the 10 yard line. Don't jump on it at the 15 and risk fumbling it with no teammates in sight to bail you out. Also, has nobody ever explained the term "fair catch" to Darren? I think they may want to before he gets killed or loses and game by trying a field a punt on the 7 that he has no business fielding.

I didn't think I'd be saying this, because I love the philosophy of throwing all of the time, but I really cannot wait until LT comes back.

Chris Chambers - 0 catches, thrown to 3 times. I'm left unimpressed by Chris Chambers this season. I don't know if he's just so beaten up that he cannot be effective anymore, but for the amount of money he's getting paid he should be able to contribute something. He's so bad that while I was taking notes during the game I started writing down when he was not on the field, which thankfully was quite often. Just about every time the Chargers spread out with 3 or 4 WRs, and specifically on their drive at the end of the first half, Chambers was sitting on the bench. Even when he had the ball thrown to him, it was the same thing we've seen already against Baltimore and Oakland. Instead of making a play for the ball, Chambers seems to try to get a flag thrown for defensive pass interference. Right now, although he's paid like a top 10 WR in the league, Chambers is the 4th best WR on the Chargers.

Offensive Line - 2 sacks allowed (4 tackles for loss allowed), 2.5 team YPC. I was tempted to do an individual Dolt for everyone except Clary, but decided against it. They all deserve it though.

I can't hate on the -ski brothers too much because they're backups, and Brandyn Dombrowksi is playing backup on a completely different position. However, there are certain plays where they look lost. The Kendall Langford sack happened because he threw Dombrowski to the side like he was nothing. The hit on Rivers that looked like it might knock him out of the game happened because Dombrowski was beaten and Scott Mruczkowski lost his assignment and was left blocking air while a blitzer ran free. I was really hoping Vasquez would be back for this game because I think it'd be a big help, but no such luck. Hopefully he's back for Pittsburgh.

Marcus McNeill does not deserve the big contract he's probably going to get. His feet are slow and his balance isn't great. I'd love to say that Joey Porter bull-rushed past him to get to Rivers on his sack, but in reality he just hit McNeill in a way that made Marcus lose his balance and fall backwards. He is not looking like a Pro Bowl Left Tackle these days, and the fact that Norv Turner told the announcing crew that he's been disappointed in McNeill this season speaks volumes. To put it simply, there's constant pressure being put on Philip Rivers by whoever McNeill is trying to stop.

Kris Dielman......I feel like I should wait before I say anything. He's lost a lot of his consistency. He has a good play followed by a bad play, and visa versa, a lot. He also may have lost a step because his blocks to open holes for the RBs always seem late. I don't know what it is with him, but I don't see what I used to see from him. He's not holding blocks, he's not pushing people around. I'll wait until I really say whether or not he's having a bad season, because he's getting a lot of the brunt of Nick Hardwick not being there. The penalty to forearming the defender's helmet was a sign that Dielman is frustrated though, so at least he knows there's an issue.

Defense

There were no defensive Dolts this week. Everyone played at either a level expected of them or higher.

Bolts & Dolts: Baltimore Ravens at San Diego Chargers

John (obviousman) — Mon, 21 Sep 2009 10:47:47 -0000

More photos » by Denis Poroy - AP

3 months ago: San Diego Chargers quarterback Philip Rivers walks off the field after the Chargers turned the ball over on downs during the fourth quarter of an NFL football game against the Baltimore Ravens on Sunday, Sept. 20, 2009, in San Diego. The Ravens won 31-26. (AP Photo/Denis Poroy)

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Calm down, everybody. If there is such a thing, this was a good loss.

I see a lot of Chargers fans are piling on Norv Turner and saying that the Sproles draw play on 4th & 2 was a horrible play call. You're right and you're wrong. That same play led to an easy game-winning TD last week against the Raiders. Also, as the announcers were quick to point out, the Ravens were so focused on defending the pass that they had been putting 8 guys back in coverage and rushing only 3. The play should've worked. It should've caught the Ravens off guard and been a quick gain of 5 up the middle. However, Ray Lewis sniffed the play out and made the tackle in the backfield. The guy is a future Hall of Famer for a reason, and that was it.

Your complete list of Bolts & Dolts is after the jump.

