2021 Official Chargers Season Discusssion

[Topcat]

I'm still waiting for Bosa to own a game he's been good but he has not completely dominated a game yet like he use to.

Bosa used to have SupaMel at his peak (and that's not Ingram's last 2 years)...Joey no longer has a true pass rush threat on the other side...

[Xenos]

I'm still waiting for Bosa to own a game he's been good but he has not completely dominated a game yet like he use to.

As I keep saying, it’s harder to pin your ears back and pass rush if you’re more worried about stopping the run. We messed up Carr in the Raiders game because we were able to stop the run, get a big lead, and forced them to be one dimensional.

[ChargersPowderBlue]

The other edge rushers opposite Bosa aren’t the problem. They’re not going to get to the QB if the opposing team are always in third and short situations where they can run or pass. We don’t need an Aaron Donald (though it would be nice). We just need someone to help the run defense and get opponents in obvious passing situations.

Joseph and Jones provide run stopping. But that's not enough. The linebackers aren't doing a good job in defending the run either.

The starters Joseph, Jones, and Tillery are playing too many minutes. That is a problem. Staley needs to cut them down, and give more to the backups Covington and whoever else is the backup on DL. D-linemen expend a lot of energy doing all the hitting and hustling. Edge players too. You need to give them their breaks. You need to rotate D-linemen and edge players like you rotate RBs.

Hard to do when you are double teamed, maybe triple teamed. I guess you don't notice that
That's called a lack of talent along the DL to help out.

It's been a problem going back to last year and the year before that. But people were too blinded by their anger of Bradley and Lynn. Now they see the issue, those who didn't realize.

[Xenos]

Joseph and Jones provide run stopping. But that's not enough. The linebackers aren't doing a good job in defending the run either.

The starters Joseph, Jones, and Tillery are playing too many minutes. That is a problem. Staley needs to cut them down, and give more to the backups Covington and whoever else is the backup on DL. D-linemen expend a lot of energy doing all the hitting and hustling. Edge players too. You need to give them their breaks. You need to rotate D-linemen and edge players like you rotate RBs.



It's been a problem going back to last year and the year before that. But people were too blinded by their anger of Bradley and Lynn. Now they see the issue, those who didn't realize.

I agree in general with rotating but I don’t think we have the depth to do it. Tillery, for example, should only be coming in on passing downs until he shows more consistency on the earlier downs. I guess part of the reason we’re able to get away with this so far is that our offense is on the field so long. But we need all three phases of our team to work in order for us to keep our starting DL from wearing out. The defense needs to have more 3 and outs, while the offense needs to have long scoring drives. The ST could help with field position ie. pinning an opposing offense deep in their territory.

[Xenos]

Popper’s weekly mailbag. Also answers where the deep ball went this year.
https://theathletic.com/2952951/2021...asses-mailbag/

The Chargers (5-3) return to SoFi Stadium on Sunday afternoon to host the Vikings (3-5), who are on a two-game losing streak.

The teams last met in 2019 in Los Angeles. The Chargers lost that game 39-10 in one of the most lopsided defeats of the Anthony Lynn era.

Some injury news before we get your questions.

Cornerback and dependable special-teamer Ryan Smith tore his ACL in last week’s win over the Eagles. He suffered the injury on a non-contact play while in coverage on defense in the fourth quarter. Smith will be heading to IR sometime before Sunday, likely on Saturday, and will miss the remainder of the season.

Cornerback Michael Davis (hamstring) and running back Justin Jackson (quad) are doubtful for Sunday’s game. Neither player practiced this week, and I expect both to be inactive.

Edge rusher Joey Bosa (ankle), wide receiver Keenan Allen (knee), safety Nasir Adderley(ankle) and safety Mark Webb (knee) are all questionable. Brandon Staley said he expects Bosa and Allen to play Sunday. Bosa slightly tweaked his ankle in Thursday’s practice. Allen hurt his knee on a big hit during the Chargers’ final drive in Philadelphia. Adderley, who hurt his ankle against the Eagles but finished that game, will be a game-time decision.

Linebacker Drue Tranquill was placed on the reserve/COVID-19 list Thursday and will miss Sunday’s game, according to Staley. Linebacker Kenneth Murray, meanwhile, will be activated off IR, most likely on Saturday. Murray has not played since Week 3 because of an ankle injury he suffered in practice.

Cornerback Asante Samuel Jr., who missed last week’s win over the Eagles, is out of the concussion protocol and has been cleared to play against the Vikings.

