Gates: wants to come back in '17 for a legit shot at the Super Bowl

[SDFan]

He is only a shell, but he is still an effective TE. His blocking is the best it has been at any point in his career, and he is still a decent possesion guy.

If we can fix the interior OL, the running game will be much, much more consistent. Then we can do 2 TE sets a lot of the time, and hit benjamin and Williams off of play action. Henry and Gates would have a lot of room to work undeneath. And more importantly Gordon can be the focus of the offense. Play action, get him more carries and he is going to get a ton of explosive plays in the running game and short dumpoff passing game.

I think Gates is a key to success next year (along with resigning Ingram).

I think experience has shown this is not an achievable goal any longer. Since Dielmann retired they have tried multiple combinations of new players at OG & OC, drafted guys, paid big $ for FA, changed OL coaches, changed TE coaches (remember Metzelaars was going to teach our TEs how to block better?), changed the OC back and forth, and give at least lip service every single off season to fixing the OL and running game. Then injuries inevitably hit, and they fail to stick with the running game even when it actually is working and we fall back into the all too familiar pattern of thinking Rivers can shoulder the offensive load and he tries to do too much and it spirals downhill. The offense puts up big numbers- but we still can't run when needed and rely too much on passing while Rivers implodes from the pressure (more kinds than 1) and we keep losing close games with poor decisions and stupid mistakes.

It is what it is.

[richpjr]

Of course fixing the interior OL is an achievable goal. It just means different players and coaches.

[6025]

Of course fixing the interior OL is an achievable goal. It just means different players and coaches.

The implication SDFan is making (I think) that Rivers is a crutch that changes the course of sticking to the run game.

[Formula 21]

Tuerk to C (if the hype is true) and Slausson to OLG would be a start.

[MakoShark]

The implication SDFan is making (I think) that Rivers is a crutch that changes the course of sticking to the run game.

This.

[SDFan]

Of course fixing the interior OL is an achievable goal. It just means different players and coaches.

been there, done that, got the T-shirt with upside-down lightning bolts. My point was that particular conventional wisdom hasn't changed a thing in the results- we're STILL talking about new coaches and/or players will fix the interior OL and running game. I don't believe it's possible until we have a Head Coach and front office that believe in building the trenches 1st as a way of winning football games for the long haul.

[SDFan]

The implication SDFan is making (I think) that Rivers is a crutch that changes the course of sticking to the run game.

that's part of it. see my reply to rich for the rest of it.

[Mister Hoarse]

The Late John Butler was our last hope of winning in the trenches for quite a while.

[richpjr]

been there, done that, got the T-shirt with upside-down lightning bolts. My point was that particular conventional wisdom hasn't changed a thing in the results- we're STILL talking about new coaches and/or players will fix the interior OL and running game. I don't believe it's possible until we have a Head Coach and front office that believe in building the trenches 1st as a way of winning football games for the long haul.

I guess I'm missing your point. I believe we need to blow up the coaching staff and bring in new players. We have already done that (along with position coaches and changing GMs). What we clearly haven't done is bring in the right coaches and the right players.

[Boltergeist]

Gates is almost assured of breaking the TD record today; he is on my opponent's FF team. Go Gates!

[Steve]

It's not like they didn't try when they signed Franklin. He was widely considered the best FA OL in that years class, and we signed him to fix the OL. It just didn't work.

To say we didn't try is just completely wrong.

The problem ended up being that by signing him to such a rich deal (which goes with any big money FA), you don't have the ability to cut that player. Getting rid of Franklin in the offseason would have destroyed the salary cap for this year, and prevented us from signing the more modest FA, as well as getting rid of a number of other useful players.

[SDFan]

I guess I'm missing your point. I believe we need to blow up the coaching staff and bring in new players. We have already done that (along with position coaches and changing GMs). What we clearly haven't done is bring in the right coaches and the right players.

that is the conventional wisdom and seems the obvious fix, but we tried it a couple times already and nothing works. Remember the last couple years of NOrv we couldn't/didn't run and Rivers was a turnover machine, then when we hired McCoy, Wiz and Joe D came in and 1 got 1 good year out of the OL and running game with Mathews and Rivers and it seemed all was well. Then we went with Reich, but still kept the OL, Woodhead and replaced Mathews with Gordon and it all fell apart again. The next year we hired Metzelaars to teach our TEs to block and help the running game and it didn't work. This year we changed back to Wiz and a new OL & TE coach and Gordon is a beast and it works sometimes- when they stick with it.

Along the way we've signed big FAs that were top of their class at positions at the time Gaithers, Franklin, Slauson and drafted guys like Vasquez, Fluker, Watt, Teurk and tried Turd Polishing with guys like Tyronne Green, Dunlap, Porkchops, Barksdale, Robinson, Ohrnberg and other lower level FAs and UDFAS and low round OL picks. We've brought in multiple FBs and blocking TEs too. So we've had a LOT of player changes, and several coaching changes from HC on down to TE- and we still can't buy a solid dependable OL and running game.

So, I guess the point is it's easier said than done to change the coaches and players with the RIGHT coaches and players. So maybe we need to look higher up the food chain for the problem to really fix it for good. I don't have ANY confidence in any Spanos calling the shots on the player acquisition or coaching hire fronts.