SB Nation - Vincent Jackson

Bolts & Dolts: Chargers at Cowboys

John (obviousman) — Mon, 14 Dec 2009 11:58:21 -0000

More photos » by Amy Gutierrez - AP

about 21 hours ago: San Diego Chargers tight end Antonio Gates (85) pulls in a touchdown pass in the second half of an NFL football game against the Dallas Cowboys, Sunday, Dec. 13, 2009 in Arlington, Texas. The Chargers won 20-17. (AP Photo/Amy Gutierrez)

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When you factor in things like how the opposing teams have played in the games immediately before or after their showdown with the Chargers, you could make a case that this Cowboys team is the 2nd or 3rd best team the Bolts have faced all year. Although it's December, they're playing much better than they were in the beginning of the season (when the Broncos beat them) and it was going to take a complete game by the coaching staff and players to get a win.

Well, that was about as complete of a game as you can have in the NFL against a legitimate opponent. The defense, similar to the game against the Browns, seemed to play a soft zone in the beginning and end of the game. They struggled to stop any of the Cowboys three star RBs, and yet Dallas was only able to score one meaningful touchdown in the game. I have no idea how Ron Rivera keeps doing it, but he continually keeps points off the board.

The offense is currently unstoppable. It's clicking in a way it never has before, with Philip Rivers playing his best football and Norv Turner calling all the right plays at the right times. It helps when you have 5 guys on the field who are receiving threats on any given play. Even LaDainian Tomlinson, who isn't much of a feature-back these days, seems to become a better player near the goal line and whenever the Chargers need a big run for a first down.

It's a good time to be a Chargers fan. The division crowd, the playoffs and a first round bye are no longer just dreams.

Bolts

Offense

Philip Rivers - 21/32, 272 yds, 1 TD, 1 INT. Whomever is disappointed that Philip didn't have another game with a QB rating of over 130, please leave the room. This was not the Browns and it was not the Chiefs. This was a legitimate NFL defense with very few holes. The pass-rush was there all game, and kept Philip stepping up in the pocket and sometimes running for his life. The CBs played a great game, Mike Jenkins in particular. Rivers and his WRs were just better. Any time you can post a near 90 QB rating against one of the better defenses in the league, count it as a victory.

Vincent Jackson - 7 catches, 120 yds. Well, well, well....somebody's back. In reality, VJ never left. This game wasn't about him breaking out as much as it was the defense going with a different philosophy. In the last few games, the idea was to double Jackson on every play. That left things open for Antonio Gates. This game, the Cowboys did the opposite and VJ came through in a big way. Huge plays by him and Rivers are the reason this game wasn't lost. They kicked the team back into high gear after the injury to DeMarcus Ware.

Antonio Gates - 4 catches, 44 yds, 1 TD. Need a first down on third down? Need a TD from inside the 15 yard line? Go to the guy who is completely and totally uncoverable. Philip didn't need to force passes to him this game, and didn't, but when he needed that outlet to get the team out of a jam Gates was there. He always is.

Malcom Floyd - 3 catches, 40 yds. First off, his catch on the sideline was absolutely ridiculous. Second, Floyd is a Pass-Interference machine....which actually makes sense. His speed is not that great, so it's rare that you see him more than a half-step ahead of his defenders downfield. However, he has a reputation for catching everything and is the king of jump balls. So any CB covering him is close by, and knows that just getting his hands in Floyd's face isn't going to do a thing. Add in the fact that he's skinny (so it always looks like he's the one that got pushed) and he could get PI called against a CB nearly every time if he tried. It's great that Norv has figured this out, and knows there's no risk in throwing it to Floyd one-on-one downfield, and calls it when a big play is necessary.

Offensive Line - 1 sack allowed. Say what you want about the run-blocking. It's at least three times more important to keep Rivers upright and healthy than it is opening holes for LT and Darren Sproles. That was a fierce pass-rush, with lots of blitzing (I miss Phillips' recklessness sometimes), and the offensive line gave Philip just enough time and space to make plays. Even that one sack, you could argue that it happened because Rivers didn't move in the pocket when he should've. Great showing by everyone, and specifically the tackles. I don't know where Scott Mruczkowski and Brandyn Dombrowski fit into the future of the offensive line, but with them and Jeromey Clary and Nick Hardwick it would appear the Bolts have a plethora of talent up front for next year.

Defense

Brandon Siler - 5 tackles, 1 sack, 2 tackles for loss. That's it. Let there be no more doubt in anybody's mind. Brandon Siler is a Player, with a capital P, and has earned the right to start ahead of Kevin Burnett for the rest of the season. He makes the run-defense stronger, gets pressure on the QB when blitzing and is generally a force that can mess up any given play for the offense. Give him the most credit for the goal-line stand (his specialty), and give him credit for being strong in coverage all game as well.

Stephen Cooper - 3 tackles, 2 defended passes, 1 forced fumble. The best game of zone coverage Coop has played all season. I don't really care that he didn't pick off the passes he got his hands on, because I believe most of them were big 3rd down plays. Cooper had an OK game against the run as well, which is why you saw a lot more runs to the outside (away from him and Siler) as time went on.

Special Teams

Mike Scifres - 42.0 average, 2 (of 3) inside opposing 20 yd line. Follow this theory, dreamed up by my wife. With about 10 second left to go in the first half, Scifres came out for his first punt (that's kindof amazing). The punt landed inside the Cowboys' 5 and bounced into the end zone. When the camera showed Mike, he was screaming "Man, what the @#$&!" at somebody. I couldn't tell why, and my wife said "I guess he wanted somebody to down it. You know, for his stats." My response was "Screw his stats, it's the end of the half!" Well, if the following theory is correct, I'm the only idiot.