The Chargers have 52 players on their active roster, with Tranquill on the COVID-19 list. So they can activate Murray without a corresponding move. They will sign another player from the practice squad once they place Smith on IR. I am expecting that to be Kiondre Thomas, considering the Chargers have only four healthy cornerbacks — Samuel, Tevaughn Campbell, Chris Harris Jr. and Kemon Hall.

For the Vikings, linebacker Anthony Barr and defensive tackle Michael Pierce have been ruled out. Cornerback Bashaud Breeland is questionable. Safety Harrison Smith, center Garrett Bradbury and defensive end Kenny Willekes are all on the reserve/COVID-19 list. Defensive end Danielle Hunter, cornerback Patrick Peterson and tight end Irv Smith Jr. are all on IR.

You ask. I answer.

It’s the mailbag.

Do you think Herbert having the fourth-most short passes in the league is an appropriate way to utilize his abilities? — @iLuMiNaT3d

This is a noteworthy statistic and a topic I have been meaning to address. Justin Herbert has thrown 179 passes this season that have traveled 5 or fewer yards in the air, according to TruMedia, the fourth most such pass attempts in the league. He is averaging 7.39 air yards per attempt, which ranks 27th out of 33 qualified quarterbacks.

I understand how these numbers can be confounding. Herbert has one of the strongest arms in the league. Why are the Chargers not pushing the ball downfield more? Where did all those 60-yard bombs go? Herbert was tied for the league lead last season with eight completions of 50 or more yards. He has only one this season.

I think there are a few important contextual points to remember when assessing these numbers.

1. We are not the only ones who have a firm understanding of Herbert’s arm strength. Herbert has now played 23 games, and that means opposing defenses have 23 games of film to dissect in preparation for playing Herbert. Quite simply, defensive coaches have adjusted. They know Herbert is lethal throwing to the deep part of the field, so they are taking that away and forcing him to throw more to the short and intermediate parts of the field. He has fewer chances to take shots down the field because of the coverages defenses are playing. In a perfect world, the Chargers would score on a 70-yard pass on every drive. Trust me, Staley and offensive coordinator Joe Lombardi would take that in a heartbeat. But deep passes are already a low-percentage throw relative to easy completions in the short and intermediate areas of the field. They are even lower percentage when you force throws into disadvantageous coverages.

2. The key to a good passing offense — and really offense overall — is efficiency. And despite Herbert’s low average air yards per attempt, Lombardi is still engineering a very efficient passing offense. Through nine weeks, the Chargers rank sixth in expected points added per dropback, according to TruMedia. And they rank ninth in passing offense DVOA, Football Outsiders’ efficiency metric. The long bombs are exciting, do not get me wrong. But it is hard to argue with the data. Herbert is one of the most efficient quarterbacks in football, and he has achieved that by making good decisions and taking what the defense is giving him.

3. An integral aspect of the Chargers offense is the advantage passing game. It was a staple of the Saints offensive scheme with Drew Brees, and Lombardi has brought those philosophies and concepts to Los Angeles. The Chargers will often have a run called at the line of scrimmage, but the play call will have an advantage passing tag. That means if Herbert gets to the line of scrimmage and sees, say, Mike Williams or Keenan Allen in a clear advantage situation, like one-on-one coverage, he can throw a pass instead of running the called rushing play. These throws tend to be quick, short throws on timing routes — horizontal throws to the edge, slants, fades. For Lombardi, these advantage throws are effectively an extension of the running game. They tend to be very efficient plays because they are exposing a clear advantage in coverage. But they also impact Herbert’s air yards and his number of short throws.

4. The Chargers protection on the right side has been an issue because of injuries, and that has afforded Herbert less time in the pocket. The easiest way to mitigate inconsistent protection is by getting the ball out of Herbert’s hands as quickly as possible. Calling five- and seven-step drops play after play after play can lead to disaster when your protection is not trustworthy. That is also a factor in this. Because of the protection issues, Lombardi must be much more calculated in when and how he calls his deep shots to make sure Herbert has time. That means keeping in extra blockers in max-protection schemes and using play-action pocket movement to create more time. I know Herbert’s protection was shaky last season. He overcame that with a historic level of performance under pressure. Performance in those situations tends to be volatile. And we have already seen a stark drop-off in Herbert’s under-pressure passer rating this season. These are high-risk, high-reward scenarios. Leaning into more efficient play calls in the short and intermediate areas is, in my opinion, just smart play calling, scheming and game planning.

With all that being said, there is certainly room for the Chargers to take advantage of Herbert’s arm strength more. The 49-yard completion to Williams against the Eagles is a good indication of what Herbert is capable of. I think Lombardi articulated his approach to that balance this week.

