2022 Official Chargers Season Discussion

[equivocation]

That chart makes it look like Staley’s decision making goes downhill in prime time games.

He should have decided for Parham not to get a concussion.

Football is a high variance sport. These are high leverage situations. A 4th and goal call is a 7 point EPA swing. Spread across less that 7 plays thats an EPA/play swing grrater than 1

[blueman]

[QUOTE=richpjr;n1356411]

Which really goes to show that football is a team game. Focusing on one unit while ignoring the mistakes of the others doesn't paint a true picture. Bottom line - it all of our losses, if the O, D or ST play better we win more games. They didn't.

Sure, team loss. Just weird saying anything negative about the O last year gets so many excuses. Enough blame all around, yes - but can’t actually look at anything on O critically beyond RT or backup RB.

[Boltjolt]

Regarding that final game of the regular season against the Raiders:

What never gets discussed is why the Chargers-- after Mike Williams scored a TD as time expired-- went for the one point conversion to tie the game and go to OT, instead of GOING FOR TWO POINTS, AND THE WIN?

Everybody knew that the Chargers' defense was gassed. Why *not* go for the win there?

And if we do and dont get it, this forum goes nuts with WTF was Staley thinking. Its only a good decision WHEN it works. My guess is a win or tie and we are in the playoffs so odds in our favor to kick it.

[Ghost of Quacksaw]

And if we do and dont get it, this forum goes nuts with WTF was Staley thinking. Its only a good decision WHEN it works. My guess is a win or tie and we are in the playoffs so odds in our favor to kick it.

It's not as though they avoided controversy by going into OT and.... getting pushed all over the field, and losing.

It would actually fit into Staley's philosophy to go for 2 under those circumstances. It's a passive move to go for the tie, and take the game to OT.

And Staley isn't a passive coach. Every time he goes for it on 4th and whatever, he says the team makes it an easy decision for him, because he believes so much in them.

Plus, I doubt Staley concerns himself with forum implosions...

[21&500]

I just hope the loss against the turds hasn't changed Staley's approach
(ie tainted him with fear)
im a fan of living and dying by the same sword

[Boltjolt]

It's not as though they avoided controversy by going into OT and.... getting pushed all over the field, and losing.

It would actually fit into Staley's philosophy to go for 2 under those circumstances. It's a passive move to go for the tie, and take the game to OT.

And Staley isn't a passive coach. Every time he goes for it on 4th and whatever, he says the team makes it an easy decision for him, because he believes so much in them.

Plus, I doubt Staley concerns himself with forum implosions...

ha, the forum going nuts never was a referrance to him. its just a fact that in forums, its only a good decision when it works.

[dmac_bolt]

Prove me wrong Pip.

Prove me right, Trey

[sonorajim]

[QUOTE=blueman;n1356477]

Sure, team loss. Just weird saying anything negative about the O last year gets so many excuses. Enough blame all around, yes - but can’t actually look at anything on O critically beyond RT or backup RB.

Excuses? #3 passing O, #5 scoring O? Most of us thought the offense was very good. The Dallas game was flat and the O stunk at Bal & Den. 3 games out of 17. The other 14 we avg 29ppg.
Saying the D stunk is a simple fact, not an excuse for the O.
You mention RB2, RT. There were also RG problems, and an unusual # of passes dropped. Something to work on on yr 2. Zion, Spiller & Everret are solid
adds. Better D should help.
#1 Offense is possible. If we don't go deep in the playoffs, new excuses will be needed.

[dmac_bolt]

[QUOTE=blueman;n1356477]

Sure, team loss. Just weird saying anything negative about the O last year gets so many excuses. Enough blame all around, yes - but can’t actually look at anything on O critically beyond RT or backup RB.

The point many of us have is the blame was not equal at all. Not remotely close to equal. Light years apart in aggregate. ”blame all around” is a lazy avoidance of the data. Offense was Top 4, Defense was Bottom 4. Quit carping on the Offense and ignoring the defense.

Its the same with Staley’s errors. Did he make some errors- sure and of course. Did he WIN some games with his aggressive bold style. YES. Do the carpers about the last OAK game ever note he actually won some games doing the exact same thing? Of course not.

[Xenos]

Regarding that final game of the regular season against the Raiders:

What never gets discussed is why the Chargers-- after Mike Williams scored a TD as time expired-- went for the one point conversion to tie the game and go to OT, instead of GOING FOR TWO POINTS, AND THE WIN?

Everybody knew that the Chargers' defense was gassed. Why *not* go for the win there?

Because a tie gets us into the playoffs as well. If it was only a win scenario, the analytics would be to go for the win instead.

[Xenos]

Prove me wrong Pip.

Here’s the entire article. It’s great to hear him continue to train with Duke now that OTAs are over and the players have “vacation” until training camp.

As the 2021 season was winding down, discussions in the Chargers’ offensive line room centered on offseason plans. And Trey Pipkins was looking for somewhere to work.

Rashawn Slater was coming off an All-Pro rookie season at left tackle, and he was planning to head back to Texas to train with offensive line coach Duke Manyweather, who had also trained Slater in the lead-up to the 2021 draft. Guard Oday Aboushi was still rehabbing the torn ACL he suffered in Week 5, but he, too, was planning to return to Manyweather once his knee was healthy enough.

Slater and Aboushi raved about the offseason offensive line training sessions Manyweather holds in Dallas. Pipkins asked questions and listened, and he liked what he heard.

“I just knew I wanted to go somewhere where I could get a lot of good O-line work in the offseason, along with lifting and running and stuff,” Pipkins said after practice earlier this month. “I kind of talked their ear off about it and just decided to go down there and see what it was about.”

