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Originally posted by Xenos
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You still missed the point. I know he isn't lazy. I know he's 'trying', the same of which couldn't have been said of Gaither or Boston. The point is: Jackson was arguably one of the top 2-3 FA signings in the entire League last off-season and his performance to date has been abysmal. He has not played up to his contract, not even close, despite his 'solid' day yesterday that I guess only you noticed. Calling him 'Gaither' or 'Boston' signifies his status as a FA bust and has nothing to do with his work ethic. But like I said to richpjr: There are no 'participation trophies' in the NFL. 'Trying hard' and not being lazy will get you a job at McDonalds if you don't perform on the field. -
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Are the Chargers a good football team? The answer remains unclear: Popper
By Daniel Popper
Oct 23, 2022
121
INGLEWOOD, Calif. — As the Chargers limp into their bye week, literally and figuratively, we are left with an elusive question.
Is this a good football team?
I do not have a sufficient or accurate answer for you, especially after Sunday’s 37-23 home drubbing at the hands of the Seahawks.
The Chargers are an injured football team.
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The Chargers are an inconsistent football team.
The Chargers have fallen short of preseason expectations at 4-3.
The Chargers have, at times, been incomprehensibly stagnant on offense. They have, at times, been gashed for explosive plays on defense, both in the air and on the ground.
The Chargers also have, at times, been tantalizingly efficient on offense. They also have, at times, made game-winning splash plays on defense.
All these things are true. But they do not definitively answer our question.
Are the Chargers a good football team?
What I can say definitively is that the Chargers were not good Sunday against the Seahawks.
GO DEEPER
Mike Williams suffers right ankle injury vs. Seahawks
Offensively, they could not run the ball — yet again — and that derailed the afternoon. The Chargers were held under 85 yards rushing for the sixth time in seven games. Their 238-yard performance against the Browns now appears to be nothing more than taking advantage of an awful run defense. They are averaging 64 yards across the other six games this season. On Sunday, two of the Chargers’ 10 first-down runs went for more than 4 yards. They had 8 yards or more to gain on 14 of their 21 second downs. They finished with 53 rushing yards.
“At the point of attack, it wasn’t good enough today,” coach Brandon Staley said. “There was not a lot of room to run the football today, and we got to do a better job coaching, and we got to do a better job playing.”
Quarterback Justin Herbert, who is still dealing with a rib injury he suffered in Week 2, looked out of sorts. He missed throws. He made poor decisions, like on his interception over the middle in the first quarter and when he inexplicably caught a batted pass in the backfield for an 8-yard loss in the fourth quarter.
Herbert had no run game to rely on. He was under pressure when he dropped back as a result. He turned it over twice on back-to-back possessions in the opening quarter, first on that interception and then on a sack-fumble.
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“We were really one-dimensional,” running back Austin Ekeler said.
Defensively, the Chargers played like they have all season.
They made splash plays. Kenneth Murray Jr. had an interception after Asante Samuel Jr. tipped a pass on the Seahawks’ opening possession. Khalil Mack recovered a fumble after a dropped pitch in the second quarter. Austin Johnson and Morgan Fox had third-down sacks in the red zone. Sebastian Joseph-Day forced a safety with a tackle for loss on a run in the fourth quarter.
The Chargers also gave up explosive plays. Kenneth Walker III had a 74-yard touchdown run in the fourth quarter — the fifth run of 40 or more yards the Chargers have allowed this season. Seahawks quarterback Geno Smith had two touchdowns of 20 or more yards, both to Marquise Goodwin. The first came on a third-and-15 in the first quarter. The second came in the second quarter on a go ball. J.C. Jackson suffered a significant knee injury on the play and could not make a play on the ball. The Chargers have given up 55 explosive plays — defined as any rush over 12 yards or any pass over 16 yards — this season, according to TruMedia.
“We’re not where we need to be,” Joseph-Day said. “That’s evident from what we saw today.”
The Chargers’ defense made too many mistakes on third down, allowing the Seahawks to convert on five of their nine attempts. That is not counting a third-and-13 conversion in the first quarter on a Bryce Callahan pass interference penalty.
“Up and down,” Staley said of Sunday’s defensive performance.
But he easily could have been talking about the season overall on that side of the ball.
The Chargers spent a lot of money on this defense in the offseason. It has not coalesced.
Here is the truth: The Chargers have given up 182 points this season. Only the Browns have given up more.
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“We’re going to take a long look at that in the bye week,” Staley said of the defense’s inconsistency. “Just getting the right combination of players out there playing the right combination of play calls, because I think there have been a lot of good moments from us. But our bad moments have been really bad, and we got to make sure that doesn’t happen, because it’s preventing us from being the defense we’re capable of being.”