Bolts

Offense

Norv Turner - 47 passes, 21 rushes. 474 yards of offense. I'm not an all or nothing kind of guy. If I see progress, I'm generally happy. All I ask is that things are moving in the right direction. This was progress. The Chargers spread the Baltimore defense out, setting up the run with the pass. They took advantage of the height mismatch they had with Malcom Floyd, Vincent Jackson and Antonio Gates. They threw screen passes to neutralize the blitz. The Chargers generally moved the ball down the field at will the entire game, until they got into the red zone. Considering how good Baltimore's defense is, and considering the Chargers were playing without three starters, I believe this to be progress.

Philip Rivers - 25/45, 436 yards, 2 TDs, 2 INTs, 4 rushes, 10 rushing yards. Let's not kid ourselves. It wasn't Philip's best game. While the offensive line did a good job of not letting many people through unblocked, the difference in the pressure he faced and the pressure Joe Flacco faced was stunning. Philip ran the ball 4 times just to get away from the rush, was sacked twice and threw the ball away at least a handful of other times to avoid a negative play. With his groin and hand cramping up and bothering him, he still drove the team down the field and nearly to a winning touchdown. He wins these games more often than he loses them, but you cannot expect him to win them all. Even with the lack of performance in the red zone, 26 points against one of the league's best defense is impressive.

Darren Sproles - 10 carries, 26 yards, 7 catches, 124 receiving yards, 1 rec TD, 128 ret yards. Was he dynamic as a runner? Eh, maybe. He had one carry for 13 yards, which means if you took that away he'd have 9 carries for 13 yards. That's not great, but you have to factor in that Baltimore prides itself on having great run defense, having not allowed a 100+ yard rusher since the dawn of time. Was Sproles dynamic as a receiver and a kick returner? Of course he was. 278 total yards in any game is impressive, but Darren makes it look relatively simple. Having a weapon like him on the field is a game-changer, as it forces the defense to put one of their best players on him and opens the field for everybody else. Even if the Chargers had to use him and Michael Bennett full-time, I'd be unconcerned about the offensive production going down.

Vincent Jackson - 6 catches, 141 yards, 1 TD. Every time you though to yourself "There's no way they're not going to be triple-covering VJ right here", he seemed to make a big catch. He used his speed to get past the CBs and his muscle to get the best position on the ball. His hands, which were really my only concern for him coming into this season, were not a problem. He caught 6 of the 7 balls thrown to him. This was a statement game for Jackson, the type that makes everyone in the NFL notice him and say "That's a number one WR."

Antonio Gates - 5 catches, 78 yards. Antonio looks like the 2007 or 2006 version of himself again. His speed and agility is back 100%. On the quick slant against a Safety or LB, he cannot be stopped. When he can get position on a ball that's thrown high, he's coming down with it. He was double-covered every time the Chargers got near the end zone (and Rivers still threw at him once), so he couldn't help much with those issues, but he was a major weapon all day and is back to being the best TE in football.

Nate Kaeding - 4/4 FGs, 2/2 PATs. Nate has looked excellent in both Chargers games this season. Not only would the Bolts not have had a chance at the end of the game without him nailing every one of his FGs, but his kickoffs into the endzone were certainly helpful for the defense.

Defense

Quentin Jammer - 6 tackles, 1 defended pass. Q did his "shutdown corner" thing all game. Derrick Mason ended the game with 3 catches for 31 yards and that's it. Joe Flacco had a hard time finding open receivers most of the day, and part of that is because Mason was blanketed by Jammer on every play.

Antoine Cason - 2 tackles, 1 defended pass, 1 INT. Just barely made it. I may actually be giving him more credit because of the initial mistake that led to an easy Kelly Washington TD. As I stated before, I like progress and I also like players that play better after they make a mistake. Certain guys, with Rivers and Drew Brees included, play better when they're trying to turn a bad game into a good one. Cason's interception was a huge momentum-shifter in the game.

Eric Weddle - 10 tackles, 1 tackle for loss. Just like Jammer, Weddle went mostly unmentioned throughout the game even though he led the team in tackles. He did a fantastic job in coverage, maintaining over-the top coverage for most of the game. Flacco had 2 pass plays for more than 20 yards, one was a screen pass and the other was Cason's busted coverage on Washington. Flacco kept from throwing deep because Weddle was there every time. Eric also was all over the field, making tackles on outside runs on the opposite side of the field from where he started.

Pass Rush - 1 sack, 4 QB hits. I can't have every defensive Bolt be a secondary guy. Although the pass rush only got 1 sack (Luis Castillo), their pressure kept the Ravens from being able to develop their routes deep downfield. Shawne Merriman, in particular, looked better than he did against Oakland and finished the game with 2 hits on Flacco. A heavy dose of exotic blitzing schemes from Ron Rivera was a good sight to see, and against lesser teams they should be more effective.

