We should build TWO OLs

[MakoShark]

Watt makes me miss Porkchop.

Was just looking on Chargers.com to see if placed Porkchop on the "IR Designated to return" list and it doesn't look like it. Doesn't look like we placed anyone on that list.

[Formula 21]

Any comments on Fluker at OG? He looked like he was limping at the Steelers game and wasn't moved back out to ORT. He's a player, that's for sure.

[Stinky Wizzleteats+]

I'm only half joking here.

I read this yahoo article a week or so ago about how Belicheck and the Patriots rotate in a lot of guys on the OL. Some of it is by necessity given injuries and whatnot...but a lot of it is also by design. Cuts down on injury potential and you keep your OL fresh to keep beating on the opposing team for an unrelenting 60 minutes. I don't think it's any coincidence that the Patriots are able to keep the pressure at a high level for a full 60 minutes every week.

In translation, "We need a bigger boat!"

[Formula 21]

Chargers’ O-line root of loss to Steelers

Neil Hornsby breaks down the issues along the San Diego offensive line, and highlights areas that need improvement moving forward.
Neil Hornsby | 2 days ago

There is obviously more than one reason the Chargers lost Monday night, but for the purposes of this article, let’s stick with the most glaring: the poor play along the offensive line.

First up, the Pittsburgh defensive line was far from “the Steel Curtain.” They have one Pro Bowl type player on the defense—Cameron Heyward (our sixth ranked interior lineman)—and a few other good ones, but that’s not enough to scare anyone with a reasonable front five.

Unfortunately, at the moment, that’s not something the Chargers have. They have a feast of moveable parts (due to injury and poor play), few of whom are playing to an acceptable standard.

The Chargers have excellent weapons across the board; but, if like last night, Philip Rivers doesn’t have the time to use them, they are simply expensive ornaments.

Let’s consider what’s gone wrong, and what the best case scenario in San Diego is moving forward.


Left tackle

When the season started, the Chargers had King Dunlap here. That’s a good enough option when he’s on the field (80.6 season grade), but he’s still in the concussion protocol. For the second straight week, Chris Hairston had to play, and he’s been a penalty machine to date (five), as well as a below-average run and pass blocker. Things changed again when he was forced to leave after 17 snaps, forcing the one good player available, Joe Barksdale, to come across from right tackle.


Left guard

The Chargers spent big in free agency to sign one of the premier players available, Orlando Franklin, from division-rival Denver. He was having significant issues with pass protection (not completely surprising for a player moving to a new team) before he went out with ankle problems. This brought un-drafted free agent Kenny Wiggins to the role, and he has had real problems as a run blocker.


Center

A lot went pear-shaped when new starter Chris Watt crashed and burned in the first three games. When he was injured early in Week 3, he was ranked 30th at the position, although he was improving slightly. Trevor Robinson, an ex-Bengal for a reason, took over, and has struggled even more than he had previously in Cincinnati. Two sacks and seven hurries are a lot for a center in 210 snaps, but couple that with a poor run blocking grade, and this position has been (and remains) a huge issue.


Right guard

When you draft an offensive lineman 11th overall, as the Chargers did with D.J. Fluker, you need him to be a superstar at a key position (tackle or center), not a borderline starter at guard. So far, his grade of 66.3 sees him as our 39th ranked guard, which is a long way short of fair return. As you may expect for such a mountain of a man, his run blocking is in better shape than his pass protection, but when even that is barely average, it shows the depth of the problem.


Right tackle

As mentioned above, Joe Barksdale is a good—and somewhat underrated—player. He’s performed well in earlier seasons in St. Louis before a bad late-season slump in 2014 saw him available to the Chargers. His 80.3 overall grade is only a hair behind Dunlap, and if they get both playing together, it does give them a solid set of bookends.

If everyone is healthy and Orlando Franklin finds his feet, this could turn into a better-than-average unit. They have two good tackles, a high quality left guard in Franklin, and an average (although hugely overvalued) one in Fluker. The major problem is at center. Neither Watt nor Robinson seem to be the answer, and the play of J.D. Walton in New York suggests he’s not it either.

Unless something dramatically changes soon, expect the Chargers to address the position with vigor in the postseason.

[TTK]

Someone tell Neil that Fluker is out there playing on one leg.

[OhioBolt]

As I posted on other posting we need help on the O-line even if healthy we have issues

LT - Dunlap he is solid, but I feel one more concussion he is retiring remember Kris Dielman
LG- Franklin solid when healthy
C- Watt I review his video and he knows the mental part of the game, but physically he gets pushed back way too much, he needs to hit the weight room and get tutor by Hardwick who was undersized but use technique and leverage
RG- Fluker he should be solid when he gets healthy, but still work in progress with move to guard
RT-Barksdale he is average

So many lineup changes no continuity and backups have shown why they are backups. I hate that out of the two solid players on the line one may be one bad hit away from retiring.

