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Originally posted by Caslon
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in pre season did not look great, but i think with 4 solid to great guys next to him, it was easier for him to succeed ......he did not have to worry about any except his man..... in pre season we witnessed jailbreaks..... -
.Originally posted by powderblueboy View Post
Pipkins was projected to be ahead of Norton on the depth chart at RG. Staley might go with Norton again if Bulaga can’t play. I say yes to that, just to see if Norton’s performance was a fluke.Comment
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Staley has said long ago that Norton would replace Bulaga in case of injury.
He wasn't really given a chance to screw up last Sunday. Will the training wheels come off of Storm this week?Comment
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Gregory's availability isn't set in stone.Originally posted by powderblueboy View Post
From Cowboys media:
Gregory is vaccinated and is “not experiencing serious symptoms,” Jones said. If Gregory can pass two negative COVID-19 test 24 hours apart he can be cleared and return to the field for Sunday’s 3:25 p.m. game.Comment
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For a backup, Norton is decent. He does get bullrushed, gets backed up, (below, yellow) but usually steers his man to the outside to buy Herbie some time. Note that Slater (blue) has few such issues. Still, I think we can get by with Norton if need be, but I'd still like him to hit the weights and bulk up, while refining his technique to improve his anchor.Originally posted by Caslon View Post
norton.JPGLast edited by Topcat; 09-15-2021, 01:21 PM.Comment
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Vizcaino 2/2 FG and 2/2 XP
And Badley misses two kicks worth 4pts.
Staley wins by 4pts, kicker decision looks great so far.Who has it better than us?Comment
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Look at the pocket ha has! It's great to have a good OL again after so many years!Originally posted by wu-dai clan View PostTHE YEAR OF THE FLIP!Comment
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The last time the team had an O-line this good was the last time we won the division.Originally posted by chargeroo View PostComment
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Bankrupt Bags gone after just one game...wow, talk about a REAL short leash...Originally posted by Critty View PostComment
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Popper’s final thoughts on this game.
The Chargers started the season 1-0 with a 20-16 victory at the Washington Football Team on Sunday.
They will face the Cowboys this weekend in their home opener at SoFi Stadium. As the focus shifts to Dallas, here are some final thoughts, stats and quotes from the first win of the Brandon Staley era.
1. This was the best pass-protection performance I have seen from a Chargers offensive line since I started covering the team in 2019. I know that is not saying much, considering the talent the Chargers have trotted out up front over the past two seasons, largely due to injuries. But, at the same time, it is significant. Staley and general manager Tom Telesco made upgrading the offensive line a priority this offseason. They brought in four new starters, three in free agency and one in the first round of the draft. And after not playing a single snap together in the preseason, that group showed up in a big way against what is one of the best defensive fronts in all of football.
2. We don’t have access to the all-22 yet, so we cannot dive into the film on the offensive line, and that is unfortunate. But the numbers that emerged from Sunday’s win backed up what I saw live in Landover. The Chargers held Washington to just six pressures on Justin Herbert’s 49 dropbacks for a 12.2 percent pressure-allowed rate, according to TruMedia. That was the lowest rate of any team in the league in Week 1. Herbert was kept clean apart from two sacks — both of them in the red zone. The first came late in the first half off play action on second-and-goal. Watching the TV tape, it looked like the play was designed to go to Keenan Allen on a route to the back of the end zone. By the time Herbert got off the read, the play had broken down. Chase Youngforced some pressure off the right side against Bryan Bulaga, and Herbert stepped into a Jonathan Allen sack up the middle. The second sack was the sack-fumble. Storm Norton, who had replaced Bulaga at right tackle, was beaten clean off the right side by Montez Sweat.
3. Staley had high praise for his new-look offensive line on Monday after watching the tape. He specifically mentioned the Chargers’ “historic” day on third down, which I wrote about after the game. He also commended Herbert’s “timing” in the pocket. “They were outstanding,” Staley said. “We really had a tremendous protection plan going into the game. … Our guys had command of this plan, and they played like it. I felt like we were able to play with the type of variety that we needed to, run, pass, the types of passes, the types of runs, to kind of get their rushers off rhythm. That’s a really, really good defense that we just played. And watching the film, it really reflects that. … I was really pleased with how our O-line communicated. I thought that we played with real physicality. And it’s obviously a good start.”
4. Rookie left tackle Rashawn Slater might have played the best of the bunch. He did not allow a pressure in 49 pass-blocking snaps, according to TruMedia. And he did that while being left on an island pretty regularly against Young and Sweat. Slater was also a force in the run game, particularly on that impressive opening touchdown drive when the Chargers were running behind him on their way to seven points. Slater opened the hole on Austin Ekeler’s 3-yard touchdown run.
5. Staley on Slater pass protecting in one-on-one scenarios against Washington: “When he was in true isolation, without any scheme, as you would say, to help him, this guy was really strong. He was fundamentally sound. He was physically tough. … It felt like he had real good awareness. And then just taking the fight to the opponent.”
6. One of the only negatives for the offensive line in this game was Bulaga going down with a back injury. Bulaga did not play in the second half. Norton replaced him and gave up only one pressure, on that Sweat sack-fumble. Bulaga played sparingly last season because of a pretty severe back issue, so this is absolutely concerning. Staley would not say if this injury is related to last season’s injury. The Chargers might be relying on Norton — at least on and off — the rest of the way. Without pretty regular help on the edge from chipping running backs or tight ends, Norton is liable to slip-ups. He was one-on-one with Sweat on the sack. Staley labeled Bulaga as “day to day.”
