AgentOrange
10-20-2009, 09:01 AM
Yes it's Tuesday morning and I'm still loving this.
http://www3.signonsandiego.com/stories/2009/oct/19/n63955-chargers-canepa19/?chargers
SAN DIEGO The mathematicians may as well call a summit, even if it's premature, and tell us what we already suspect. While some hardened scientists may look at the real numbers and say the Chargers haven't been eliminated from the playoffs, those sitting at the rational table should believe they have.
The Chargers do not add up.
If Monday night's nationally televised sitcom proved anything beyond the 34-23 score in unbeaten Denver's favor, it became obvious the Chargers no longer are even pretenders in the AFC West. San Diego has slipped from being a fine NFL team to being dead-flat average.
At times they don't even seem competitive, and there is no worse sign than that. Maybe it's not their fault. When the other guy is better than you, it isn't your fault. Used to be, not long ago, these guys could line up and take on anybody. That's gone now. Strange, because so many names remain the same.
Winning the AFC West is out. They're 3½ games behind Denver now, and the Broncos, improbable as it seemed just weeks ago, are better than they are. And I've seen nothing to tell me the Chargers are smart enough, good enough, physical enough and coached enough to even think of contending for a wild-card spot.
Not this way. Not the way they're playing, and if it continues, General Manager A.J. Smith had better start thinking of a massive makeover similar to what Denver has gone through. The Broncos have become a fast, physical, opportunistic club right before the Chargers' wondering eyes.
Quarterback Philip Rivers, who Monday night spent more time on his back than Michelangelo, knows any chance of catching Denver in the West was dashed, but that doesn't mean he's going to stop his season at 2-3.
It's going to be tough, said Rivers, who, after a brilliant start 139 first-quarter passing yards found himself looking like a drunk in a subway. We have to get a hold of this one quick or we'll be in trouble.
That alarm has gone off. They are in trouble.
We've got to worry about us; we can't worry about Denver, said Rivers, who would complete 20-of-33 passes for 274 yards and a score but was sacked five times and hit more than a bad heavyweight. He fumbled three times and the one he lost was critical.
Denver is a different Denver team; they're not going to fall apart (like they did last year). We can control us; we can't control them.
Well, they're kind of 0-for-2 in the control department. They can't control themselves, either.
You win up front, and the Chargers simply aren't close to being stout enough on both sides of the ball to be a playoff contender. I can't even say they're average there, although I'm sure head coach Norv Turner will come out and give us all the positives, as he did following the humiliation in Pittsburgh.
Their offensive line may have run-blocked a bit better Monday night than it has against a very good run defense (LaDainian Tomlinson found enough creases to gain 70 yards), but their quarterback is starting to get drilled, and if Rivers goes down for any length of time, they won't be able to beat an old throw rug.
As for the defensive front seven, I don't know what to say. What a few years ago was the best in football now couldn't get to the quarterback with a Marine escort. It isn't going to work this way. It can't.
Denver's Kyle Orton may not be a great quarterback, but he isn't bad, and when he continuously has time to throw and we're talking Chargers rushers not getting within shouting distance of him he's going to beat you, and that's just what he did.
The outside rush once provided with a fury by linebackers Shawne Merriman and Shaun Phillips, is gone. Rookie first-round draft choice Larry English provided his team's only sack, and it was of the coverage variety. The Chargers have allowed 15 sacks and have but seven of their own.
The defense can't get off the field. Denver's did. The Broncos converted 9-of-16 third-down tries. The Chargers were 2-of-11, which is beyond putrid.
We had some penalties, some plays we should have made, Merriman said. We should have been in position to make them and we didn't.
It's gotten so bad, special teams, perhaps the Chargers' greatest strength this season other than their passing game, allowed Eddie Royal to return a punt and kickoff for touchdowns. Nothing in this sport is more demoralizing than a kick return, although the Broncos managed to get past Darren Sproles' dandy, 77-yard punt return for a score that put the hosts up at the half (20-17) for the first time this season.
The difference in the game was their ability to pressure Philip, Turner would say. He got beat on pretty good. They did a good job with the pass rush and we didn't do as well as we could.
