Chargers Thread

OAOB · 03-01-2014 2:22pm

You must have been confident of us getting to the playoffs and booked the holiday around our game, fair play les

tijuanaboozer · 05-01-2014 10:27pm

Go Bolts,great win, get in there....:D

OAOB · 05-01-2014 10:31pm

Am over the moon with that. Our red zone offence still sucks and we need mathews back and healthy badly but lets enjoy this one, we're back winning playoff games

setanta74 · 06-01-2014 10:53am

What a difference Melvin Ingram makes. He was superb. Butlers strip on Bernard was a game changer. He was immense too. We took the foot off their throat on a couple of occassions where we failed to maintain possession when leading. I cant pick holes in it though. I just want to enjoy where we are because I thought we had no chance of playoffs this year. This has to really push us up a few rungs on the ladder for next year.

1st team to win in Cincy this year. No mean feat. Well down Pags and McCoy. Lets give the donks a right rattle next week.

Leslie91 · 06-01-2014 4:24pm

Magnificient TEAM effort this week. The D played unreal. Kudos to Pags and esp Butler and Ingram. Ingram coming back has made a huge difference. He's a beast that is only going to get better. His INT came right after a missed tackle, symptomatic I guess of a player coming back from a big injury.

Like Setanta I wanted to mention the conservative play calling at times on O but F it a playoff win on the road, it does not get much better than that.

Molly · 06-01-2014 5:11pm

Ingram got a lot of pressure, was delighted to see him play so well, so shortly removed from his knee injury (May was it?). Only negative I saw was that missed tackle on Bernard that he could have stopped for a yard but ended up being 8 or 9 yards in the end. Addae is playing great stuff and was delighted to see Stuckey make some big plays on defense. I know he's a stud special teamer but he never gets much of a chance on defense.

Shane.C · 06-01-2014 9:15pm

Anywhere online where i can watch the entire game?

Leslie91 · 07-01-2014 10:40am

Shane.C wrote: »

Anywhere online where i can watch the entire game?

U mean the Bengals game?, not sure. But I guess it will be available as a dl somewhere.

setanta74 · 07-01-2014 12:14pm

Peyton has thrown 21 INT's against us in 13 games and hasn't beaten a Bolts team in 2 attempts in the playoffs....Here's hoping the run continues!!!!

Molly · 07-01-2014 2:42pm

Haven't lost since I got my weddle jersey! Hoping the good luck charm persists.

Ridiculous of denver fans to think they are back in form since we beat them, considering they beat the texans and a terell Pryor led raiders.

More confident in them than I was for the bengals game.

OAOB · 07-01-2014 3:07pm

Matthews fitness for this weekend will be huge, need to be able to run the ball well to eat the clock.
I presume Hardwick will be ok for this weekend

Justin10 · 07-01-2014 3:23pm

For once I'm probably the least optimistic about this weekend. If we had DA or Floyd to stretch the field I would be a lot more confident.

We are quite predictable on offence. Double team Keenan and stack the box to stop the run and under routes. We will struggle.

Leslie91 · 07-01-2014 4:10pm

OAOB wrote: »

Matthews fitness for this weekend will be huge, need to be able to run the ball well to eat the clock.
I presume Hardwick will be ok for this weekend

I reckon Hardwick could be more of a doubt than Mathews. Seems they pulled Mathews to give him a break. I'm scared that Nick had a concussion (of course they are saying this at mo) and if he did he may well have played his last game as a Bolt.

Leslie91 · 07-01-2014 4:11pm

Rochey18 wrote: »

For once I'm probably the least optimistic about this weekend. If we had DA or Floyd to stretch the field I would be a lot more confident.

We are quite predictable on offence. Double team Keenan and stack the box to stop the run and under routes. We will struggle.

Don't let us down now Rochey, your'e the only glass half full man we've had all year!!.

I was a member of the 'it's all over for 2013' club when we got beat in DC. I am still pinching myself that the 2013 tease turned into what it has.

davyjose · 07-01-2014 4:23pm

Molly wrote: »

Haven't lost since I got my weddle jersey! Hoping the good luck charm persists.

Ridiculous of denver fans to think they are back in form since we beat them, considering they beat the texans and a terell Pryor led raiders.

More confident in them than I was for the bengals game.

The same Texans and Terelle Pryor led Raiders that beat you guys?

Denver looked very sharp in both their last games. They're a record breaking team with one of the best QBs of all time. It's not too much of a stretch to expect an improvement on the last meeting.

Justin10 · 07-01-2014 4:35pm

davyjose wrote: »

The same Texans and Terelle Pryor led Raiders that beat you guys?

Denver looked very sharp in both their last games. They're a record breaking team with one of the best QBs of all time. It's not too much of a stretch to expect an improvement on the last meeting.

