Originally posted by ArtistFormerlyKnownAsBKR
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What, the part about this team not being a SB contender? -
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Your strongest argument yet for why all the old scubs should have been retained. Hope Yuba got the memo.Originally posted by Den60 View Post
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Not sure how real they are and don't consider them a Super Bowl caliber team, but they very well could be 6-0 and well positioned for a run this season. They do catch some breaks in regards to early scheduling and catching Tennessee with Fitzpatrick running the show, but all they could do is take advantage and they have.Originally posted by Den60 View PostComment
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Physically he should be fine for quite awhile.
He was looking like he was done but so far has shown he can still be elite. I have been saying that regardless of how this season turns out that this is the more significant development for the franchise moving forwardmigrated from chargerfans.net then the thenflforum.com then hereComment
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The Chiefs will go as far as Alex Smith can take them.
Not very far.Comment
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I don't think they are a SB caliber team (I would if their defense was better at stopping the run). They have played a weak schedule but one would say we haven't exactly beaten the league's best either. We play the Dolphins and the Bengals while they get the Bills and the Browns so on paper our schedule is a bit more difficult but not by much. They can very easily be 8-1 coming out of their bye to play Denver. We get three losers in the next 4 weeks but then down the stretch we don't play too many bad teams.Originally posted by sandiego17 View PostComment
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if we make the playoffs, why would u assume that we would lose the first game? if we qualify for the playoffs this season, while rebuilding and being decimated with injuries, that would be an unqualified success. why? Experience. It is rare for a team to qualify for the playoffs, after missing them for several years, and win the whole thing. I don't think there is anyone here that thinks this years squad is a contender to win it all. Rebuilding the roster with an eye on a championship takes time. this year is a step in the right direction IMO. tasting the playoffs would be another step in that direction. while I doubt we make the playoffs this year, if we qualify we have a shot of beating any other WC or worst division winner.Originally posted by Den60 View PostComment
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The way Rivers is playing gives us a chance virtually against any team. That said, he needs to play out of his mind and virtually score on every possession for us to beat some of the elite teams. It's not really unlike how a lot of teams have won super bowls in recent years. The Green Bay team for example had a horrid D all year and they stepped it up in the playoffs while Rodgers continued to put up a ton of points. The Saints win was virtually the same with Brees just outscoring everyone with the D making a few key stops. The same happened in Peyton's only win, when the D turned it on in the playoffs. There is a precedent, not saying it's likely, but it's been done before. I really hope McCoy doesn't take the ball out of his hands though, we won't win relying on the defense.
All that being said, let's see if we can beat Oakland first.Comment
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Yahoo with a pretty great article detailing a ton of stats - PFF/Football outsider haters beware
Were it not for the unprecedented silliness that Peyton Manning and the Broncos have unleashed in the opening weeks, then Philip Rivers' rebirth would probably be the dominant story in the NFL. Rivers isn't merely having a bounce-back year. Instead, he's playing at a level few quarterbacks have ever sustained.
As of this writing, Rivers ranks second in the NFL — behind only Manning — in QB-rating (118.8), completion percentage (73.9) and touchdown passes (11). He's also fifth in yards-per-attempt (8.44) and seventh in total passing yards (1199).
But you already know this stuff if you're an attentive fantasy manager. (We'll dig deeper in a moment.) Rivers has been undeniably great in our game, a top-five QB in basically all formats. He's had only one dud fantasy performance so far, and he actually went 20-for-24 that day with a TD pass and zero turnovers. Even his bad day was good.
As a team, the Chargers are currently third in yards-per drive (38.9) and second in points-per-drive (2.57) per Football Outsiders, so the offense has been a fantasy buffet. Antonio Gates ranks as a top-three fantasy tight end, Eddie Royal has caught five TD passes, and Ryan Mathews and Danny Woodhead both rate as RB2s, year-to-date. Also, rookie wideout Keenan Allen absolutely feasted on Dallas corner Morris Claiborne in Week 4 (five catches on six targets, 80 yards), so he's an emerging threat. Vincent Brown hasn't yet had a monster day, but it's coming; he caught seven balls on nine targets against the Cowboys.
All of this, of course, has been made possible by the near-flawless play of Rivers, directing a Mike McCoy-Ken Whisenhunt offense that clearly suits San Diego's personnel. Here are a few of my favorite beneath-the-surface Rivers stats from the season's first four weeks, via Pro Football Focus (indispensable resource):
• His average time-to-throw this year is just 2.39 seconds, third-quickest in the league. I can think of no better way to assist an O-line. Last year, under Norv Turner, Rivers was at 2.79 seconds;
• On pass attempts where Rivers releases the ball in 2.5 seconds or less, he's completed a ridiculous 74 of 99 throws. But you can't dismiss him as a dink-and-dunk passer, because...
• Rivers has been one of the league's most accurate passers on deep balls, throws 20-plus yards downfield. He's 8-for-17 with two TDs on deep attempts (plus his receivers have dropped a pair of long strikes);
• When pressured this year, Rivers has also been stellar. He's completed 22 of 36 throws under pressure, a better completion rate than every NFL quarterback except Peyton.
So the man is really doing lots of things well. The burning fantasy question, obviously, is whether Rivers can continue at anything close to this pace. He surely has to slow down at some point, right?
Well, there are plenty of reasons for continued optimism. First among these is the player's history; Rivers has been exceptional in prior years, not simply adequate. We're talking about a four-time Pro Bowl quarterback, a guy who led the league in passing yards just three seasons ago (4710). He has year-to-year continuity with most of the skill players in his offense, too.
And then there's this year's system, which has been (among other things) remarkably crisp. It's not just that Rivers is releasing throws quickly, but he gets his team to the line of scrimmage with haste, allowing time to survey and direct. Perhaps Rivers isn't quite at Manning's level as a pre-snap conductor, but he's no scrub. Note, for example, the work he did at the line on this 11-yard Royal touchdown.
Fantasy-wise, you have to appreciate the shootout potential offered by the Chargers on a weekly basis. This team still hasn't held an opponent to less than 20 points. San Diego's D ranks 30th in the NFL in yards-allowed (432.3 YPG) and 21st in points (25.5). Rivers won't often downshift to drain-the-clock mode late in games. The Chargers' schedule isn't exactly loaded with intimidating defenses, either — especially in the near-term. The Bolts' next six opponents are Oakland, Indianapolis, Jacksonville, Washington, Denver and Miami; four of those teams rank among the league's 12 most generous in terms of QB fantasy scoring. The only unfriendly opponent on the horizon is Indy, and that's a home game for San Diego.
So, all things considered, I'm inclined to believe that the Rivers resurgence is real and likely to last. Unfortunately, I have zero shares of this player in my fantasy portfolio, and only a small investment in other Chargers (usually Allen, Royal, Brown or Nick Novak). It's early, but I'm guessing this failure to embrace the Bolts will be a major end-of-year regret.Comment
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McCoy = the remedyESPN Screename: GoBolts02Comment
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