In the second half, Mike punted twice. Each time it was downed inside the Cowboys' 5 yard line by Kassim Osgood. After each time, Kassim stayed where he downed it, held the ball up and looked back at where the play originated from. I originally thought he was just doing it as a celebration, and to show the refs where he was. My wife was the one who said "I bet he's showing the ball to Scifres." If that's the case, and it makes the most sense, then good job by Mike to get on Kassim. That field position meant the world in the second half. Oh, and....

Kassim Osgood - 2 downed punts inside the Cowboys' 5. You could argue that, between Osgood and Mike Tolbert, the Chargers have two of the ten best special teams players in football. I'd certainly argue that point. The Bolts are going to have big shoes to fill on punt returns next season when Osgood is playing WR somewhere else.

Nate Kaeding - 2/2 FGs, 2/2 XPs. I love that stat that shows up every time he kicks now, the most accurate kicker in the history of the NFL. Kaeding is everything that everybody thought Mike Nugent would be. If you're within 45 yards of the goal post, it's a guaranteed 3 points. Beyond that, you still have a good chance.

Dolts

Offense

There were no offensive Dolts this week.

Defense

Defensive Line - 4.0 YPC allowed, zero sacks. This probably isn't their fault. There just isn't enough talent on the line to dominate anybody anymore. Still, each guy on the line was getting pushed around with ease and I don't believe any of them were demanding anything more than a single blocker. This is a big reason why Shawne Merriman and Shaun Phillips were held in check as pass-rushers and run-stoppers. The defensive line allowed a lot of easy runs up the gut, and didn't take up the blockers to free up LBs to stop the runs to the outside either. Whether or not they can do it, the Bolts may need the defensive line to play better than that to win any playoff games.

Almost Bolts

Mike Tolbert - Quite a weapon on offense, and quite a hitter on special teams. I'm left scratching my head as to why he didn't carry the ball once all game, but I'm sure Norv has his reasons. Perhaps, like me, he doesn't yet trust him to hold onto the ball in a close game?
LaDainian Tomlinson - Just what we've come to expect from LT. Smart running, timely big plays and a knack for never fumbling the football. Has anyone else noticed that he never loses yardage anymore? A handoff to LT these days is a guaranteed 2 yards or more.
Antonio Cromartie - He's gotta be the best man-to-man CB in the league right now. In man, he was untouchable. In zone, he was good but not great. The Quentin Jammer-Antonio Cromartie tandem is playing at the highest combined level ever right now. That's why you see teams putting their star WRs (like Miles Austin) in the slot, to get away from those guys.
Safeties - Nobody mistook these Safeties for Eric Weddle or Troy Polamalu out there, but the same philosophies were in place and played out. Paul Oliver, Steve Gregory, Kevin Ellison and C.J. Spillman did not allow big plays through the air and prevented big plays on the ground with sound tackling. I personally can't wait until Gregory can slide back down to the Nickel CB spot again and Weddle can start roaming centerfield like always. It's my belief that the run defense, as well as the man-defense on the slot receiver, is a lot better with Gregory down near the line of scrimmage.
Tim Dobbins - The poor man's Brandon Siler. He played well in goal line situations.
Larry English - He got the closest to Tony Romo out of the OLBs. As with most of this season though, English was close but couldn't make the play.

Chargers Defeat Cowboys 20-17, Continue Winning Streak

John (obviousman) — Mon, 14 Dec 2009 00:26:16 -0000

More photos » by Sharon Ellman - AP

about 22 hours ago: San Diego Chargers quarterback Philip Rivers (17) passes as Dallas Cowboys linebacker Anthony Spencer (93) and defensive end Stephen Bowen (72) defend in the first half of an NFL football game, Sunday, Dec. 13, 2009 in Arlington, Texas. (AP Photo/Sharon Ellman)

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Well, this day has worked out just lovely, hasn't it? The Chargers defeat the Cowboys, and look good doing it, and the Broncos and Bengals both lose their games. A win against the Bengals next week and Norv can start thinking about resting players on Christmas and against Washington.

This a team that's not just about their personnel, but about their coaching. Ron Rivera managed to hold the Cowboys to 10 points (those last 7 were in garbage time) with any run defense (outside of the goal line stand). Norv Turner looked like he knew every Dallas defensive call before Wade Phillips did. Play-calling on both sides of the ball was absolutely perfect. It's the performance of the coaching that has been the biggest factor in the Chargers winning 8 straight games in 2009, and 16 straight games in the month of December.

Philip Rivers won the battle of the QBs against Tony Romo, and I will not hear it differently. Romo had the benefit of a strong running game, and the defenses were playing just about the same, yet he could not consistently get first downs. Besides the 99 yard drive (that Tony was barely involved in), I was not very impressed by the Cowboys offense today. Rivers did everything he possibly could (including avoiding many rushes) to win this game and looked great doing it (besides the interception).

Some quick Bolts are below. As always, your feedback is appreciated and will be a part of the final selections after I re-watch the game.

Final - 12.13.2009	1	2	3	4	Total
San Diego Chargers	7	3	0	10	20
Dallas Cowboys	3	0	7	7	17

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Bills WR Terrell Owens Could Have a Big Day Against the Chiefs

Chris Thorman — Sat, 12 Dec 2009 22:15:25 -0000

More photos » by Kathy Willens - AP

about 1 month ago: Buffalo Bills wide receiver Terrell Owens (81) fights for the ball with New York Jets cornerback Darrelle Revis (24) during the second quarter of an NFL football game Sunday, Oct. 18, 2009, in East Rutherford, N.J. (AP Photo/Kathy Willens)

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Terrell Owens was the Bills' big free agent pick up this off season and he's been a consistent performer in twelve games this season. Owens has 43 receptions, 690 yards receiving and three touchdowns on the year.

