SB Nation - Antonio Cromartie

Injuries and the NFL

Emmett Smith — Sun, 29 Nov 2009 18:34:36 -0000

More photos » by Jack Dempsey - AP

14 days ago: Denver Broncos wide receiver Brandon Marshall (15) makes a catch while being defended by New York Giants cornerback Corey Webster (23) during the third quarter of an NFL football game in Denver, Thursday, Nov. 26, 2009. Denver won 26-6. (AP Photo/Jack Dempsey)

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Hidden Injuries and Concussions: The Direction of Healthcare for Players

"A man's own observation, what he finds good of and what he finds hurt of, is the best physic to preserve health." Sir Francis Bacon

It isn't news that football is a rough, hard-hitting sport. Our modern combination of the stratagems of chess and the violence of unarmed territorial warfare has a bare-knuckle history, in which simply being willing to use the forward pass was once considered a sign of weakness; in which playing hurt was and is a mark of excellence rather than a failing and which sometimes pits the health of the players against the financial and strategic considerations of the teams and the league itself. Football is still constantly finding and reinventing itself, just as it has over the past 100 years. One thing that has changed over those scores of years is the perspective of players and fans alike: We are discovering that while we will cheer on anything that brings victory a step closer, fans and the league increasingly also want the best for the health of the players. It's leading to a sea-change in the way that we observe and handle the issues of injury in the NFL.

The owners and players alike are also embroiled in a burgeoning snare on the subject of healthcare practices by the teams. The NFL has been guilty of fighting a rear-guard action against the rights of the players to obtain a fair and unbiased diagnosis when problems don't respond to the normal or entrenched processes of diagnosis and treatment. This has long been a serious concern within the league, but both the owners and the players' sides have generally avoided any actions that could threaten their own situations. While I'd prefer to see an even higher level of leadership on the issues of player healthcare, certain steps are being taken, and I don't minimize that fact. It's a welcome change, and it is getting more central to the situation each day.

In the past year, the AFC has brought forth a couple of prime examples of the difficulties and the contradictions that are created by this problem. Denver fans were treated to this up close as Brandon Marshall, last summer, chose to vent in the media about his issues regarding his hip injury. In San Diego, Antonio Cromartie also dealt with the subject of a hip injury that tainted his last season. The two cases, while similar on the surface, seem somewhat different as we dig deeper.

Marshall's case tells us something that is often hard for fans to understand. In medicine, even if everything is done properly there is no assurance that the league's doctors (or any others) will ever be able to spot and treat every problem, every time. Marshall complained of pain in his hip during the 2008 season, but despite two series of MRIs (magnetic resonance imaging, one of the most advanced diagnostic tests currently available) nothing appeared on the films. Marshall felt betrayed by this turn of events. While Brandon's disquietude about last year's injury is understandable, he was also ignoring something that people may misunderstand: Our current levels of diagnostic testing simply don't show all injuries. The magnetic resonance imaging process is a remarkable and valuable tool most of the time, but there are many kinds of joint injuries that simply don't show up on that scan. He received two such scans, and both came back 'clean', making it impossible for the team doctors to make a further diagnosis at that time. Marshall is expecting all tests to show accurately and fully the problems that he experienced, and that just isn't reasonable. But there is a precedent here that entitles him to wonder and to need reassurance on this subject: The NFL has been complicit in the past regarding poor diagnosis and care of injuries.

As is sometimes the case, Marshall should also reflect on the fact that he has a history of being less than fully concerned with his practicing and playing time. Ironically, this time he was actually injured. In 2007, Mike Shanahan had to threaten him to get him back to practice during training camp. It seems likely that his previous incident influenced the coaches inappropriately but understandably. Moving forward, it's worth noting that neither side was at fault when he had physical issues last summer, and that's exactly what both sides want.

It was a very different case regarding Cromartie's hip-injury situation. As Michael Silver noted in his June 2, 2009 column, Cromartie suffered a broken hip in the second quarter of SD's Week 2, 2008 game against Carolina, yet he played out the season on that fracture. Cromartie's performance suffered greatly that season, and he's been on record as feeling that the hip injury was at the heart of that drop-off. The team, in degree, countered that it was up to him to make it clear how bad his situation was becoming. While it's fair to say that he needed to step up and be more proactive regarding his health, there are at least four reasons why that wasn't done:

Because the owners and management don't want to hear it. Right now, the team's physicians are paid for by the individual teams. As long as that's true, the diagnosis can always be suspect if it later appears that everything necessary wasn't done. Since every team has to have a medical staff, those same dollars could be provided by an independent medical house operating within, but not as a part of the league. That would go a long way to creating at least an appearance of propriety. There isn't going to be a perfect solution to this one, but we can at least make an effort.
Because the fans don't want to hear it. Spend a little extra time this season paying attention to the waves of accusations on the internet that this player or that one is 'soft'. People are people, and the willingness to believe that others should live up to a standard that none of us would want to is just an aberrant part of human tendencies.
Because the coaches don't want to hear it. Coaches famously believe that letting another team know what your weaknesses are will mean more losses, and in a league where the coaches keep their jobs by winning, anything that smacks of a lost edge is going to be ignored whenever possible.
Because the players themselves don't want to hear it. Players don't get points or paychecks for sitting on the bench or in the whirlpool. They lose their jobs. Just as difficult, the players who feel themselves to macho to admit how much pain they're in will often later argue that their pains should have received greater credence. They also are in a Catch-22 - if they don't say something, later that can come back on them. If they do, they run the risk of incurring the team and/or the coaches discomfort, as well as it influencing their own professional self-image. There is no perfect solution for human nature, but improvement should be possible with a better dialogue among the parties involved here.

Concussions and the Players

The most most important coverage that the players have been receiving of late has centered on the issue of head injuries. Long misunderstood, traumatic brain injuries have been a thorn in the side of healthcare because we have tended to take a particular position regarding them. In medicine, we have often been guilty of trying to apply 'scientific' standards that are contrary to common sense and personal respect. We have often claimed that if our testing doesn't clearly show a particular symptom or disease state, the problem doesn't exist. Because our testing abilities have lagged behind the severity of the problem in the past, we lacked a definitive test for head injuries. Doctors have too often used this as a crutch to claim that we can't observe the symptoms and believe the patient regarding them. Problems with pain have presented us the opportunity to avoid the problem, rather than a chance to improve our diagnostic abilities. That has led to problems, since we like to claim that the players are 'faking' their problems. It's been a neat way to avoid accepting responsibility to the damage that the game has done to thousands of retired players. Finally, testing and research have improved, and the problem is being approached more directly. We are beginning to see that change.

Dr. Ira Casson has become a lightning rod for anger on the part of the players and the public. He was formerly the co-chair of the concussion committee. Casson has consistently taken the perspective that we can't diagnose mild-to-moderate traumatic brain injuries, that the major concussions are not the problem that many now feel that they present and that the NFL has done everything possible and reasonable under the circumstances. The only problem with his position is that he reached it before sufficient research was done and he has maintained that position despite mounting evidence that he's wrong. He's the problem in miniature, a perfect example of why not enough has been done, but things are happening that show people like him for the paid shills that some of them are. As a result of public opinion and even congressional distaste for their position, the owners are accepting of the fact that the status quo won't stand. On Tuesday, Casson and another doctor, Dr. David Viano, both offered their resignations. Goodell has promised to replace them with individuals whose agendas are based in medicine, rather than politics.