It's not much of a stretch for people to beleive Rivers and the chargers have mannings number. Also this chargers team is not the same that lost to the raiders and definitely not the same team that lost to the texans.

I would absolutely love a crack at the pats in the afc championship game.

Leslie91 · 07-01-2014 4:37pm

davyjose wrote: »

The same Texans and Terelle Pryor led Raiders that beat you guys?

Denver looked very sharp in both their last games. They're a record breaking team with one of the best QBs of all time. It's not too much of a stretch to expect an improvement on the last meeting.

Extremely good TOUCHE there Davy. :cool:

Leslie91 · 07-01-2014 4:38pm

Rochey18 wrote: »

It's not much of a stretch for people to beleive Rivers and the chargers have mannings number. Also this chargers team is not the same that lost to the raiders and definitely not the same team that lost to the texans.

I would absolutely love a crack at the pats in the afc championship game.

Me too but let's go carried away. Donkeys need to be dealt with first.

Molly · 07-01-2014 4:44pm

What relevance does the Texans and the Raiders beating the Chargers have to Denver being on form or not? It just comes across as a poor attempt at winding people up

The Broncos had close to 3 quarters of being meh against against the Texans. They dominated the Raiders while Peyton played but that's not exactly an indication that they are back to top form now is it? (Neither is it an indicator that they are off form but that is not the point I was making).

Even some of the broncos own fans are saying it's ridiculous to claim they are back on form given the opposition they have played. (Again it's not to say that they are not on top form)

Leslie91 · 07-01-2014 4:48pm

For all the Peyton lovefesting going on right now in the media, I wonder what another 1 and done might do to 'the legacy'?

He's the Marty Schottenheimer of QBs.

davyjose · 07-01-2014 4:50pm

Rochey18 wrote: »

It's not much of a stretch for people to beleive Rivers and the chargers have mannings number. Also this chargers team is not the same that lost to the raiders and definitely not the same team that lost to the texans.

I wouldn't necessarily agree. Denver have won 3 out of the last 4 times you've met. I mean it's almost a month since you beat them -- about the same length of time that passed from when they beat you: (Nov 10th... Dec 12th... Jan 12th)

May not be the same team that lost to the Texans and Raiders, but it's a little rich to disparage Denver for taking heart beating them soundly.

davyjose · 07-01-2014 4:54pm

Molly wrote: »

What relevance does the Texans and the Raiders beating the Chargers have to Denver being on form or not? It just comes across as a poor attempt at winding people up

The Broncos had close to 3 quarters of being meh against against the Texans. They dominated the Raiders while Peyton played but that's not exactly an indication that they are back to top form now is it? (Neither is it an indicator that they are off form but that is not the point I was making).

Even some of the broncos own fans are saying it's ridiculous to claim they are back on form given the opposition they have played. (Again it's not to say that they are not on top form)

Winding people up? I merely challenged the idea that the Texans and Raiders weren't a proper test. You're the one who rubbished the challenge (or lack thereof) those two teams posed. If they were really that bad, would they have beaten a playoff team?

I think you guys are a very scary prospect, and I wouldn't be surprised if you were to win it all, but don't make the mistake of thinking Denver will be there for the taking. They'll put up a lot more pints than they did 4 weeks ago IMO.

Justin10 · 07-01-2014 4:59pm

Rivers is 5-3 against manning. Two of mannings wins came last year, one of them being that huge comeback.

Rivers has beaten manning twice in the playoffs already.

Chargers I've said all year are solid and imo are one of the best 6 teams in the afc. I never thought Green or Keenan would perform like they have or our oline but with them performances it has elevated us.

This team will only get better getting a lot of money off their books. Would hate to see rivers not getting a ring especially with eli and big Ben with two

davyjose · 07-01-2014 5:08pm

Rochey18 wrote: »

Rivers is 5-3 against manning. Two of mannings wins came last year, one of them being that huge comeback.

Rivers has beaten manning twice in the playoffs already.

Chargers I've said all year are solid and imo are one of the best 6 teams in the afc. I never thought Green or Keenan would perform like they have or our oline but with them performances it has elevated us.

This team will only get better getting a lot of money off their books. Would hate to see rivers not getting a ring especially with eli and big Ben with two

5-4? I think he beat you guys once as a Colt (2008), 3 times as a Bronco. But if anything, that just shows you have Indy's number over the past few years, not Peyton's. Besides it's not so much Manning Vs Rivers, as Manning Vs you Defense and Vice Versa.

As an Indy fan I'm not sure we can beat Denver in Mile High, but then, as I said, we can't buy a win against you guys. We'll see.