“We just have to continue to expand our imagination and know that those things are possible with this guy,” Lombardi said. “Not every team can have their quarterback do it. We just have to keep using that arm as a weapon, as it is. He’s so efficient throwing underneath. You saw it on Sunday (against Philly), where his completion percentage was so high. There is a comfort level knowing that when I call one of those plays, there’s a 90 percent chance that we’re getting 6 or 7 yards. It’s an extension of the run game because of the efficiency. That can cause you to play it safe sometimes. … Just always seeing which shot play is applicable on each drive, I think, is important to keep doing.

“Sometimes it’s like, ‘Would I rather be second-and-2 here or second-and-10?’ You have to force yourself to do it. We did some of that on Sunday. I’ll continue to try to keep that aggression up.”


What’s going on with big Mike? Loved his role in the offense earlier in the season when he was treated like a complete receiver. Now it seems like they are just using him strictly as a deep guy again. Is there an injury he is playing through? Plans to revive his early-season role? — @sandman_2411

Mike Williams had some swelling develop in his knee after the Browns win. He set career highs in targets (16), receptions (eight) and receiving yards (165) in that game. In the three games since, Williams has 15 total targets, six total receptions and 104 total receiving yards. Williams has not had more than five targets or two receptions in any of those three games.

The drop-off in production and involvement is apparent. And while Staley said Williams’ knee injury has not been a factor, I do not think this is mere coincidence. Williams injured this same knee in 2019. There is an obvious correlation here between when Williams started dealing with the knee injury and when his production started to decline.

At the same time, the Chargers have a ton of playmakers on their offense in the passing game. And so targets will fluctuate as a result. There is only one ball to go around.

“There were a couple times where just the ball didn’t go his way when, hey, that design is for him,” Staley said of Williams. “So it’s target share. But we want to make sure that Mike is involved in the game, and I think that his presence does so much for our offense, and you can’t minimize that.”

Mike Williams’ production has taken a hit since suffering a knee injury against the Browns. (Eric Hartline / USA Today)


How concerning is Chris Harris’ play since his return from injury? Are his physical skills diminishing or more of a scheme issue? — @Richardgoesblah

Harris has gone through some ups and downs in coverage since returning from his injury. He got beat badly multiple times in the Eagles game. According to Pro Football Focus, Harris has allowed 12 receptions on 17 targets in coverage for 182 yards since coming back from that shoulder injury in Week 5. One of those completions was a 28-yard touchdown to Devonta Smith in the Eagles game that Staley took responsibility for. The Chargers were trying to get to a check in which Derwin Jameswas supposed to drop to the post, but they did not adjust in time. That left Harris on an island. But I still think those numbers are a good indication of where Harris is at right now. He is not playing at a high level in coverage.

Still, I do not think we can overlook what Harris brings from a leadership and knowledge standpoint. He is fluent in the scheme and has a wealth of experience. He has been instrumental in keeping things calm on the field and getting players lined up correctly. That has been a factor in the Chargers’ young defensive backs, such as Samuel, Adderley and Campbell, exceeding expectations this season.

Harris’ play is certainly something to monitor. The Chargers need more out of him in coverage.


What can the Chargers do to attempt to slow down Dalvin Cook this week? — @DaveyDice

The Vikings rushing attack is a bit peculiar. Cook has missed some time due to injury, but he is still one of the best backs in the league and is having a fine season. He is eighth in the league in rushing yards and 14th in yards per attempt. Overall, though, the Vikings have one of the least efficient rushing attacks in the league. They rank 29th in both rushing EPA/play and rushing DVOA. Cook’s backup Alexander Mattison is averaging 3.7 yards per attempt and ranks 52nd among 53 players with at least 50 carries this season in EPA/rush, according to TruMedia.

Staley attributed the inefficiencies to the many missing pieces the Vikings have dealt with up front. Rookie left tackle Christian Darrisaw did not start until Week 6. Bradbury missed last week and remains on the COVID-19 list. Irv Smith has missed the entire season with a torn meniscus.

Cook is up for this game, though, and the Vikings and offensive coordinator Klint Kubiak — son of Gary Kubiak — should be keenly aware of the Chargers’ struggles stopping the run. The Vikings still major in outside zone in the running game, and Cook is one of the best in the league in that scheme, reading the blocks and using one cut to explode upfield.

“The numbers EPA-wise may say something,” Staley said. “But the film, in terms of our respect for the level of their run game, is really high.”

The good news for the Chargers: They have improved their run defense since the bye week. Getting Justin Jones back has helped. Linval Joseph continues to play at an extremely high level. The Chargers rank 19th in EPA on run defense over the past two weeks, according to TruMedia.