Even with the improvement offered by the replacement of these two men, it's important to note just how it was that they came to be heading this committee. They were brought in to replace Dr. Elliot Pellman, who resigned in 2007 after strong criticism of his work and indications that he had exaggerated several aspects of his medical education and professional status in official biographical sketches and a résumé prepared for Congress. Since the NFL let him go to bring in two more doctors whose professional ethics seem less than optimal, you can understand if the players don't embrace the new hires with open arms..

The Concussion Dilemma

When treating a problem, the first thing that you have to do is to be able to diagnose it. One of the problems in doing so is the crying lack of understanding of the concussion problem on the part of the coaches and players. Consider these quotes from AP, posted on nfl.com:

"You know how a bell vibrates? That's how my brain was going at that time," Cartwright said. "I think five minutes later, I came back to myself. I went back out there and played football."

"You get back up, and things are spinning," Giants backup quarterback David Carr said, "but you don't tell anyone."

Now the NFL wants players to keep tabs on each other and tell their teams if they believe someone else has a head injury.

"Part of the game," Pittsburgh Steelers cornerback Deshea Townsend said.

"We're obviously concerned by the data and by the information," NFLPA assistant executive director George Atallah said. "We believe that there's more relevant data and information that the league has on these issues that we'd like for them to share with us in confidence."

During the AP interviews, some players quickly replied that they never had a concussion, then realized they weren't sure, such as Tampa Bay Buccaneers defensive tackle Chris Hovan a 10-year veteran, who said: "I probably was just too young and too dumb to realize it."

Not that it's necessarily easy to miss -- or mask -- the symptoms.

"Everyone can clearly see that you have a concussion: You are walking around like you are drunk," Seattle Seahawks' defensive back Roy Lewis said.

Kansas City Chiefs wide receiver Bobby Wade told the AP he has never tried to hide a concussion but is sure it happens frequently in the NFL.

"You see guys with their eyes rolling in the back of their heads," he said. "You see guys shaking their head trying to get it together. If there was a doctor evaluating them, I'm sure they would say, 'Your brain has taken trauma.'"

In addition to these quotes, Vonnie Holliday, defensive end for the Denver Broncos stated, "(It's like) being in a car crash 20, 30 times a game. I do often think about the damage I'm doing to my brain and my nervous system. When does it catch up with you?"

What these quotes show concerns me deeply: There is still a great deal of misinformation out there. Contrary to what Roy Lewis and others believe, everyone cannot see that you have a concussion. Quite the contrary - one of the great problems with concussion is that many of them have hidden perils. People who know you may not understand why you've begun to become less focused or more irritable, but the symptoms may be hard to separate out from day to day life. Players believe that if they had a concussion they'd know it, but the reality is that most concussed individuals really can't tell at all. As the number of concussions - and this includes the so-called 'minor' concussions, which can easily become cumulative - the player himself may not have a clear way to tell if he's not improving or is getting worse.

One part of the solution has been identifying cutting-edge clinical environments like the University of Pittsburgh, where first Michael Westbrook and then Clinton Portis went to have their concussions checked and their future play considered. There is no lack of good facilities that can help the NFL with this problem. The problem has been getting the NFL to make use of the independent programs that are already in existence. By adding their expertise to the formula, the players can be assured of getting high-quality, independent healthcare advice. That provides a precedent that should be widely applied.

A Word from The Dude: Gambling, Fantasy Football, and Injury Reports

The NFL is no stranger to gambling. Even its founders had links to legal gambling with the likes of bookmaker Tim Mara (grandfather of Giants owner John Mara) and Art Rooney, who, in part used his winnings from gambling to buy the Pittsburgh Steelers (http://online.wsj.com/article/SB124511421029417367.html). The recent NFL, however, has tried to distance itself from the gambling industry, while at the same time benefiting outrageously from the NFL's popularity with gamblers. In any given year, there can be in upwards of $100 million wagered on the Super Bowl alone. And there are hundreds of millions more being wagered during the season.

The somewhat recent popularity of fantasy football has also provided a boon to the NFL. It's estimated that almost 20 million people play fantasy football and it's annual revenues are somewhere in the range of $3 billion (http://www.informationweek.com/news/internet/showArticle.jhtml?articleID=201804513). Fantasy football encourages fans to watch more games until the final whistle, and follow more teams and players--all in turn benefit the NFL's lucrative TV deals.

Which brings us to the weekly injury reports each team puts out during the season. Have you ever asked yourself why they exist at all? Sure, on one level, they exists to make sure each team has a "level playing field" as they prepare for each other. But that's hardly the real reason. The real reason injury reports exist is for fantasy football and for gambling, not for player safety.

Before we assume nefarious behavior on the part of the NFL, there's a legitimate reason for this. As Mike Sliver points out in his excellent column from Yahoo Sports from June 2nd, 2009, "...the NFL's [injury] policy isn't a principled stand for truth and transparency. Rather, the league is looking out for the interests of gamblers - not altruistically, but in an effort to keep them at bay. If injuries are reported in a uniform and reasonably accurate manner by all teams, there is a far lesser chance that high-stakes gambling interests might be empowered to purchase inside information from, say, an assistant equipment manager in the know."

In other words, the NFL is the ultimate want-your-cake-and-eat-it-too league. On one hand, they are happy to gorge themselves on the TV deals, advertising revenues, and merchandise sales that are driven by a gambling and fantasy football crazed populace, but at the same time, they don't want to be influenced directly by these powerful concerns. Unfortunately, player safety hasn't been included with the cake. That is slowly starting to change. - TJ

NFL Spine Centers

There are good steps being taken that I want to support and publicize. In one, the NFL has opened a series of what are being called Spine Centers. Spinal impacts also can have extended neurological effects. Given the nature of the sport, that is going to happen in some cases, but such problems have to be expertly diagnosed and extensively monitored. I wanted to take this opportunity to extend my thanks and appreciation to the new NFL Spine Centers. These centers may end up providing a partial template for addressing concerns like the one's listed here.

The NFL Spine Centers are a response to the adage that an ounce of prevention will save a ton of greenbacks, not to mention a life of pain. Early diagnosis and treatment is the cornerstone to an effective approach to minimizing the difficulties of living with long-term spinal damage by the retired NFL players. Each medical center provides an orthopedic spine surgeon who serves as a program director and coordinates the services of a team of healthcare professionals in the evaluation and treatment of the former players. The team includes a neurosurgeon and a physiatrist as well as a wide spectrum of other professionals. While the next step can and should be the formation of similar centers for current players, I want to applaud all sides for putting together and funding this project.

It's a good first step and it may provide a template for a way to improve the situation. Each team currently maintains its own staff of paid doctors who are responsible for decisions regarding the players' health. Since those physicians are paid by the teams, questions of conflict of interest are inevitable. Anytime you see a situation like Marshall's or Cromartie's, you have to question whether or not the doctors involved let their loyalty to their source of income overcome their oath to the profession. Since you cannot fully discern where such a line gets drawn, it becomes necessary to consider the possibility of having a neutral party in on the decisions. In this case, the Spine Centers provide that party. Congratulations, folks. Well done!

Solutions

There has been considerable movement on this group of subjects, those that involve the health and healthcare of the players. Rodger Goodell has been making an attempt to be fair in his handling of this circumstance. A committee of current and former coaches, led by legendary former coach John Madden, a master of malapropisms, speaks by phone with Goodell every three weeks about safety issues and reports to the league's competition committee. Madden's group will make formal recommendations in February.

