Where's the excitement?

[Formula 21]

I think you let Rivers play his game. He's competitive. He'll hold the ball and take the hit to win.

[Lightningwill_420]

It was a combination of playcalling, no running game, bad blocking, and bad receivers.

Our best blocker was King Dunlap in 2013, and he missed 5 games. The rest of the blockers, other than Clary and Hardwick, weren't very good. Yet, Rivers didn't take near the beating he took a year ago. ... Yes, I know you're going to bring up the running game, that we didn't lose five thousand centers in 2013, and that our receivers did a better job in 2013 of getting open. But, still, the pass blocking in 2013 was bad. The quick pass plays helped and made our unskilled line a non-factor. Reverting back to Norv-ball last season didn't help. It hurt Rivers, which killed our season. If we have the same strategy this year, we're still going nowhere.

And who exactly were the plenty of QBs killed during a 3-step drop? My guess is such killings happen far more often during longer-developing pass plays.

[Lightningwill_420]

Yea, take the hit when absolutely necessary to win. Don't take the hit continuously, get hurt, and flush the season down the toilet. Get rid of the fucking ball. If that means for 3-and-outs, so be it. As long as Rivers is healthy, we have a chance.

[KNSD]

I gotta say that it was a combination of receivers not getting open, Rivers being injured, and no running game.

No running game meant the other side didn't have to commit to stopping the run. Rivers missed on some incredibly easy passes last year. And his receivers didn't help him out as much as they could have.

tl;dr - Teams figured out the offense, and it didn't help that the talent level was down compared to 2014.

[Lightningwill_420]

I gotta say that it was a combination of receivers not getting open, Rivers being injured, and no running game.

No running game meant the other side didn't have to commit to stopping the run. Rivers missed on some incredibly easy passes last year. And his receivers didn't help him out as much as they could have.

tl;dr - Teams figured out the offense, and it didn't help that the talent level was down compared to 2014.

Most of the no-running game had to do with Mathews being out. But switching guards at the beginning of the season, choosing Brown over Oliver way too often, and just moments in which we gave up on the run too early didn't help.

And Rivers probably wouldn't have got injured if he had got rid of the ball sooner and handed the ball off more - like he did the year before.

Playcalling matters. It's not all that matters, but it matters. We'll have a better back this season and a better guard. But, if we go with the Norv/Reich style passing game, we won't do any better than last year.

[KNSD]

It was a heroic effort by Oliver, but he is just a guy. In the end you're right. Brown wasn't the guy the Chargers needed him to be, especially since Matthews was and is a china doll.

[Steve]

It was a combination of playcalling, no running game, bad blocking, and bad receivers.

Our best blocker was King Dunlap in 2013, and he missed 5 games. The rest of the blockers, other than Clary and Hardwick, weren't very good. Yet, Rivers didn't take near the beating he took a year ago. ... Yes, I know you're going to bring up the running game, that we didn't lose five thousand centers in 2013, and that our receivers did a better job in 2013 of getting open. But, still, the pass blocking in 2013 was bad. The quick pass plays helped and made our unskilled line a non-factor. Reverting back to Norv-ball last season didn't help. It hurt Rivers, which killed our season. If we have the same strategy this year, we're still going nowhere.

And who exactly were the plenty of QBs killed during a 3-step drop? My guess is such killings happen far more often during longer-developing pass plays.

The OL was a disaster in 2014. We had more then an entire OL start at C alone, and that doesn't count the guys forced to start at other spots. NFL teams carry 8 sometimes 9 OL on a roster, we had 5 start at C alone. Reich was starting players who had never played the position, and guys off the street who didn't even know the entire offense, yet the O played at a high level for the 1st part of the year. Anyone who thinks that isn't outstanding coaching (by both Reich and coach D) is just plain IGNORANT.

There is simply no comparison between the two seasons. 2013, sometimes our 53 man roster backups (the 3 or 4 non-starters) were forced to start. Not ideal, but nothing like having players off the street and starting a week or 2 later. And none of this pussy double sessions, practice every day bullshit. 3 practices a week, little or no contact, other starters struggling to get healthy and not practicing, plus the other new backups getting reps too so there was no way to get the real coordinated unspoken teamwork going. 2014 was infinitely harder. Yet despite all the problems, things didn't really start to fall apart until later in the year. How is that not outstanding coaching?

And our receivers played just fine. Early in the year, they were able to make plays against some of the best secondaries in football, but only fell apart when the OL totally collapsed. Again, Floyd is not a good short route runner because he is a long strider. Gates has lost his quick release from all his injuries. And since Allen is still developing as a route runner, there are only so many route combinations you can piece together and throw off short drops.

There is a reason no NFL team runs mostly 3 step drops. You throw nothing but quick outs, fades and slants, the secondary will jump every route and the LB will be in every passing lane. Name one team in NFL football who has ever lived and died with mostly 3 step drops? You can't because it has NEVER happened. All short passing teams mix in 3 and 5 step drops. 5 step drops are quick passes to, but if the OL is shitty, then the QB is even going to be hit on those. QB who try to go through their progressions on 3 step drops get hit all the time. And if you don't even try to let the QB work through the progressions, the other team is just going to play press and knock the WR off the routes and the QB throws the ball away EVERY TIME.