Browns @ Chargers Game Day Thread / Post Game Discussion (Wk 5)

[Boltjolt]

I'm not a TT fan either. And historically he has not made in-season trades to improve the team. I would have no problem if they replaced him. But I also think TT's main job is to make money for the Spanii, not to go all out to try to win. And he does that very well.

But watch out, your truth is your opinion only.

And keep posting, we need opinions outside of group think.

I dont care if they replace Telesco at some point. He has had plenty of time to build this team and clearly he listens to his coaches and scouts. Hopefully this coaching staff is better at coaching the players and vets they pick up and draft than the rest of them. But if TT gets canned, ok. But while he is here ill hope he does a good job.

All GMs make mistakes and TT was a first time GM. He seems to be learning the ropes better but still hasnt shown a knack for a key trade........as of yet.

[Panamamike]

It's funny how everybody talks about big trades. Here's an article describing most of the big trades since 2018 season. In most instances who everybody thought won the trade originally usually ends up the loser.

https://www.google.com/amp/s/www.esp...3fplatform=amp

[like54ninjas]

Offense

Top-5
QB Justin Herbert - 83.0
TE Donald Parham - 79.2
C Corey Linsley - 72.6
OT Storm Norton - 69.8
WR Mike Williams - 68.6


Bottom-5
WR Josh Palmer - 49.9
RB Austin Ekeler - 53.3
TE Jared Cook - 54.0
RB Joshua Kelley - 55.1
WR K.J. Hill - 55.7


Defense

Top-5
CB Chris Harris Jr. - 76.9
EDGE Chris Rumph - 70.0
LB Kyzir White - 68.8
CB Michael Davis - 67.2
S Nasir Adderley - 66.2

Bottom-5
CB Asante Samuel - 28.1
DT Forrest Merrill - 35.0
S Alohi Gilman - 45.7
DT Linval Joseph - 46.5
S Derwin James - 52.9

https://www.boltsfromtheblue.com/2021/10/12/22722250/chargers-game-grades-browns-pff-herbert-parham-harris-derwin-james

[Xenos]

Offense

Top-5
QB Justin Herbert - 83.0
TE Donald Parham - 79.2
C Corey Linsley - 72.6
OT Storm Norton - 69.8
WR Mike Williams - 68.6


Bottom-5
WR Josh Palmer - 49.9
RB Austin Ekeler - 53.3
TE Jared Cook - 54.0
RB Joshua Kelley - 55.1
WR K.J. Hill - 55.7


Defense

Top-5
CB Chris Harris Jr. - 76.9
EDGE Chris Rumph - 70.0
LB Kyzir White - 68.8
CB Michael Davis - 67.2
S Nasir Adderley - 66.2

Bottom-5
CB Asante Samuel - 28.1
DT Forrest Merrill - 35.0
S Alohi Gilman - 45.7
DT Linval Joseph - 46.5
S Derwin James - 52.9

https://www.boltsfromtheblue.com/202...s-derwin-james

Weird to see Adderley and DJ switch on the top and bottom 5 players. PFF is so interesting to say the least.

[Xenos]

Popper’s final 27 thoughts. Interesting to read how it was actually Bosa’s fault on that Njoku TD. Also hope Tranquil is okay and can play this Sunday. We will need him.

https://theathletic.com/2883526/2021/10/12/chargers-final-thoughts-27-notes-stats-and-quotes-from-the-win-over-the-browns/

The Chargers beat the Browns 47-42 in an exhilarating shootout at SoFi Stadium on Sunday afternoon. They improve to 4-1 and are tied for the best record in the AFC.

Here are some final thoughts, stats and quotes from the victory.

1. Starting right guard Oday Aboushi left Sunday’s game after just five snaps and did not return. Coach Brandon Staley confirmed Monday that Aboushi tore the ACL in his left knee and will require reconstructive surgery. His season is over.

2. This is a huge loss. Aboushi was playing well, both in run blocking and pass protection. He was a sturdy and dependable presence on the interior of the Chargers’ offensive line. But his absence goes deeper than that. Aboushi is a mauler and brings a certain tough, aggressive, impose-your-will demeanor to the offensive line. The Chargers will miss that just as much they miss his reliable play.

3. Michael Schofield, whom the Chargers signed off the street on Sept. 17, replaced Aboushi at right guard for the remainder of Sunday’s game. And he played well, giving up only one pressure in 50 pass-blocking snaps, according to Pro Football Focus. Schofield will man that spot for the time being over fifth-round pick Brenden Jaimes. Look for the Chargers to add a depth offensive lineman this week once they officially place Aboushi on injured reserve.

