I think the formula is there in my humble opinion...

[X-man]

...this brass has continually tried to build this team up through an offensive minded coach to guide Rivers and crew...but...

If this team wants to give Philip Rivers an honest chance at a championship in the few years he has left...they need to blow up this coaching staff and find a really strong defensive minded HC (we had one but chose to let him leave in Ron Rivera)...and start from there. The sooner the better even...as if you do it soon...the new guy can have close to 8 games to see who can currently fit on his future team.

Think of the all the games the Chargers could've won in the past two years if they had any assemblance of a respectable defense (keep any team under 24 points a game.) If they had a dominant defense (which in today's offensive geared league is 17 points or less)...imho, Rivers really would have a chance at making a championship run.

Trent Dilfer, Eli Manning x 2, Ben Rostlisberger x2, Joe Flacco, Brad Johnson, and Russell Wilson have proven that you don't have to have the better Qb to win the BIG game...but you do have to have the better defense.

Like many of us, I too was hoping that Mike McCoy would've been able to take it past where Norv Turner had left it but I agree with Burt Grossman on his assessment of the current culture of the team...that the Bolts right now are under what appears to be a Pop Warner mentality vs. NFL accountability leadership with McCoy at the helm. When all you offer is praise in moral/character victories and offer how proud you are of your player just doing their respective job, while at the same time seeing no reason to bench or cut coaches/players who hinder your teams overall performance...you have a 2-6 team with no clear cut direction.

When you have leaders like Eric Weddle (who at one time was the highest paid safety and rightfully so,) portray this you must buy my loyalty vs you've already earned my loyalty or I will not give you my earnest abilities anymore. Bear in mind I don't think the Chargers brass has always got it right in the way they let some players go...but I think Weddle forgot what it was that earned him his high praised recognition and has now become a "you most now buy my loyalty player."

Injuries have hindered this team, and that makes the coach's decisions on roster changes that much more important in deciding how to get through the war of attrition. As much as I like Jacoby Jones as pretty chill guy who comes out as a world class interview at any given moment, Mike McCoy sees nothing wrong with jones play and told reporters recently that there is no need for a change at the ST coaching position or at Jones spot even though through the first half of this season the Chargers rank as one of the worst ST units in NFL history. Is there something wrong with that picture?

I agree with many others who have said the Chargers need to go balls out this next offseason on OL and DL in the draft & FA (this now speaks to accountability of Telesco or his replacement) to provide a stable offense for rivers and the running game, and to acquire DL who buy into a defense that ends up becoming dictating to the offense instead of the other way around. Add a solid defensive minded HC (Mark Dantonio type prospect) who understands how to build and commandeer players to create this dominating defense...and hire an OC who knows how to build an offense with Rivers quick release and the turnaround for this team might be in just enough time to salvage Rivers last years of talent. Yes I still have hopes that the Chargers stay in San Diego and find the winning formula here...but it would take some major cajones from John Spanos and crew to make this come into fruition...and going by past history of this team...it's a long shot.

[Geezbolt]

That's the first I've heard of Burt Grossman's assessment of the situation and frankly it kind of concerns me. I have no problem with McCoy not throwing his guys under the bus in public if he holds them accountable behind closed doors.

[TTK]

I agree overall. And I hated seeing Ron Rivera go.

Looking at the Broncos this year, they're undefeated and dominating with defense with Peyton trying his best to lose games, though he finally looked good this week.

But Kubiak is their HC and he's an offensive-minded HC. Wade is the one who is the MVP of that coaching staff. If anything, Kubiak might deserve blame for trying to fit Peyton into his offense instead of the other way around.

It's about getting the right HC, but more importantly we need a new DC and OC badly. I don't think Pagano is that bad (I think it's more that he has bad/stupid players) but it's time to change it up.

BTW, I heard a good quote yesterday from a former scout: "Bad players stay bad, hurt players stay hurt and dumb players stay dumb."

[KNSD]

Bah, 8 of 9 top three picks under Telesco have now missed time. FA pickups are injury prone - even the ones that weren't when before they signed (Orlando Franklin).

This is going to be a long-time project. Rivers really only has a couple more years, and by then it'll be too late for him.

[richpjr]

That's the first I've heard of Burt Grossman's assessment of the situation and frankly it kind of concerns me. I have no problem with McCoy not throwing his guys under the bus in public if he holds them accountable behind closed doors.

Who would listen to a guy who called out Dunlap for not playing with a concussion? Zero credibility.

[X-man]

Bah, 8 of 9 top three picks under Telesco have now missed time. FA pickups are injury prone - even the ones that weren't when before they signed (Orlando Franklin).

This is going to be a long-time project. Rivers really only has a couple more years, and by then it'll be too late for him.

To make this team fine as wine and twice as sweet, all I'm saying is the Chargers better take advantage of Rivers while they have his talents. Like LT at RB when he left, the Qb position is likely to see a huge drop off in production when Rivers retires. Look around the league right now, and probably less then a third of the teams have a decent QB to legitimately take them to the big game. The draft has been so hit or miss with QBs lately and as fortunate as SD was to replace Brees with Rivers (with a top 5 pick mind you)...me thinks we won't have such incredible luck to repeat that. Sell out to try and quickly build a dominant defense and pair it with his last few years of talent and see what could potentially happen.

