Offensive Line Discussion

[blueman]

Active on game day and actually got in for a couple of plays. Baby steps and progression from last year

For a 2nd round pick?? Outrageous.

[WindsorUK]

Did KW give Scott much help yesterday? I admit I didn't pay much attention.

[Xenos]

For a 2nd round pick?? Outrageous.

I was being somewhat facetious. But yeah, it doesn't look good currently. Injury may have wrecked his career like it did with Cooper for Arizona. But as long as he's on this team, there's always a glimmer of hope.

[Xenos]

Did you like those huge chunks of yards?

Five in the route, block...wait...wait...

Few teams do what we do. It's high risk high reward.

Not a fan actually. It's the Bruce Arians, Norv Turner, Mike Martz attack style that is going to get our QB killed. There's got to be a better balance or approach. Or are we just limited by our personnel Pac?

[Topcat]

Did you like those huge chunks of yards?

Five in the route, block...wait...wait...

Few teams do what we do. It's high risk high reward.

Yes, I love that downfield blocking...Pat Meyer is on a roll...as long as Rivers has a hot receiver to dump it off to in case of pressure, I'm good with this...though Scott is allowing a bit too much heat...

[richpjr]

[blueman]

It's kinda like that. We all focus on the few sacks and pressures, yet the OL made all those passing and rushing yards possible. Room for growth.

[pacstud]

Not a fan actually. It's the Bruce Arians, Norv Turner, Mike Martz attack style that is going to get our QB killed. There's got to be a better balance or approach. Or are we just limited by our personnel Pac?

It's what should be done so long as we have 17.

It's what he's built for.

[Xenos]

It's what should be done so long as we have 17.

It's what he's built for.

I don't know about that. I thought the quick strike attack in 2013 and 2014 to an extent fitted him better. I thought one of the reasons it dried up in 2014 was because we had no running game after Ryan Mathews went down. If our OL is better at run blocking than pass protection, there's got to be a way to take advantage of that to protect PR.

[Topcat]

I don't know about that. I thought the quick strike attack in 2013 and 2014 to an extent fitted him better. I thought one of the reasons it dried up in 2014 was because we had no running game after Ryan Mathews went down. If our OL is better at run blocking than pass protection, there's got to be a way to take advantage of that to protect PR.

Short and mid-range passes are the key, plus quick release. I'm not a big fan of the long ball--you need great pass pro for this, which we don't have right now...also, throwing a bomb is a lower percentage play than a short pass. Also short passes mixed with ground game eats up the clock.

[Xenos]

Wish I could post the videos as well but Daniel Popper did a great breakdown. He has been an excellent replacement for Sam Fortier at the Athletic. Key bolded part about Trent Scott.

https://theathletic.com/1198219/2019/09/09/monday-rewind-five-day-after-thoughts-from-the-chargers-season-opening-win-over-the-colts/

2. The pass protection was not outstanding

Scott is Okung's replacement at left tackle, and he had an up-and-down day in pass protection against the Colts.

It really came down to an ugly stretch in the third quarter. Apart from that, Scott was solid. But one missed block on the edge can result in a game-changing play, and that almost happened a couple times Sunday.

The first concerning play for Scott ended up not counting. Still, it's worth mentioning and showing here. Scott was beat badly off the left side by Colts edge rusher Kemoko Turay.



Justin Houston (No. 99 on the interior) was actually offsides on the play, so the strip sack was negated. But Turay was not offsides. He didn't start moving forward until the ball was snapped.

Scott's struggles continued on the ensuing series. He was beat for a sack on first down by defensive end Al-Quadin Muhammad.



Two plays later, he let up a strip sack to Turay. Luckily, Scott was able to jump on the fumble to prevent a turnover.



Scott returned to the bench dejected. But Okung was in his ear once he got there, encouraging his young teammate. Okung has been an immensely valuable resource for Scott since he joined the Chargers last spring as an undrafted free agent out of Grambling State. And that mentorship has continued, even as Okung sits out.

"It's huge," Scott said. "It's big time."

Scott said Okung told him to "just stay calm, trust your technique and don't get in your head."

"I was frustrated," Scott added. "Nobody likes getting beat, and I'm hard on myself. But I came to the sideline, regrouped and didn't have a problem after that."

That's the key here. Scott is a still a very young and very inexperienced player. Sunday was his second career start. Young players make mistakes. In order to make it in the league, you have to learn from those mistakes and display tangible improvement.

Scott did that. He didn't allow a pressure the rest of the game.

Here he is standing up Turay on a fourth-quarter completion from Rivers to Allen.



And on one of the most crucial plays of the game -- Rivers' throw to Allen to open the overtime drive -- Scott was once again sturdy in protection against Turay.



"That says a lot about a man's character, to overcome adversity and fight back and finish the game the way he did," Lynn said of Scott. "He played a physical football game yesterday."

It's fair to criticize Scott for the blocks he missed in pass protection Sunday. But it's not fair to completely write him off. The Chargers believe he will improve. They view him as a legitimate starter in this league. He has shown he's capable of playing at that level.

And he wasn't the only offensive linemen who broke down in pass pro against the Colts.

Schofield was beat inside late in the first half, and Rivers was forced to escape the pocket.



Schofield and Pouncey then tried to double-team Houston on the next play, but they couldn't stop him. And Rivers again had to throw the ball away.



"You take away four or five plays, and I thought the offensive line played outstanding," Lynn said.

[SDBORN]

Short and mid-range passes are the key, plus quick release. I'm not a big fan of the long ball--you need great pass pro for this, which we don't have right now...also, throwing a bomb is a lower percentage play than a short pass. Also short passes mixed with ground game eats up the clock.

Agreed. Also not sure why I've seen us repeatedly try to use Keenan Allen like Mike Williams (not just in yesterday's game). I know it worked yesterday but that's not playing him to his strengths in reality. The guy is one of the best route runners in the league.