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Popper’s final thoughts on the game. Nice to see a bounce back game from Adderly. Here’s hoping it continues, and that Staley’s teaching/coaching affects everyone else that disappointed in week 2.
The Chargers lost to the Cowboys 20-17 in their home opener at SoFi Stadium on Sunday afternoon. At 1-1, they are tied with the Chiefs, who they face this week in Kansas City, at the bottom of the AFC West. The Broncos and Raiders are both 2-0.
Here are some final thoughts, notes, quotes and stats from Brandon Staley’s first regular-season loss as head coach.
1. A lot of the emphasis after the game was put on a few controversial calls, and I will give you my day-after analysis on those later in this post. But the truth is, those calls did not decide the game. The Chargers did not play well enough in all three phases. They committed 10 penalties on offense — eight of which were not even close to controversial, including the Jared Cook hold on Donald Parham’s touchdown. They allowed 198 yards rushing on 31 attempts. They did not tackle well enough. They did not pass protect well enough. And Tristan Vizcaino missed a field goal.
2. Staley said it best: “The Los Angeles Chargers are in control of what happened (Sunday). And we need to put the focus on us.”
3. We can start with the pass protection. The Chargers allowed 18 pressures in the game, according to Pro Football Focus. Right tackle Storm Norton allowed nine of them on 51 pass-blocking snaps. Left tackle Rashawn Slater was not as good in this game as he was against Washington. He allowed four pressures. He just was not as sharp or consistent in pass protection. But Norton was the real issue. And the breakdowns forced Justin Herbert to do a lot of escaping and throwing on the run. Considering that, Herbert had an outstanding game despite his two interceptions.
4. Norton will remain the starter at right tackle in Kansas City, Staley said Monday. The Chargers, it seems, want to avoid moving Matt Feiler away from left guard at all costs. I can understand the logic. Moving Feiler to right tackle and inserting Brenden Jaimes into the starting lineup would mean two rookies on the left side. I do not think the Chargers want to risk messing with Slater’s solid start. But moving forward, the coaching staff will need to scheme up a lot of help for Norton in the game plan — primarily chip help from tight ends and running backs. They did some of that against Dallas. They need to do more of it in Kansas City. Norton is a liability when left on an island. He struggled to block Micah Parsons, a linebacker playing defensive end for the first time since high school, on Sunday.
5. Said Staley of Norton: “He was a little up and down (Sunday). But he gave us a chance to win that game. I know he had a tough day. But that’s not the reason why we lost that football game, for sure. He competed in the game, for sure, and I think from a fundamental standpoint, that’s where he can improve the most. … In the first game in that second half, I thought fundamentally he was really strong, I felt like he kind of got out of rhythm (Sunday). But certainly going to stay with Storm. … I have a lot of confidence in Storm, and we’re hoping for him to bounce back, for sure.”
6. The porous defense was even more apparent when rewatching the TV broadcast tape. And I think it will be even more apparent when I get to watch the all-22 film. The Chargers just did not get any push up front. Jerry Tillery was getting pushed around for most of the game. Cowboys right guard Zack Martin was absolutely dominant. The Chargers missed Justin Jones. Their defensive line depth is a major concern. And I didn’t think Joey Bosahad a particularly good game on run defense.
7. Staley stopped short of criticizing Tillery. “I can show you a movie of him playing at a really high level,” Staley said. “I felt like he rushed a lot better yesterday than he did in the first game. I felt like he had some excellent reps in the run game. And then I felt like there were some snaps that, for sure, he can play better, where we created some seams and we weren’t as firm as the point of attack. And I think it starts with me coaching better and him truly understanding exactly what we want based off the blocking schemes that we see. And I think that I can communicate that more effectively, because this guy is doing everything that we ask. I felt like he made plays yesterday, and I think he’ll make even more when he has that full understanding, and a lot of that is just, hey, time on task, playing the game within our scheme and playing against different people. But I felt like he improved yesterday overall and … any issue that he had is easily correctable, and I really like where his mindset is. I think he’s competing well for us, and I just expect him to continue to improve, because he’s all in and he’s plenty good enough. So I’m excited to keep coaching him.”