With the RB2 situation up in the air, will the team look to alternatives to shake up the mix? Bring in an outside veteran? Promote Darius Bradwell for a game? — @SoCalFan59

With Jackson likely out for a second straight game, the plan for now is for the Chargers to roll with Joshua Kelley and Larry Rountree as their backup running backs. Neither player has been productive this season. Kelley has 30 rushing yards on nine attempts. Rountree is averaging 2.5 yards per carry on 29 carries this season. The lack of a second option behind Austin Ekeler is an issue for this offense.

“We’re not disappointed with those two,” Staley said of Kelley and Rountree. “The production hasn’t been there, and those are the facts, for sure, but I think we have yet to make that full determination whether they can or can’t.”


With Week 10 being four weeks since Bulaga’s injury and him being out for 4-6 weeks, any news on when he’ll be back? — @gilsery

Offensive tackle Bryan Bulaga underwent surgery on his core muscle exactly a month ago. But the timetable for his return was never four to six weeks. Not sure where that is coming from. Staley said earlier this week that Bulaga has started working out on the practice field, but the veteran still has a long way to go before he is ready for game action again. I am not convinced that we will see Bulaga back on the field this season. So I would get used to Storm Norton at right tackle.

[WindsorUK]

Big Mel pretty much sucked the past few years...Joey has been a 1 man wrecking crew.
IF TT knew what he was doing on draft day, Bosa would have a counter balance to allow him to unload. Unfortunately, TT is busy choosing 3rd and 4th string receivers in round 3.
Totally inexcusable.

[Topcat]

Mike Williams had some swelling develop in his knee after the Browns win. He set career highs in targets (16), receptions (eight) and receiving yards (165) in that game. In the three games since, Williams has 15 total targets, six total receptions and 104 total receiving yards. Williams has not had more than five targets or two receptions in any of those three games.

The drop-off in production and involvement is apparent. And while Staley said Williams' knee injury has not been a factor, I do not think this is mere coincidence. Williams injured this same knee in 2019. There is an obvious correlation here between when Williams started dealing with the knee injury and when his production started to decline.

Here we go again...the injury bug bites Mike Will...do we extend him to a MegaBank deal and risk diminishing future returns due to injuries? Or, do we let him walk and gladly take a 3rd or 4th round comp pick? To be evaluated at the end of the season...

[richpjr]

Here we go again...the injury bug hits Mike Will...do we extend him to a MegaBank deal and risk diminishing future returns due to injuries? Or, do we let him walk and gladly take a 3rd or 4th round comp pick? To be evaluated at the end of the season...

I really like Williams - when he is healthy. But with his injury history I just would not pay him unless he was willing to take a very team friendly deal, which I wouldn’t expect him to. Take the compensatory pick and let him walk.

[Topcat]

Big Mel pretty much sucked the past few years...Joey has been a 1 man wrecking crew.
IF TT knew what he was doing on draft day, Bosa would have a counter balance to allow him to unload. Unfortunately, TT is busy choosing 3rd and 4th string receivers in round 3.
Totally inexcusable.

Yep...in another post, I listed all the D-line draft picks by TT by round...and one unfortunate pattern is that either TT doesn't draft D-line, or he tends to wait until mid or late rounds to do so...Bosa and Tillery were the only exceptions...Tillery has busted so far...and Nwosu so far hasn't lived up to his 2nd round slot...TT's sorry D-line history is littered with the likes of jags like Tourek Williams, Carrethers, Philon, Rochel and Broughton...out of the whole bunch, Bosa is the only one with some real value...and Justin Jones...when he's healthy...

[WindsorUK]

Without getting too deep into "it".... TT just hasn't done a good job.
How he manages to retain his position......beyond me..
Joey needs another box guy that makes a difference, someone that needs to be accounted for( and NO, DJ doesn't count. Too much injury and downfield coverage)

[Xenos]

Yep...in another post, I listed all the D-line draft picks by TT by round...and one unfortunate pattern is that either TT doesn't draft D-line, or he tends to wait until mid or late rounds to do so...Bosa and Tillery were the only exceptions...Tillery has busted so far...and Nwosu so far hasn't lived up to his 2nd round slot...TT's sorry D-line history is littered with the likes of jags like Tourek Williams, Carrethers, Philon, Rochel and Broughton...out of the whole bunch, Bosa is the only one with some real value...and Justin Jones...when he's healthy...

Nwosu wasn’t a DL though. He was always a LB.

[Boltjolt]

Nwosu wasn’t a DL though. He was always a LB.

Yes but he hasn't played any LB for us. Now we'll see if Murray can rush from the Edge. Parsons has done well dong both but he was a DE before he was moved to LB.

Some guys can do it, some can't.