4. Jaimes was trending upward in training camp, and the coaching staff spoke very highly of his development. So it is slightly surprising that the Chargers are giving Schofield the nod over Jaimes at right guard. Staley said Monday this decision comes down to experience more than anything. Schofield has started 69 NFLgames. He was the Chargers’ starting right guard for two full seasons in 2018 and 2019. And the team has two inexperienced players at its two tackles spots in Rashawn Slater and Storm Norton.

5. Staley on Jaimes: “It’s just giving him more time to develop. It’s not an ability issue right now for us. It’s not like, oh, this guy’s not capable of playing in the NFL right now, because that’s not the case. We just want to make sure that he’s ready full-time. And I think that he’s progressing really well, and I’m not just saying that. We just felt like, at this point in the season, having a guy that could come in with some experience could help, based off of who we have outside of him too. Rashawn and Storm are new players, we feel like. So just that steady inside presence for us right now, and we just feel like it’s an advantage. But we’re talking to Brenden all the time. Listen, it’s not like I’m the least bit hesitant to put this guy in the game. This guy’s got the tools to play offensive line in this league, and we believe that. … There’s a timeline, I think, in terms of when he’s going to be ready to go, but we’re really optimistic about this guy as a swing O-lineman in there. So we’re definitely not disappointed at all.”

6. Sticking with the offensive line, the group, even with Aboushi out, performed very well against a fierce Browns pass rush. The entire offensive coaching staff deserves a lot of credit for putting together a diverse and thorough pass protection plan — particularly offensive line coach Frank Smith and assistant offensive line coach Shaun Sarrett. The Chargers gave up pressure on only 17.8 percent of Justin Herbert’s dropbacks, according to PFF, which was the fourth-lowest rate in the league. Herbert showed tremendous pocket awareness and used his athleticism to extend plays. The Chargers’ backs and tight ends chipped regularly to help mitigate edge rushers Myles Garrett and Takkarist McKinley. It was a sound plan executed at a high level, and that was a big reason the Chargers were able to put up 47 points, including 26 in the fourth quarter.

7. Said Staley: “It was a big mission statement of ours when we got here to make sure our offensive line was seen as a tough, rugged bunch of Jesses out there playing, because I felt like we were going to have good enough skill players. And I think we’ve created a real toughness in that group. … They’re giving us a real good chance for us to be successful, and I’m really proud of that.”

8. Slater went toe-to-toe with Garrett on a number of snaps and, once again, very much held his own against one of the game’s best pass rushers. The sack Slater gave up to Garrett in the third quarter was aided by a chip from Austin Ekeler, who disrupted Slater’s rhythm by shoving Garrett to the inside where there was an open lane. Ekeler said that after that play, Slater told the running backs to stop chipping. He was confident he could handle Garrett better one-on-one without any help.

9. Staley said this about Slater wanting to take on Garrett one-on-one: “It says two things that stand out to me — maybe more — but the two things are the trust and the communication to talk to not only Austin but our offensive coaching staff, and then No. 2, the confidence that he has in his ability. I think what you’re seeing is a player that is earning the confidence to say that because he has a lot of belief in his game.”

10. Linebacker Drue Tranquill suffered an injury on the Browns’ final drive and did not return. Staley did not have a specific update on Tranquill on Monday. “Still unpacking some more information today,” he said. “He’s meeting with our docs and our trainers this morning. So we’ll learn a lot more later today.” I’ll have more on this Wednesday when we talk to Staley next. If Tranquill misses the Ravens game this week, the Chargers might have to turn to one of two rookies: Nick Niemann or Amen Ogbongbemiga.

11. The offense won this game. Herbert was fantastic. So were the Chargers’ skill players and, as we mentioned, offensive linemen. The defense, meanwhile, had its worst game of the season. Staley’s unit could not stop the run, which is concerning because that was the foremost priority in the game plan throughout the week. The Browns rushed for 230 yards on 35 carries and three touchdowns. Nick Chubbrushed for 161 yards on just 21 carries, including a 52-yard touchdown run in the third quarter. Of those 230 rushing yards, 188 came after contact. Chubb had 134 yards after contact by himself.

