Thursday, October 4, 2018

WHAT IS THE CURE FOR WHAT AILS THE CHARGERS?

October 04, 2018    No comments

                                  WHAT IS THE CURE FOR WHAT AILS THE CHARGERS?

   After an off season full of high expectations and projections for the Chargers. At the first quarter of the season they find themselves at 2-2. They have continued last years streak only beating teams with a losing record. The Chargers have only beaten two teams with a winning record dating back to the  move to LA and the beginning of the Lynn era.

   Charger fans lately have bought in to the "what if" game".

"If you take away the drops we would have been in that game".
"If we make those field goals we'd be in the playoffs".
"If you take away the mistakes we would have won that one."
"My personal favorite if we had Bosa back we would be 4-0".
      If  my aunt had balls, She'd be my uncle too.

   The true difference between a win and a loss in the NFL is very small. A couple of plays here and there is all that separates a 10 win team playoff team from a 7 win team. The fact is, the Chargers keep making the same mental mistakes, injured players on the inactive list weekly and questionable coaching decisions that only keep happening to the Chargers.

   This year, it's a lack of pass rush, coaches putting players in a position they're not best suited for, mental mistakes that they should have overcomed by now and a special teams unit that while improving weekly still is not even in regular season form.

                                                        THE JOEY BOSA FACTOR

    Do the Chargers miss Joey Bosa? Yes! 
   Would he have made the games closer? Probably! 
   Would he have changed the outcome of any of these four games? HELL NO!
   That is absurd.

   He's is great I consider him at times elite. But he is a defensive end not a quarterback. He's not a total game changer just a very  impact player.

   He's not the one dropping balls, Getting torn apart in the secondary for over 700 yards by 3 young mostly backup QB's. These flaws are not solely because of Bosa absence. But because the level of talent on these teams this year is better than the Browns, Redskins, Bills and  Raiders of last years winning streak. I'm not even including Jared Goff in those numbers.

   The Chargers have been severely out coached and simply outplayed in 10 of their first 12 quarters going into the 49ers game. Even with the amazing play of Melvin Gordon, Philip Rivers, Austin Ekeler and Derwin James, the Chargers are basically the same team as last years team. This year is just has different excuses as to why their underachieving.

   Remember, Joey Bosa played in 16 games last year. They were 9-7. He was a non factor in both games against the Kansas City Chiefs. Four games into this season teams have started to figure the Chargers out. Joseph Addae is not a starting FS in the NFL. He lacks the speed and he not physical enough to tackle in the open field. Opposing teams are exploiting flaw in the Chargers game plan.

   Kyle Emanuel shouldn't even have a roster spot but the coaches keep throwing him out there to fail while Uchenna Nwosu gets 12 snaps a game. Andy Reid went at Kyle Emanuel almost every snap what he was on the field in the last 4 games against each other.

   There is one vital word keeping the Chargers from winning games right now more than anything.

                                                            CONSISTENCY! 

   They don't have it. The coaches seem to be incapable of making adjustments during the middle of games. They haven't scored an opening game touchdown under Coach Lynn yet. They struggle on both sides of the ball on 3rds downs conversations. They currently have 3 wide receivers Allen, Mike Williams and sometimes Tyrell Williams. Travis Benjamin and Geremy Davis have accounted for a combined 71 snaps, 6 targets, and 2 catches for 3 yards. Tyrell Williams has had 16 targets and 10 catches. The entire offense is being saved by Ekeler and Gordon.

    Consistency starts out with momentum. Under Anthony Lynn, the Chargers haven't scored a touchdown on their opening drive of the game. The Chargers are ranked in the bottom  of the receivers dropping balls (3rd highest in the league). Their defensive line is the 4th lowest in the NFL for getting get off the field on 3rd owns.

   After receiving a contract Craig Hayward has regressed to giving opposing QB a QB rating of 137.5% when they target Hayward. They have the 31st ranked defensive line.

   Again, Bosa will improve the team but he is not the cure for their disease.

   Instead of demanding accountability from each other while they continue to improve as a unit. The defense continues to pose as a group when one of them makes a good play. Some fans enjoy these stunts.  I find it to show their immaturity and lack of focus and commitment to making the Super Bowl. Tom Brady and Peyton Manning would NEVER have accepted that behavior neither on offense or defense. I can't imagine Rivers is much of a fan of it either.

                                                              WHO IS THE LEADER 
   There are team captains and then there are leaders. Team captains is what I consider Philip Rivers to be. A player who shows up everyday and puts up massive numbers. A leader is a player that when he speaks everyone listens. The voice installs fear and brings younger guys to another level. The one guy who says that is enough when their team is struggling and takes the game over almost by themselves. They don't allow season after season of losing seasons or missing the playoffs. Most of all they hold the players accountable as well as themselves. I think Rivers is more of a supportive model than one that lays the law down on a team. The Chargers don't have that Ray Lewis, Manning, Brady influence. Junior Seau was that guy. Eric Weddle and Merriman was that guy. Who's that guy on the Chargers? They don't have one although I believe Allen or even Derwin James in the future could be that guy.

    This is a very good football team. They're a Jackyl and Hyde team. One minute they play sound fundamental football and the best their dropping balls like their hot potatoes, giving up 21 play drives to a 2nd year backup QB or making boneheaded errors like running the wrong way on ST.

                                                    EXAMPLES OF BLUNDERS

   My friends at Bolts From The Blue Jaime Hoyle and Garrett Sisti do a brillant job of breaking down in plays from the previous game the positives and negatives from the teams plays. They also have a weekly podcast called "The Lighting Round" found here https://itunes.apple.com/us/podcast/the-lightning-round-podcast/id999565022.










                                                              OVERVIEW

   Here's the deal, The Chargers have a good football team. They're just not good enough to overcome multiple mistakes and negative plays in one game. If they play good and fundamentally sound football they can hang with anyone in the NFL. They can also lose to the worst team in the NFL. They have the remaining easiest schedule in the league. Oakland has both starting tackles out for this game. After Sunday a meeting with the Browns and Broncos entering their Bye. The Titans game in London looms as a potential critical game if it winds up being a fight in the AFC for the wildcards.

   We know only what they do. We know they can beat the bad teams in the NFL. We have yet to see  if they can beat the good teams in the NFL. In order to do that, they have to stop beating themselves. From the last guy on the depth chart to the coaching staff to Tom Telesco.

   In the end, 31 teams in the NFL will play the what if game. Only one gets the golden prize, The Lombardi Trophy!




Credit to Bolts From The Blue The Lighting Round for using their tweets for this story.

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