Dolts

Offense

Chris Chambers - 2 catches, 30 yards. Chambers was thrown to 10 times in yesterday's game and only came away with the ball twice. Nobody else has a percentage that even comes close to that. Sure, the coverage on him was pretty good, but even when the ball was hitting him in the hands he seemed to have a hard time bringing it in. Chris seemed like the missing piece of the puzzle for the offense yesterday, that would've taken it from "very good" to "great". I need to see more from him if he wants to be the #2 receiver on a team this deep.

Legedu Naanee - 1 catch, 8 yards, 1 rush, -5 rushing yards. Chambers is helped by a poor performance on Legedu's part that showed off exactly why he is not ready to be a starter. His lack of awareness on his fourth quarter catch may be part of the reason the Chargers lost the game. If he gets the first down, the Bolts maybe never see fourth down. Instead, he danced around 2 yards away from the marker trying to make 3 defenders miss and ended up getting tackled from behind. Legedu, trust me when I tell you that dancing around in the middle of a defense never works. It may seem like a good idea at the time, but all you're doing is giving somebody time to come up behind you and jar the ball loose with a big hit that you never saw coming.

Jacob Hester - 2 runs, 3 yards. Part of the argument I made for the Chargers to run a spread-out, pass-happy offense was that it fit Hester better. He'd be blocking safeties and corners instead of LBs. He'd have more space to be a better runner and a better receiver. Yesterday he brought nothing to the table as a runner (Hester's philosophy: grab ball, fall forward) and didn't catch a pass. In the second half I saw Mike Tolbert in there at FB for at least one running play, and I don't know that Jacob was injured. Could Tolbert be getting a chance to win the job back? I know that would make a lot of Hester-haters happy.

Defense

Defensive Line - I know, I know. Vaughn Martin and Ogemdi Nwagbuo split duties at NT and they're both quite young. Jacques Cesaire has been out for over a month and even missed part of this game with a bloody chin. I'm not going to really criticize because I thought they played well considering the circumstances, but I couldn't leave them off of the Dolts list because they were a big reason that the Chargers lost the game. Willis McGahee terrorized the defensive line to the tune of 79 yards on 15 carries (5.3 YPC) and 2 easy-looking rushing TDs. Don't think the Dolphins and Steelers haven't seen the porous rush defense by the Chargers each of the last two weeks. They're building their gameplan around it.

Referees. I will freely admit that a team with new offensive and defensive lines, that haven't been playing together all through training camp, typically have problems with penalties. However, this was a little ridiculous. The Chargers were flagged three times as much as the Ravens (12-to-4) for nearly three times as much yards (85-to-32). Let's not even go into the play where the referees jumped in the middle of the line, didn't stop the playclock, and forced a false start on Baltimore. It seemed like the first time these umps had ever worked an NFL game.

They did call a mostly-fair game in terms of penalties. The Chargers just made more mistakes. There were a handful of delay of games called on Rivers (one of which was the official's fault and a killer in the fourth quarter), a couple of false starts, and other plays that couldn't go un-called (Dobbins' unnecessary roughness, Burnett's PI). Luckily, none of the really bad calls (running into the kicker, Hester's non-existent chop block) really killed the Chargers. Rivers still threw a TD after Hester's chop-block and the defense still force a punt 3 plays later after English's foul on the punter. The non-call on Rivers' second INT was kindof BS, but almost understandable because the refs had made it known that they were generally "letting them play" in the 4th quarter.

The biggest killer, and one that probably burns Norv Turner the most, was the delay of game call at the end of the 2nd quarter. According to Norv, and I believe he's right, the official made a motion that signifies that the playclock has been reset to 40 seconds. Yet, 11 seconds later, the playclock hit zero and the Chargers are moving back from the goal-line to Baltimore's 5 yard line. What started off as a relatively easy TD (QB sneak probably would've done it) was turned into a Nate Kaeding field goal instead. This was just part of the ref's buffoonery (not just towards the Chargers, but towards both teams) from yesterday's game.

Game Preview: Baltimore Ravens @ San Diego Chargers

John (obviousman) — Fri, 18 Sep 2009 19:11:25 -0000

More photos » by Gail Burton - AP

3 months ago: Baltimore Ravens tight end Todd Heap, left, breaks free of Kansas City Chiefs linebacker Corey Mays to score during the third quarter of an NFL football game on Sunday, Sept. 13, 2009, in Baltimore. (AP Photo/Gail Burton)

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It's been an odd week, hasn't it? Chargers fans have run the gamut of emotions during, and since, the comeback win over the Oakland Raiders. Allow me to briefly sum up my feelings on that game. The Raiders looked bruising, Cesaire was greatly missed and the Bolts are 1-0 with a road win against a division opponent. Let's move on.

