BOLT ANALYSIS - WEEK 7

What a difference a change of opponent makes. This week's ANALYSIS will focus on something that hopefully was gained in spades on Sunday: Confidence. Lets preface this by saying that Kansas City is bad. Maybe really really bad. But perhaps our problem here in high-expectation land is that we are always looking ahead..always measuring our Boyz against the next "good" team we are going to play. I think that is all wrong. You can only line up against one team at a time. And we lined up against the perfect tonic for our ills..the Chiefs.

The first half of this game was pretty much perfect. LT has 60 yards in the first quarter...V Jackson had 100 yards in the first half, Rivers was untouched, and our Defense looked great. Lets forget for a moment that we were playing the Chiefs and just focus on the fact that we finally looked tough...we were in position...we had a PASS RUSH. So that is what pressure looks like. It looks very nice doesn't it. The 3-4 defense can be so effective (has to be effective) when you pressure the QB. It is nice to watch when it works. And, back on offense, we converted 3rd downs, got some running lanes, and protected the QB. In the rain of the second half, this game devolved into a sloppy, yucky affair. LT has 11 carries for 70 Yards at the half and finishes with 23 carries for 72? Wow. Pretty gross. It did not really matter though, because the defense was in complete control, picking off Cassell 3 times, blocking a punt on special teams, and Sprolie broke through for the big TD. 37-7. Nice to have one where you can actually breathe in the 4th quarter.

So, back to confidence. This team either has too much of it and fails..or, more recently, appears to have none of it..and fails. This game was a great one to build that back up. Much like a savvy horse trainer will take a struggling horse and put him against weaker for a couple of wins, a team needs to remember how to win...how to finish...how to stick the knife in. It is just such a mental game..much more so than anyone wants to lead on. The defense can only benefit from its pummeling of KC, because it can start believing that the plays are there to be made. I am not sure what woke up Steven Gregory and Eric Weddle but those little undersized guys looked fantastic in this game. They moved some players around...moved Gregory to the 3rd corner role instead of Cason and moved Paul Oliver to strong safety for much of the game. It worked, these guys looked comfortable and made plays. Merriman really looked like he was trying...getting involved..opening up plays for others. Phillips with two sacks...Dobbins was everywhere playing in place of Burnett. Guys stepped up and looked tough. Again, forget who they were playing. This is an NFL team and it is good to feel good about yourself. Next opponent is the Raiders, who finally benched the woefully underprepared Jamarcus Russell and go with the much feared Bruce Gradkowski. They got crushed 38-0 at home by a Jets team that had been beaten by Buffalo. Confidence builder...it would seem we should keep this going next week.

So, what did we see that we need to work on? Well, how about 8 rushes to LT from the 1 or 2 yard line and a total of zero yards? I completely understand Norv's insistence to give LT the ball over and over in this situation. And...I agree with it. We NEED to get LT off...we NEED to get his confidence up. Our offensive line simply cannot run block. Period. This is a team we pummeled all game long and we could not block them at all on the goal line. Our guys can pass block, but their run blocking is atrocious. Now..a couple of things to throw in. Uh..hey Norv, when the first 7 LT rushes up the middle and to the left did not work, did it occur to you to try something else? Outside run? Direct snap? Play action and screen? Something. I was down with trying to get LT in the endzone (and he did if it was not for a silly play by dombrowski to not report to the referee) but that was hard to watch. Just because we are up by 20 points or more does not mean we can have three first downs inside the 5 and score 2 fields goals. Not acceptable. This run blocking is really a problem. In fairness, again I must raise the play calling issue. When LT is in...they bring in two tight ends, line up in the "I" and snap the ball. Everyone in the free world knows it will be LT up the middle. When Sproles comes in, they mix it up, do different things and trick the defense. 8 rushes from LT and all 11 chiefs know what is coming. That is a good recipe to fail. There was a time when the Bolts could say..."we are better than you, come stop us". No more. They need to mix it up.

That is about all I can criticize...except maybe some dumb penalties. For now, the ANALYSIS will not concern itself with playing a "good team". The ANALYSIS would like to support a confident Charger team, winning on the road in the rain by daylight, facing a next-week opponent in complete disarray. Gotta beat the team that lines up in front of you...lets just focus on that for now. And Confidence.

BOLT ANALYSIS - WEEK 6

About midway through the 4th quarter last night, I felt a strange sensation. It replaced the usual mixture of anxiety, doubt, and unease that I feel during most Charger games. It was somewhat liberating in its simplicity. It was a release of expectations. It was the embrace of the cold reality that this BOLTS team is simply not as good as we all thought they were...or thought they should be.