[Formula 21]

Tom Krasovic @UTkrasovic 4h4 hours ago

Five games into the season after they started 5 centers, the Chargers have use 5 left guards. If only the OL coach were named Jackson.

[Stinky Wizzleteats+]

Misleading, we have not have to IR 5 LG we sat a some due to injury, shuffled others due to injuries elsewhere on the line iirc.

[Lightningwill_420]

As I posted on other posting we need help on the O-line even if healthy we have issues

LT - Dunlap he is solid, but I feel one more concussion he is retiring remember Kris Dielman
LG- Franklin solid when healthy
C- Watt I review his video and he knows the mental part of the game, but physically he gets pushed back way too much, he needs to hit the weight room and get tutor by Hardwick who was undersized but use technique and leverage
RG- Fluker he should be solid when he gets healthy, but still work in progress with move to guard
RT-Barksdale he is average

So many lineup changes no continuity and backups have shown why they are backups. I hate that out of the two solid players on the line one may be one bad hit away from retiring.

Until Hairston got hurt on Monday, the backups were out-performing the starters. That backups to the backups, however, suck just as badly as the starters.

[Lightningwill_420]

Chargers’ O-line root of loss to Steelers

Neil Hornsby breaks down the issues along the San Diego offensive line, and highlights areas that need improvement moving forward.
Neil Hornsby | 2 days ago

There is obviously more than one reason the Chargers lost Monday night, but for the purposes of this article, let’s stick with the most glaring: the poor play along the offensive line.

First up, the Pittsburgh defensive line was far from “the Steel Curtain.” They have one Pro Bowl type player on the defense—Cameron Heyward (our sixth ranked interior lineman)—and a few other good ones, but that’s not enough to scare anyone with a reasonable front five.

Unfortunately, at the moment, that’s not something the Chargers have. They have a feast of moveable parts (due to injury and poor play), few of whom are playing to an acceptable standard.

The Chargers have excellent weapons across the board; but, if like last night, Philip Rivers doesn’t have the time to use them, they are simply expensive ornaments.

Let’s consider what’s gone wrong, and what the best case scenario in San Diego is moving forward.


Left tackle

When the season started, the Chargers had King Dunlap here. That’s a good enough option when he’s on the field (80.6 season grade), but he’s still in the concussion protocol. For the second straight week, Chris Hairston had to play, and he’s been a penalty machine to date (five), as well as a below-average run and pass blocker. Things changed again when he was forced to leave after 17 snaps, forcing the one good player available, Joe Barksdale, to come across from right tackle.


Left guard

The Chargers spent big in free agency to sign one of the premier players available, Orlando Franklin, from division-rival Denver. He was having significant issues with pass protection (not completely surprising for a player moving to a new team) before he went out with ankle problems. This brought un-drafted free agent Kenny Wiggins to the role, and he has had real problems as a run blocker.


Center

A lot went pear-shaped when new starter Chris Watt crashed and burned in the first three games. When he was injured early in Week 3, he was ranked 30th at the position, although he was improving slightly. Trevor Robinson, an ex-Bengal for a reason, took over, and has struggled even more than he had previously in Cincinnati. Two sacks and seven hurries are a lot for a center in 210 snaps, but couple that with a poor run blocking grade, and this position has been (and remains) a huge issue.


Right guard

When you draft an offensive lineman 11th overall, as the Chargers did with D.J. Fluker, you need him to be a superstar at a key position (tackle or center), not a borderline starter at guard. So far, his grade of 66.3 sees him as our 39th ranked guard, which is a long way short of fair return. As you may expect for such a mountain of a man, his run blocking is in better shape than his pass protection, but when even that is barely average, it shows the depth of the problem.


Right tackle

As mentioned above, Joe Barksdale is a good—and somewhat underrated—player. He’s performed well in earlier seasons in St. Louis before a bad late-season slump in 2014 saw him available to the Chargers. His 80.3 overall grade is only a hair behind Dunlap, and if they get both playing together, it does give them a solid set of bookends.

If everyone is healthy and Orlando Franklin finds his feet, this could turn into a better-than-average unit. They have two good tackles, a high quality left guard in Franklin, and an average (although hugely overvalued) one in Fluker. The major problem is at center. Neither Watt nor Robinson seem to be the answer, and the play of J.D. Walton in New York suggests he’s not it either.

Unless something dramatically changes soon, expect the Chargers to address the position with vigor in the postseason.

Telesco should have addressed the position with vigor before the season.

[richpjr]

Telesco should have addressed the position with vigor before the season.

He signed arguably the best LT and LG available in free agency this past offseason.

[Lightningwill_420]

He signed arguably the best LT and LG available in free agency this past offseason.

Center?