Tony Dungy has also stepped in -- The league selected the former player and coach to coordinate the Player Advisory Forum. Dungy, who brings an instant air of respectability, will select players to attend meetings in various cities around the league to receive input, comments and criticism about various league matters, including the NFL's player conduct policy and player safety issues. Among those whose knowledge he is drawing on are Broncos safety Brian Dawkins, linebacker Ray Lewis and quarterback Kurt Warner.

USA Today's Jarrett Bell has reported that the NFLPA has formed its first committee on head injuries just in the past few weeks. While long overdue, I applaud the steps that are being taken. Their committee is being headed by Arizona Cardinals special teams ace Sean Morey. The NFLPA has identified head injuries as a priority that they will continue to address during the new CBA negotiations. The recent congressional hearings also have shown a public spotlight on the problem and that makes it less likely that the owners and management group will be able to sweep this under the mat any longer.

The plight of retired NFL players has drawn increased scrutiny as well. Former Chicago Bears head coach Mike Ditka has been instrumental in getting this problem into the public spotlight. Punch-drunk ex-players, many (most) of whom are also suffering rheumatic and degenerative physical conditions are a substantial and growing problem and that has now been accepted as fact by all but the most recalcitrant doctors and authorities. Funding the solutions will be a constant fight, but the simple agreement that a problem exists is a step in the right direction.

All parties will now agree, at least in principle, something needs to be done to address this. The NFL has drawn a lot of well-deserved flack for the fact that they battled against admitting this problem to exist, but they have been exposed recently. House committee hearings served to remind the owners that they have an anti-trust exemption at the whim of Congress and that violations of the public trust can lead to changes in that exemption.

Where Do We Go from Here?

As the Collective Bargaining Agreement lapses, this is a good time for the NFLPA to bring the subjects to the bargaining table. Otherwise, fully funding insurance, health care costs and retirement for players whose bodies have been decimated by the game of football could eventually bankrupt the sport. Look at the situation with General Motors for a down-the-pike, real-world example of the issues that the NFL may end up facing. It is essential to the long-term health of the sport as well as its players that the situation be looked at objectively and that steps must be taken to solve this growing problem.

Making sure that players have access to outside, neutral second opinions is a minor step in this process. Establishing protections for players who admit to the severity of their injuries will at times be difficult, but initial steps in that direction should be considered. The game is tainted when players are forced to play when dangerously injured. Giving them a chance to deal appropriately with their injuries when they occur (rather than after the site of injury has been increasingly damaged by playing through them) would save big dollars down the road. It would also permit those athletes the recognition of a measure of decency and humanity.

Since the dollars are going to be spent on doctors and equipment which have the responsibility for giving unbiased diagnosis and rational treatment to players when the players are injured, it behooves the sport to lock into the next agreement a provision that will establish a system that is independent of the owners purse strings. We know from history that such system are flawed from their inception: healthcare has to be independent of financial rewarding of the doctors by one side or the other if it is to be accurate and fair. Whose pockets this comes from is an important question: the players will benefit the most from such a change and they should look at their own responsibility in funding part of the costs. The owners now cover such costs and they should not be permitted to foot-drag in donating a similar percentage to the solution. Again, the Spine Centers have provided a basis to discuss this further. We also have the growing influence of Sean Morey's group, Dungy's group and John Madden's committee. Ditka and other have brought the problems of retired players into the public eye. There is a growing sense of optimism regarding the direction the circumstances are going it.

Whatever the final solution or solutions may be, it should live up to the following standards: It must be financially independent of either side. It should take advantage of facilities, clinics and programs that already exist and which are considered at or near the top in their fields. There must be a high level of transparency, with the results available to all appropriate parties. Last, all new research must be openly explored and embraced in an attempt to continue to improve the quality of care for the players, past, present and future.

You can see the change beginning. The NY Times had this to say:

"George Atallah, the players union's assistant executive director for external affairs, said in an e-mail message that his organization had been speaking with N.F.L. officials for two weeks about implementing some sort of independent scrutiny for players who receive concussions - perhaps including an outside doctor present at every game. He said that the union's medical director, Dr. Thom Mayer, "has personally approved and reviewed doctors for roughly one-third of the teams," suggesting that the union would cooperate on the program."

In addition, Commissioner Roger Goodell has agreed that bringing in more outside specialists is in everyone's best interest. These are decisions that are going in the right direction for the players and for the sport.

On Monday, November 23, 2009 Thom Mayer announced that 1/2 the NFL teams, plus the players union have agreed upon independent specialists (up from 1/3) to evaluate head injuries. While the other half of the teams need to get on with their obligations, this is a wonderful step in an important direction. Using this same approach to redesigning the medical system in the NFL is an ongoing challenge, but moving in the direction of independent examination and treatment is a huge step.

Whatever decisions are made will influence the lives, health and happiness of generations of NFL players. For their sakes, the sake of their families and for our own moral responsibilities, we have an obligation to get this one right. The enjoyment that we receive from watching this dynamic and remarkable sport should not be diminished by a realization that we are skimping on the quality of care that the players receive.

Finally, we have to see this as an opportunity as well as an imperative. Individual opinions will vary in different situations, but the overall road map to the future should not be drawn, as it often has been, in the blood of the players themselves. Our willingness to demand, as fans, a quality system for caring for the players will influence Congress, balance the preferences of the ownership and management groups and provide an impetus for the improvement of the current system to improve and to emphasize an openness to future changes as well. The field of healthcare is moving rapidly and many changes are being made that will provide a higher level of care for everyone in the future. We must demand that such advances be implemented whenever they are discovered.

Finally, the players themselves must see that they are a great resource for further research into the problems created by trauma and impact. They should make themselves available for such testing as may provide clues to better methods of diagnosis and treatment as time unfolds. This hasn't been employed sufficiently to date, but the demise of the Collective Bargaining agreement will inevitably create an opportunity for improving the lives and care of the players and for the rest of society, which may benefit from what we learn by studying the problems that players experience.

Fans, doctors, owners, management and players all bear a responsibility in this circumstance. Each group needs to step up and to provide the best effort they can, so that the game can be enjoyed for generations yet to come. I salute their efforts.

Many thanks to The Dude for his contributions to this article

Poll

Is the NFL doing enough to protect its players' health?

Horse Tracks 11/24/09 - Dawkins projected as questionable for Thursday night; McBath would start in his place

Douglas A. Lee — Tue, 24 Nov 2009 12:41:16 -0000

DB - Weekly Press Release - Patrick Smyth

DPP - It's time for Broncos to prove critics wrong - Jeff Legwold

DPP - Light day of work designed to help players recover - Lindsay Jones & Jeff Legwold
"With quarterback Kyle Orton (ankle) healthy enough to play, the injured player of note this week is safety Brian Dawkins, who left the game against the Chargers in the second quarter...Dawkins likely will be listed as questionable against the Giants. Rookie Darcel McBath, a second-round draft pick from Texas Tech, would start at safety with Hill if Dawkins is unable to play Thursday."