Now, as I have said in the past, the ANALYSIS attempts to avoid the true highs and lows of fandom. This game, however, put an exlamation point on everything that is high and low about this team. The highs: A great first half, great downfield passing, a wonderful punt return for a TD, good looking comeback running by LT. The lows: an unbelievably bad second half, two special teams touchdowns!, complete lack of adjustments, complete lack of pressure, complete lack of blocking ability. I could pick apart certain plays, I could focus on optimistic views like, "If only we had been tougher on Special Teams". I could focus on the fact that we had a 6 point lead in the 3rd quarter despite the 14 special teams points. But, all that is academic. This team is not good enough to play a good team. And that is what I would like to discuss.

First, we must give credit where it is due. The turnaround in Denver has been remarkable. We hung nearly 100 points on this team last year in two games. They lost their QB, their coach of many years, and a number of other players. Despite this turnover, and the fact they were picked by everyone to stink up the joint...at 6-0 now they are exactly what you want your team to be...tough, relentless, physical, and opportunistic. They don't ask their guys to do too much. They just do it hard and fast and well. I admire them for it. They got their butts kicked in the first half...yet adjusted perfectly, found the weaknesses, and throroughly outplayed us late. Norv and Ron Rivera were left, yet again, looking lost. Uttlerly outcoached by a 32 year old with no big names on his team. Jon Gruden showed a great clip in the second half on his "effort drill" where his defensive team in practice at the blow of a whistle all sprint to the endzone with 100% effort no matter how far away it is and at what point in practice they are. That is Denver and that is not us.

When I talk about the release of expectations..and about this team not being that good...I think we all believe now that it starts at the top. Norv Turner was brought in to manage a group of great players after a 14-2 season. We were flying high on expectations and many felt (myself included) that coachng was secondary...just let our talent speak for itself. Despite the slow starts of 2007 and 2008 we found a way to make the playoffs in successive seasons. I defended the coaching...saying players need to make plays. With regard to poor starts and weak games...we were left grasping for reasons...."well, we just need better blocking", "well we just need Merriman back", "if only LT is 100%". No more excuses folks...the bloom is off this rose. The team just does not believe in Norv, and it does not believe in itself.

Lets start with coaching, Norv and Rivera do not adjust and the team knows it. Nowhere was this more evident that the first drive, where LT was FINALLY back in action, running hard and pumped up. On the 2 yard line, with a head of steam, Norv takes out LT, puts in Sproles and hands off UP THE MIDDLE with a 5'6" 180 pound back. The same play that was stuffed against Baltimore. This to me, is the worst play call of the year. You have a chance to get the team pumped up and believing in LT again...and to get LT believing in himself. Even if he gets stopped, you need to go to the hot hand. Norv's explanation..."that is the play that came up and we thought we had a good chance". BS. That is poor coaching....poor player management...and a morale killer. The team went on to have a great half offensively...but the stage was set and the sideline grumbling was apparent. The game has passed Norv by...somehow still calling up the middle runs and deep routes late in this game with Denver blitzing on every play. Where are the quick hitters, the slants, the outside pitches? Keep your QB out of harms way. But no, the plays continue to be called as if these are the 1992 Dallas Cowboys with Norv taking liberties with a great line and a great team. That is not the Chargers. No adjustments, no wins. I don't see Norv changing now.

And now the player expectations. Losing Jamal Williams was huge...losing Hardwick was huge. But Merriman is back and is ineffective at best. He talked smack all week long and then did not make a positive impression on a single play that I saw. Same can be said of many of our defense..where are these guys? Phillips? Castillo? anyone? anyone? No killer instict..Kyle Orton is standing back there just waiting around. Same old story. Our blitzes are covered easily, our upfield rush is non-existant. We cannot adjust...we cannot compete against good lines.

So, what now? 3 1/2 games out of the division lead. Can this team fight for a wildcard? Sure. Can this team make the playoffs? Sure. But do any of you believe this team can go far in the playoffs? No. It is time to realize that this "generation" of Charger players are simply not as good as advertised. We will win our share of games...we will score some points and be entertaining. But come December and January....playing in a meaningful game is highly unlikely. Lower your expectations, faithful Charger fans, and we can still have some fun...just not the kind of fun we want to have.

BOLT ANALYSIS- MIDWEEK NEWS BREAK

News hits the airwaves today that Clinton Hart has been cut from the team. Surprising in its timing as it sure does seem we are thin at Strong Safety. We are now looking at rookieKevin Ellison and undersized Steve Gregory to fill the void. This cut is big news…not just for the player…and Hart was a good character guy and a good team guy..but for what it represents to the team. Clinton Hart was one of the many defensive players that AJ signed to large, long contracts after recent good seasons. Others include Shaun Phillips, Jyles Tucker, Steven Cooper, Luis Castillo. Hart has appeared slow, out of position, and ineffectual in every game since he signed that contract. The fact that AJ will cut a starter with such a large contract mid-season tells me some important things: 1) This defense is playing for their jobs right now, 2) AJ is not afraid to admit he made a mistake and void a big contract, 3) the large contracts of other players are meaningless if they are not performing. This sends a big message. Not sure how much of an impact this will have on our secondary (we re-signed D-lineman Ian Scott so we won't be adding another safety) but look for the rookie to be tested on Monday night.

