2021 Official Chargers Season Discusssion

[Maniaque 6]

Davis Mills almost did it yesterday !

[chargeroo]

Davis Mills almost did it yesterday !

He sure was accurate. The Texans may have struck gold with him.

[Boltjolt]

Looking like Burrows is the best qb in that draft class.

This week you like Burrow? lol.

Well hec many of us liked Burrow in that draft and liked him better than Herbert so nothing he does is a surprise and only Chainy was always criticizing him.
Our guy is pretty good. Neither are a finished product and some here seem to expect Herbert to be Aaron Rodgers already.

Well hey people, Aaron Rodgers wasnt Aaron Rodgers in his second season and was still sitting the bench so Herbert is far ahead of that curve.

[jamrock]

This week you like Burrow? lol.

Well hec many of us liked Burrow in that draft and liked him better than Herbert so nothing he does is a surprise and only Chainy was always criticizing him.
Our guy is pretty good. Neither are a finished product and some here seem to expect Herbert to be Aaron Rodgers already.

Well hey people, Aaron Rodgers wasnt Aaron Rodgers in his second season and was still sitting the bench so Herbert is far ahead of that curve.

yeah this week he threw for 525. In on a week to week basis

[Boltjolt]

yeah this week he threw for 525. In on a week to week basis

Yep he did. Burrow is going to be an elite QB.

[Bolt4Knob]

Yep he did. Burrow is going to be an elite QB.

lot of young talent around him too with Higgins, Chase and Mixon

[JAFA]

The Burrows / Herbert discussions will be going on for years (which is a good thing), but I'd like to make an observation or two:

The team situations are not similar - this year Herbert has had to deal with;

1. An new coaching staff
2. A new and complex offensive system
3. One of the worst defenses in the NFL on a 'points given up' basis
Honorable mention; no dependable running game

The case can be made that Herbert is being asked to do more 'heavy lifting' relative to the team's ability to win games than any other QB in the league. He MUST play very well or the Chargers have no chance of winning (no matter who we play), particularly in this last portion of the NFL season where wear and tear / injuries / Covid take their toll on (our non-existent) defensive depth. He's is and has been REQUIRED to carry the team - which is something no other young QB (even Burrow) is being asked to do, and even seasoned vets have difficulty doing on a consistent basis. That's a LOT of pressure on a second year QB. Herbert has handled this level of pressure unbelievably well (IMO) considering the situation he's in, which bodes well for the future.

The real problem with this team is item #3 above. I'm aware of the offensive line issues but there can be no more important element to address this offseason than the defense. I'm inclined to discount stats generally, but 15 games into the season it's VERY clear why we are struggling to win games; the Charger's defense is 31st in points against. It's interesting to note that the Bengals are 14th in points against - middle of the pack. Look no further that our PA to understand the decisions Staley has to make in order to win games. I guarantee that if we were a middle of the pack defense we would see less going for it on 4th down, but we're in 'outscore' mode all the time. Staley's not stupid - he probably realized this in training camp and it's only gotten worse as players go down. As a defensive coach it's probably killing him that he can't get better defensive play out of this group, but coaching only goes so far - at some point you have to have (enough) good players. The offense on the other hand - with all of it's issues, is currently ranked 8th in points for, but as a team we're at -3 for overall point differential. The Bengals are +86. All of this makes a huge difference in how each team approaches the games.

Not denigrating Burrow's accomplishments at all - he's a very good QB, and if we didn't have Herbert I'd have no problem with him instead, but considering the circumstances Herbert's on a different level. I only hope he can mentally and emotionally survive the remainder of the season and hopefully a playoff game (or two) and not get crushed under the load he's being asked to carry.

My 2 cents

[blueman]

Everyone has an off day. When Herbert is on, he’s AFC Player of the Week. Hopefully he’s on the next two games.

[BlazingBolt]

Athletic I saw still has bolts odds of making the playoffs at 40.6%

[richpjr]

Everyone has an off day. When Herbert is on, he’s AFC Player of the Week. Hopefully he’s on the next two games.

The problem with Herbert having an off day is that there is literally nobody on the roster to pick up the slack. We have a bad defense and no real running game. If Herbert doesn't perform at a high level we are in trouble.

[powderblueboy]

Athletic I saw still has bolts odds of making the playoffs at 40.6%

That seems about right....Denver is pretty much eliminated (every game is no longer a playoff game for them from now on),
and the Raiders are the Raiders.

I'm totally incurious as to what the other teams need to do....the Chargers really shit in their pants yesterday.
So, the hot girl still wants to go out with them? Who cares.

[BoltUp InLA]

The Burrows / Herbert discussions will be going on for years (which is a good thing), but I'd like to make an observation or two:

The team situations are not similar - this year Herbert has had to deal with;

1. An new coaching staff
2. A new and complex offensive system
3. One of the worst defenses in the NFL on a 'points given up' basis
Honorable mention; no dependable running game

The case can be made that Herbert is being asked to do more 'heavy lifting' relative to the team's ability to win games than any other QB in the league. He MUST play very well or the Chargers have no chance of winning (no matter who we play), particularly in this last portion of the NFL season where wear and tear / injuries / Covid take their toll on (our non-existent) defensive depth. He's is and has been REQUIRED to carry the team - which is something no other young QB (even Burrow) is being asked to do, and even seasoned vets have difficulty doing on a consistent basis. That's a LOT of pressure on a second year QB. Herbert has handled this level of pressure unbelievably well (IMO) considering the situation he's in, which bodes well for the future.

The real problem with this team is item #3 above. I'm aware of the offensive line issues but there can be no more important element to address this offseason than the defense. I'm inclined to discount stats generally, but 15 games into the season it's VERY clear why we are struggling to win games; the Charger's defense is 31st in points against. It's interesting to note that the Bengals are 14th in points against - middle of the pack. Look no further that our PA to understand the decisions Staley has to make in order to win games. I guarantee that if we were a middle of the pack defense we would see less going for it on 4th down, but we're in 'outscore' mode all the time. Staley's not stupid - he probably realized this in training camp and it's only gotten worse as players go down. As a defensive coach it's probably killing him that he can't get better defensive play out of this group, but coaching only goes so far - at some point you have to have (enough) good players. The offense on the other hand - with all of it's issues, is currently ranked 8th in points for, but as a team we're at -3 for overall point differential. The Bengals are +86. All of this makes a huge difference in how each team approaches the games.

Not denigrating Burrow's accomplishments at all - he's a very good QB, and if we didn't have Herbert I'd have no problem with him instead, but considering the circumstances Herbert's on a different level. I only hope he can mentally and emotionally survive the remainder of the season and hopefully a playoff game (or two) and not get crushed under the load he's being asked to carry.

My 2 cents

Very good point about Herbert having to carry the Chargers to win games. Stafford threw a couple of pics and certainly did not play well overall at all, but the Rams were still able to get that ‘W’. I am curious as to why the Chargers did not make more in-season moves. Stephen Gilmore was apparently available earlier for a discount. Melvin Ingram has played an important role in the Chiefs turnaround defensively. The Chargers roster lacks depth throughout, so it would have made sense to add more key pieces when they were available. TT has done well with the cap, but I wonder if he hasn’t been a little too stingy in the process.