Can the Chargers escape week 2 still undefeated? The possible, but not as all probable, answers lie after the jump.

When the Ravens Have the Ball

The news of the week for me is not about the lack of health on the offensive line, but rather the stunning health on the defensive line. Considering Luis Castillo and Jacques Cesaire have been missing from this week's practice participation reports, I can only imagine they're ready to go on Sunday. Jamal Williams practiced on Thursday and should also be fine. Those three guys are the best chance the Chargers have of stopped the Ravens running attack.

After the first week, the Ravens rank 2nd in the NFL in total offense, 5th in passing offense and 2nd in rushing offense. Although they are a little banged up on defense, their offense remains quite healthy. Ray Rice, a guy who I think is a future Pro Bowler, had 108 yards on 19 carries against the Chiefs. Although the Ravens have great faith in Joe Flacco to throw the ball, they would prefer to win this game by grinding it out on the ground and winning the time of possession battle.

After their Week 1 battle against the Raiders, the Chargers are 25th in the league in total defense, 16th in passing defense and 25th in rushing defense. Quentin Jammer and Antonio Cromartie should do a decent job against Derrick Mason and Mark Clayton, but the key to stopping the Ravens passing offense will be getting pressure on Flacco and finding a way to cover Todd Heap. The Chargers were able to do neither in their Week 1 game, and they stand no chance of winning without doing it in this one. I think the Bolts need at least one interception that is turned into points to win this game.

Advantage: Ravens. The Ravens will test the Chargers defensive line with their power running game. Joe Flacco is not JaMarcus Russell and he will make the Bolts pay if they cannot get pressure on him.

When the Chargers Have the Ball

In a scene reminiscent of 2008, the Chargers offense was fairly ineffective in Oakland until the fourth quarter. Although the team can occasionally put 2-3 good plays together in the first half, they very rarely have long, successful drives and are left punting it more than they should. Mike Scifres is currently tied for the 4th most punts (5) this season after Week 1. Sam Koch, the punter for the Ravens, is tied for the 2nd least (2).

After Week 1, the Chargers rank 14th in total offense, 13th in passing offense and 20th in rushing offense. With Nick Hardwick and LaDainian Tomlinson possibly missing Sunday's game, the prospect of a balanced offense becomes even more difficult. The Ravens currently rank 3rd in total defense, 2nd in rushing defense and 7th in passing defense. So they're not going to make anything easy for Philip Rivers and Co.

If the Chargers are going to have success against the Ravens, they're going to have to find the mismatches. Their offensive line against possibly the biggest and strongest defensive line in the NFL is not a mismatch they'd want to go after. However, with a trio of 6'5" receivers they may want to attack Baltimore's short secondary (no CBs over 5'11"). These guys don't blow you away with talent either. The reason their CBs come off looking good is because the defense blitzes so much. If Rivers can get the ball in the air to Malcom Floyd, Antonio Gates and Vincent Jackson the Chargers should be able to move the chains consistently.

Advantage: Tie. The Chargers have to make a point to abandon the running game early if it's not working. Falling behind against a team that's this good and this aggressive is just asking for a Philip Rivers injury, and nobody wants to see that. Start hot, take what the defense gives you and don't get stubborn because they have the best run-stopping Nose Tackle in the league.

Don't forget to send in your Mailbag Questions to (maybe) be answered on Saturday. Your questions do not necessarily have to be related to the Chargers.

Updating the San Diego Chargers Depth Chart

John (obviousman) — Tue, 08 Sep 2009 09:50:16 -0000

by Denis Poroy - AP

San Diego Chargers linebacker Shawne Merriman, left, drills with teammates during the Chargers NFL football practice held in San Diego Monday, Sept. 7, 2009. (AP Photo/Denis Poroy)

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Is everyone ready to get back to business? I know I've had enough Tila Tequila for a lifetime.

Since we have been keeping your readers up-to-date to the Chargers depth chart throughout the preseason, I thought it was appropriate to do it one last time after the roster as been cut to 53. Barring injury, this is probably the way it will look for the remainder of the site.

The official Chargers depth chart, plus my thoughts, can be found after the jump.