[floydefisher]

If McCoy goes, there are only two names to be considered.

Sean Payton and Doug Marrone (currently an offensive line coach with the Jaguars).

My choice is Marrone, because he's smart enough to get a decent O-line coach that can turn around this mess of an offensive line, plus he's got 3 rebuild jobs under his belt, so he knows the drill and will have this team going well real soon.

[Geezbolt]

Who would listen to a guy who called out Dunlap for not playing with a concussion? Zero credibility.

I assume you're talking about Grossman. I have heard some interesting things about him. The term "bubble off plumb" I've heard more than once.

[ArtistFormerlyKnownAsBKR]

Defense is the second step IMO. Keeping our most valuable asset upright is priority one. Believe me, I wish we could cut that step out because we've put effort against building the OL the last few years and it hasn't really paid off, largely due to injury. We can't even really evaluate the quality of the effort bc guys simply aren't playing. Bottom line result, though, is it's still broken. As long as Rivers is a Charger, we have a chance at hitting the jackpot. But we need guys that can protect him and can give us a real running game to take the heat off of him so he can sit back there with the kind of time that Rodgers and others get.

Nobody wants to see this D become at least decent, if not somewhat dictating than me. The back breaking conversions on 3rd and longs, the hours of time the Flaccos and McNowns get to wait for someone to break free, the gashings, the chunks, the stupid penalties, the missed tackles...not only do they extend drives but they are demoralizing. We put together long methodical drives that often end in success. Our opponents come right back and score in five plays featuring a long pass, a 3rd and long penalty and one other big chunk that should never have happened. Then we get put in a hole because of the stupid ass kick returner. So yeah, we definitely need to address the D. But lets keep the pocket clean and let Rivers do his thing. Win some 41-38 games. Then get busy on defense. Some pieces are there, I think, but we need to add to them.

And as to whether we need a hard-nosed defensive expert HC, I'm not sure that's where the difference is made. I think it's more with a new D coordinator.

[SDFan]

To make this team fine as wine and twice as sweet, all I'm saying is the Chargers better take advantage of Rivers while they have his talents. Like LT at RB when he left, the Qb position is likely to see a huge drop off in production when Rivers retires. Look around the league right now, and probably less then a third of the teams have a decent QB to legitimately take them to the big game. The draft has been so hit or miss with QBs lately and as fortunate as SD was to replace Brees with Rivers (with a top 5 pick mind you)...me thinks we won't have such incredible luck to repeat that. Sell out to try and quickly build a dominant defense and pair it with his last few years of talent and see what could potentially happen.

I agreed with your opening topic post about the stellar defense carrying teams and this line "Trent Dilfer, Eli Manning x 2, Ben Rostlisberger x2, Joe Flacco, Brad Johnson, and Russell Wilson have proven that you don't have to have the better Qb to win the BIG game...but you do have to have the better defense. "

But in this reply you backtrack and want the focus on Rivers taking us all the way? I think time has shown the Spanii do not believe in investing more than a token high pick on the OL or DL and want the focus on a "face" that is exciting and a playmaker. Despite the fact they stabbed Don Coryell, 1st in the back with promoting Al Saunders to "co-head coach" and then in the heart when they replaced him- they STILL think being the San Diego Chargers = high scoring passing offense above all else and will sacrifice the chance of building a dominant TEAM in the name of offensive "continuity" and handing the passing game over to guys like NOrv and MM who then shortchange the defense. All the while using Rivers above average capabilities as a crutch to lean on instead of actually building a real TEAM that dictates to other teams. 9 years of Rivers as starter = proven fail leading us to Super Bowl with no TEAM around him. The formula worked in Indy with Manning and the proven Tony Dungy while Telesco was there but Rivers isn't Manning in his prime and Pagano can't get Dungy like success out of our defense.

If it were up to me, I'd blow out the entire coaching staff after this year and hire that proven NFL Defensive Guru as HC. let him choose ALL his own staff instead of handicapping him with leftovers like Pagano and Ollie Wilson- and tell him to build the trenches and Melvin GORDON is now the focus of our offense. And yes, I'd listen to any offers for Rivers and stop using him and Gates as crutches as justifications that "we wouldn't have won as much as we did without them". Moral victories suck.

[KNSD]

To make this team fine as wine and twice as sweet, all I'm saying is the Chargers better take advantage of Rivers while they have his talents. Like LT at RB when he left, the Qb position is likely to see a huge drop off in production when Rivers retires. Look around the league right now, and probably less then a third of the teams have a decent QB to legitimately take them to the big game. The draft has been so hit or miss with QBs lately and as fortunate as SD was to replace Brees with Rivers (with a top 5 pick mind you)...me thinks we won't have such incredible luck to repeat that. Sell out to try and quickly build a dominant defense and pair it with his last few years of talent and see what could potentially happen.

This is a 3-13 WITH Rivers. Just sayin'.... Insert "This is LA's problem" here.

[Den60]

Well, if we're going to can the coaches we should get one that can explain this to them rather than giving them a stupid Latin phrase to remember.