His biggest game came in Week 11 against the Jacksonville Jaguars. Owens caught 9 passes for 197 yards and a touchdown. That includes a 98-yard touchdown catch and run.

Owens is averaging 3.5 catches and 57 yards receiving a game. Unfortunately for the Chiefs, those numbers may be much bigger tomorrow.

The Chiefs have given up some big time games to opposing wide receivers. Here are the guys who have torn up the Chiefs' defense this season:

Week 3 Philadelphia Eagles: Desean Jackson (6 catches, 149 yards) and Brent Celek (8 catches, 104 yards)
Week 4 NY Giants: Steve Smith (11 catches, 134 yards)
Week 5 Dallas Cowboys: Miles Austin (10 catches, 250 yards)
Week 7 San Diego Chargers: Vincent Jackson (5 catches, 142 yards)
Week 8 Jacksonville Jaguars: Mike Sims-Walker (6 catches, 147 yards)
Week 11 Pittsburgh Steelers: Hines Ward (10 catches, 128 yards)
Week 12 San Diego Chargers: Antonio Gates (7 catches, 118 yards)
Week 13 Denver Broncos: Brandon Marshall (7 catches, 94 yards)

That Jacksonville game was Terrell Owens only 100-yard receiving game of the season. Do you have a feeling that Owens will burn the Chiefs tomorrow too?

Poll

How many receiving yards will Terrell Owens end up with tomorrow?

Week 13 Review: Chargers @ Cleveland Browns. Final: 30-23 Chargers.

Jeff (sliderockmpc) — Wed, 09 Dec 2009 15:00:37 -0000

Behind a somewhat deceiving final score of 30-23, the Chargers handle their business in Cleveland, racking up an impressive offensive game and getting by on defense without some key players.

Chargers vs Browns boxscore

By and large, the Chargers treated this game as an exhibition, especially on defense. On offense, the Chargers pretty much had their way with an overmatched Browns defense. And, as was the case against Kansas City, the Chargers took advantage of opponents mistakes, played largely mistake free football, and ran their record to 9-3.

However, there were enough miscues, especially by the more inexperienced players on defense, that will give the coaching staff plenty to review and correct going into next week's game against what should be a desperate and dangerous Dallas Cowboys squad.

Grades are below the jump.

Quarterbacks: A

Philip Rivers is spoiling the Chargers and their fans. On the back of his impressive effort against Kansas City, Rivers posted another monster afternoon, completing 18 of his 25 pass attempts for 373 yards and 2 TDs. As usual, he was in total command of the offense, completing passes to 6 different receivers, and giving his receivers opportunities to make plays after the catch - both TDs were 5-10 yard throws that were turned into plays of 66 and 31 yards. He missed 2 opportunities on the Chargers' opening drive, one to Sproles at the 2 yard line, and another to Jackson in the endzone, but this is nitpicking.

Running Backs: B+

It was surprising to a degree that the Chargers did not run for more yards. LaDainian Tomlinson was effective, if not quite productive running the ball, producing 64 yards on 20 attempts and 1 TD. As usual, Darren Sproles was not effective running the ball in the middle, but the running backs as a group were spectacular as pass receivers. For the first time in a few weeks, Sproles got loose on screen passes, one of which was the 31 yard TD. The other was a great 66 yard catch and run by FB Mike Tolbert. Tomlinson had a 21 yard catch off a pass from WR Legedu Naanee to set up a 2nd quarter score. Blitz pickup was effective from the running backs a s a group, and as was the case against Denver a few weeks ago, the running game got better as the game progressed.

Congratulations to LT for passing Jim Brown for 8th on the career rushing yardage list, as well as being the fastest NFL player to 150 TDs.

Wide Receivers: A+

For the 2nd consecutive week, TE Antonio Gates had his best game of the year on Sunday, posting 8 catches for 167 yards. There was nobody in the Cleveland secondary who could cover Gates with any consistency, and even double teams on Gates had no effect, he pulled in receptions of 36 and 56 yards while double-teamed. Vincent Jackson and Malcom Floyd were largely quiet on receptions, but both players were brilliant blocking down the field. Jackson, in particular, threw the key blocks that sprung Tolbert and Sproles for their TDs. The Chargers pass offense has reached the moment we've dreamed of for a few years - regardless of which option you take away, there is someone else who will beat you.

Offensive Line: B-

Run blocking was marginally better than against Kansas City, but considering the Browns were missing DT Shaun Rogers, the Chargers OL should have dominated the line of scrimmage. It was surprising that the Chargers did not attack the middle of the Browns defense with more regularity. RG Louis Vasquez continues to improve in run blocking, driving a Cleveland defender into the endzone on Tomlinson's 4 yard TD run. RT Brandyn Dombrowski was solid for the second straight game, despite some early struggles on delay rushes from OLB Matt Roth. LT Marcus McNeill and LG Kris Dielman were solid as usual.

Defensive Line: B

The defensive line played better against the run than was the case last week, but there's no getting around how badly DE Luis Castillo is missed. Barring a run out of the Wildcat, and end around by Cleveland WR Joshua Cribbs, the Chargers defense played very well against the run. Considering the quality of players opposite them, the DEs Jaques Cesaire. Travis Johnson, Alfonso Boone, and DTs Ogdemi Nwagbuo and Ian Scott turned in a workmanlike effort. Their primary struggles were the inability to open pass rushing lanes for the blitzing LBs, Corners and Safeties.