Offense

WR1

Chris Chambers
Malcom Floyd
Buster Davis

WR2

Kris Dielman
Scott Mruczkowski

Nick Hardwick
Scott Mruczkowski

Louis Vasquez
Scott Mruczkowski

Jeromey Clary
Brandyn Dombrowski

Defense

OLB1

Stephen Cooper

OLB2

LCB

Quentin Jammer

RCB

The special teams you can guess. Nate Kaeding is the only kicker, Mike Scifres is the only punter. David Binn is the long snapper, Sproles is the return man and Cromartie is the backup return man.

Now, I started copying this depth chart from the Chargers weekly game release, but then decided to go off of the depth chart that's listed on Chargers.com. Mostly I went this way because I thought they'd be roughly the same, but with one having Manumaleuna listed as the 2nd TE and the other having him listed as the second starting FB (I know, it's odd). However, there's more differences than that. Let's count all of the differences on the game release from what you see above:

Brandon Manumaleuna is listed as the second starting FB. Kris Wilson listed as 2nd TE.
Tyronne Green is listed as the 3rd string LG and RG.
Osgood is listed as the 3rd WR1, Davis is listed as the 3rd WR2.
Travis Johnson is listed as the backup for Jamal Williams and Luis Castillo. Nwagbuo is listed as the backup to Cesaire. Vaughn Martin is shown as the 3rd DE at both spots.
Shaun Phillips is backed up by Jyles Tucker. Merriman is backed up by Applewhite. English is listed 3rd behind Merriman.

That's interesting, isn't it? There's probably nothing to the inconsistencies. It's probably just a case of two different people putting the depth charts together. Still, I'd like to know who the team really considers to be the backup DT and if English is really ahead of Tucker.

The offensive line looks even thinner on the Chargers' website's depth chart. Why not show Green there as well, so the fans don't get nervous about one guy backing up all three interior-line positions by himself? Also, Dombrowski covering both tackle positions by himself would worry me more if I didn't think that Mooch or even Manumaleuna could handle an offensive tackle spot in a pinch.

What do you guys think? Is there enough depth on this team to fight through injuries in 2009?

San Diego Chargers' Roster: 2009 vs. 2008

John (obviousman) — Sun, 06 Sep 2009 14:02:57 -0000

More photos » by Dave Martin - AP

3 months ago: San Diego Chargers running back LaDainian Tomlinson (21) and quarterback Philip Rivers (17) watch from the sidelines during their NFL preseason football game against the Atlanta Falcons at the Georgia Dome in Atlanta Saturday Aug. 29, 2009. (AP Photo/Dave Martin)

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With the San Diego Chargers' 53-man roster set, I want to compare where the team is today compared to where they were one year ago. How do the position groups match up to each other? On talent alone, has the team gotten better or worse?

QB (2009): Philip Rivers, Billy Volek, Charlie Whitehurst

QB (2008): Rivers, Volek, Whitehurst

Verdict: Equal. There's been no change, but Rivers enters 2009 with no questions about his health (as he did in 2008) and a year of learning how to carry an NFL team on his back. Volek looks more polished as he gets even more comfortable with Norv Turner's offense. Still, any improvements here have more to do with time and chemistry rather than any talent improvement.

See the comparisons and verdicts of the rest of the position groups after the jump.

HB (2009): LaDainian Tomlinson, Darren Sproles, Michael Bennett, Gartrell Johnson, Jacob Hester, Mike Tolbert

HB (2008): LT, Sproles, Hester, Tolbert, Andrew Pinnock

Verdict: Better in '09. The Chargers went into 2008 thinking that Hester could fit the role of power RB and backup to LT. He has shown himself to be a fine FB, but not an NFL-caliber running back. So, based on the fact that there is at least one decent backup to LT in 2009 (Bennett) and possibly another (Johnson), 2009 wins.

WR (2009): Chris Chambers, Vincent Jackson, Buster Davis, Malcom Floyd, Legedu Naanee, Kassim Osgood

WR (2008): Chambers, Jackson, Davis, Floyd, Naanee, Osgood

Verdict: Equal. Same players, same result. Jackson, Floyd and Naanee may be better than they were at the start of 2008, but there's really no way of predicting that. The expectations for Chambers and Davis have dropped in the last year.

TE (2009): Antonio Gates, Brandon Manumaleuna, Kris Wilson

TE (2008): Gates, Manumaleuna

Verdict: Better in '09. Kris Wilson offers great blocking and good hands out of the 3rd TE position. Having a player like that on the end of the line (possibly next to Manu), offers a great improvement for goal line packages. Expect a lot of "Off Tackle" runs to his side when the Chargers are inside the opponents' 5 yard line.