Leslie91 · 07-01-2014 5:12pm

davyjose wrote: »

5-4? I think he beat you guys once as a Colt (2008), 3 times as a Bronco. But if anything, that just shows you have Indy's number over the past few years, not Peyton's. Besides it's not so much Manning Vs Rivers, as Manning Vs you Defense and Vice Versa.

As an Indy fan I'm not sure we can beat Denver in Mile High, but then, as I said, we can't buy a win against you guys. We'll see.

You're right (http://www.milehighreport.com/2014/1/6/5279130/peyton-manning-vs-san-diego-chargers-part-3) he did beat us/Rivers in 2008.

I still think the Chargers get inside his head, will never forget our Stephen Cooper calling out the Indy plays before they ran.

Justin10 · 07-01-2014 5:16pm

God Cooper against manning was amazing. He knew mannings play but also didn't show our defence till the last second.

Something I think Teo could do down the line.
Should be a great weekend of football.

Molly · 07-01-2014 5:19pm

I think the Chargers being in Peyton's head went out the window when Cooper finished.

Jolly Red Giant · 07-01-2014 6:25pm

It is amazing to see all the Bolts fans on a high after the win last Saturday when a couple of weeks earlier they were all down in the mouth predicting the Chargers were done for the season.

Lets be clear about this - the Chargers were better than their regular season performance indicated. Broncos fans knew this - they know the Chargers and know what they are capable of. But the Chargers are not as good as Bolts fans are now making out. They (barely) won a high octane game against the second string of the KC Chiefs to qualify and then went into wildcard weekend on the adrenaline they got from the win to face a Bengals offence where Dalton completely imploded.

The game against the Broncos next weekend will be a different matter. When the Chargers won in Denver a couple of weeks ago they did so against a Broncos team that was not right for some reason or other. All the vibes coming out of Denver in the days before the game were off and it was clear that the Broncos were not interested in playing that game on the Thursday night. Whatever was wrong that week has been fixed. The Broncos defence has improved since that game and the offence is back in rhythm.

Having McCoy as head coach is an advantage for the Chargers as he has an insight into the Broncos game planning. However, this weekends game will bear no resemblance to the last game (yes the Chargers beat the Broncos and lucky to do it in the end - but remember the Broncos beat the Chargers without much difficulty in SD a month earlier). All the indications are that the Broncos have had two plans in place - one to top the regular season rankings and one for the play-offs. I am expecting a major change-up in the approach of Denver offence during the play-offs and if it clicks then I don't think anyone will be able to outscore them. In particular I think the Chargers offence is limited in its approach and I don't think Rivers will be able to pull it out of the fire against an improving Denver defence. I would be surprised if the Chargers don't run out of steam this weekend and I expect a comfortable Broncos win.

Saying that - I think getting McCoy as HC was a major coup for the Chargers - he appears to know what he is doing - and I expect the Chargers to improve a lot next season. With the Broncos, Chiefs and Chargers I think the AFC west will be back as the powerhouse of the AFC by the end of next year.

OAOB · 07-01-2014 6:29pm

A lot of chargers are playing better football now than earlier in the year and having already played in mile high this year is definitely an advantage for us.

The flip side is we had a lot more to play for last time than the broncos had, its make or break for both teams now so we should expect an improved broncos team.

It's fair to say both offences should dominate but if we can force 2 turnovers we should win. Nervously confident best sums me up

OAOB · 07-01-2014 6:32pm

A lot of chargers are playing better football now than earlier in the year and having already played in mile high this year is definitely an advantage for us.

The flip side is we had a lot more to play for last time than the broncos had, its make or break for both teams now so we should expect an improved broncos team.

It's fair to say both offences should dominate but if we can force 2 turnovers we should win. Nervously confident best sums me up

Leslie91 · 08-01-2014 11:12am

Jolly Red Giant wrote: »

It is amazing to see all the Bolts fans on a high after the win last Saturday when a couple of weeks earlier they were all down in the mouth predicting the Chargers were done for the season.

Lets be clear about this - the Chargers were better than their regular season performance indicated. Broncos fans knew this - they know the Chargers and know what they are capable of. But the Chargers are not as good as Bolts fans are now making out. They (barely) won a high octane game against the second string of the KC Chiefs to qualify and then went into wildcard weekend on the adrenaline they got from the win to face a Bengals offence where Dalton completely imploded.

The game against the Broncos next weekend will be a different matter. When the Chargers won in Denver a couple of weeks ago they did so against a Broncos team that was not right for some reason or other. All the vibes coming out of Denver in the days before the game were off and it was clear that the Broncos were not interested in playing that game on the Thursday night. Whatever was wrong that week has been fixed. The Broncos defence has improved since that game and the offence is back in rhythm.