Linebackers: C+

OLB Shaun Phillips had a decent game, making the key hit on Brady Quinn and forcing a fumble to stop a Cleveland scoring drive. Re-signed OLB Marques Harris also contributed a sack, which helped kill a Browns' drive in the 3rd quarter. Beyond this, unfortunately, the pass rush was virtually non-existent. OLB Larry English was handled by Browns' LT Joe Thomas. Inside, LB Brandon Siler has another solid game, recording 6 tackles and a defensed pass. However, both ILBs Kevin Burnett and Stephen Cooper really struggled in pass defense. Cooper, in particular, was exploited multiple times on seam routes by Browns' TE Eric Moore, and overran a play that should have been a INT return for TD.

Secondary: B-

For the 2nd straight week CBs Quentin Jammer and Antonio Cromartie both had some issues giving the opposing WRs too much operating room outside. The Chargers also missed FS Eric Weddle in a big way in this game, with several missed tackles in the secondary. Also, the Safety blitzes which have been very effective over the last month and a half, were almost completely ineffective. DB Steve Gregory had his worst game in over a month, getting beaten down the field by Moore on a couple occasions. DBs Paul Oliver and C.J. Spillman also had problems - Spillman missed Jammer turning WR Mohammad Massaquoi over to him in the endzone, resulting in a TD on the Browns' opening drive.

Special Teams: B

As might be expected, the Chargers' coverage teams struggled to contain KR Joshua Cribbs, allowing an average 24.7 yards, with a long return of 42 yards. However, on Cribbs' 1 punt return, he was rocked by Spillman on a great tackle. Due to the effectiveness of the offense, P Mike Scifres was called on only once, and he produced a 49 yard kick. PK Nate Kaeding hit a trio of FGs from 22, 32, and 42 yards. Punt and kick blocking was problematic, as Sproles was shut down in Special Teams opportunities.

Coaching: B

Norv Turner took a workmanlike approach to this game; clearly he was interested in doing only what had to be done to win the game and nothing more. As a result, he was more conservative in his play calling - excepting the throw-back pass from Naanee to Tomlinson late in the 1st half. Turner went too conservative twice in the 4th quarter, running a FB dive on 4th-and-1 that came up short, as well as running 3 times inside the Browns' 10 on the Chargers' last possession. By going so conservative, Turner allowed the Browns to stay within striking distance - playing more aggressively on either drive would have shut the door on any Cleveland comeback. On defense, it might be time for Ron Rivera to tweak his blitz packages, as it appeared that the Browns were well prepared to handle them.

Hidden Plays (Non scoring, non-turnover plays that directly affected the outcome):

On the Chargers' 1st possession, Rivers misses Sproles and Jackson on back-to-back throws, forcing the Chargers to settle for a FG and giving the Browns some unwelcome confidence.
Cooper overran his zone assignment, missing out on an INT that easily could have produced a TD, as well as breaking the Browns' confidence early.
After the Chargers had taken a 10-7 lead, the Browns mounted another scoring drive. Cromartie makes a great tackle on Massaquoi to keep him out of the endzone - Phillips' strip and fumble occurs 3 plays later.
With 6 seconds remaining in the 1st half, Rivers throws to Floyd along the sideline for 11 yards, and Floyd gets out-of-bounds, preserving 2 seconds and Kaeding's FG opportunity.
The previously mentioned FB dive by Jacob Hester with 13:45 left in the 4th quarter comes up short. Instead of chewing up another 3-5 minutes of clock and putting a clinching TD on the board, the Browns drive for a TD and cut the lead to 13.

Biggest Positives:

No major injuries reported.
Penalty problems from last week are corrected, 1 penalty against the Chargers for 5 yards.
Re-emergence of Antonio Gates as a dynamic offensive weapon.
Several reserves and younger players get major experience and playing time.
Team play on offense contributes to huge scoring plays.

Biggest Areas of Concern:

Offensive line is unable to assert itself in the run game until the middle of the 3rd quarter.
Safety blitzes were ineffective.
ILBs struggle in space, allowing multiple big plays to the TE, slot WRs, and RBs on seam and flat routes.
Inability to finish the game on offense.
Allowing a seriously deficient opponent to hang around longer than necessary.

Looking ahead to:

To checking out the Cowboys brand-new spacecraft (seriously, it looks like the Axiom from WALL-E) and continuing the December blues for the Cowboys. Also, I'm looking forward to seeing just how far the Chargers have come, as it's been 3 weeks since the Chargers last faced a quality opponent.

Bolts & Dolts: Chargers at Browns

John (obviousman) — Mon, 07 Dec 2009 16:00:27 -0000

More photos » by Mark Duncan - AP

7 days ago: San Diego Chargers tight end Antonio Gates (85) breaks the tackle of Cleveland Browns safety Abram Elam in the third quarter of an NFL football game Sunday, Dec. 6, 2009, in Cleveland. Gates made eight catches for 167 yards in San Diego's 30-23 win. (AP Photo/Mark Duncan)

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Has everyone calmed down from yesterday? Is everyone willing to admit that maybe that soft zone defense we saw in the fourth quarter, and on the Browns' first drive, was done as a way to manage the game instead of dominating it? That's what I believe anyways.

For anyone who thinks the Chargers "played down" to their opponents, there's this. The Chargers scored 27 unanswered points. That's more points than Cleveland scored all game. If you take the score of the 2nd and 3rd quarters, the score is 17-0 Chargers. If you take the score of the first 3 quarters, it's 27-7.

My philosophy is this. That first drive was a test. Kindof a "Let's see if they can throw on this" and they could. Then it was scrapped and the defense started stopping the Browns on every drive, and the offense started putting up points. With a 20 point lead heading into the fourth quarter, as many backups as possible came in and the message became "Avoid Injury". Coach Rivera figured that even if he played zone, avoiding giving up big plays and allowing short passes underneath, the Browns would take so much time that they'd never be able to catch up. And he was right.

Onto Bolts and Dolts.