DPP - Offense at top of Broncos' fix-it list - Mike Klis

DPP - Analysis: When push comes to shove, Marshall wrong - Mike Klis

DPP - Q&A: Back off on playing Brandstater so soon - Jeff Legwold

DP - Broncos Mailbag: What happened to this team? - Mike Klis

LTC - No denying it: Denver’s in dire straits - Brian Howell

DP - Broncos still mixing in zone blocking - Jeff Legwold

CSG - Broncos look to quickly regroup - Frank Schwab

DPP - Spotlight on Broncos DT Marcus Thomas - Lindsay Jones

DB - The Morning After: Week 11 - Chris Gentilviso

DB - Turnovers, Penalties, Make for Tough Day - Mark Cooper

CBS4 - Elway Sounds Off On Broncos Decision To Bench Chris Simms - Jesse Sarles

KDVR - Broncos bomb; Raiders, Chiefs surprise - Chris Tanaka

DP - Miracles happened in Keyworth's career - Irv Moss

Giants News

NYT - Under Josh McDaniels, Broncos Are Always Brash - Joe LaPointe

FH - Return to Denver Stirs Powerful Emotions, Memories for Giants' Veteran - Thomas George

NYDN - With Manning stepping up, Giants defense must take game to next level on Thanksgiving - Tim Smith

NYDN - Giants face Broncos on Thanksgiving, hope defense can shut down Denver's offense - Ralph Vacchiano

NYDN - Ex-Bronco D.J. Johnson helping Giants get familiar with Denver's schemes - Ralph Vacchiano

NYDN - Giants co-owner John Mara can't complain about NFL Network's TV schedule - Bob Raissman

NYP - Giants plan dash for Denver - Paul Schwartz

NFL Results

NFL - Tennessee Titans 20 at Houston Texans 17

FOX - Young rewarding Titans' owner's faith in him - Alex Marvez

SI - What we learned from Tennessee Titans win over Houston Texans - John P. Lopez

AFC West News

SDUT - Cromartie under scrutiny in bar incident - Debbi Baker
"Chargers cornerback Antonio Cromartie is being investigated for suspicion of assault with a deadly weapon after a victory celebration at Pacific Beach bar early Monday morning turned into an altercation, police said."

SDUT - Keeping that drive alive

SDUT - Blackout policy a turkey for S.D. - Nick Canepa

KCS - Chiefs get shot of confidence from win over Steelers - Adam Teicher

SFC - Short week means long hours for Raiders - David White

NFL News

NFL - Bills reach out to Cowher about becoming coach - Jason La Canfora

NFL - Bucs’ Morris to take over defensive play-calling
Another humbling time for former Broncos DC Jim Bates...

NFL - Rams QB Bulger out 3 to 6 weeks with broken leg; Boller will start

NFL - Lions could be without QB Stafford, WR Johnson on Thanksgiving

NFL - Big Ben should play vs. Ravens despite head injury

NFL - Browns coach Mangini curious if Lions' injuries were stall tactic
There were similar accusations when the Broncos came to NJ and smoked the Jets last November...

NFL - Niners drop Crabtree tampering charge vs. Jets

NFL - Phillips: Romo 'feels a lot better,' should play Thursday for Cowboys

NFL - Whisenhunt 'optimistic' that Warner might play in Cards' next game

NFL - Packers will try to move on after losing Kampman, Harris for season

NFL - Redskins ravaged by injuries; Betts, Rinehart latest to go down

NFL - Ravens CB Washington likely out for season with knee injury

SN - Cowboys release kick returner Allen Rossum

NFL Opinion

NFP - The Monday Tavern - Mike Lombardi
"The Broncos started fast and might be dying fast. They’re not very effective on either side of the ball right now. There are three potential wins on their schedule, but they better hope 9-7 can get them in the door."

NFL - Thanksgiving week means best football still lies ahead - Mike Lombardi

NFP - Coaching carousel: think before acting - Robert Boland

CBS - Bubbling up? Handicapping wild-card contenders - Clark Judge

CBS - Prisco Grades: Week 11

SN - Skid Row: Jets, Falcons, Broncos Hit Hard Times - The Trenches

FOX - The Day After: Moment of silence for AFC North - John Czarnecki

NFP - Aaron Rodgers’ revenge - Andrew Brandt

SI - Matthew Stafford will make Lions good again; bench Jay Cutler - Jerome Bettis

NYT - Former Quarterback Dilfer’s Take on Cutler’s Struggles - Judy Battista

PFW - Cutler could attract coaching talent - Nolan Nawrocki

NFP - Al Harris: ‘I’ll be back in 6 months’ - Jack Bechta

Y! - Collier 'at peace' with aftermath of shooting - Jason Cole

SN - NFL Power Poll: Jags quietly slip into playoff contention - Clifton Brown

Bolts & Dolts: San Diego Chargers at Denver Broncos

John (obviousman) — Mon, 23 Nov 2009 14:20:24 -0000

More photos » by Jack Dempsey - AP

18 days ago: San Diego Chargers' Nate Kaeding (10) kicks a field goal during the first half of an NFL football game against the Denver Broncos, Sunday, Nov. 22, 2009, in Denver. (AP Photo/Jack Dempsey)

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I know, I know. "Everyone's a Bolt!" Not so fast. When the San Diego Chargers raise their game across the board, the criteria for being listed a Bolt or a Dolt is raised as well. This post is meant to spotlight players that had particularly good or bad games. It was a little more difficult in his game, since the Chargers played very well as a team, but I managed. Nit-picking is a specialty of mine.

Also, look out for some new features this week including the "Almost Bolts" and "Almost Dolts".

Bolts

Offense

Philip Rivers - 17/22, 145 yds, 1 TD. Those incomplete passes weren't even that bad. His first incompletion was a ball that was thrown away. The second was a ball knocked down at the line. I didn't even see the last two because I couldn't stay entertained watching the garbage time for a second time. In the first game of the season where he was not asked to carry the offense, Rivers was incredibly efficient.

Running Backs - 43 carries, 203 yds, 2 TDs. The Chargers are no longer the last team in the league in terms of rushing yards per game. They're 30th. Any idea who is 31st? The undefeated Indianapolis Colts. Take that, losers.

LaDainian Tomlinson - 20 carries, 73 yds, 1 TD. I have no idea what the negativeness after the game was about. Why are people sad to see LT producing at this level? If you thought he was going to be putting up 150 yards per game, you're nuts. There's a reason he broke a bunch of records in such a short timespan, and that's because most players' bodies could not stand the punishment that his body has taken for so long. At this point, with good blocking, he's a smart RB that is going to take what the defense gives to him. That's a big improvement over what he was earlier this season. 20 carries, about 80 yards and a TD every game would be perfect in my book.
Mike Tolbert - 7 carries, 58 yds, 1 TD. Everyone is so quick to look at Tolbert's body shape and say that he's the next Lorenzo Neal. They want him to be the big blocking back that's going to kill linebackers at the point of attack. The fact of the matter is, FBs like that are not nearly as useful in this offense and in today's NFL as FBs like Tolbert. Tolbert can run, catch and block. He's as strong as most linebackers and faster than most as well. He's just as dangerous with the ball in his hands as somebody like Darren Sproles. He's a faster, shiftier Mike Alstott. I couldn't be happier with the season he's having.
Jacob Hester - 7 carries, 46 yds. Apparently, with a bit of blocking, Hester is the RB that AJ Smith envisioned he could be. His 6.6 YPC certainly helped to beat up a downtrodden Denver Broncos team late in the game. I don't buy that he's finally figured it out, especially since he wasn't very good during the early part of the game (3 catches, 0 yards and a bunch of slips). Here's to hoping that's the player we see for the rest of the season though.