Having McCoy as head coach is an advantage for the Chargers as he has an insight into the Broncos game planning. However, this weekends game will bear no resemblance to the last game (yes the Chargers beat the Broncos and lucky to do it in the end - but remember the Broncos beat the Chargers without much difficulty in SD a month earlier). All the indications are that the Broncos have had two plans in place - one to top the regular season rankings and one for the play-offs. I am expecting a major change-up in the approach of Denver offence during the play-offs and if it clicks then I don't think anyone will be able to outscore them. In particular I think the Chargers offence is limited in its approach and I don't think Rivers will be able to pull it out of the fire against an improving Denver defence. I would be surprised if the Chargers don't run out of steam this weekend and I expect a comfortable Broncos win.

Saying that - I think getting McCoy as HC was a major coup for the Chargers - he appears to know what he is doing - and I expect the Chargers to improve a lot next season. With the Broncos, Chiefs and Chargers I think the AFC west will be back as the powerhouse of the AFC by the end of next year.

G'day JRG. Count me as one who had stuck a fork in them back in November after the calamity in DC.

But how can a fan not be 'on a high' after closing out the season winning 4 on the spin while the Ravens and Dolphins shat the bed?

I'm not one trying to make the Bolts out to be extra special...(and I'm not sure any of us are to be honest) I'm just riding that wave that a fan gets to ride once in a while when one follows a team like the Chargers, a team that kept the gombeen that is Norv on for 2 yrs too many, one that let players like Brees, VJ and Sproles go for nada. We've felt so much pain that a ride like this is one we will enjoy.

Yes of course we want to go to Denver and win. But none of us, I'm pretty sure, think this will be easy, we know it will be one hell of a game.

Oh and funny enough... I'm one not 100% sold on McCoy yet. I've seen to much conservatism in his playcalling/decision making and dodgy game mgmt to be sure he 100% knows what he is doing. Having said that he is miles ahead of what Norv gave us which was sweet FA.

Roll on sunday.

Leslie91 · 08-01-2014 11:18am

Another thing I should mention is that it does truly sound like the Bolts are playing loose, are playing confident, are very together as a team. That comes from the leaders on the team, lads like Rivers, Weddle, JJ, Nick etc. We've got a great group of leaders now from Telesco down so yes the future looks bright.

Justin10 · 08-01-2014 11:43am

Leslie91 wrote: »

Another thing I should mention is that it does truly sound like the Bolts are playing loose, are playing confident, are very together as a team. That comes from the leaders on the team, lads like Rivers, Weddle, JJ, Nick etc. We've got a great group of leaders now from Telesco down so yes the future looks bright.

How a couple of games can people's change opinion. You guys wanted players like Harrison and Burfict when they beat us. Which is fine but shows how short a nfl season really is. I think the guys AJ and this year TT brought in have been great leaders. Even Teo and Flucker are clearly leaders. We have a really solid team, but Philip won't be around for ever.

Leslie91 · 08-01-2014 11:48am

Rochey18 wrote: »

How a couple of games can people's change opinion. You guys wanted players like Harrison and Burfict when they beat us. Which is fine but shows how short a nfl season really is. I think the guys AJ and this year TT brought in have been great leaders. Even Teo and Flucker are clearly leaders. We have a really solid team, but Philip won't be around for ever.

Who wanted Harrison? I'd take Burfict over Te'o anyday. Te'o is no leader. Did u see Weddle mic'd up, telling Te'o to get after it and just hit anybody cos he doesn't, tentative, slow, soft, BUST. I'm telling ya.

Fluker 100% a leader but still a rookie so not quite in the class of Weddle, Rivers, Hardwick, JJ yet.

Justin10 · 08-01-2014 12:19pm

Leslie91 wrote: »

Who wanted Harrison? I'd take Burfict over Te'o anyday. Te'o is no leader. Did u see Weddle mic'd up, telling Te'o to get after it and just hit anybody cos he doesn't, tentative, slow, soft, BUST. I'm telling ya.

Fluker 100% a leader but still a rookie so not quite in the class of Weddle, Rivers, Hardwick, JJ yet.

You where looking for mean guys on the team in Rey Burfict and Harrison.
I was all for drafting Burfict, but he is a tackling machine, not a whole lot more. Teo problems can be easily fixed. When he sees it he blows it up, just like weddle told him. Look at how many screen passes he blows up. He struggles getting off the tackles and I think he is reluctant to take on an oline. That is something that can be coached. I be more worried about a bone head like Burfict who's commitment and I can be questioned.

Leslie91 · 08-01-2014 12:37pm

Rochey18 wrote: »

You where looking for mean guys on the team in Rey Burfict and Harrison.
I was all for drafting Burfict, but he is a tackling machine, not a whole lot more. Teo problems can be easily fixed. When he sees it he blows it up, just like weddle told him. Look at how many screen passes he blows up. He struggles getting off the tackles and I think he is reluctant to take on an oline. That is something that can be coached. I be more worried about a bone head like Burfict who's commitment and I can be questioned.