Bolts

Offense

Antonio Gates - 8 catches, 167 yds. Gatesy goes first, even before the QB, because that was the best game I've ever seen from him. Outside of the game where Kellen Winslow took over the world, I think that's the best game I've ever seen from a TE ever. Not only was he everywhere, catching everything and making the Browns look foolish, but he also bailed out Philip Rivers (who threw to him in double-coverage a couple of times) with some amazing catches that just shouldn't have happened.

Philip Rivers - 18/25, 373 yds, 2 TD. Finishing the game with a QB rating over 140 will get you a Bolt every time. This wasn't the easy game for him that everybody thought it would be either. Cleveland brought pressure, even sacking him once, and seemed to play very well on his star WRs. Finding the mismatches with Gates, Darren Sproles and Mike Tolbert was the work of a smart, veteran QB.

LaDainian Tomlinson - 20 carries, 64 rush yds, 1 rush TD, 1 catch, 21 rec yds. Somebody said that LT didn't even get 3 yards per carry in this game, but they're mistaken. 3.2 yards per carry as a matter of fact. Here's what I saw from LT yesterday: smart, patient running mixed with good pass-blocking. That play at the end of the first half, where he could've went upfield but instead stepped out of bounds to stop the clock and give the offense another shot at the endzone, showed no ego and was a play that a younger RB probably doesn't make.

Anyways, all of those things above make LT an "Almost Bolt". Saluting Jim Brown, after the things Brown said about LT in his preseason interview with Adrian Peterson, makes him incredibly classy and gets him a Bolt. Also, standing on the sidelines next to Norv and talking about the offense helps his standing as well.

Legedu Naanee/Mike Tolbert. In my Larry English rant earlier this week, I was saying that playoff and Super Bowl teams need to get contributions from their rookies. Well, getting contributions from their young projects is just as good.

Naanee didn't get many chances to catch the ball in Cleveland, no chances at all actually. However, when his number was called to catch the ball and then throw a spiral downfield to a wide open Tomlinson he did so and made it look very easy. A key play, because you could argue that Nate Kaeding wouldn't have hit the end-of-the-half FG without it.

Mike Tolbert's play was great. His speed, with his body size, is just so unexpected. He was the check-down receiver and got the ball because Cleveland brought a bunch of blitzers. Luckily, he also had a bunch of blockers in front of him (including Vincent Jackson, who almost killed somebody on the play). That had nothing to do with the right playcall, and everything to do with the Chargers players making plays.

Defense

Shaun Phillips - 4 tackles, 1 sack, 1 forced fumble, 1 defended pass. The boy from Philly has been playing out of his mind lately. This game was no exception. I love that his new move, when he gets to the QB, is to grab their throwing arm while hitting them. It's caused so many fumbles, and they're all game-changers. He probably has no chance of getting there, but Shaun deserves a Pro Bowl nod this season.

Special Teams

Nate Kaeding - 3/3 FGs, 3/3 XPs. The only kicker that's having a year as good or better than Nate's this season is David Akers in Philadelphia. Those should be your Pro Bowl starters, without any question. Nate has become automatic from about 48 yards and in this season.

Dolts

Offense

There were no offensive Dolts this week.

Defense

There were no defensive Dolts this week.

Almost Bolts

Darren Sproles - Sproles played a very good game on offense, running the ball effectively and making the most of his screen passes. That would've been enough for a Bolt, but again we have the same issues as weeks past. I know Darren is a bright guy, but it seems like when the ball is in the air on kickoff or punts he becomes an idiot.

First, there was the kickoff return where he grabbed the ball and jumped out of bounds. I don't know why he felt the need to grab the ball and jump out of bounds, instead of simply letting the ball go out of bounds and taking the field at the 40, but he did. I guess you could argue he wanted to make sure the Browns didn't get to it, but it really didn't seem like any of them were near the ball to me. Just a dumb play.

Second, and stop me if this sounds familiar, another play where Sproles refuses to call fair-catch and gets absolutely hammered by Josh Cribbs the second he touches the ball. I'll give him credit, he seems to do a good job of holding onto the ball in this situation, but one of these days he's going to fumble it in a big spot or get injured that way. FAIR CATCH THE BALL. We would much rather have a safe catch than a 1 yard loss and a heart attack.

At this point, if Sproles was taken off returns for a while, I would be happy about it.

Brandon Siler - He was strong against the run and effective against the pass as well. If Stephen Cooper wasn't the captain and wasn't calling the plays, he would've lost his job to Siler by now.

Vincent Jackson - Made a big catch with guys draped all over him. Made a big block to spring Tolbert's TD. The defense is sending more and more coverage at him, and it's just making him work harder. That's a great sign.

Almost Dolts

Kevin Ellison - The leading tackler for the Chargers was also the guy who couldn't cover Evan Moore at all. Every time Brady Quinn saw that matchup, he attacked.

GoT NUMBERS? Analyzing the Chargers vs. the Browns

Ryan Kelsey — Thu, 03 Dec 2009 23:51:50 -0000

More photos » by John Amis - AP

Darren Sproles is short. Vincent Jackson is tall. The Chargers are good. The Browns are bad. (AP Photo/John Amis)

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This season is getting even harder to watch. We now have starting RB Jamal Lewis, our best defensive player- NT Shaun Rogers, and starting FS Brodney Pool on injured reserve to join our 2 starting ILBs, starting TE, our pro bowl caliber punter, and a bunch of other would-be contributors. Seems like doom for our 30th ranked defense (in efficiency by DVOA). But that's not all. Our top pass rusher (OLB Kam Wimbley) and another starting member of the front 7 (DE Kenyon Coleman) are nursing knee injuries and hadn't practiced as of last check. And to top it all off, we are playing an incredibly talented and very efficient offense in the San Diego Chargers.