Wide Receivers - 12 catches, 137 yds, 1 TD. It all looked too easy. Antonio Gates was uncoverable. Vincent Jackson made some plays, but Philip didn't need to force the ball to him. Malcom Floyd made plays outside of the first quarter and is turning into Rivers' second favorite target on third downs. Legedu Naanee may have made the play of the game on his TD grab. Watch it again and see how badly he jukes D.J. Williams. The reason Rivers could throw the ball was because Williams had to turn his back to the line of scrimmage to try to catch Naanee after getting humiliated at the goal line.

Offensive Line - 4.7 Yards Per Carry, Zero Sacks Allowed. No, I still haven't heard anything more about Jeromey Clary besides that it's "serious". I could've told you that when Rivers, Eric Weddle and other players were coming up to the cart to wish Clary good luck. Those players know what the doctors are saying, and they know that will probably be the last time they share the field with Clary for a while.

Still, before and after that, the offensive line played great. The running backs had big holes to run through all game, and Rivers having all the time in the world is what made him so efficient. There wasn't a forced pass out of his 22 attempts. In the last few weeks, Kris Dielman, Scott Mruczkowski and Louis Vasquez have all gotten significantly better individually and as a group (Marcus McNeill has been really good all season). Hopefully they can hold onto that success once Nick Hardwick takes over the starting Center job again.

Defense

Shaun Phillips - 3 tackles, 1 sack. He makes the plays the offense allows him to make. You really can't ask for more than that. When he's not double-teamed, Shaun usually beats his man and makes the QB feel very uncomfortable in the pocket. When he has to cover a TE or RB, he's so close the QB is afraid to throw at him. Ron Rivera has done a great job of freeing him up to make more plays.

Kevin Burnett - 8 tackles, 2 sacks. If Burnett can ever figure out how to stay healthy, he could be a Pro Bowl player. He flat-out flies around the field, hitting people hard or at least wrapping them up cleanly. As good of a blitzer as Stephen Cooper is (was?), Burnett is much better. Remember all of the talk of the Larry English/Shaun Phillips/Shawne Merriman formation that would keep all 3 guys on the field with Phillips playing the "Wild Card" position? English hasn't been effective enough, but Burnett seems to fit that role just fine.

Eric Weddle - 6 tackles, 1 TFL, 1 QB hit. I called it towards the end of last year. Weddle is the best blitzer on the entire team. Not the best pass-rusher, but definitely the best blitzer. The better Paul Oliver plays in the secondary, the more Weddle is free to come flying around the corner and hit the QB. On top of changing yesterday's game with his blitzes, he played outstanding coverage and saved a TD and a bunch of Denver momentum with his tackle on Knowshon Moreno in the open field.

Antonio Cromartie - 4 tackles, 1 pass defense, 1 interception. Really this is a Bolt for Cromartie's play over the last 6 weeks. He didn't do anything special or different in yesterday's game that he hasn't already been doing for a month and a half now, he just got lucky enough to be in position to get his hands on the ball. He has been a complete and total shutdown corner, playing as good as or better than Quentin Jammer the entire time. Also, his episode of Chargers Roll as fantastic. He admitted that in the past he basically relied on his talent and didn't go 100% in practice, and that changing that around is what has made him better in the games. Even his tackling is much improved.

Steve Gregory - 3 tackles, 3 passes defended, 2 recovered fumbles. Apparently Steve Gregory and his physical play near the line of scrimmage was the key to the defense. Who knew? I don't think he made a mistake all game, and consistently put himself in position to stop the guy he was defending. Good things happen around Gregory, they seemingly always have, and that trend continued yesterday as he fell on top of two critical fumbles. Benching Antoine Cason in place of Gregory was absolutely the right move, and my questioning of it proves that I don't have what it takes to be an NFL coach.

Special Teams

Nate Kaeding - 4/4 FGs, 2/3 XPs. Did you hear that stat the commentators brought up about how many consecutive FGs Nate has made inside 40 yds? It was ridiculous. I don't recall it, but I recall thinking that it equaled out to more than an entire season. Kaeding is having a Pro Bowl-caliber season this year, and his performance in Denver (including a handful of touchbacks on kickoffs) cemented that.

Coaching

I'm not going to single out anybody. They've all been good. Norv Turner has been the cool hand to guide the team along and Ron Rivera has been the mad scientist who gets better at the 3-4 each week. Even the lesser-known coaches such as Hal Hunter, Don Johnson, Charlie Joiner, Ollie Wilson....they've all faced some obstacles this season and each one has brought their unit up to the level of a winning team. There are players that deserve accolades for this team being in 1st place in the division, and they'll get them, but just about every member of the Chargers coaching staff deserves a pat on the back for a fine job weathering the early-season storm.

Dolts

Offense

There were no offensive Dolts this week.

Defense

There were no defensive Dolts this week.

Special Teams

Darren Sproles - 3 punt returns, 6 PR yds, 1 fumble. Somebody has to teach Sproles how to fair-catch the ball. Please. His penchant for trying to catch it with a guy half a yard away from him is the type of minor flaw that could become a huge, glaring flaw in the postseason. Has he ever done anything great with one of those? There's really two options when he's catching the ball like that.

Fumble the ball, hopefully out of bounds.
Catch the ball, take a hard hit and hold onto the ball.

Almost Bolts

Paul Oliver - He's making it really hard for Kevin Ellison to get back on the field. Not only are his coverage skills really good, but he's starting to play with a mean streak and lay some big hits.
Shawne Merriman - Kindof. He almost deserves a Dolt as well, if you were just looking at the box score. However, if you watched the game you noticed that even Ryan Clady couldn't handle Shawne on his own and had a TE or RB to help on just about every play. This meant that the blitzers Rivera was bringing over the RT were running free, because the Broncos would rather have that than Merriman going one-on-one against their Pro Bowl LT.
James Holt - Great job on Special Teams, kid.

Almost Dolts

Kevin Ellison - When Oliver is playing as well as he is, you have to make a play and an impression on the coaching staff when they send you on the field. Playing 10 yards off of Tony Scheffler and not competing for the ball is not going to cut it.
Stephen Cooper - Cooper's terrible skills in zone coverage is what made it so easy for Kyle Orton to move Denver down the field at the end of the first half. Eventually, with a big enough lead, Rivera stopped calling zone and it stopped being such a big problem. It doesn't erase the fact that Cooper is a liability in zone coverage and everyone knows it.

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)

View full size photo »

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.

Bolts & Dolts: Oakland Raiders at San Diego Chargers

John (obviousman) — Mon, 02 Nov 2009 18:15:42 -0000

More photos » by Lenny Ignelzi - AP

about 1 month ago: San Diego Chargers receiver Malcom Floyd goes for the diving catch while being covered by Oakland Raiders' Chris Johnson in the first quarter of an NFL football game Sunday, Nov. 1, 2009 in San Diego. Floyd could not handle the catch but Johnson was called for illegal contact. (AP Photo/Lenny Ignelzi)

Browse more photos »

I don't think you guys are going to be real happy with me after you read this post. After looking though the post-game comments, I found myself disagreeing with a lot of you. In actuality, I should write a post about why certain players are not on the lists below, but that could take forever.

Without further ado, the most controversial episode of Bolts & Dolts.....