7. There was a reason Nasir Adderley earned the No. 11 spot in our rankings of the 20 players most important to the Chargers’ success in 2021. He has to play at a high level for this to be an elite defense. He did not play at a high level against Washington. He made what Staley called a “poor read” on Asante Samuel’s 35-yard pass interference penalty early in the second quarter. Adderley should have been giving Samuel help over the top, Staley said. In the third quarter, Adderley somehow misplayed a ball on a deep route down the left sideline to Terry McLaurin. I still do not understand how he did make a play on the ball there. McLaurin made an acrobatic catch for a 34-yard gain — the only completion of more than 20 yards the Chargers allowed all game. On the next play in the red zone, Adderley, who briefly left the game with a hip flexor injury before returning, had poor positioning in man coverage on tight end Logan Thomas. In the end zone, Adderley was covering the 6-foot-5 Thomas on his back shoulder instead of his front one. That led to Washington’s only touchdown of the day. Adderley has to be better.
8. Staley on Adderley’s misplay on the McLaurin completion: “I would prefer for our defensive player to catch it or knock it down. He tracked it fine in terms of getting over there, but he had plenty of time to finish that play, and you need to finish that play as a defensive player. So I would prefer for him to finish the play and not for Terry McLaurin to catch it.”
9. Staley on Adderley’s coverage against Thomas on the touchdown: “That was a coaching point that I’ve got to do a better job of educating the guy on because he was in good shape. It’s not like he was beat across his face. He just needs to play it with different leverage. And that will be a good one for him to learn from because those are the kind of guys they throw to down there.”
10. Special teams was not a detriment to the Chargers against Washington. That is already a step forward. Most importantly, new kicker Tristan Vizcaino made both of his field goals. But there were a couple of things that need to be cleaned up. Staley said Ty Long’s first punt — a 47-yarder down the middle of the field — was one he would “like to have back.” DeAndre Carter broke off a 14-yard return on that play. Carter also had a 31-yard kickoff return in the second quarter where the leverage broke down in coverage. K.J. Hill let two punts drop in front of him that should have been secured on the fly. One bounced ahead, and the Chargers lost nearly 18 yards of field position. “We got to go catch these punts,” Staley said.
11. Jalen Guyton played 53 offensive snaps in the game and appears to be the No. 3 wideout for the moment. Slightly surprising, considering how well Joshua Palmer played in camp. Guyton caught three passes for 49 yards. Palmer, who played 14 offensive snaps, caught a pass for 17 yards.
12. Linebacker Drue Tranquill played only three defensive snaps. As I wrote during training camp, Kyzir White had emerged as the starter next to Kenneth Murray. That materialized in this game. For now, Tranquill will have to make his impact on special teams. Tranquill forced a holding call on a punt rush up the middle in the fourth quarter that gave the Chargers an additional 10 yards of field position on their final drive of the game.
13. Speaking of that final drive, I loved how the Chargers kept throwing the ball in a four-minute-offense situation. They passed on five of their first six plays from scrimmage, putting the ball in Herbert’s hands to win the game. That allowed them to milk the final 6:43 in one of the more impressive drives of Herbert’s career. “We were going to stay aggressive,” Staley said. “They may think that we’re in four-minute mode, we’re trying to run it a little bit, trying to burn some clock, this and that. And that wasn’t going to be our approach. We still wanted to throw the football.”
14. Despite giving up 126 rushing yards on 26 carries, I thought the run defense was solid. The lone explosive run came in the first quarter, when Antonio Gibson surged through a hole and down the sideline for 27 yards. Michael Davis missed a tackle on that play. On his 19 other carries, Gibson averaged 3.3 yards.
15. The Chargers’ two best defensive players, Derwin James and Joey Bosa, had great games. James should have hauled in an interception in the first quarter after smothering Dyami Brown in coverage and jumping a route. Bosa created pressure on the play. Bosa finished with four pressures and a sack. He also had a really impressive hustle play, tracking down Taylor Heinicke from behind on a third-and-16 scramble attempt late in the fourth quarter. Adderley and James were in position to make the tackle on Heinicke, so Bosa sprinting back did not necessarily prevent a first down. But it was a perfect example of the kind of effort Bosa plays with for 60 minutes. “That hustle play at the end just shows you why he’s so valuable,” Staley said.
16. The Chargers passed on 60 percent of their first downs in the first half against Washington. Last season, the Chargers passed on 47 percent of their first downs in first halves. #LetHerboCook is in full effect.
17. Ekeler did not get targeted in the passing game. But Herbert said not to read too far into that stat. The wide receivers and tight ends were winning their matchups and getting open. “That’s always the plan, is to throw the ball downfield,” Herbert said. “The guys ran incredible routes today, got open, offensive line did a great job of holding me upright, so I had time to make those throws.” Ekeler is still a massive asset in the passing game, though, and I would be shocked if the Chargers do not get him more involved, especially in the screen game, as the season progresses.
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Deep dive into lack of play action and bootleg last week. WFT is very good against both those looks due to their DL (against screens as well). So we had a game plan to negate their strengths with quick action under center.
Expect more PA and screens going forward.Comment
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