12. What happened? The front was not good enough. The defensive linemen played like they did against the Cowboys. They were overmatched by a dominant interior of the Browns offensive line featuring guards Joel Bitonio and Wyatt Teller and center JC Tretter. The tackling was not good enough at the second or third level of the defense. This is becoming a very concerning trend. The Chargers miss Justin Jones dearly, and he will not be back until after the bye week at the earliest. It is clear that they do not have the depth to weather Jones’ injury. Jerry Tillery is a liability in run defense. They are asking an enormous amount of a 33-year-old Linval Joseph. And they could be down one of their better tacklers in Tranquill. There is no obvious solution in sight — other than simply playing better with what they have. The Browns are one of the best rushing teams in football, and they will not have to face a rushing attack like that every week. But the Ravens are up next, and they pose similar problems. Plus, they have a guy named Lamar Jackson.

13. How do the Chargers fix it? Derwin Jamesgave a direct answer to that question: “It’s about whooping the man in front of you.”

14. When told of James’ response, Staley said, “I agree with that premise fully.”

(Gary A. Vasquez / USA Today)

15. Then he went more in-depth, saying the Chargers need to stay “thicker on blocks” and more locked in on their keys. “I think what we need to do at the first level of our defense is play more fundamentally sound. And I think that’s what happened yesterday on the first level is that we were not fundamentally sound at the point of attack. … When you play behind your key or you kind of soften up early in the down, what it does is it lets that run get started, and then now you’ve got a tougher run to deal with, with a runner that’s really tough to deal with. And I think at the point of attack with our interior guys and our edge players, we weren’t good enough early in the game. … What we’ve got to do is play more consistent fundamentally, and then behind it make sure that we have little alignment things that I think can help our guys. And then we’ve got to go tackle. We’ve got to go tackle. There were a couple times where, hey, we’ve got an unblocked defender that misses, and there are backs that do that. Those two guys (Chubb and Kareem Hunt) are, as you guys saw, they’re the real thing. They’ve been doing it to everybody. But run defense is an 11-man operation. You have to play team defense against a team like that. But I think for us it really starts up front, playing better at the first level, because then what happens is your second and third level will play better because they’re going to be more sure of where to go.”

16. The poor defensive showing went beyond just the run defense. The Chargers gave up five explosive passes, including a 71-yard touchdown to David Njoku in the fourth quarter. That was the most they have given up in a game this season. On the Njoku touchdown, Nasir Adderley missed a tackle that should have limited the completion to 15 yards. But Staley said the Chargers, and Adderley, were out of position because of a missed assignment from Joey Bosa. Because the Browns were in an empty set, meaning no players in the backfield, Bosa was supposed to adjust and drop into coverage opposite Njoku. You can see on the replay that the Chargers were scrambling pre-snap. Bosa was late getting in front of Njoku in the slot and got a clean release off the line. Adderley tried to compensate by shifting over to Njoku’s side of the field, and that created the opening. “We got to make sure that our guys understand how to play that formation,” Staley said.

17. The Chargers also gave up a 42-yard completion to Donovan Peoples-Jones in the second quarter. Asante Samuel Jr. tried to jump the route and missed a tackle as a result. Peoples-Jones exploded down the sideline.

18. That was one of two mistakes Samuel made in the first half that led to his benching. He also failed to pick up Rashard Higgins in the red zone, and Higgins was wide open for a touchdown that gave the Browns a 10-7 lead. Tevaughn Campbell replaced Samuel at outside cornerback. Samuel came back on in the second half, but then he missed a tackle on Chubb’s 52-yard touchdown. Campbell replaced him again for the remainder of the game.

19. “We just needed to calm him down out there,” Staley said of Samuel after the game. “Asante had a couple of moments there in the first quarter where we just needed to keep his head on straight. It happens sometimes. He still played well. It’s just something young players go through. He’s been fantastic for us, and he’s going to continue to be. We just wanted to settle him down, that’s all.”

20. Staley added on Monday: “It happens in the NFL where you make a couple tough plays, and you can get frustrated.”

21. “There was just some stuff that happened on the sideline,” James said of Samuel. “I didn’t fully get to see what happened. All I know is that he was upset, but that’s part of the game.”

22. Ryan Smith made his Chargers debut, and it is clear he is going to have a massive impact on special teams. He had three special-teams tackles, and his experience, particularly as a gunner on punts, was evident watching live. Smith also played on kickoff coverage.

