Encouraging things

[richpjr]

This.

Oliver has come back to earth and Brown is just not as explosive as Mathews. Unfortunately, Mathews is always getting injured and the running game nosedives when he's out.

I think they could get away with Brown and Oliver if the o-line was better though.

In the past 6 games, Oliver has rushed 49 times for for 116 yards - that's a 2.37 yards per carry average. Behind the same line (though only 4 games as he missed 2 with injury), Mathews has rushed 51 times for 259 yards, which is 5.08 yards per carry average. Oliver is just a guy. We need someone more durable than Mathews and much more explosive than Oliver.

[OhioBolt]

In the past 6 games, Oliver has rushed 49 times for for 116 yards - that's a 2.37 yards per carry average. Behind the same line (though only 4 games as he missed 2 with injury), Mathews has rushed 51 times for 259 yards, which is 5.08 yards per carry average. Oliver is just a guy. We need someone more durable than Mathews and much more explosive than Oliver.

Agreed Mathews is a difference maker and he seem to overcome the fumbles, but hasn't overcome the injuries, even though he got leg whipped on the one play that was a penalty I seen guys hit harder and continue to play. I wish he could stay healthy he could of made a difference last night.

The thing I hate most is that we have another need to fill next year along with OL and DL add RB I just don't see use signing Mathews unless he takes a user friendly deal that is incentive based, just can't count on him game to game. So looks like 2015 for sure it is Woodhead and who????????????

Donald Brown I say cut his ass
Brandon Oliver has proven to be replaceable he hasn't done nothing since the Jets and the Raiders game he hasn't done squat.

[KNSD]

In the past 6 games, Oliver has rushed 49 times for for 116 yards - that's a 2.37 yards per carry average. Behind the same line (though only 4 games as he missed 2 with injury), Mathews has rushed 51 times for 259 yards, which is 5.08 yards per carry average. Oliver is just a guy. We need someone more durable than Mathews and much more explosive than Oliver.

I get the feeling that Oliver gets better with more touches. However, his ceiling is too low to justify lots of touches during a game.

[BoltFan84]

For me, it felt like Norv Turner made a comeback last night. Suddenly we mostly abandoned quick passing game that worked nicely for us against likes of Rams, Ravens, Hawks, and decided to rely on downfield passing. Patriots responded, by hovering at LOS, play man, and blitz like crazy (recipe against Norv's teams). To make things worst, Chargers rarely went into max protect, hardly keeping TE/RB to block for Rivers, and mysteriously abandoned running game while leading in game much of way (If Reich/McCoy can't find a way to establish running game, this team won't go far)

I tell you, that game plan was unlike how they played most of this/last year, and badly executed version of Norvitis football. I even think they played away from their players strengths and/or what's been ingrained in them so far. I guess McCoy wanted to show that he can be just as unpredictable as Belichick.

I'd like to add that Special Teams play has been horrendous last three games. They could have easily been the scapegoat in last few games.

[richpjr]

The defense did play it's ass off for 3 quarters. It's just too bad that games are 4 quarters long. Allowing 157 yards, back to back scoring drives for 10 points, and an all but game ending drive when we desperately needed a 3 and out in the 4th quarter leaves a sour taste in my mouth and is not my idea of good defense in crunch time. Yet somehow it's not the defenses fault, it's just the other team's offense stepped up while ours didn't. Huh? Again, I agree the offense sucked ass along with our special teams that hurt us badly. But why couldn't our defense play for 4 quarters like theirs did? And I'll repeat, the time of possession was not lopsided at the start of the 4th quarter so the we were worn out excuse doesn't fly. If we had kept on forcing 3 and outs like they did, we might have won. We didn't and lost.

[homeless simpson]

Which is the strength of our team, offense or defense? which part of the team were you expecting to help win us the game, offense or defense?

Since you brought up that the defense only played well for 3 qrtrs, and not the full 60 minutes, how many qrtrs has the offense played well in? How many qrtrs has the offense played well in the last month?

Which phase of the team at least has some semblance of being playoff ready?

Tbh, coming into the game it was quite possible that the team could come out flat after an emotional road win, and the encouraging thing was the D was the only one that came to play even if it was for only 3qrtrs.

[richpjr]

Which is the strength of our team, offense or defense? which part of the team were you expecting to help win us the game, offense or defense?

Since you brought up that the defense only played well for 3 qrtrs, and not the full 60 minutes, how many qrtrs has the offense played well in? How many qrtrs has the offense played well in the last month?

Which phase of the team at least has some semblance of being playoff ready?

Tbh, coming into the game it was quite possible that the team could come out flat after an emotional road win, and the encouraging thing was the D was the only one that came to play even if it was for only 3qrtrs.

I don't know that we have a consistent strength. This team is schizophrenic. What was a strength in special teams has suddenly turned very shaky in the past month - and that was before Scifres got hurt. Rivers was bad last night, but great the previous two games. The defense has gotten better since we started getting players back, especially in the red zone, but still has too many lapses.

[Millionaire Wussy]

I don't see how this team beats Denver. In any way or fashion. Maybe our water-boy sprints out to the huddle faster than theirs.

[Panama]

I guess I'm in the minority about the defense. With the game on the line they gave up a go ahead drive for a fg, a TD that about iced it, and a couple of first downs after McCoy all but conceded the game by punting. Not sure how giving up nearly 400 yards of offense is a good showing.

They were dominating for three quarters, but they were also on the field for three-quarters of those three quarters because of the offense's inability to extend drives. You can't put that on the D.

[Panama]

Thank you for saying what needs to be said, I feel sometimes here people have become afraid to speak their minds because their heads might get torn off...

Plenty of people have said negative things about the defense's showing against the Pats on Sunday night.


And most of them have been wrong.

[Panama]

One positive thing out of tonight is that it will be virtually impossible for us the host a playoff game now, so I don't have to pony up playoff ticket money!

I'm still hoping that I can pony up for playoff tickets. If not in San Diego in the Wild Card round, maybe in New England the following week. I would pay to delay my flight back for that.

[richpjr]

They were dominating for three quarters, but they were also on the field for three-quarters of those three quarters because of the offense's inability to extend drives. You can't put that on the D.

If that were true, yes. For the entire game they had the ball for 9:06 longer than us. In the 4th quarter alone they had the ball 10:48 to our 4:52 (or 5:56 more). If my advanced math is correct, that means at the start of the 4th quarter, they had the ball for 3:10 more than we did up to that point.