Bolts

Offense

Vincent Jackson - 8 catches, 103 yards, 1 TD. I know a lot of people will not agree with this. However, after that ball bounced off his hand for the interception, he turned into a beast. Also, considering he got only one hand on that ball, I consider that interception an un-catchable pass that was simply made worse by VJ's effort. Although Oakland did everything they could to cover him deep (his longest catch went for 20 yards), he still was a major factor in the Chargers victory.

Defense

Shawne Merriman - 7 tackles, 2 sacks. It was against the Raiders, so it has to be looked at differently, but that was a really good game for Merriman. I was worried in the first quarter because I saw Mario Henderson cut-blocking into Shawne's injured knee repeatedly, but I guess he's just fine. I've talked all year about how he's looked too bulky and not flexible enough. This game, he looked plenty flexible and it helped not only with the sacks but he was also in on seemingly every tackle. Look for a big second-half of the season from Shawne.

Shaun Phillips - 3 tackles, 2 sacks. Surprise, surprise. Phillips has a big game against the Chiefs, and suddenly Merriman is seeing less blockers. Merriman starts getting pressure, and suddenly Phillips is practically running free. Good things are starting to happen. Shaun Phillips is the type of player that's good in an OK defense, and an incredible weapon in a great defense (similar to Adalius Thomas). Watch out for him against the Giants.

Chargers CBs. Not only are Antonio Cromartie and Quentin Jammer playing really good defense right now, I think they're playing tougher and I think Steve Gregory has something to do with that. Gregory again led this group with 3 tackles and a sack against the Raiders. Cromartie laid somebody out. Jammer went knocked a big TE out of bounds easily (although that's not exactly new). Also, the Raiders receivers yesterday were thrown to 8 times and totaled 2 catches for 16 yards. The Chargers secondary continues to be strong.

Dolts

Offense

Malcom Floyd - 2 catches, 64 yards. Put away your pitchforks and hear me out. I know his catch at the beginning of the game was spectacular, but Malcom Floyd needs to become a better player outside of the first quarter. Let's look at his stats by quarter this season...

	Rec	Yds	TD
1st Quarter	7	163	1
2nd Quarter	2	24	0
3rd Quarter	2	64	0
4th Quarter	0	0	0

Am I the only one disturbed by that? What the heck happens to him after the first quarter? When the Chargers needed a big catch from somebody not named Antonio Gates or Vincent Jackson yesterday, they had to take their chances with Chris Chambers. Look, I love Floyd's potential and catches just as much as any other Chargers fan. He was the most fun player to watch at training camp. I just can't overlook the fact that he appears to be a 1st quarter receiver this season.

Jeromey Clary. I don't why everybody is so eager to pile on Clary. He had a rough game. Players rarely have 16 straight good games. He struggles with speed rushers, which we already knew. He let Matt Shaughnessy through for the only Raiders sack of the game. It wasn't the worst game ever, but it was deserving of a Dolt.

Darren Sproles - 5 carries, 38 rush yards, 1 catch, 8 rec yards. Every few weeks Darren seems to have a game where the ball is extra buttery in his hands. It's a strange phenomenon. Despite the gaudy 7.6 YPC, Darren just wasn't a big weapon for the Chargers on Sunday.

Defense

Defensive Line. This one was actually close. A 3.7 YPC for the Raiders isn't that bad, and the Chargers didn't allow a run longer than 12 yards all game. The line's problem, and perhaps this is a silly criticism, was that there were only one or two plays where the Raiders were actually stopped for one or less yards. When it was 3rd and 3, Oakland could run it for a first down with ease. That's not good. This line seems to be good as individuals, but so far has shown no chemistry.

Stephen Cooper/Kevin Ellison - There's a reason these guys had 15 tackles between the two of them. They can't cover worth a damn. Did anyone ever bother to tell Cooper that he can actually stay close to the check-down receiver? Standing 5 yards behind him isn't helping anything. Ellison wasn't flat-out burned by anyone, but JaMarcus Russell had no fear throwing to Nick Miller when Miller drew Ellison.

An Open Letter to Antonio Cromartie

John (obviousman) — Thu, 29 Oct 2009 11:31:34 -0000

More photos » by Denis Poroy - AP

4 months ago: San Diego Chargers' Antonio Cromartie, left, laughs as he talks with Darren Sproles, right, during their NFL football training camp held at the Chargers facility in San Diego, Friday, July 31, 2009. (AP Photo/Denis Poroy)

Browse more photos »

From time to time, I will write open letters to players, coaches or front office members of the San Diego Chargers. I'm not stupid enough to think that these people actually read BFTB, it's just a way for me to get things off my chest.

Antonio,

Let me start this letter by saying I'm a big fan. Although I've criticized your play on the field a bit during this last season and a half, I admire your toughness (playing with a broken hip) and think that you have incredible potential. If you could consistently play the way you played against the Broncos two weeks ago, I'd be screaming from the highest mountaintops that the Chargers should lock you up with a long-term deal.

However, I'm not writing this letter to talk about that. We need to talk about Twitter. More specifically, we need to talk about why 18,765 people are allowed to follow your Twitter account and I'm not one of them. I have sent a request to follow your Twitter "officially" (more on this in a second) a handful of times and access has never been granted.

The only thing I can imagine that I did to ruffle your feathers was when I wrote this paragraph:

HOLD ON. I need to interject here. Somebody needs to tell Antonio that he's costing himself money with his Twitter account. Right now he's posting non-stop about Mike Vick, and he's siding with the guy! Let the man prove that prison has changed him before you proclaim him a new man. Before this Vick mess, Cro has used his Twitter account to fight ("@weavons3 man who the fuck are you nigga that's my girl nigga don't ever disrespect me."), show off his diet of greasy food (Popeye's, Roscoe's, Cheesecake Factory), admitted to some criminal activity from his high school days (put sugar in a teacher's gas tank, robbed 3 people, threatened a teacher, maybe sold drugs) and admitted to getting into FSU without ever taking a foreign language. Slow down Cro! Although....I do like that he's coming to camp with a mohawk.

That had nothing to do with me trying to out you or what you were saying. At that time, only a couple thousand people were following your Twitter account and it hadn't made news yet. You hadn't even gotten fined by the team yet. I was trying to help you out, give you some advice, in case you actually read this little blog. After the Tila Tequila incident, it became very clear that A.J. Smith keeps tabs on his players and doesn't like to keep guys on his team that could potentially be trouble. Other GMs in the NFL feel the same way.

When you're up for a new contract, you're going to want to talk about your picks, returns and big plays. You'll find the negotiator on the other side will want to talk about your past, specifically the crimes you committed in high school and your admitted presence at dog fights. They'll want to talk about all of those kids with all of those women. They'll want to know who your friends are. Everything that could possibly bring your price down, they'll want to find it.

I'm not saying don't have skeletons in your closet, because you can't change the past, but don't put the spotlight on those secrets on your Twitter and then ban me because I pointed them out and told you to think before you tweet.

For the record, banning me doesn't really accomplish anything. You don't know the kindof super-nerd you're dealing with. I see every tweet you make and even voted for your baby girl Jordan on the Gap casting website. I appreciate that you've started tweeting less, and tweeting bible verses when you do. It's a couple steps above bragging about what you were able to get away with because of your incredible skill-set. It makes me think that either you're over Twitter (which may be for the best), or you've decided to only tweet when necessary. Either way, I'm sorry if my advice offended you. Now it's time to end the charade and un-block me.