By tackling machine you mean 1st and 2nd down ILB?, gimme that over Te'o who will never be the nasty run stuffer we need. I don't believe he 'blows stuff up' he isn't big enough for a start. He's more like a big safety than an ILB. Yes he might eventually offer something in pass coverage but he is not the guy you want on the field in goal line/obvious run situations imho.

Sorry to bang on about it but I'm watching him like a hawk these last few weeks and I see a guy reluctant to get down and dirty and hammer someone. He looks soft to me and that is simply not acceptable.

OAOB · 08-01-2014 12:41pm

Not sure did you see the locker room speech on sunday but they talked about moving on to game 6. This team has been playing playoff football for over a month and winning which will give them huge confidence. We definitely have momentum and I'll happily take ugly victories

Justin10 · 08-01-2014 1:25pm

Leslie91 wrote: »

By tackling machine you mean 1st and 2nd down ILB?, gimme that over Te'o who will never be the nasty run stuffer we need. I don't believe he 'blows stuff up' he isn't big enough for a start. He's more like a big safety than an ILB. Yes he might eventually offer something in pass coverage but he is not the guy you want on the field in goal line/obvious run situations imho.

Sorry to bang on about it but I'm watching him like a hawk these last few weeks and I see a guy reluctant to get down and dirty and hammer someone. He looks soft to me and that is simply not acceptable.

I love talking about Teo so glady go on about him with you ha.
He isn't a Takeo Spikes but neither is Butler, different type of players.
I actually think Teo was done well in coverage, actually very well? Something I was very worried about when we drafted him.

Obvious run situations I agree, he isn't a guy you want in there. But as an overall mlb he could have it all except that run stopper ability like Burfict or Spikes. He is a lot more like Butler imo.

Teo is a player who I think a full training camp would improve him massively because he will be like a sponge and soak all the information up.

setanta74 · 08-01-2014 4:45pm

I wouldnt be hard on T'eo in his rookie year. No doubt he has seemed lost at times against the run when you need him most. Some of the slow-mo's of the chargers giving up the run inside has been painful viewing watching T'eo basically look like a little boy lost. However as Rochey said he has shown promise in coverage and I wouldnt be writing him off so quick. He most definately can get better.

As for Jolly Red Giants view of charger fans approaching this game, I think the concensus here is that we are well positioned to give the donkeys a run for their money on sunday on the back of VAST improvements on defence, playing without fear, and with the momentum behind us plus having beaten them in their own backyard as well. Damn, if you cant be positive and upbeat about all of that heading into a divisional game then you really shouldnt be following sports. Most likely you would just be a miserable sod who probably enjoys hating rather than supporting.

Jolly Red Giant · 08-01-2014 6:04pm

setanta74 wrote: »

As for Jolly Red Giants view of charger fans approaching this game, I think the concensus here is that we are well positioned to give the donkeys a run for their money on sunday on the back of VAST improvements on defence, playing without fear, and with the momentum behind us plus having beaten them in their own backyard as well. Damn, if you cant be positive and upbeat about all of that heading into a divisional game then you really shouldnt be following sports. Most likely you would just be a miserable sod who probably enjoys hating rather than supporting.

As Leslie said above - Bolts fans are entitled to be riding the wave that the recent run has bought them.

However, I think there is a major overestimation of the 'VAST' improvements on defence. The reality is that the Chargers were very lucky to beat KC who played the their back-ups for the entire game and the Chargers still needed a fourth quarter comeback and OT to win and make the play-offs.

Undoubtedly the Chargers players are on a high and have nothing to lose. They have managed to grind out results for the past few weeks and were lucky that Dalton and the Bengals imploded last weekend. The game at Mile High on Sunday will bear absolutely no resemblance to the game last month and any suggestions that because the Chargers won will be relevant to the upcoming game is clutching at straws. I think this weekend is when the chickens come home to roost for the Chargers. As normal with the Broncos the game is likely to be relatively close for two/three quarters with the Broncos pulling away in the fourth for a comfortable two/three TD win.

Leslie91 · 09-01-2014 11:19am

Jolly Red Giant wrote: »

As Leslie said above - Bolts fans are entitled to be riding the wave that the recent run has bought them.

However, I think there is a major overestimation of the 'VAST' improvements on defence. The reality is that the Chargers were very lucky to beat KC who played the their back-ups for the entire game and the Chargers still needed a fourth quarter comeback and OT to win and make the play-offs.