After the season ended, Pipkins packed up and went to Dallas with his wife and young son, renting an Airbnb in the area. And alongside Slater and a number of other NFL offensive linemen, Pipkins honed his craft in what unavoidably amounts to the most pivotal offseason of his professional football career.

It is no secret that the Chargers have an opening at right tackle. They did not address the position in the offseason. And that means they will be looking for an internal answer. Storm Norton was the starter there last season. Norton and Pipkins will compete for the starting job in training camp.

Trey Pipkins says he’s a changed player since last year, when this photo was taken. (Kirby Lee / USA Today)

Pipkins says he is a changed player — physically, mentally, technically. That improvement has been ongoing since he was drafted in the third round in 2019 out of Division II Sioux Falls. But he said he took another big step in Dallas this offseason. And Pipkins, who is entering the final year of his rookie contract, is eager to show Brandon Staley and the rest of the Chargers coaching staff that he is the solution at right tackle — for 2022 and beyond.

“I’m excited to get into training camp, really,” Pipkins said, grinning.

Pipkins headed into his offseason with considerable momentum, but it was a battle to get there. He was fourth on the tackle depth chart coming out of training camp last season, behind starters Slater and right tackle Bryan Bulaga and swing tackle Norton. When Bulaga went down with what ended up being a season-ending injury in Week 1, it was Norton who took over at right tackle for the remainder of the season.

Pipkins’ only snaps through the first six games came as the extra offensive lineman in jumbo packages. He did not play well in that role. And after a particularly poor performance against the Ravens in Week 6, Pipkins was benched. He was inactive for four straight games from Week 8 to 11.

“I was irritated with myself,” Pipkins said.

Pipkins waited for another chance, and it eventually came in Week 15, in a prime-time Thursday showdown with the Chiefs. First place in the AFC West was on the line. Slater was unavailable after being placed on the COVID-19 list, and Pipkins was the next man up.

He got the start at left tackle and played the best game of his career. He was stout in pass protection. He was a force as a run blocker.

This was a turning point.

“Getting out there and showing that I could still play tackle, that was big for me — because I knew I could still do it,” Pipkins said. “I wanted to prove to people that I deserve to be here and playing.”

Two weeks later, Norton was inactive as he was still recovering from a stint on the COVID-19 list. Pipkins was once again called into action. He started at right tackle and played another stellar game in a must-win game for the Chargers. He did not allow a single pressure in 67 offensive snaps, according to Pro Football Focus.

Those two games from Pipkins turned heads inside the Chargers building. It certainly looked as though Pipkins had made a jump in his development. He was no longer the baby-faced neophyte who had been forced into action earlier than expected as a rookie. Pipkins rocks a full beard now, and he has also fully filled out his 6-foot-6 frame. When asked how different of a player he is now compared with his rookie season, Pipkins said, “It’s astronomical.”

Players develop at different speeds. For every Slater, who emerged as one of the best left tackles in football from his very first NFL game. there is a Pipkins. When the Chargers drafted Pipkins in 2019, they knew he was going to be a project. He had tantalizing athletic traits, but he had a long way to go from a technical standpoint to compete consistently in the NFL.

Were these performances Pipkins realizing his full potential? That remains to be seen. But, along with Norton’s positive moments last season, it was enough for the Chargers to feel comfortable passing on a right tackle in the offseason.

Chargers tackle Trey Pipkins opened eyes late last season and aimed to build on them this offseason. (Joe Nicholson / USA Today)

Pipkins, meanwhile, got to work with Manyweather in Dallas. He pointed to several key takeaways from his training.

He spent time around established NFL veterans, like Terron Armstead and Charles Leno.

“The best part about it is just all the guys that are there,” Pipkins said. “You get to hear so many different ways guys think about the game. … The work, the lifting and the conditioning and stuff is all really good, but the best part was just being around the guys, hearing how they think about their pass sets in certain situations and run blocking these techniques and stuff like that, I think that’s what helped the most, for sure.”

Pipkins also found tremendous value in Manyweather’s approach to teaching and coaching the offensive line.

“He’s so good with just the biomechanics behind stuff, stuff that you never think about,” Pipkins said. “O-line coaches … are super good with all the football stuff and stuff like that, but they don’t necessarily know all of the biomechanics stuff that strength coaches know. So (Manyweather) kind of knows both aspects of it, and the way he implements that biomechanics stuff into the O-line drills is really cool.”

One example, Pipkins said, was activating the glute muscle on his hind leg in his stance before the snap. On tape, Pipkins showed that he was keeping that muscle relaxed in his stance so that he could put his weight on the instep of his foot. At the snap, Pipkins would have to activate his glute muscle to explode into his set. And that was a millisecond he lost in his initial movement.

“As soon as I would start to move, my knee would lock to activate my glute to push off,” Pipkins said. “And so if you stay activated, you can push off without that extra movement.”

This might seem like a minor adjustment. But winning pass protection reps is all about the margins. A millisecond here or a millisecond there is the difference between standing up a pass rusher or giving up a sack. And the same goes for things like hand placement, elbow angle or the direction you push when you make initial contact with a pass rusher — “raising up and not pushing out,” as Pipkins said.

“It’s just little stuff that makes a huge difference,” Pipkins added. “I’ve changed a lot about my set that I like a lot and I feel really good about.”

Pipkins returned to Dallas on Saturday, three days after the Chargers wrapped up mandatory minicamp. He will train with Manyweather over the summer break before coming back to Southern California for the start of training camp in late July.

There, Pipkins will use what he has learned — both this offseason and over the past three years — to earn a starting job for the first time in his career.

“It’s definitely an opportunity,” Pipkins said, “and I can’t wait to take advantage of it.”

[equivocation]

"I'm excited to get into training camp."