OT (2009): Jeromey Clary, Marcus McNeill, Brandyn Dombrowski

OT (2008): Clary, McNeill, L.J. Shelton, Corey Clark

Verdict: Better in 2008. Although I really like Dombrowski, I'd certainly prefer to have 2 legitimate backup Tackles and a veteran mixed in there (like Shelton) makes me more comfortable as well. Shelton did a decent job filling in for McNeill in 2008, and it's always nice to have a proven commodity sitting on the bench should anything happen.

G (2009): Kris Dielman, Louis Vasquez, Tyronne Green

G (2008): Dielman, Mike Goff, Scott Mruczkowski

Verdict: Better in '09. Dielman is healthier than he was going into 2008, Goff was a train-wreck last season and has since flopped in KC, and Mooch is still on the team. Louis Vasquez brings a massive presence to the right side of the line that should eventually help balance it out.

C (2009): Nick Hardwick, Mruczkowski

C (2008): Hardwick, Jeremy Newberry, Cory Withrow

Verdict: Better in '09. Hardwick is healthy, which is the biggest improvement here, and Mooch is a better blocker than Newberry and Withrow combined. The reason the Chargers were able to go with only 8 offensive linemen is because Mruczkowski and Green can both play Center and Guard. Dombrowski can also play either Tackle or Guard.

Defense

DT (2009): Jamal Williams, Ogemdi Nwagbuo

DT (2008): Williams, Brandon McKinney

Verdict: Equal. Both McKinney and Nwagbuo are young and have shown themselves to be capable in the preseason. Regular work in the season will let the team know if Nwagbuo is ready to fill that backup NT slot long-term.

DE (2009): Luis Castillo, Travis Johnson, Vaughn Martin, Jacques Cesaire

DE (2008): Castillo, Igor Olshansky, Cesaire, Ryon Bingham

Verdict: Incomplete. For as bland as Igor was as the Chargers' DE, he stayed healthy and was consistent enough to almost never get bowled over. Cesaire's health will help determine if this group has been improved over 2008, as well as how well Travis Johnson can transition back to the 3-4 and if he's improved work ethic. Since neither is a starter, I'll call Martin and Bingham a tie.

ILB (2009): Kevin Burnett, Stephen Cooper, Tim Dobbins, Brandon Siler

ILB (2008): Dobbins, Siler, Matt Wilhelm, Derek Smith, Anthony Waters

Verdict: 2009, better by a long shot. Cooper wasn't on the initial 53 man roster from 2008 because he was serving a 4 game suspension, so that's a big improvement. Burnett has shown himself to be a major playmaker in the Chargers defense, which puts him leaps and bounds ahead of Wilhelm, Smith and Waters.

OLB (2009): Shawne Merriman, Shaun Phillips, Larry English, Jyles Tucker, Antwan Applewhite

OLB (2008): Merriman, Phillips, Marques Harris, Jyles Tucker

Verdict: 2009 wins. A healthy Merriman (remember, the Chargers knew he was planning on playing 2008 on a bad knee), plus a first-round draft pick, makes this an easy choice.

CB (2009): Quentin Jammer, Antonio Cromartie, Antoine Cason

CB (2008): Jammer, Cromartie, Cason, Cletis Gordon, DeJuan Tribble

Verdict: Tie. Gordon and Tribble don't bring anything to the 2008 group. Figuring that out helped the Chargers to take the risk and go with only 3 CBs in 2009.

FS (2009): Eric Weddle, Paul Oliver, C.J. Spillman

FS (2008): Weddle, Oliver

Verdict: 2009, but just barely. I don't know that Spillman will see a lot of time as a FS in '09, but he should be a force on special teams and could eventually develop into the backup FS or a starting SS.

SS (2009): Clinton Hart, Steve Gregory, Kevin Ellison

SS (2008): Hart, Gregory

Verdict: 2009, but just barely. Ellison brings something to the table in goal line situations (where he can't get burned deep), and I hope he can do something for special teams, but that's about it right now. If he continues to develop, keeping him this season will pay dividends in the future.

Special Teams (LS/K/P): David Binn, Nate Kaeding and Mike Scifres are rocks in this group. The Chargers, and their fans, are hopeful that this trio stays together for another five seasons.

Do you have a question for next week's mailbag? Don't hesitate to e-mail me directly with your question and I'll make sure to answer it before next week's game.