BOLT ANALYSIS - WEEK 5 (SPECIAL BYE EDITION)

As you all know, the BOLT ANALYSIS never sleeps. Week 5 presented a much needed break for the Chargers, one that hopefully will result in a renewed sense of purpose. The ANALYSIS will take this opportunity to opine on the current state of the Chargers, the state of the AFC West, and some notes on the NFL in general.

State of the Team

The ANALYSIS has long prided itself on not leaning too far toward the positive or too close to the negative. Given this, a 2-2 record at the Bye is not a terrible thing. In fact, in making preseason predictions, all of us had to look at Baltimore and Pittsburgh as two of the most difficult games on our schedule. Let’s briefly review the following comment that came out of the BOLT ANALYSIS-SEASON PRIMER AND PREDICTIONS:

“I think our problem areas will, once again, be pass rush and our offensive line. We are starting a rookie at Right Guard in Vasquez, and Jeromy Clary remains a weak link at Right Tackle. These guys will be tested and we need to be able to both run and pass block to let our "skill" players do their thing. Toughness at the line of scrimmage is my #1 concern."

Well, we all know what has happened since then. This “#1 concern” blew up…losing Jamal Williams and Nick Hardwick for the season. Losing newly acquired Trevor Johnson and Louis Vasquez for several games. This, of course, after the news that Ryan Binghom (starter) was lost for the season in practice. An already weak link for us just made weaker. Recovering from these injuries is part of the game, but it does take a toll on a team. Guys are playing in unfamiliar roles, guys are being put in situations before they are “ready”, etc. It is not an excuse…you need to play the guys you have…but it is a reality that the game gets much more difficult. We have guys playing on our line who were signed originally for the practice squad (Dombrowski), guys cut by Kansas City (Broome), and a guy who was working for Enterprise rent a car (Ngwebuo). Despite this, we could have easily been 3-0 after our first three. Some mistakes, some bad play calls, and we missed an opportunity to beat the Ravens. The wins against the Raiders and Dolphins were not pretty…but they were wins. Our best game was our loss at that point…and we had a right to feel OK.

Then comes a game where we could have made a statement. Stepping up on National TV against a good team with its own injury issues. We made a statement all right. We showed that we are not ready to play good teams. Getting dominated at the line of scrimmage. Period. Both sides of the ball. D line getting pushed back 5 yards on each play…pass rushers feeble…coverages confused. A big blow to confidence and the psyche of the team. Leading AJ Smith to call his team “bewildered and soft” at times. I could not have come up with two more descriptive words. That is exactly how they looked. Merriman fights back in the press…saying that is uncalled for. Well, we can only hope that it fires them up and puts some spark in their step. Confidence is a huge issue with this team. A win next Monday night is the only way they get it. Will we show up and start looking like a cohesive unit, or will the bewilderment continue?

I was tempted to do a quarterly position analysis now that we are through 25% of the season, but I would really need to give nearly the whole team an incomplete so far. We have not really seen LT, we have not really seen Merriman, we have a cobbled together D line and a patchwork O line. I prefer to wait until the halfway point to try and grade this team. I just don’t think they have shown enough yet.

State of the AFC West

While the Raiders and Chiefs have played to expectations…it is official, the Broncos are good. I was not a believer until this weekend. They had gone 4-0 with wins against Oakland and KC, a last second tipped pass win over Cincy, and an ugly win against a underperforming Dallas team. I really thought New England would beat them. Well, talk about confidence. This Denver team is playing with it in a big way. Next Monday is, I hate to say it so early, a must win game. Falling behind Denver by 3 ½ games without a tiebreaker would just be brutal. They are a team playing under control, they are well coached, they are playing to their strengths. They have a ball possession offense and a physical, quick defense. They are going to come into SD with a head of steam and we are going to need to beat them. Hard to believe we are looking up at these guys already, but that is the case. Odds makers have made the Chargers 3 ½ point favorites. They are on National TV again…this is big. This is a who-do-you-want-to-be-when-you-grow-up kind of game.