I'm in the process of building and managing a list of all Chargers-related Twitter accounts. Players, PR people, everyone. I'm going to try to incorporate it into the site so that the community here can keep an eye on what everyone is doing/saying/thinking. The problem with this list is that, as long as you block me, you cannot be a part of it. So, for the benefit of Charger fans who haven't offended you, I ask for your assistance in the matter.

John

San Diego Chargers Injuries: Week 7

John (obviousman) — Fri, 23 Oct 2009 19:45:16 -0000

I'm pretty sure the site would crash like a lead zeppelin if I tried to post the entire practice participation report on the home page, so it's after the jump.

Worrisome names that could possibly miss Sunday's game include Kevin Burnett, Antonio Cromartie and Travis Johnson

Player	Injury	Wednesday Participation	Thursday Participation	Friday Participation	Friday Statu
Nick Hardwick, C	Ankle	Out - definitely will not play	Out - definitely will not play	Out - definitely will not play	Out
Kevin Burnett, ILB	Ankle	Did Not Participate	Did Not Participate	Did Not Participate	Doubtful
Antonio Cromartie, CB	Knee		Limited Participation	Limited Participation	Questionable
Buster Davis, WR	Illness	Did Not Participate	Did Not Participate	Did Not Participate	Questionable
Jacob Hester, FB	Illness		Did Not Participate	Full Participation	Questionable
Travis Johnson, DE	Groin	Did Not Participate	Full Participation	Did Not Participate	Questionable
Stephen Cooper, ILB	Knee	Full Participation	Full Participation	Full Participation	Probable
Vaughn Martin, DE	Hamstring	Limited Participation	Full Participation	Full Participation	Probable
Shawne Merriman, OLB	Foot			Did Not Participate	Probable
Mike Scifres, P	Groin	Full Participation	Full Participation	Full Participation	Probable
LaDainian Tomlinson, RB	Illness		Did Not Participate	Full Participation	Probable
Jyles Tucker, OLB	Illness	Did Not Participate	Did Not Participate	Full Participation	Probable
Louis Vasquez, G	Knee	Limited Participation	Full Participation	Full Participation	Probable

Game Preview: San Diego Chargers at Kansas City Chiefs

John (obviousman) — Fri, 23 Oct 2009 14:37:58 -0000

Another week, another preview. This one should be significantly more optimistic than the past few, though. It's no secret that I think these two Kansas City Chiefs games this season will be easy wins for the San Diego Chargers. I don't buy into the mystique and I don't buy into last year's close games determining how these games will go.

Last year's Chargers games were perfect mis-matches for the Chiefs. Clinton Hart couldn't come close to covering Tony Gonzalez (nobody on the Chargers' D could), when Mark Bradley was hot was when Antonio Cromartie was having trouble staying with fast receivers downfield and Dwayne Bowe took advantage of the Chargers' weaknesses at Safety. More than anything, though, Tyler Thigpen and that Pistol offense worked wonders against the Bolts' defense that, in all honesty, isn't very fast and didn't throw a lot of complicated pre-snap looks at the rookie QB.

This year I think things are different. The only real receiving threat on the team is Bowe. He'll probably get his numbers, but if you shut down the rest of their receivers the Chiefs will have a difficult time putting together long drives. And here's a big kicker.....with a QB that holds onto the ball too long and an offensive line that's struggling, the Chargers might actually get a pass rush.

A full breakdown of the game and stats is after the jump.

When the Chiefs have the ball

After bringing in Todd Haley to coach and Matt Cassel to lead the offense, the Chiefs were hoping to spread things out and create a pass-first attack similar to Arizona's. That hasn't worked out too well thusfar, mostly because the Chiefs don't have the weapons to "spread things out" and the running game has offered no help in bringing opposing Safeties up for help.

Kansas City's offense ranks 30th in the league in offensive yards per game and 25th in points per game. There are some bright spots, like the 9th ranked Time of Possession, but then there are some not-so-bright spots like having the 4th most fumbles in the league. The biggest problem with the Chiefs offense, because they only have one true offensive weapon, is third downs. Their 21% conversion rate on third downs is not only dead last in the league, it is significantly lower than the third down conversion rate of the 31st ranked team (OAK - 26%). This is great news for the Chargers, who have struggled to get off the field because of poor play on third down.

KC's running game ranks 25th in the league in yards per game and 26th in the league in yards per carry. The Matt Cassel-led passing offense ranks 27th in the league in yards per game, but they have more passing TDs than the Chargers do (7). As was illustrated in the Arrowhead Pride post I linked to earlier this week, Cassel's weakness remains his inability (or unwillingness) to throw the ball downfield. The Chief's passing game ranks 25th in plays of 20+ yards and 16th in plays of 40+ yards.

In the preseason I pointed to the extraordinary number of times Cassel was sacked as the Patriots QB as evidence that he held onto the ball too long. This season that same issue has been paired with a bad offensive line, leading to 22 sacks on the Chief's signal-caller. That ties for second in the league with the Lions and behind only the Packers. Considering the Chargers face neither of those teams this year, this is going to be the best opportunity for players like Larry English, Shaun Phillips and Shawne Merriman to get to the QB and pad their stats.

On the season, the Bolts rank 23rd in yards allowed per game and 28th in points allowed per game. They're allowing 141 rushing yards per game, good for 27th in the league. The passing defense has been solid though, ranking 13th in the league in yards allowed. Although the team's 7 sacks makes them the 29th best team (or 3rd worst) in the league on the pass-rush, the secondary's strong play has put them among the top 10 teams in 40+ yard passing plays allowed and 20+ yard passing plays allowed.

Advantage: Chargers. This will not be the game where Matt Cassel finds his down-field touch. Quentin Jammer and Kevin Ellison should spend a lot of time double-teaming Dwayne Bowe to keep him in check. I'm hopeful that the Bolts get Cassel to the ground at least a couple of times, which should hopefully turn into a turnover or two. If the Chiefs find a way to consistently grind out long-drives and score TDs against the Chargers, I will be very surprised.

When the Chargers have the ball

After their best game of the season against the Broncos, the Chargers' offensive ranks remain relatively the same. They're still in the middle of the pack in terms of offensive yards (14th), towards the top in terms of points per game (9th), struggling with the running game (32nd in rushing yards per game and yards per carry) and awesome with the passing game (5th in passing yards per game). The pass protection hasn't been great, especially at Center and RB, but Philip Rivers has done enough to make that group only 10th worst in terms of sacks allowed.

The Chargers are in trouble if the Chiefs are having success rushing the passer, and have tall cornerbacks to cover the Chargers' tall receivers. The 29th ranked defense for yards allowed per game isn't promising, and neither is being 24th in point allowed per game. KC is ranked 25th in passing yards allowed, but they have faced some pretty tough passing offenses already this season. What really gets me excited for this matchup is that Rivers may actually get the chance to throw the ball consistently without having to run for his life. KC's pass rush has yielded only 9 sacks, putting them one ranking spot better than the Bolts.

Also, and this may sound foolish, I'm expecting a big game from LaDainian Tomlinson. Essentially, LT has been healthy and used in only two games this season. I know we're 2-3, but everyone here knows how much I worry about LT's mileage. I think the rest has been good for him and I do think he looked like an effective RB against the Broncos (4th best run defense in the league). The Chiefs' are ranked 25th in terms of rushing yards allowed per game, and RBs are averaging 4.5 yards per carry against them this season. They have allowed four rushes for over 20 yards this season, which is nearly one per game and makes them 10th worst in the league for that statistic (for the record, the Charger have allowed only two 20+ yard rushes, tying them for 19th worst). I think LT is out to prove to himself, the league, the fans and especially the coaching staff that he's healthy and should be the main RB in this offense at all times. I'm not saying I'm expecting 200 yards and 3 TDs, but 100+ and a score would go a long way towards a victory.