Undoubtedly the Chargers players are on a high and have nothing to lose. They have managed to grind out results for the past few weeks and were lucky that Dalton and the Bengals imploded last weekend. The game at Mile High on Sunday will bear absolutely no resemblance to the game last month and any suggestions that because the Chargers won will be relevant to the upcoming game is clutching at straws. I think this weekend is when the chickens come home to roost for the Chargers. As normal with the Broncos the game is likely to be relatively close for two/three quarters with the Broncos pulling away in the fourth for a comfortable two/three TD win.

This nothing to lose lark is BS. This team is in there with 7 others, all 8 are entitled to dream of winning it all. Lose and you are done, you're a loser, another year gone, someone else gets the plaudits. When it's 1 and you are done, gone, out then there is 'everything to lose' and not nothing.

A better way of putting it might be... "Holy F look where we are, it's amazing we are in with a shot let's give it all we got, it's not like we expected to be here, we sure as hell don't want to be beaten and have to wonder what if".

Justin10 · 09-01-2014 11:59am

I stopped reading after we got lucky the Benegals imploded. Ingram has made such a difference since coming back. With his best buddy Miller out hopefully Ingram can be the difference again. Hurry up Sunday

setanta74 · 09-01-2014 1:34pm

I take it Jolly Red Giant has watched every chargers game this season including the games against the Redskins, Dolphins, 1st Raiders game, Texans etc in order to make his statement that we are "overestimating" our "VAST" improvements on defence???

to be honest its not worth arguing that point because as we all know we have improved hugely on the defensive side of the ball from where we were earlier in the year and the difference Ingram has made.

Anybody who has played any sport knows that you garner confidence from beating big teams and it gives you belief to go out there and play so in that regard our win in Denver recently is absolutely relevant. I agree it will be a different game for sure..of course it will and we will be big underdogs but I would much rather be going to Mile High with my gander up knowing Ive beaten these guys before instead of going in there doubting myself having got stuffed by them only a few weeks ago.

Jolly Red Giant · 10-01-2014 9:51pm

Apparently Whisenhunt is interviewing with the Lions, Browns and Titans for the HC vacancies. He claims its no distraction to preparations for the Broncos V Chargers game and that his priority is the play-off game. One would wonder why would he bother interviewing when it was not his priority and why would teams interview him in such circumstances.

Apparently there is unease within the Chargers over these interviews and rumours that McCoy has had to take over the planning of the Bolts offence for the game.

setanta74 wrote: »

I take it Jolly Red Giant has watched every chargers game this season including the games against the Redskins, Dolphins, 1st Raiders game, Texans etc in order to make his statement that we are "overestimating" our "VAST" improvements on defence???

Nope - I haven't - but the claim is based on the play of the Bolts defence over the past four games - the problem is that the play of the Bolts defence has not been that good.

setanta74 wrote: »

Anybody who has played any sport knows that you garner confidence from beating big teams and it gives you belief to go out there and play so in that regard our win in Denver recently is absolutely relevant.

There is no doubt that the Bolts players have much increased confidence over the past few weeks - they are playing with increased confidence. However, the Broncos players are waiting for payback and the opportunity to stick it down the throat of the Chargers in revenge for the last game.

The game will be utterly and completely different to the last game - that game will have zero relevance to this one. The tactics will be different - the intensity will be different - the game planning will be different - the conditions will be different etc. Specifically the Broncos are going to ram the ball down the throat of the Chargers and force Weddle into the box. And when he moves up in run support Manning will pick the Chargers secondary apart.

OAOB · 10-01-2014 10:26pm

Not sure you're sources but the chargers have given permission to all 3teams to interview whiz and have agreed meeting times. It's been said since he became OC that he was treating it as an audition for a HC spot. It'll be awful to see him go but he's been great this year and a HC job is what he deserves.

With the exception of the chiefs game the chargers defense has been much improved the last few weeks and stats strongly back that up. People are pulling down the stats for the season as reasons for the chargers not having a good, since melvin has come back everyone has raised their game.

I think you're simplifying a game plan a bit much there to say weddle will get dragged into the box by their run game, he's the smartest player we have on defence and can read games brilliantly.
I also think if our front 7 come to play they can be pretty dominant against the run which we will need on sunday if we're to win

Jolly Red Giant · 11-01-2014 12:30am

OAOB wrote: »

I think you're simplifying a game plan a bit much there to say weddle will get dragged into the box by their run game, he's the smartest player we have on defence and can read games brilliantly.
I also think if our front 7 come to play they can be pretty dominant against the run which we will need on sunday if we're to win

I actually read a very interesting analysis of the last Broncos / Chargers game and subsequent Chargers games yesterday and then went back and looked at some of the play from both games.