The NFL

Besides the crazy story that is the Broncos, we need to look at Manning, Manning, and Favre as the leaders of undefeated teams? Ouch. Adding insult to injury, these three teams look just great. Throw in Drew Brees and the Saints and you have quite a quartet of undefeated teams. It is a long season…and some of these guys will falter…but right now there sure looks like a large gulf between the haves and the have nots in the NFL. Which pile do we fall into? Tune in on 11-19.

BOLT ANALYSIS - WEEK 4

It is a long season. Thankfully, that is true. These are the words that Charger management has lived by over the past several years as this team continues to be an early-season disappointment. Last night’s prime time beatdown was just the latest in a seemingly endless series of “we are just not that good” moments. But..the BOLT ANALYSIS prides itself on not giving in to overreaction, hyperbole, and doomsday tactics. This was one game out of 16….had the Chargers won it would still count as only one game. With all ANALYSIS however…we must look at HOW this game was lost. If there was ever something called a “good” loss…this was not it.

The Steelers came into this game hungry…sure…the World Champs with a record of 1-2 and having lost two games late to seemingly inferior teams. You know they were going to be motivated. However, the fact remains that they were down a couple of their best players with Polamalu out and Willie Parker hurt. Their starting running back was a guy who was benched the week before because he was confused on the playbook. The line had not been protecting Ben and the defense was having trouble making sacks. So, forget the 0-13 San Diego record at Heinz field. We had a chance to take advantage of these facts.

It took me the first 6 plays to realize we were not going to. That first drive was a humiliation. Not one single player on our defense was prepared or physically able to withstand their Pittsburgh counterpart. Completely blown off the ball on the line, the corners not wanting contact, missed assignments, bad tackling. And that was just the first drive. It continued. An 11 play 75 yard drive….a 90+ yard drive. Just like that, halftime came down 21-0 and we had run only a handful of plays. It did not get better in the 3^rd quarter. The biggest slap was Pittsburgh going for it on 4^th and an inch from their own 30 yard line. No respect. Then again, everyone in the free world knew Big Ben was going on a sneak. No problem. First down. Beatdown continues. Late in the game of course, the Chargers..as they always seem to…made it interesting. Gates was just great. Rivers started hitting downfield passes. A strange and lucky fumble return for a TD..an onside kick that worked. Suddenly, with 4:21 left to play we were down one score with a red hot offense. JUST MAKE ONE STOP. You saw Phillip yelling at the Defense…you saw LT yelling at them…but all you saw from Cooper, Merriman and Company was blank stares. They did not want to go out there. They were beaten. Even Cris Collinsworth, calling the game, said “have some heart here…just make one stop”. No truer words ever spoken. But…not a chance. The Steelers effortlessly went down the field. Killed 4 minutes when it mattered most and kicked a long field goal to put the game out of reach.

Afterwards…the quotes began: “we were not doing our job”, “they really took it to us”, “it was not our night”, “we did not execute”. Same old tired stuff. Some stats:

• LT 7 rushes for 15 yards… 15! Suddenly, Sproles is no longer part of the game plan? LT looked like he was trying…which is good…but the O line is dismal.
• Steelers 32 first downs, 8-12 on 3^rd down, 500 total yards (165 by their backup running back). Big Ben was 26-33. Wow.
• Time of possession: 40:20 to 19:40.

And some sad, but true, observations:

Our “stars” are not stars: Merriman has never been the same since he has been off steroids. Now, I know he is coming back from a major injury…I know he is playing hurt. But watching him helplessly flail against the Pitt line is just very sad. And Cromartie, I am afraid, is a fraud. I have tried to avoid this…giving him the benefit of the doubt after being allegedly hurt last year. But this uber-athelete is just that: a great athlete. He may not get beat on many deep balls because of his speed. But his football sense is average at best. Penalties in key situations….weak and half-hearted tackling…and beaten on simple moves consistently. The guy is just not that good.

Our coaches cannot (or do not) adapt. Without Polamalu playing center field…we had one mismatch: downfield passing. Yet, we did not open it up and play sandlot football until we were down 28-0. That was our only chance…and the coaches just keep trying for a “balance of plays” that are not there. I mean 8 rushes in the whole game tells you what you need to know about our offensive line’s ability to block. But…lets just try and get the ball downfield. It is all we have. And we did it late….but too late.

Don’t let the final score or the late TDs fool you. This was a crusher. We got dismantled by this team. Once again proving we are not ready for prime time. But…we will not overreact or bring out the hearse. As the ANALYSIS said last week, our offense can keep us in games, however lopsided. We just have grave issues on defense. And now, we are looking up at the incredible 4-0 Denver Broncos. What? Two games out already?. Here we go again. The bye week might help…get some guys healthy. We come back on primetime again against Denver in two weeks. That game will have massive meaning for us. That is the first of 3 against our AFC West foes. Really…all three are must-win games. It is a long season…and now we will need every bit of it.