And I don't think anyone expects Brady Quinn and the offense to be able to keep up with the dozens of points Philip Rivers and co. will be putting up against our ravaged defense. Let's see what the numbers say.

Once again, the stats I use are from Football Outsiders:

A quick note about the stats I'm going to use in this regular column. The full explanation can be found here. Basically, Football Outsiders uses the data from every play and finds the league average (adjusting for yards gained in the redzone, touchdowns scored, and the down and distance- so a 3 yard TD run on 3rd-and-1 from the 3 means a lot more than a 3 yard run on 3rd-and-15 from your own 20.) Then it rates players and teams based on their relation to this league average. The result is meaningful rate stats. They are akin to league adjusted stats in baseball, like OPS+ and ERA+. DVOA is the most common stat they use and 0.0 is exactly league average. A 10.0% DVOA for a QB means a QB that is 10.0% better than average. -15.0% DVOA means 15% below average for a QB. For defensive numbers they are reversed, so negative numbers are better.

Got all that? No? Well, then trust me when I say, higher positive numbers are good for offensive players and lower or negative numbers are good for defenses. 0.0% is always average.

And my personal caveat using these numbers in football: here.

When the Chargers have the Ball

Philip Rivers is really good. In fact, he is underrated and probably deserves to be in the Favre/Brees/Manning/Brady conversation as a top QB in the league right now (apologies to Warner and Rodgers). This year, he is leading the league's top rated passing attack by efficiency (56.7% DVOA). He has had a QB rating over 100 for 2 straight years. If he keeps that rating over 100 this season, he will join Manning as the only active QB to have 2 straight seasons over 100. (I was shocked that Brady, Warner, Favre, McNabb have all never done that). Rivers ranks 4th in QB DVOA (38.7%). He has two great weapons that he depends on: Antonio Gates (1st in DYAR and 2nd in DVOA amongst TEs) and Vincent Jackson (3rd in DYAR and 2nd in DVOA amongst WRs). Gates is huge with good hands and runs good routes. Think Kellen Winslow, but bigger, stronger, and healthier. Jackson is big and fast (6'5, 230, 4.38 40). Think Braylon Edwards only much bigger, much faster, and with better hands. The Browns defense is bad against the pass (30th in defensive efficiency), and especially bad against #1 WRs (31st) and TEs (32nd). So look for HUGE days from Jackson and Gates.

And if those two weren't enough to worry about in the passing game, the Chargers also boast another big (also 6'5) and fast WR in Malcom Floyd, who hasn't been targeted a bunch, but on a per play basis he ranks 6th among all NFL WRs (DVOA of 31.2%). Their #3 WR is no slouch either. Only 6'2, Legedu Naanee has a healthy DVOA of 32.6% (though he doesn't have enough targets to qualify) Finally, for the last several years the Chargers passing game has used their RBs as an extra, constant, and effective weapon. That effort is lead this year by Darren Sproles. He ranks 5th in both DVOA (33.2%) and DYAR as a receiving RB. The Browns have a chance at slowing these guys down. They are 11th in defending #2 WRs, 23rd against "other" WRs, and 26th against RBs in the passing game. Not great, but it won't be as ugly here (though that was with a healthier unit than they'll have this week).

Don't expect to get to Rivers either. The Charger line has allowed sacks on just 5% of the drop backs. Good for 8th in the league. The Browns are pretty much exactly league average at sacking the QB, 16th in the league at 6.5% of drop backs. But, again, that was with a healthy Rogers, Wimbley, Coleman, etc.

So with such an efficient and prolific passing game, why do the Chargers rank just 6th in total offensive efficiency? Well, the running game has been a bit embarrassing. 31st in DVOA at -11.4%. A one time force in the NFL, LaDainian Tomlinson has had a tough couple years, battling injuries and feeling the wear of thousands of NFL carries on his 30 year old body. This year he ranks 31st of 37 qualified backs in rushing DVOA, about 10% worse than an average RB. And while Darren Sproles has excelled in the passing game and as a change of pace back over his career, nobody is mistaking him as an every down running threat. He has averaged just 3.3 yards per carry on his way to a dismal -33.5% DVOA (of all RBs with more than 50 carries, only Glen Coffee and Marshawn Lynch have a worse number). Still, this might be the week the San Diego rushing attack gets healthy. Why? Because the Browns rank 30th against the run in DVOA (10.2%)

When the Browns have the Ball

Injuries make this matchup even tougher to evaluate. While the Browns will be without the back they have hopelessly fed the ball to for the better part of 3 years (Jamal Lewis), the Chargers could be choose to rest many of their banged up defensive stars. OLB- Shawne Merriman, OLB- Shaun Phillips, DE- Luis Castillo, S- Eric Weddle, and DT- Ogembi Nwagbuo all were held out of practice yesterday. But even with these guys playing most of the season, the Chargers have been below average on the defensive side (19th in DVOA, 7.1%). Not that we expect the Browns terrible offense to take advantage of this mediocrity.

The Chargers strong suit is against the pass. They rank 13th, but still worse than average in DVOA at 6.3%. They are 6th against TEs and against #2 WRs. So don't look for our gang scrub TEs to catch many passes. And Chansi Stuckey is going to have a tough time keeping his recent momentum going. But the Chargers do struggle with defending RBs out of the backfield. That should mean good things for Harrison and Jennings. Not that we have been good at getting the ball to these two. Jennings dropped the pass of the year from Brady Quinn against Detroit, and Harrison has struggled when given the chance (-38.3% DVOA, 45 of 47 qualifying RBs in pass catching). But hopefully we keep trying the wheel routes and screens. It may be our best chance to score.

