Steelers @ Chargers Pregame Discussion (wk 11)

[sonorajim]

He has a lot of work to do this offseason with the numbers of free agents.

RT - as I doubt Bulaga will be back
DT: Jones and Joseph are free agents
Edge: Nwosu and Fackrell are free agents
CB: Harris is probably not back
WR: what happens with MW
RB: more depth behind Ekeler


Granted, thats for next year - need to beat the Steelers. Hoping the offense executes like it did against Cleveland and the defense plays well better.

Position of need on a 1 - 5 scale:

RT- Norton is playing better than NFL avg at RT. "3"- quality depth/development.
DT- 2
Edge- 2
CB- 1 You can't have too many starter level CBs. Not sure we have a shut down CB. 'Sant & Davis are maybes.
WR- 2 KA & MW are aging. Parker -meh- maybe decent
RB- 2 I want to say 1. We need 2 quality starters.

Best Player Available can cut in line if he's a good fit.

[BT3241]

Well if TJ Watt is out there is a very good chance of a win with the Steelers struggling to put up points.

[Xenos]

turning the guy into a damn dink and dunk QB.

isn't that what Oregon did?

Counterargument

[Xenos]

[chargeroo]

Looks like we may have J Jackson back for this one. That will help Ekeler.

[Xenos]

turning the guy into a damn dink and dunk QB.

isn't that what Oregon did?

Additional information from the Vikings game. Herbert is just having more problems against the blitz this year for whatever reason.

https://theathletic.com/2959537/2021/11/16/how-the-vikings-used-blitzes-to-throw-justin-herbert-chargers-offense-off-their-game/

But the Vikings saw something against the Chargers that encouraged them to send additional defenders, throwing blitzes at the Chargers at a 40 percent clip. That looked like it might have been the key to inhibiting quarterback Justin Herbert, as his productiveness cratered against the blitz. The Chargers averaged negative 0.06 expected points per play on non-blitzing dropbacks. They averaged negative 0.28 expected points per play on blitzed dropbacks.

Interestingly, the important element for the Vikings in this game was not their ability to generate pressure on blitzes but their ability to force Herbert to rush his process, confuse his reads and eschew explosive plays.

That’s good news, as their pressure rate against the revamped Chargers offensive line was poor regardless of circumstance. On four-man rushes, they only pressured the quarterback on 23.8 percent of those dropbacks — one of the lowest rates of the week and well below their 33 percent rate for the season heading into Week 10. Their pressure rate on blitzes was higher at 33.3 percent but still below their norms.

The difference is that Herbert this year has been somewhat conservative in general and in particular against blitzes, throwing deep on just five of 71 aimed throws, or 7 percent. On non-blitzed throws, that increased a marginal amount to 10.5 percent. More importantly, Herbert’s accuracy drops on those blitzed deep throws. His completion rate is the same, but his ball placement has suffered — and his receivers don’t generate yards after the catch. That’s why his yards per attempt doubles on deep passes when unblitzed (15.9) than when blitzed (8.2).

[21&500]

Looks like we may have J Jackson back for this one. That will help Ekeler.

He certainly had a good game against Pittsburgh a few years ago

[Maniaque 6]

All that is missing is Desmond King !

[Velo]

He certainly had a good game against Pittsburgh a few years ago

If Justin Jackson could stay injury free, he could really help the team. That long run vs the Patriots was a joy to watch.

[Topcat]

Looks like we may have J Jackson back for this one. That will help Ekeler.

If we can get even 8-10 carries out of JJ with no injuries, I'd take that...

[MagicMamba88]

Chargers must get creative, aggressive vs. Steelers in Week 11

[Velo]

Chargers must get creative, aggressive vs. Steelers in Week 11

Summary: Herbert is the best deep ball thrower in the league. But the Lombardi offense has all the receivers running short routes, partially because they don't have the speed to go deep. Great offenses make defenses defend the entire field but the Chargers aren't scaring anybody with their dink a dink offense.

Not to mention they decided to cut their fastest WR at the beginning of the season, and he now plays for the Raiders.