8. This brings up a question: If Tillery needs more time to learn the nuances of the defense, why didn’t he play in the preseason?
9. Staley said Tillery’s issues were more mental than physical. I can say without a doubt that there were multiple snaps on which Tillery was manhandled — by Martin and by right tackle Terence Steele. I will have a full film breakdown on Tillery’s performance later this week. “A lot of it’s me doing a better job coaching the guy, and that’s what we’re putting all of our time in,” Staley said. “He’s a guy that played better, but there’s still some of this.” Staley moved his hand up and down like a sine wave. “And there was some of this because of me, not because of him. And I’m going to be better for him moving forward.”
10. Nasir Adderley played a really good game. He took the step forward the Chargers needed. And this is particularly noteworthy because Derwin James was not playing next to him because Chris Harris was out with a shoulder injury. James played most of the game in the slot. Adderley tackled physically. He delivered a big shot to Amari Cooper in the end zone that helped prevent a touchdown. He also had a pass breakup on a different play in the end zone and almost came down with an outstanding interception. Staley said this was a similar coverage call to the one the Adderley played on Logan Thomas’ touchdown last week. Adderley played this route against Blake Jarwin with much better leverage.
11. Said Staley of Adderley: “I really liked where he was from a locational standpoint on that play. I felt like he tackled really well yesterday. I thought he was really active from a communication standpoint. He was one of the guys that I felt like, for us, really took a step up. I really felt like he played a good game. I felt him. I saw him. And I felt like (Sunday) was a good day.”
12. Asante Samuel Jr. is a player. He showed up against two really good receivers in Cooper and CeeDee Lamb. He came down with his first career interception in the first quarter but his performance went beyond that. He had two other passes defensed and made four tackles on pass plays. He forced an incompletion with tight coverage on Cooper on that fourth-and-5 in the second quarter. He was in tight coverage on Cooper on that previously mentioned big hit from Adderley. The rookie is only going to get better.
13. The Chargers deep-field passing attack is just fine. They are tied for third in the NFLwith 17 explosive passes (16 yards or more). And they had two 30-plus-yard passes called back because of penalties — one for 31 yards to Mike Williams on an Oday Aboushi illegal man downfield, and one for 37 yards on the Parham touchdown. The Chargers are pushing the ball downfield, and they are doing it successfully.
14. “We’re throwing the ball really prolifically,” Staley said.
15. The Chargers need to start finishing drives with touchdowns. They are sixth in the league in yards per game but 26th in points per game. They have converted just 30 percent of their red-zone trips into TDs, a rate that ranks 30th in the NFL. Some of that comes down to flukey turnovers. The Herbert sack-fumble against Washington was a head-scratcher. And then Keenan Allen fell down on Herbert’s red zone interception against Dallas. Nonetheless, this must improve.
16. And finally, the controversial calls. As I wrote Sunday night, the illegal shift call against Cook and Williams that negated a Cook touchdown was a correct call by the book. But this is not a call that was called consistently in this game. “Yes, there were grounds for them to call an illegal shift,” Staley said. “There are a lot of teams who shift and motion a lot where that can sort of be excused. But we got to do a better job from an operational standpoint of getting set and then send the motion once our guys are set so that we don’t give them any room to make a call like that.”
17. I asked Staley if he thought the illegal shift was called consistently Sunday. “I think that’s a question for them,” Staley said of the refs. “I really do.”
18. Aboushi’s illegal man downfield penalty was another borderline call. “That’s one that’s certainly a tough one for us,” Staley said. By the book, a correct call, but Aboushi was not involved in the play, and the only reason he was moving forward was because his momentum carried him off a defender after he slightly missed on a block.
19. The sack call on Herbert in the fourth quarter did not make much sense. The refs ruled his forward progress had been stopped. But on replay, it certainly looked like Herbert was merely avoiding pressure. And the throw he got off landed firmly in the vicinity of Austin Ekeler, even though it did not make it back to the line of scrimmage. The Chargers lost 18 yards on the play and ended up having to settle for a game-tying field goal.