But the biggest key will be to protect Brady Quinn (and make him believe he is protected). The Chargers are 10th in getting to the QB with 28 sacks, 7% of opponent drop backs. The Browns have allowed sacks on 6.6% of Quinn and DA's drop backs, good for 18th. The problem isn't always the sacks, its the blitzes (which the Chargers will bring a lot of with Phillips and Merriman or not) and having the WRs and QB on the same page. We'll see if that continues to improve with Quinn's second stint as starting QB.

The Chargers have struggled against the run (25th in the league at 7.9% DVOA). And with their front 7 banged up, this could be something to exploit. Thing is, there really isn't enough data to know what we will get in the running game with Chris Jennings and Jerome Harrison. And we really haven't seen enough of them to have any reason to be confident in them. Only time will tell. Hey, maybe Cribbs and Quinn can break some runs?!

Special Teams

The Browns remain 2nd, just behind the Vikings in overall special teams DVOA (7.2%). They are still lead by the return units, especially the league leading punt return group. San Diego is pretty average at everything in special teams, except for kick coverage, where they have a -5.3% DVOA (5th worst in the league). Making the overall special teams place 20th overall in efficiency. Maybe Cribbs can break a kickoff return. He should have a couple opportunities.

Conclusions and Questions

It doesn't look good for our Browns. But with the injuries on both sides, there are a lot of variables. And variables are always good for the underdog. Three questions that will determine the outcome:

1.) With Jamal Lewis finally out of the way, what can Chris Jennings and Jerome Harrison show against a suspect and hurt front 7 of San Diego? Both in the run game and in the passing game.

2.) Will LT have a breakout game or will his decline continue, even against a battered and suspect front seven of Cleveland?

3.) Can the Browns prevent Rivers, Gates, and Jackson from scoring TDs at will? Anything less than 350 yds and 4 TDs would be amazing to me.

The Chargers are good. At 8-3, they are playing for playoff position. It seems like our only hope is if they overlook our battered, bruised, and beaten Cleveland Browns or if the brisk weather on Lake Erie gets to those sissy SoCalians. I don't see it happening: Chargers win, 35-16.

Stat of the Day; Bolts & Dolts

John (obviousman) — Tue, 01 Dec 2009 12:17:09 -0000

More photos » by Denis Poroy - AP

According to Bolts & Dolts, Darren Sproles has had just as many good games as he's had bad games in 2009. (AP Photo/Denis Poroy)

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Through 11 games, these are your 2009 leaders in Bolts & Dolts:

Bolts

Dolts

Darren Sproles (4)
Chris Chambers (4)
Jacob Hester (3)
Offensive Line (2)
12 tied with 1

Funny that Sproles shows up on both of these lists. Either he's terribly inconsistent, or I've been too harsh on him. As you would expect in the midst of an 8-3 season, there were significantly more Bolts than there were Dolts.

Bolts & Dolts: Kansas City Chiefs at San Diego Chargers

John (obviousman) — Mon, 30 Nov 2009 12:11:13 -0000

More photos » by Denis Poroy - AP

14 days ago: San Diego Chargers Antonio Gates, right, and Kansas City Chiefs Chris Chambers, left, talk after an NFL football game Sunday, Nov. 29, 2009, in San Diego. The Chargers won 43-14. (AP Photo/Denis Poroy)

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As the Dolphins game proved earlier this season, any time the Chargers defense can start getting turnovers the game becomes very easy for San Diego. The offense typically turns those turnovers into seven points, and the fear of doing it again plays right into Ron Rivera's hands.

True, the first matchup against the Chiefs was a more dominating one for the Chargers. At least in this game the Chiefs offense showed some spirit (in the form of Jamaal Charles and Chris Chambers). What's different in this victory against other recent ones is that instead of a full team effort of greatness, the Chargers really won on the back of some big individual performances. That should make this week's Bolts & Dolts a little more interesting.

Bolts

Offense

Philip Rivers - 21/28, 317 yds, 2 TD. This six game winstreak for the Chargers has had a few games mixed in where Philip didn't have to win the game himself, and it's allowed him to be smarter and more efficient. Because of that, his QB rating for the season has been getting better each week. After yesterday's game, he has the 5th best QB rating in the NFL. Just below Peyton Manning and just above Tom Brady.

Antonio Gates - 7 catches, 118 yds, 2 TD. Remember a few weeks ago when Antonio was dropping big passes and everyone was talking about how he needed to work on his hands? His 7 catches, including a one-handed one for the first TD of the game, came off of 7 throws his way. An absolutely perfect, dominant game by Antonio Gates. (Random Sidenote: I was thinking this week. Antonio Gates was a Center at Kent State and everyone makes it seem like he was crazy for pursuing football instead of basketball. He's 6'4"! He's shorter than Michael Jordon (6'6") and significantly short than LeBron James. With his height, he'd have to become a shooting guard or somehow figure out how to become Charles Barkley. Football was the right move then and it is certainly the right move now for any short basketball player.)

Malcom Floyd - 3 catches, 85 yds. These numbers would be even better if he had not dropped that easy pass at around the Chiefs 10, and also if he had landed in the end zone instead of on the one yard line. Vincent Jackson was blanketed all game, and Floyd stepped up to become "the man" on third downs and down the field.

Offensive Line. Zero sacks allowed and it wasn't even close. That's the way to win football games. The running game wasn't as good as it was against Denver, but it was good enough to pick up key first downs. Also, Jacob Hester didn't help matters by falling forward every time he got the ball.

Defense

Brandon Siler - 9 tackles, 1 tackle for loss, 1 fumble recovery. It's funny how many moving parts this defense has. If the opposing offense is one that loves to throw the ball (like the Broncos), Kevin Burnett and Paul Oliver will see a ton of time. If it's one that prefers to run the ball (like the Raiders), Brandon Siler and Kevin Ellison will get more time. Those are just two examples of switches in starters/personnel that happen based on the team the Chargers are going up against. I like that.