What was noted was that against the Broncos the Chargers had a moving front 7 with only one or two linemen down and five on their feet. The Chargers employed a similar scheme against the Bengals. The Broncos only ran the ball 11 times in game four weeks ago and the moving front 7 facilitated the Chargers in pressuring Manning during the game. Now from the Broncos perspective this is easy to fix. The use of ZBS or MBS with a pulling guard will deliver yardage against this moving front on first and second downs and create 3rd and short. This will force the Chargers to bring a safety into the box to defend the run (and Weddle crashed the box a lot against the Bengals) leaving the secondary in a cover 1 shell (which they played a lot against the Broncos on the previous meeting). Against the Bengals the Chargers showed a lot of cover 2 before Weddle crashed the box and the Chargers shifted to a cover 1 with the cover safety helping Wright (who is not a particularly good CB). Occasionally Weddle dropped into a zone to cover the TE.

I expect the Chargers to play cover 1 because they need to be aggressive against the Broncos WRs at the LOS in order for the pass rush to pressure Manning. I expect the Broncos to run the ball on 1st and 2nd downs against the moving front 7 using cutbacks to open up some holes - forcing a S into the box. Manning and the OL will have to effectively slide protection in passing plays (the Broncos OL was awful in the first meeting and missed assignments on nearly every play) and play action will open up significant options in the passing game. Manning will pick on Wright and will target the TE and Slot Receiver over the middle (whichever one Weddle is not covering). Dalton attempted to do something similar last week but he is not Manning.

The key for the Chargers is to be physical against the Broncos WRs at the LOS (something the Broncos receivers do not like) and allow the pass rush time to get to Manning. It will be difficult for the Chargers to limit the Broncos running game if the Broncos are persistent and consistent with it and that will feed the pass. The major difference from the last game is that the Broncos have Welker and he causes havoc in the secondary and forces the DBs to back off out of fear he will break a big play. This opens up major extra options for the rest of the Broncos receivers.

In terms of the Chargers offence the key for the Broncos is to stop the running game. I expect the Broncos to committ players to the run and for Knighton and Williams (who is improving each game) to target Cleary (the weakest link on the Chargers OL) to force pressure on the RB. The Broncos DBs must be physical and expect Phillips to bull-rush Fluker consistently. Rivers can get flustered under pressure and is a streaky passer - when he is knocked out of his rhythm he can be inconsistent. Both Clery and Fluker (and Hardwick) are listed as questionable - Cleary did not practice yesterday and the other two were limited.

The Chargers play a lot of 12 personnel on base downs and tried to take advantage of Lenon using Gates last time. Expect Trevathan to be given the responsibility this time around and safety help for Lenon. The Broncos have another improvement on defence since the first game - Bailey is back and played well against the Raiders. He is a significant upgrade on Webster and will double by covering Royal in the slot and playing stellar against the run (he has been one of the best run defending DBs his entire career). Mathews is banged up and the Chargers will expect a big contribution from Woodhead and Brown. I believe the Broncos defence will be significantly stouter against the run this time (and will commit to stopping it).

In the last game the Chargers showed nothing new to the Broncos - the Chargers game-planning and schemes have been quite limited all season. The improvement over the past few games has come from better execution (something that was evident when Chargers fans were weeping in their beer six weeks ago). The Broncos were particuarly vanilla (and predictable) in their gameplay in the last meeting - and did not execute at all. There are indications that the 91 offensive players four days earlier against the Titans took a toll physically and mentally and the Broncos players were just not up for the Thursday night game.

Tomorrow night the Broncos will open up the play book - will execute and will contain the Chargers. This game is not about records for Manning (the last one looked like it was) and the Broncos have had two weeks of practice and two games to sort out the execution issues (which there were none of against the Raiders).

I expect the game to be pretty close up to HT - maybe a field goal in it. But the Broncos are the best in the business at half-time adjustments and I expect the Broncos to pull away in the second half as the adjustments and the Mile High effort for visiting teams kick in. If the Chargers keep Manning off the field like they did the last time then the Chargers defence will have gas for the entire game - if Manning stays on the field (and I expect he will) then the Chargers defenders will be sucking air by the 4th Qtr.

I am looking forward to the game - but I expect a comfortable Broncos win. I don't think the Chargers can change their game planning enough to impact the game and I expect a major up-change in the Broncos approach and their play-off playbook in action.

Justin10 · 11-01-2014 11:55am

Again sorry Jolly but the above is utter rubbish. Your telling me the so called genius that is Payton Manning couldn't beat a cover 1 defence?

Wright is actually a very good corner. Imo he will develop into a star and is highly rated around the league. Probably the best corner we have had for years along with Jammer.

Chargers defence will be made to commit to run stopping which means manning will have a field day, but on the other hand the broncos defence with champ bailey will do the same and be successful against the chargers offence???