20. “We just need to be cleaner from our side of things,” Staley said. “That way we can live with the result instead of depending on somebody else.”
Here are some final thoughts, notes, quotes and stats from Brandon Staley’s first regular-season loss as head coach.
1. A lot of the emphasis after the game was put on a few controversial calls, and I will give you my day-after analysis on those later in this post. But the truth is, those calls did not decide the game. The Chargers did not play well enough in all three phases. They committed 10 penalties on offense — eight of which were not even close to controversial, including the Jared Cook hold on Donald Parham’s touchdown. They allowed 198 yards rushing on 31 attempts. They did not tackle well enough. They did not pass protect well enough. And Tristan Vizcaino missed a field goal.
2. Staley said it best: “The Los Angeles Chargers are in control of what happened (Sunday). And we need to put the focus on us.”
3. We can start with the pass protection. The Chargers allowed 18 pressures in the game, according to Pro Football Focus. Right tackle Storm Norton allowed nine of them on 51 pass-blocking snaps. Left tackle Rashawn Slater was not as good in this game as he was against Washington. He allowed four pressures. He just was not as sharp or consistent in pass protection. But Norton was the real issue. And the breakdowns forced Justin Herbert to do a lot of escaping and throwing on the run. Considering that, Herbert had an outstanding game despite his two interceptions.
4. Norton will remain the starter at right tackle in Kansas City, Staley said Monday. The Chargers, it seems, want to avoid moving Matt Feiler away from left guard at all costs. I can understand the logic. Moving Feiler to right tackle and inserting Brenden Jaimes into the starting lineup would mean two rookies on the left side. I do not think the Chargers want to risk messing with Slater’s solid start. But moving forward, the coaching staff will need to scheme up a lot of help for Norton in the game plan — primarily chip help from tight ends and running backs. They did some of that against Dallas. They need to do more of it in Kansas City. Norton is a liability when left on an island. He struggled to block Micah Parsons, a linebacker playing defensive end for the first time since high school, on Sunday.
5. Said Staley of Norton: “He was a little up and down (Sunday). But he gave us a chance to win that game. I know he had a tough day. But that’s not the reason why we lost that football game, for sure. He competed in the game, for sure, and I think from a fundamental standpoint, that’s where he can improve the most. … In the first game in that second half, I thought fundamentally he was really strong, I felt like he kind of got out of rhythm (Sunday). But certainly going to stay with Storm. … I have a lot of confidence in Storm, and we’re hoping for him to bounce back, for sure.”
6. The porous defense was even more apparent when rewatching the TV broadcast tape. And I think it will be even more apparent when I get to watch the all-22 film. The Chargers just did not get any push up front. Jerry Tillery was getting pushed around for most of the game. Cowboys right guard Zack Martin was absolutely dominant. The Chargers missed Justin Jones. Their defensive line depth is a major concern. And I didn’t think Joey Bosahad a particularly good game on run defense.
7. Staley stopped short of criticizing Tillery. “I can show you a movie of him playing at a really high level,” Staley said. “I felt like he rushed a lot better yesterday than he did in the first game. I felt like he had some excellent reps in the run game. And then I felt like there were some snaps that, for sure, he can play better, where we created some seams and we weren’t as firm as the point of attack. And I think it starts with me coaching better and him truly understanding exactly what we want based off the blocking schemes that we see. And I think that I can communicate that more effectively, because this guy is doing everything that we ask. I felt like he made plays yesterday, and I think he’ll make even more when he has that full understanding, and a lot of that is just, hey, time on task, playing the game within our scheme and playing against different people. But I felt like he improved yesterday overall and … any issue that he had is easily correctable, and I really like where his mindset is. I think he’s competing well for us, and I just expect him to continue to improve, because he’s all in and he’s plenty good enough. So I’m excited to keep coaching him.”
8. This brings up a question: If Tillery needs more time to learn the nuances of the defense, why didn’t he play in the preseason?
