Oliver

[Bolt-O]

The Football Outsiders stars for Week 5 are:

DT Gerald McCoy, TB (24-HOUR HERO): 4 QB hits, 3 hurries, and two run tackles for a loss.
CB Chris Harris, DEN: 4 passes defensed and no receptions allowed in man coverage.
C Daniel Kilgore, SF: 49ers running backs averaged 4.6 yards per carry with a 71 percent success rate running up the middle.
RB Branden Oliver, SD: Led all Week 5 running backs with 68 DYAR; 19 runs for 114 yards and a TD, 4 catches for 68 yards and a TD.
P Jon Ryan, SEA: Five punts inside the 20 and a rushing first down.

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http://www.footballoutsiders.com/quick-reads/2014/week-5-quick-reads

[Fleet]

Hes like Turner and Sproles in one package.

[richpjr]

....

Chargers run game: Oliver is the twist
By Kevin Acee2:53 P.M.OCT. 7, 2014

I offered my mea culpa and congratulations to running backs coach Ollie Wilson and offensive line coach Joe D'Alessandris on Sunday. I also acknowledged I was wrong on Twitter after the Chargers ran for a season-high 162 yards against the New York Jets.

I wrote before the game that the Chargers’ running game wouldn't get fixed against Gang Green, which brought the league’s No.1 rushing defense. I didn't think the Chargers would even try.

I was wrong. So wrong.

So I crawled into a cave and watched the film to see how the Chargers improved from the team that was averaging less than 2.4 yards per carry and had gained at least four yards on just 27 percent of its rushes (last in the league) to a team that got four-plus on 14 of its 40 carries (35 percent) on Sunday.

I wanted to see where the egg on my face came from.

It wasn’t from the offensive line. That group was still largely horrible. In fact, the scouting and statistical site Pro Football Focus, deemed it the OL's worst game of the season.

The site’s grading is, obviously, subjective. Sometimes, it’s even highly debatable. But it provides context when weighted against the rest of the league, and the Chargers’ interior line ranks last through five games.

What you do see in studying the game is that the Chargers didn’t do too much different, except Branden Oliver was quicker, stronger and more elusive than Donald Brown. (However, Brown did make his best run of the season in the first quarter, breaking a tackle and popping outside for 13 yards. And his seven yards on the next play made for his best back-to-back gains of the season, and the group execution to wall off a lane for him on that play was among the best of the season. Also, every one of Brown’s 26 total yards came after contact.)

What you also see is an abundance of tight ends.

On the Chargers’ first play from scrimmage, two tight ends lined up on the left and Donald Brown ran to that side. The play gained just two yards, but it was a sign of things to come.

The Chargers’ four tight ends played a collective 140 snaps, 25 more snaps than they’d played in any game this season. They were in to run block on 91 of those snaps, more than double their previous high of 44. Run blocking on 65 percent of their total snaps was also their highest ratio of the season.

It wasn’t a great day run blocking for the tight ends, but they made some key blocks, especially David Johnson. Also, for what it’s worth, Antonio Gates had one of his better days blocking in the past two seasons. He’s a future Hall of Famer because he gets open and catches passes, but he was clearly committed to the helping with the run Sunday.

And the Chargers – and this is where they surprised me, though it also had to do with the flow of the game and how well Rivers is playing – were committed to the run.
Actually, they became more committed to it after Brown went out with a concussion in the second quarter.

They put together scoring drives of 12 and nine plays on the two of their next three possessions. Of those 21 plays, 14 were runs.

They ran on 12 of the 26 plays (46 percent) before Brown was hurt and 28 of 44 (63 percent) afterward.

“It just got rolling,” Oliver said.

He certainly got rolling.

Eight of those 14 runs (one by Shaun Draughn) were for four yards or more. Oliver averaged six yards over his 19 carries.

Of course, that was helped by his 52-yarder, tied for the longest by a Charger since 2007. That run around the left end involved a slipped tackle, nice push from the entire line, an aggressive block by Antonio Gates and solid blocks from Eddie Royal and Seyi Ajirotutu, a slipped tackle by Oliver and one hesitant Jets linebacker. It was really well executed.

But it was a six-yard gain on his fourth rush of the game that was perhaps most encouraging as applied to the long haul. In that play, Oliver took the ball, made a wiggled around Johnnie Troutman’s leg and then sped while also sort of ducking through a hole made by D.J. Fluker and David Johnson.

When comparing it to a similar play call for Donald Brown in the past couple weeks, it was as if this tape of Oliver had been sped up.

So as much as anything, it’s Oliver that threw the egg on my face.

[Formula 21]

I'd say that signing Donald Brown was a mistake if it wasn't for the absolutely horrid play by the o Line.

Also, every one of Brown’s 26 total yards came after contact.

This can't continue, the Bolts have got to block better. I'm not giving coach D a pass on this one either.

[richpjr]

Brown averaged 5.5 yards per carry last season so I think it's pretty safe to say it is the play of the line. From the article, this line struck me

It wasn’t from the offensive line. That group was still largely horrible. In fact, the scouting and statistical site Pro Football Focus, deemed it the OL's worst game of the season.

Says a lot about Oliver.

[Heatmiser]

Translation....

"Under Norv Turner, the Chargers ran the ball much more effectively than under Mike McCoy. And Norv was very kind and even ate a submarine sandwich with me once. And we hugged. Mike McCoy is a real mean meanie. He never tells me anything, so I have to actually do my job, which is no longer clear to me. I thought I was the pithy columnist, but Canepa is back doing that. So now I make fun of Ghelken for being young, I snipe at Coach McCoy, I 'watch' film, and I still try to find dress shirts that fit me that aren't from the Winnie the Pooh boys collection at Sears"

TG

[Fleet]

Watch the move he makes at 8:30.

[Mister Hoarse]

Troles!

[Boltergeist]

Hes like Turner and Sproles in one package.

You mean he keeps doing things that aren't working and throws his players under the bus?... Oh, wait, MICHAEL Turner. Never mind.

[Sec-E4]

Is he talking about a scat back or scat porn

Kevin Acee with Egg all over his Face logo:

[Fleet]

You can almost spell Darren Sproles with Branden Oliver. Just missing SP. And excluding BIN from Olivers name. So that gives up a new nickname.

B Spin

[richpjr]

Is he talking about a scat back or scat porn

Kevin Acee with Egg all over his Face logo:

Cat porn?