23. Tristan Vizcaino missed two extra points, and his struggles are worth monitoring. The wind was really tough at Arrowhead Stadium when he missed two extra points in Week 3, so I thought it was prudent to wait and see how he performed in better conditions. The weather was perfect Sunday inside the covered SoFi Stadium. So no more excuses. On the first missed extra point, in the second quarter, there was pressure off the right edge. Staley felt like that contributed to Vizcaino pulling the kick. On the second kick, which would have tied the game at 42 late in the fourth quarter, Vizcaino just yanked it.

24. After the game, Staley said of Vizcaino: “We’re going to have to deal with this. He’s a young kicker in the league. He has a fantastic kickoff leg, and as a kicker, he needs to be in a lot of those situations to make sure he gets his rhythm and timing.” I followed up and asked at what point missing kicks becomes untenable, regardless of how talented the kicker is. “That’s certainly something to address down the road,” Staley replied. “We do have a good team, but I think he’s going to be part of that good team. We have to stick with him for now, and I have a lot of confidence in him. That’s why I’m talking about it. I’m not just saying it — I really believe in the guy.”

25. Staley addressed the kicking situation again Monday and said this: “I stand behind what I said yesterday at the game after having a day. It’s just like, hey, I feel like this guy, we feel like this guy is a good player, and we got to keep coaching him, we got to stay patient with him, because sometimes that’s what guys like this need, is just some patience, a little bit more experience. And that’s what we’re hoping for and we’re going to stay at it, and I know he’s got the chops mentally, and we’re just going to stick with him and keep coaching the guy.”

26. The Chargers have had time-management mishaps late in two of the last three games. They scored a touchdown against the Chiefswhen they could have milked the rest of time off and kicked the game-winning field goal. That gave Patrick Mahomes another chance with the ball. Against Cleveland, Ekeler was pulled into the end zone by Browns defenders when he was trying to go down on the game-winning score. That gave Baker Mayfieldanother chance with the ball. The results were wins. But the process is something to note. The conditions at Arrowhead made settling for a field goal there sketchy. In the Browns game, though, Ekeler absolutely should have gone down when he had the chance. The play call told him not to score under any circumstances. These moments are crucial, and the Chargers need to tighten up in late-game situations. “It’s certainly something that I need to do a better job managing, for sure, and we will moving forward,” Staley said. “We should finish the game with the ball.”

27. It is much better to have to make these corrections after a win. The Chargers are in an excellent position. They have room to improve, but their four wins have all come against quality opponents.

[jamrock]

Little concerned about Samuel’s meltdown and Tranquil. Sounds like they don’t have an idea about whether he’ll be able to play and we’re already super thin at the position. Samuel better not turn into a head case.

at the game I noticed Staley jumping up and down and gesturing right before the 71 yard Touchdown to the Cleveland TE. He saw Bosa out of position pre snap. Maybe should have burned a TO

[Formula 21]

Little concerned about Samuel’s meltdown and Tranquil. Sounds like they don’t have an idea about whether he’ll be able to play and we’re already super thin at the position. Samuel better not turn into a head case.

at the game I noticed Staley jumping up and down and gesturing right before the 71 yard Touchdown to the Cleveland TE. He saw Bosa out of position pre snap. Maybe should have burned a TO

I saw that and agree.

[blueman]

If anybody would have told me at any time, we’d be playing Norton AND Schofield in a big meaningful game like Cleveland, AND they would both play like they did, I’d’ve laughed in your face like a hyena and stomped your dick flat for raising my anxiety level needlessly, cuz never ever.

Firmly convinced, it’s the coaching. And the crazy part, we’re just seeing the beginning.

[gzubeck]

If anybody would have told me at any time, we’d be playing Norton AND Schofield in a big meaningful game like Cleveland, AND they would both play like they did, I’d’ve laughed in your face like a hyena and stomped your dick flat for raising my anxiety level needlessly, cuz never ever.

Firmly convinced, it’s the coaching. And the crazy part, we’re just seeing the beginning.

I swear I think Staley has Norton brainwashed so he plays 1.5 times his ability with all those accolades. Good that Staley is finding the right buttons to push. I also believe that they might have a system down where if the defense is rushing a monster against Storm they just tell him to let the defender kind of thru and stick with the guy and let JH pick a side and goes around to buy 1-2 seconds more for passing downfield. Am I crazy in thinking this?

:wtf:

[COLDCUT]

It would be a loss if they play Cleveland in Cleveland in January.

Just being in Cleveland in January is a loss!

[Maniaque 6]

No more Ice Bowl please !

[like54ninjas]

Weird to see Adderley and DJ switch on the top and bottom 5 players. PFF is so interesting to say the least.

PFF is a difficult system to have confidence in.