9. Staley said Tillery’s issues were more mental than physical. I can say without a doubt that there were multiple snaps on which Tillery was manhandled — by Martin and by right tackle Terence Steele. I will have a full film breakdown on Tillery’s performance later this week. “A lot of it’s me doing a better job coaching the guy, and that’s what we’re putting all of our time in,” Staley said. “He’s a guy that played better, but there’s still some of this.” Staley moved his hand up and down like a sine wave. “And there was some of this because of me, not because of him. And I’m going to be better for him moving forward.”
10. Nasir Adderley played a really good game. He took the step forward the Chargers needed. And this is particularly noteworthy because Derwin James was not playing next to him because Chris Harris was out with a shoulder injury. James played most of the game in the slot. Adderley tackled physically. He delivered a big shot to Amari Cooper in the end zone that helped prevent a touchdown. He also had a pass breakup on a different play in the end zone and almost came down with an outstanding interception. Staley said this was a similar coverage call to the one the Adderley played on Logan Thomas’ touchdown last week. Adderley played this route against Blake Jarwin with much better leverage.
11. Said Staley of Adderley: “I really liked where he was from a locational standpoint on that play. I felt like he tackled really well yesterday. I thought he was really active from a communication standpoint. He was one of the guys that I felt like, for us, really took a step up. I really felt like he played a good game. I felt him. I saw him. And I felt like (Sunday) was a good day.”
12. Asante Samuel Jr. is a player. He showed up against two really good receivers in Cooper and CeeDee Lamb. He came down with his first career interception in the first quarter but his performance went beyond that. He had two other passes defensed and made four tackles on pass plays. He forced an incompletion with tight coverage on Cooper on that fourth-and-5 in the second quarter. He was in tight coverage on Cooper on that previously mentioned big hit from Adderley. The rookie is only going to get better.
13. The Chargers deep-field passing attack is just fine. They are tied for third in the NFLwith 17 explosive passes (16 yards or more). And they had two 30-plus-yard passes called back because of penalties — one for 31 yards to Mike Williams on an Oday Aboushi illegal man downfield, and one for 37 yards on the Parham touchdown. The Chargers are pushing the ball downfield, and they are doing it successfully.
14. “We’re throwing the ball really prolifically,” Staley said.
15. The Chargers need to start finishing drives with touchdowns. They are sixth in the league in yards per game but 26th in points per game. They have converted just 30 percent of their red-zone trips into TDs, a rate that ranks 30th in the NFL. Some of that comes down to flukey turnovers. The Herbert sack-fumble against Washington was a head-scratcher. And then Keenan Allen fell down on Herbert’s red zone interception against Dallas. Nonetheless, this must improve.
16. And finally, the controversial calls. As I wrote Sunday night, the illegal shift call against Cook and Williams that negated a Cook touchdown was a correct call by the book. But this is not a call that was called consistently in this game. “Yes, there were grounds for them to call an illegal shift,” Staley said. “There are a lot of teams who shift and motion a lot where that can sort of be excused. But we got to do a better job from an operational standpoint of getting set and then send the motion once our guys are set so that we don’t give them any room to make a call like that.”
17. I asked Staley if he thought the illegal shift was called consistently Sunday. “I think that’s a question for them,” Staley said of the refs. “I really do.”
18. Aboushi’s illegal man downfield penalty was another borderline call. “That’s one that’s certainly a tough one for us,” Staley said. By the book, a correct call, but Aboushi was not involved in the play, and the only reason he was moving forward was because his momentum carried him off a defender after he slightly missed on a block.
19. The sack call on Herbert in the fourth quarter did not make much sense. The refs ruled his forward progress had been stopped. But on replay, it certainly looked like Herbert was merely avoiding pressure. And the throw he got off landed firmly in the vicinity of Austin Ekeler, even though it did not make it back to the line of scrimmage. The Chargers lost 18 yards on the play and ended up having to settle for a game-tying field goal.
20. “We just need to be cleaner from our side of things,” Staley said. “That way we can live with the result instead of depending on somebody else.”
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