Are Any Of Our Elite Players Really Elite?

[Heatmiser]

I am being serious and not trying to be negative. I think the seasoned friends here know I am not a negative poster.

We have a lot of talented players and there are lots of stats people can dig up (Bosa has the highest percentage of QB hurries per rush attempt, Herbert has more comebacks per game since....) but are they really elite? I define an elite player as one who takes over a game, even when everyone KNOWS he needs to be stopped. Players like Brady, Elway, Manning, Jerry Rice, Ronnie Lott, Ray Lewis, Ed Reed, Walter Payton, etc. Players who you just knew, just KNEW, were going to make the critical big play in crunch time.

So think about our elite players...Bosa, James, Ekeler, Allen, Mack, Herbert, Linsley...did I miss anyone?

When is the last time they absolutely took over a game and there was nothing that could be done to stop them?

And for comps... think Nick Bosa, Myles Garrett, TJ Watt for Joey Bosa or Mack
For James, think Ed Reed, Ronnie Lott, (I know they are not contemporaries) or even Kevin Byard
For Herbert...Burrows, Mahomes,Brady even Allen. Or historically Manning, Elway, Roethlisraper, Rodgers

I will stop there. But it just feels like we don't have really elite players. We have good players.

Fire away. But if we could keep it to the players vs the coaches, please? I know there is plenty hatred for Staley.

TG

[21&500]

Herbert, Linsley, Slater and Ekeler

at least.

[BayAreaBoltz]

I am being serious and not trying to be negative. I think the seasoned friends here know I am not a negative poster.

We have a lot of talented players and there are lots of stats people can dig up (Bosa has the highest percentage of QB hurries per rush attempt, Herbert has more comebacks per game since....) but are they really elite? I define an elite player as one who takes over a game, even when everyone KNOWS he needs to be stopped. Players like Brady, Elway, Manning, Jerry Rice, Ronnie Lott, Ray Lewis, Ed Reed, Walter Payton, etc. Players who you just knew, just KNEW, were going to make the critical big play in crunch time.

So think about our elite players...Bosa, James, Ekeler, Allen, Mack, Herbert, Linsley...did I miss anyone?

When is the last time they absolutely took over a game and there was nothing that could be done to stop them?

And for comps... think Nick Bosa, Myles Garrett, TJ Watt for Joey Bosa or Mack
For James, think Ed Reed, Ronnie Lott, (I know they are not contemporaries) or even Kevin Byard
For Herbert...Burrows, Mahomes,Brady even Allen. Or historically Manning, Elway, Roethlisraper, Rodgers

I will stop there. But it just feels like we don't have really elite players. We have good players.

Fire away. But if we could keep it to the players vs the coaches, please? I know there is plenty hatred for Staley.

TG

Great question!

And I fully agree. Every year I keep wondering when our Top 100 players will actually become a force to be reckoned with on the field where other teams FEAR them and they make an obvious difference week and and week out. It never seems to happen and I don't understand why. We're told James is one of the best, and I'm sure he is. But is a difference-maker when it counts? Where's our one or two elites that EVERY other fan talks about and EVERY other team fears?

PS It's okay to be a negative poster. Why not? Post positive. Post negative. Just post and discuss. I've never been a fan of having some sliding meter of +/- posts and not being allowed to slide too far to one side.

[BoltBacker]

I don't like your comparisons to all-time players. Especially for James, the safety position is completely different today in how it is played today due to rule changes. I would argue Ronnie Lott would not have been the great player today he was then, at the very least he would be a different player today. So, I believe Derwin James (yes) is elite the way the position is played today.

With other players I see your argument. Our receivers Allen/Williams are very high level at their positions but not Elite.

QB position takes time to tell, Herbert (Yes) is bordering on elite. He has to show it over time and in the playoffs, but I feel like he will. The reason I say yes is because I think he is already the best Chargers QB ever and I feel Rivers is an HOF caliber guy. Fouts already there.

Ekeler is another very close to elite, but it depends on what you want from an RB. He is a solid 9/10 with today's RBs. Only a notch below due to less long carries and he is average on short yardage. I think I took LT for granted; he was elite.

Bosa (yes) when healthy

Rashawn Slater (yes) freak injury. Has to show it over time.

[UtahBolt]

No. Not elite. At least not yet. Herbert MAY become elite, the skill set is elite but the overall package is not there yet. He has to learn to consistently take command over games and be the reason the Bolts win. (Go watch Kurt Warner's Jax game breakdown to see how many reads were missed.)

The rest are all really good players but not considered elite.

-Eck is considered elite in fantasy football circles but in actual football acumen he is more of a mis-match. Basically a pure pass catching back but between the tackles can be considered brutal sometimes.

-Bosa and Linsley gotta be healthy to be considered elite and Slater has to play more games (I believe he will become elite).

-Mack disappears for long stretches.

-James is the question mark. Everything I read and hear says he is elite but when I watch him his game just does not pass the elite level eye test for me. He seems to miss as many plays as he makes sometimes. He is the best player on a poor defense. A good/great player but not elite.

[powderblueboy]

I can think of no greater sign that your coaching staff stinks when everyone starts wondering if the established talent is really all that good.

Nwosu, Kyzir White, Linvale Joseph are good .... oh wait! They play for someone else, no?

[Air Coryell]

Better question that will answer your question.

Is our ownership elite?
Is our GM elite?
Is our Coaching staff elite?

[NoMoreChillies]

Herb showed elite traits before the injury. I had confidence he would complete 4th and Staley many times
Mack showed Elite traits vs LVR 1st game. He took over
Bosa showed Elite pressures in previous seasons before injury.
Derwin showed Elite pass defense, INT and body slamming Kelce before his quad injury.

its unclear how much injuries really slowed our Elite players.

around the league:

Josh Allen did not look Elite vs CIN
Brady looked avg vs DAL
Charger fans have witnessed Peyton Mannoing throw 3 INT...
We will all get to see how Elite Mahommes is with bum wheel...

[AK47]

If E-40 was a Charges fan...........

♫

Elite hella' home field advantage? Nope.

Elite ownership that'll mismanage? Yup.

Elite jersey's that look good though? Yup.

Elite running-D that'll stop a poodle? Nope.

Gotta Bosa? Yup.

First name Nick with a grip tighter than a Bridgestone Potenza? Nope.

First name Joey? Yup.

18 sacks for the most in the NFL trophy? Nope.

Elite laughing stock with your working staff? Yup.

Elite natural field grass? Nope

Elite leads blown kicking fans in the nuts in the shins? Yup.

♫

[Budsman]

[ChargersPowderBlue]

-James is the question mark. Everything I read and hear says he is elite but when I watch him his game just does not pass the elite level eye test for me.

No "eye test" is going to take into account everything a player does. There's other things James does that doesn't show up on the stat sheet.

[DerwinBosa]

Herbert is a top five quarterback. Eckler is not elite. Slater needs to prove it. Allen is not elite. Bosa has to regain that status by playing at least most of next season. Mack is getting up there in age; he may be in the stage of his career that J.J. Watt has been for the last five years (great veteran player and leader). Derwin James is elite. All of this talk about the Chargers' defense being better without him when he was absent late in the year was nonsense.

Is Brandon Staley among the top 25 head coaches in the NFL? Is Tom Telesco among the top 25 general managers in the NFL? Do we have the worst owner in NFL history?