Advantage: Chargers. This is a no-brainer. One of the better offenses in the league against one of the worst defenses in the league. Even if the Chargers' D isn't up to the task of shutting down the Chiefs' offense, the Bolts should be able to easily out-pace KC in a shootout.

With four WRs that are over 6'2", one thing that I've been looking at every week is the height of opposing CBs. The defenses that the Chargers have struggled against (Raiders, Broncos-2nd half, etc.) have been ones with at least 2 CBs of 6' or taller. If all of your CBs are 5'10" or shorter, there will be some 7" mismatches that can't be overlooked. Let's look at the Chiefs' secondary:

Not bad height on their secondary. I'm sure Rivers will attack Flowers whenever he's up against Vincent Jackson or Malcom Floyd, but that probably won't be often. Still, I think the Chargers' gameplan going into this game should be able ball control and instilling confidence back to the running game. If it's not working, Rivers can win the game by himself like he always does against the Chiefs.

Bolts & Dolts: Broncos @ Chargers

John (obviousman) — Wed, 21 Oct 2009 11:50:43 -0000

More photos » by Denis Poroy - AP

about 1 month ago: Denver Broncos tight end Tony Scheffler pulls in a 19-yard touchdown pass San Diego Chargers Eric Weddle (32) tries to defend during the third quarter of the NFL football game Monday, Oct. 19, 2009 in San Diego. (AP Photo/Denis Poroy)

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So I've given myself 24 hours to get over the emotions of this game, and now I'm ready bestow BFTB awards to the best and worst San Diego Chargers players of the week.

What's funny to me, about this game, is that it was the complete opposite of what we've become used to as Chargers fans. The team came out fast, clearly winning the first-half, and then were outdone in the second half as the Broncos coaches made better adjustments. An uncharacteristic game for the Bolts, but with similar results (a close loss).

The Bolts and Dolts are listed after the jump, along with their stats. Keep in mind that any players left off this list had a good game, it just wasn't a great game or a bad game.

Bolts

Offense

Philip Rivers - 20/33, 274 yds, 1 TD. Stats-wise, Philip was outdone by Kyle Orton. Also, the majority of Phil's success came in the first half. However, he spent the second half running away from pass-rushers and still managed to not make any bad throws. In short, Philip did everything we could've asked for considering what he was facing.

Offensive Playcall - 20 first downs, 311 total yds. I thought the offensive calls in the first half were brilliant. The screen to Antonio Gates and the double-screen to Mike Tolbert certainly helped keep the defense on their toes. The Chargers offense was every bit as good as the Broncos' on this day, with more first downs, about the same amount of yards and an equal time of possession. However, the Chargers' offense only put up 16 points to Denver's 20 and the Chargers went 1-for-2 in the red zone (in terms of TDs) to the Broncos' 2-for-4 success rate.

Defense

Kevin Ellison - 7 tackles. Welcome to the big-time, kid! Ellison seemed to take Clinton Hart's place in the defense, on the field for the majority of the snaps, and had great success. Not only did he lead the team in tackles, but he did a pretty good job defending Tony Sheffler most of the night.

Antonio Cromartie - 3 tackles, 2 defended passes. Cromartie first big game of the season, in my opinion. He spent less time going for picks and more time playing the receiver. Antonio covered Eddie Royal most of the night, and Royal ended with 0 catches after being thrown to 4 times. Cro had some trouble on special teams coverage, but he didn't belong out there anyways.

Larry English - 4 tackles, 1 sack. English didn't necessarily have a great game, but in his 5th game of his career he looks like the best pass rusher on the team.

Dolts

Offense

Offensive Line - 5 sacks allowed. The offensive line actually didn't play horrible, they just really miss Nick Hardwick. The line's weakness now is identifying and picking up blitzers. The Chargers ran for 3.5 yards per carry (higher than Denver's 3.1 YPC), but couldn't handle the heavy blitzing packages that Mike Nolan was throwing at them. In the end, the Broncos got a sack from an Inside Linebacker and a Cornerback in addition to Elvis Dumervil (2) and Darrell Reid.

Defense

Stephen Cooper - 4 tackles. I know, he was playing with an injury that probably should've kept him out, but Cooper was exploited by Denver's offense. They ran at him, threw at him and generally directed their offense towards him. I saw a play where Shaun Phillips slid over and played ILB with Cooper coming off the field and it didn't work much better. I really hope Cooper and Kevin Burnett can get healthy and stay healthy, because the coverage skills of the Chargers backup ILBs is a real weakness.

Pass Rush - 1 sack. Apart from English's sack, which was a second-effort play that was made because Orton held onto the ball too long, the pass rush was completely and totally non-existent. I can't blame Rivera, because he called his share of blitzes. I think the blame lies firmly on the defensive line, weakened by injuries, that cannot keep the blitzing LBs clean. Sadly, Chargers fans, I don't know if it's going to get any better.

Eric Weddle - 5 tackles. Well, we now have our reason why Weddle can never ever play the SS position: He cannot cover TEs. It was a problem last year (the name Dante Rosario sticks out) that was blamed on Hart (who was just as bad), but Weddle deserves some of the blame. Every time the Chargers lined Weddle up on Sheffler, the Broncos noticed it and attacked it. It's Rivera's job to make sure that Weddle one-on-one against a TE doesn't happen anymore.

Denver Broncos Defeat San Diego Chargers 34-23

John (obviousman) — Tue, 20 Oct 2009 09:14:08 -0000

More photos » by Denis Poroy - AP

about 1 month ago: San Diego Chargers quarterback Philip Rivers is wrapped up and sacked by Denver Broncos linebacker D.J. Williams during the fourth quarter of the NFL football game Monday, Oct. 19, 2009 in San Diego. Rivers fumbled and Williams recovered the ball. The Broncos won 34-23 over the Chargers. (AP Photo/Denis Poroy)

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I think that's exactly the game that I wasn't hoping for. The Chargers came out against the Broncos and played very well, but it wasn't enough. So now they'll run off a string of victories against lesser opponents, and they'll probably still be looking in at the playoffs from the outside at the end of the season.

Kyle Orton and Philip Rivers both had outstanding games, but the difference was with pressure. The Broncos blitzed incessantly and had Rivers running all night. They ended up bringing him down 5 times. Orton, on the other hand, had all day to throw and ended up being sacked only once (by Larry English) on a play where he should've thrown the ball away.

The Chargers fumbled the ball four times during the game, but recovered it all but one time. With Brian Dawkins out, the Bolts offense could not be stopped. When he came back in the second half, and with Denver's knack for second-half adjustments, the game was all but over. After taking a 20-17 lead into halftime, the Chargers lost the second half by a score of 17-3. That's not going to cut it.

There were a few positive to come out of the game. Antonio Cromartie had his best game of the year and Kevin Ellison looked like he belonged out there. The defensive line probably had it's best game without Jamal Williams, but they still need help. LaDainian Tomlinson looked good (3.8 YPC) and healthy.

This is the team everyone was hoping to see in 2009. Not only did they show up late, the level of competition has risen so much higher in the AFC West than anybody expected that they probably showed up too late.