Anyways, Siler is proving himself to be a beast against the run (as expected) and good enough in coverage to be on the field in non-goal line situations. This game, in which the Chiefs were trying to ride Jamaal Charles to victory, showed that Siler is probably the best ILB on the team at blowing up a run play.

Quentin Jammer - 5 tackles, 1 pass defended, 1 interception, 1 forced fumble. I'm glad to see the hit he took in the Broncos game hasn't slowed Jammer down. He played his typical good coverage, got the interception when it was there for the taking and forced a fumble with his exceptional tackling. While there may be better coverage CBs around the league, I doubt there is another CB as complete as Quentin.

Paul Oliver/Larry English - 7 tackles, 1 forced fumble, 2 fumble recoveries, 1 defensive TD. I said it earlier this year, when I began to worry about English's lack of production. Teams that have good seasons and are strong in the playoffs are ones that get contributions from their role players. Oliver and English are good players, but at the moment they're playing only according to their specific roles. Oliver filled in for the injured Eric Weddle without much drop-off (that's a huge compliment) and English was pestering Matt Cassel all game, before and after he beat him to the fumbled snap.

Special Teams

Nate Kaeding - 2/2 FGs (longest: 55 yds), 5/5 XPs. Simply put, the best FG kicker in the NFL when you're within 50 yards of the goal post. Not resting on his laurels, Kaeding has definitely improved this season at kickoffs and long FGs.

Dolts

Offense

Jacob Hester - 3 carries, 3 rush yds, 1 catch, 3 rec yds. Everybody who was complaining about Darren Sproles getting all of the fourth quarter carries, listen up. Those carries should've been Jacob Hester's. Is he the starting FB? Not really. Is he the best Special Teams player on the team? Nope, 2nd or 3rd best. Mike Tolbert couldn't have taken every carry, because that would be risking injury to a player just as important as LT or Rivers. His 4 carries for 19 yards was fine. It was Hester, and his 1 YPC, that forced Norv Turner to try running the ball with Darren Sproles instead.

You could argue that, heading into a potential blowout, Michael Bennett should've been active for this role. You're probably right, but I imagine the coaching staff had some faith in Hester getting it done since he did it last week.

Also, I should note that Hester was almost a Special Teams Bolt this week, as he usually is.

Darren Sproles - 9 carries, 17 rush yds, 5 catches, 66 rec yds. This is a Dolt for his return bobbling/fumbling again. In B&D, players get rewarded for improving and fixing their flaws. This is a flaw that is not getting any better. If anything, it's getting worse. Also, the Chargers need to give up running Sproles. It's no use. Pretend he's Terrell Fletcher, use him only on 3rd downs and only as a blocker/receiver. 9 carries for 17 yards is ridiculous, when you think of the type of runner he is.

Defense

There are no defensive Dolts this week.

Almost Bolts

Mike Tolbert - I know eventually I'm going to have to start expecting it, but every time Tolbert catches a few balls for some yards and runs the ball better than anyone else on the team I'm surprised. What a tremendous player, and an incredible find for AJ Smith.

LaDainian Tomlinson - This is not for stats. This isn't for the fumble, the two touchdowns or the 3 YPC. This is because LT is looking better than he did earlier in the season, and is taking what the defense gives him. This is the "smart runner" that I talked about earlier this season. LT running smart, plus plenty of rest (only 14 touches!) should equal a more successful playoff experience for him.

Time of Possession - Usually, when a team struggles to run the ball and wins because of turnovers, they lose the time of possession battle. The Chargers won the TOP battle by more than 10 minutes! This offense is capable of doing whatever they want right now. Need a big play? There it is. Need a long drive to rest the defense? Sure thing.

James Holt - Welcome to the league, kid.

Shaun Phillips - That guy sure knows how to fill up a stat-sheet. He's been really good against the run. Unfortunately, you can see the dip in his pass-rush whenever Shawne Merriman is out of the game.

Almost Dolts

Vincent Jackson - I don't think it took this long for teams to gameplan for stopping VJ, but apparently somebody somewhere came up with one that works. He's been held without a TD for 3 straight games, and hasn't been over 100 receiving yards for 4 straight games. In yesterday's game there was at least one jump ball he lost that he probably would've gotten earlier this season. He has to figure out what the defense is doing and adjust.

No Score From the Chiefs and Chargers Early

Joel Thorman — Sun, 29 Nov 2009 21:26:29 -0000

More photos » by Chris Carlson - AP

14 days ago: Kansas City Chiefs cornerback Brandon Flowers, right, gets his hands up to break up a long pass to San Diego Chargers wide receiver Vincent Jackson, left, during the first quarter of an NFL football game Sunday, Nov. 29, 2009, in San Diego. (AP Photo/Chris Carlson)

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The Chargers started out with the ball inside their own 10 after Darren Sproles muffed the return. A deep pass to Vincent Jackson was defended by Brandon Flowers and the Chargers eventually punted.

The Chiefs got the ball back and Matt Cassel threw a completed pass to Lance Long and a first down pass to Mike Cox.

Chiefs punter Dustin Colquitt trapped the Chargers inside their own 10 again for his NFL leading 30th punt inside the 20.

The Chargers went three and out on their second possession as well.

The Chiefs got the ball back and converted a rare third and long on an 11 yard pass to Bobby Wade.

The score is currently 0-0.

Injury Report: Week 12

John (obviousman) — Fri, 27 Nov 2009 21:34:52 -0000

First, some news about the possible blackout. The Chargers have been granted another 24 hours, and now have until 1pm on Saturday, to sell the remaining 1,350 tickets. Considering the Chargers have sold more than 2,000 tickets in the last 24 hours, I think there's now a very good chance of this game not being blacked out in San Diego.

Now, onto the injury report.