How does he know that? The Chargers very well may be playing as well as they can.
It's a very rational thought.
http://www3.signonsandiego.com/stories/2009/oct/19/n63955-chargers-canepa19/?chargers
SAN DIEGO The mathematicians may as well call a summit, even if it's premature, and tell us what we already suspect. While some hardened scientists may look at the real numbers and say the Chargers haven't been eliminated from the playoffs, those sitting at the rational table should believe they have.
The Chargers do not add up.
If Monday night's nationally televised sitcom proved anything beyond the 34-23 score in unbeaten Denver's favor, it became obvious the Chargers no longer are even pretenders in the AFC West. San Diego has slipped from being a fine NFL team to being dead-flat average.
At times they don't even seem competitive, and there is no worse sign than that. Maybe it's not their fault. When the other guy is better than you, it isn't your fault. Used to be, not long ago, these guys could line up and take on anybody. That's gone now. Strange, because so many names remain the same.
Winning the AFC West is out. They're 3½ games behind Denver now, and the Broncos, improbable as it seemed just weeks ago, are better than they are. And I've seen nothing to tell me the Chargers are smart enough, good enough, physical enough and coached enough to even think of contending for a wild-card spot.
Not this way. Not the way they're playing, and if it continues, General Manager A.J. Smith had better start thinking of a massive makeover similar to what Denver has gone through. The Broncos have become a fast, physical, opportunistic club right before the Chargers' wondering eyes.
Quarterback Philip Rivers, who Monday night spent more time on his back than Michelangelo, knows any chance of catching Denver in the West was dashed, but that doesn't mean he's going to stop his season at 2-3.
It's going to be tough, said Rivers, who, after a brilliant start 139 first-quarter passing yards found himself looking like a drunk in a subway. We have to get a hold of this one quick or we'll be in trouble.
That alarm has gone off. They are in trouble.
We've got to worry about us; we can't worry about Denver, said Rivers, who would complete 20-of-33 passes for 274 yards and a score but was sacked five times and hit more than a bad heavyweight. He fumbled three times and the one he lost was critical.
Denver is a different Denver team; they're not going to fall apart (like they did last year). We can control us; we can't control them.
Well, they're kind of 0-for-2 in the control department. They can't control themselves, either.
You win up front, and the Chargers simply aren't close to being stout enough on both sides of the ball to be a playoff contender. I can't even say they're average there, although I'm sure head coach Norv Turner will come out and give us all the positives, as he did following the humiliation in Pittsburgh.
Their offensive line may have run-blocked a bit better Monday night than it has against a very good run defense (LaDainian Tomlinson found enough creases to gain 70 yards), but their quarterback is starting to get drilled, and if Rivers goes down for any length of time, they won't be able to beat an old throw rug.
As for the defensive front seven, I don't know what to say. What a few years ago was the best in football now couldn't get to the quarterback with a Marine escort. It isn't going to work this way. It can't.
Denver's Kyle Orton may not be a great quarterback, but he isn't bad, and when he continuously has time to throw and we're talking Chargers rushers not getting within shouting distance of him he's going to beat you, and that's just what he did.
The outside rush once provided with a fury by linebackers Shawne Merriman and Shaun Phillips, is gone. Rookie first-round draft choice Larry English provided his team's only sack, and it was of the coverage variety. The Chargers have allowed 15 sacks and have but seven of their own.
The defense can't get off the field. Denver's did. The Broncos converted 9-of-16 third-down tries. The Chargers were 2-of-11, which is beyond putrid.
We had some penalties, some plays we should have made, Merriman said. We should have been in position to make them and we didn't.
It's gotten so bad, special teams, perhaps the Chargers' greatest strength this season other than their passing game, allowed Eddie Royal to return a punt and kickoff for touchdowns. Nothing in this sport is more demoralizing than a kick return, although the Broncos managed to get past Darren Sproles' dandy, 77-yard punt return for a score that put the hosts up at the half (20-17) for the first time this season.
The difference in the game was their ability to pressure Philip, Turner would say. He got beat on pretty good. They did a good job with the pass rush and we didn't do as well as we could.
How does he know that? The Chargers very well may be playing as well as they can.
It's a very rational thought.