The chargers corners are never aggressive at the line of scrimmage so why would that change?

The Chargers offence has been limited? You did see our offence this year and our numbers? Just because you use coaching terms doesn't make what you wrote correct.

Jolly Red Giant · 11-01-2014 8:52pm

Rochey18 wrote: »

Again sorry Jolly but the above is utter rubbish. Your telling me the so called genius that is Payton Manning couldn't beat a cover 1 defence?

The Broncos OL was atrocious against the Chargers last meeting with the pocket collapsing around Manning. Manning and the OL didn't adjust to the Chargers moving front 7 and didn't execute. The Broncos did not run the ball and the Chargers keyed in on pass pressure and collapsing the pocket - which they did effectively.

Rochey18 wrote: »

Wright is actually a very good corner. Imo he will develop into a star and is highly rated around the league. Probably the best corner we have had for years along with Jammer.

How he will develop I don't know - but he is not a good corner now. Wright is an upgrade over Jammer (but that wouldn't be hard)

Rochey18 wrote: »

Chargers defence will be made to commit to run stopping which means manning will have a field day,

The Broncos ran the ball 11 times in the last meeting - they will run the ball (and I expect them to run it effectively) 25+ times tomorrow. The run/pass balance will open up play action and Manning will execute.

Rochey18 wrote: »

but on the other hand the broncos defence with champ bailey will do the same and be successful against the chargers offence???

The Chargers have to run the ball - they have no choice. The key for the Broncos is stopping the run and they will commit to stopping it and forcing Rivers to throw the ball. Bailey is a major upgrade over Webster and will both help run defence and will take away Rivers preferred short passes to the slot.

Rochey18 wrote: »

The chargers corners are never aggressive at the line of scrimmage so why would that change?

I suggest that you look back at the last game - the Chargers jammed the Broncos receivers at the LOS the entire game. Both Decker and Thomas struggle against physical play at the LOS and have struggled all season when faced with it. The Chargers were able to play physical from the CBs because Welker was not playing. If they do the same tomorrow night then Manning will keep hitting either Welker or Thomas all night. By the second half Decker and Thomas will have more room and will start to make plays.

Rochey18 wrote: »

The Chargers offence has been limited? You did see our offence this year and our numbers?

The Chargers has averaged 24 pts a game - it has done so on the running of Mathews and the hot streak that Rivers has been on. The offence has been up and down - scoring high then low McCoy and Wheisenhunt have game planned to the Chargers strengths but they have done so using a limited playbook going with what has worked. That is not enough in the play-offs. The five game win streak has been the following -
1. A win against a pathetic Giants
2. A win against a Broncos team that didn't want to play
3. a win against a pathetic Raiders team
4. A win against the Chiefs second string
5. A win against a Bengals team that imploded on offence.

The Chargers have been lucky - the schedule suited them - they executed a basic game plan that was effective and they have not made mistakes.

Rochey18 wrote: »

Just because you use coaching terms doesn't make what you wrote correct.

The analysis of the previous games is accurate - the outline of a the possible game planning from the Broncos is supposition on my part. However, there are sound reasons why the Broncos would approach the game the way I outlined. If you think it is wrong then please try and outline how you think things are likely to pan out.

Now I will say this - the match-ups between the Broncos and Chargers suit the Chargers. Some teams match-up well against others and for Broncos the bogey team is the Chargers. However, the Broncos are far more talented and will be well prepared for this game. The last time it was clear that none of the Broncos wanted to be on the pitch that Thursday night. All the vibes out of Dove Valley this week is that the Broncos are ready and there will be no mistakes.

TO. · 11-01-2014 9:15pm

Rochey18 wrote: »

The Chargers offence has been limited? You did see our offence this year and our numbers? Just because you use coaching terms doesn't make what you wrote correct.

He used coaching terms? What he did was regurgitate badly an article by the looks of it. I wouldn't be surprised if it was written by a Broncos beat writer or fan. I read that whole post and no surprises he is writing rubbish in other team threads while at the same time playing up the Broncos. Can't help himself.

Jolly Red Giant · 11-01-2014 9:32pm

TO. wrote: »

He used coaching terms? What he did was regurgitate badly an article by the looks of it. I wouldn't be surprised if it was written by a Broncos beat writer or fan. I read that whole post and no surprises he is writing rubbish in other team threads while at the same time playing up the Broncos. Can't help himself.

Well, well. well - T.O. comes in with his usual arrogant 'I know everything and you know nothing' put down.

In case you aren't aware of it - the Broncos and the Chargers are playing each other tomorrow - maybe you should concern yourself with how the Pats are going to do against the Colts later this evening.

And if I had 'regurgitated' an article from a 'beat writer' I would have referenced the article.

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