The Chargers have allowed the second most points in the NFL through seven weeks. (Jayne Kamin-Oncea / USA Today)
The Chargers lost at home, 38-10, to the Jaguars in Week 3. Jacksonville is now 2-5. One home blowout can be viewed as an aberration. Two is a different story, especially considering the quality of the teams.
“The game of football, I don’t believe it’s always about who is the most talented, because if that was the case, we would have won,” Joseph-Day said Sunday. “I think sometimes it’s just about the details, and the grit and the fight. We have the grit. We have the fight. Right now it’s just the details.”
How do the Chargers clean up the details?
“It’s a sense of urgency for everyone,” Joseph-Day said. “Not just the players, but also the urgency that the coaches put on the players.”
Added Staley: “It wasn’t good enough, and ultimately it’s my responsibility. I got to do a much better job coaching.”
Injuries have mounted.
Bosa has missed four games and will not return until much later in the season.
Receiver Keenan Allen returned Sunday after missing five games with a hamstring injury but did not play in the second half. Staley said that Chargers did not want to “push” Allen’s hamstring.
Left tackle Rashawn Slater is out with a biceps injury.
Jackson missed two games because of ankle surgery and is now out for the foreseeable future with the knee injury.
Center Corey Linsley has missed multiple games.
Herbert is battling through his rib injury.
Receiver Mike Williams suffered a sprained ankle in the fourth quarter Sunday and is now likely to miss time.
Tight end Donald Parham Jr. has only played in two games.
Receiver Jalen Guyton tore his ACL in Week 3.
Running back Joshua Kelley is now on injured reserve after spraining his MCL.
Right tackle Trey Pipkins III is playing through an MCL sprain of his own.
Receiver Joshua Palmer has been dealing with ankle and knee injuries and missed Sunday with a concussion.
All these injuries make it difficult to assess this team. The Chargers have done well to mitigate the injuries in certain weeks. In other weeks, like Sunday, they have been woefully exposed.
“It’s just part of the NFL, and we got to deal with it just like everybody else does,” Staley said. “We make no excuses.”
Are the Chargers a good football team?
After the bye, they have 10 games to prove it — one way or the other.
“We just got to f—king pick it up,” Joseph-Day said. “That’s all I got to tell you.”
Now, if you excuse me, I have some Charger memories to suppress.
The Wasted Decade is done.
Build Back Better.Comment
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So what is a reasonably intelligent Charger fan to do ?
I am not asking those who "called it," those that look in the mirror and see the smartest football dude in show business.
I am asking those who dare to be labeled "pollyannas," who see what is happening and search for the best possible answers.We do not play modern football.Comment
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The team needs to get to the point that they are playing good enough football to beat Atlanta.
The flame throwers should be set at "Medium" and we should hang in there.
This mission can be aborted in December as easily as it can in October.
Example of the twists and turns of the parity-ridden NFL: on Thursday the Indianapolis Colts were saying Matt Ryan has the leadership qualities of Peyton Manning. After yet another drubbing, Matty Ice is now benched.We do not play modern football.Comment
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Are the Chargers a good football team? The answer remains unclear: Popper
I think the answer is in - this is not a good team. You need to be good on both sides of the ball and we just don't see any reason to think this defense is good. I still think the offense can be better if we get our skill players healthy again, but we can't be a top offense because we can't run - unless we get to play the Browns again. ")
We are pretty much just a passing team. Even air Coryell could run the ball. I think our RBs are good enough but our OL can't seem to open the holes. The sad part is, we finally have a good Special team. How weird.THE YEAR OF THE FLIP!Comment
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How is that even possible?Originally posted by Boltx View PostNow, if you excuse me, I have some Charger memories to suppress.
The Wasted Decade is done.
Build Back Better.Comment
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well said.....When we struggle to barely beat some very bad football teams who dont have QB's, we are NOT a good football team..... we make bad QB's look like pro bowlers... leving receivers open all over the field and little pass rush....Originally posted by chargeroo View Post
Chargers never put up much effort against bad teams, like we expect just to show up and win.....
interesting thing is we seem to play very hard against chiefs even when we lose.....
To be a good team you have to dominate the bad teams and not struggle against them....
Teams like 49ers, dallas, jets, PIT, balt, buff, rams, will dominate this team like SEA did....Comment
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I am going to the game in Atlanta (a 4 hour drive from my house in Nashville) so my optimism says we win!Originally posted by wu-dai clan View PostComment
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this defense rarely forces a punt..... in fact is most of our opponents punts arent forced, they are due to dropping ball or bad pass by bad QB's......Originally posted by Caslon View Post
you cant run this pathetic run for not much and dink and dunk offense when your defense is cant stop teams from scoring.....
since our defense is so bad, the coaches have decided to call plays that run out the clock to artificially make our defense look better by limiting the number of scoring opportunities by both teams keeping total score down..... while still not forcing punts.....Comment
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