BOLT ANALYSIS -WEEK 10

Last week I personally thanked Tom Coughlin for calling such conservative plays in the Charger win over the Giants. I thought about doing the same this morning for Andy Reid. Conservative play calls in the first half that led to three chip shot field goals instead of any touchdowns. That sounds like another team I know! However, in full consideration of the Charger win yesterday, to thank Reid would be to take away from a real victory…and the most balanced offensive performance we have had this year. And that is not fair. How many times have you heard clichés in football like: “They are the best 5-11 team in the game”, “They are the most suspect 8-0 team I have ever seen”, “Even at 4-8, this team is one of the best teams around”. Forget that stuff…you either win or you lose. And the Chargers are finding ways to win that are exciting, if scary at times.

Let’s start with the good stuff…and there was a lot of that. Props first to LT, who has his best game of the year by light years. Looking fast and dangerous…how pretty was that 20 yard TD run….he turned those tired one yard plunges into the line into nice 5 yard bursts. This game showed you that having a running game is crucial. The balance it provides, the time it takes off the clock, and the rhythm it gives the offensive line. Two scores and almost 100 yards for LT. Welcome back and keep it going.

And Rivers. I have been gushing about this guy for a couple of years now. He was incredibly efficient yesterday, 20-25 for 230+ yards and 2 scores with no picks. Just about perfect. Even with V Jackson having an invisible day (1 catch for 10 yards) he found new targets…Naanee, Tolbert, Floyd….and, of course, the incredible Antonio Gates who had just a massive game with third down conversions and big catches throughout. The line held up against a surprisingly vanilla Philly defense and every time we had the ball we looked good.

Which brings up an important point. The play calling. I don’t know what lit a fire into the Charger play callers but this was the most interesting, varied game plan we have had this year. We did not dial up the deep throws because we did not need them. Outside runs, different blocking schemes, using slot receivers, wildcat direct snaps. This was fun. Hats off to Norv for mixing it up. And….perhaps most importantly…hats off on that final drive. The Chargers got the ball back with 7:00 + minutes left and zero momentum and rolled for all but 30 seconds of that time. Just awesome. Letting Rivers throw…not being too conservative…picking up huge 3^rd downs. That drive was just brilliant. Leaving McNabb with no time outs and a long field that reduced the danger considerably. That is a drive that gives you confidence. You need to keep the ball in that situation and our guys iced the game.

Which brings me to the red flags. Same old stuff guys….no pass rush. 55 passing attempts! McNabb was standing back there so long on most of his passes he started growing roots. Merriman was completely invisible as was our disappointing first round draft pick Larry English. Where has this guy been all year? Answer: getting blocked 10 yards upfield and never smelling the quarterback. After a good first half, Phillips was gassed and was just going through the motions. Our inside guys did no better. Now…to be fair, Philly abandoned the run early and used 4 and 5 receiver sets all day long. This forces us to go with a 4 man front at a maximum. Clearly, our 4 man front is outmanned. We got nothin’..even with no hint of a running game from Philly. (Interesting side note: this was the second straight week the opponents’ #1 rusher has gone out with injury, Jacobs for the Giants and Westbrook with the Eagles. That is a nice break). The only time we put any pressure on was when we sent a safety or linebacker to blitz. Even 90% of those got picked up. This is a problem. I cannot fault Ron Rivera too much for playing the “bend but don’t break”, especially with a good lead…but the second half was way too close for my liking. 450 yards passing! Come on, guys…any chance to send a blitzer? I keep hoping for a big improvement in pass rush…but this was a step back.

In summary however, and back to the original point, a win is a win. This was a nice one against a good team. Our second such win in as many weeks. A 6-3 record. And, how does this sound: FIRST PLACE CHARGERS?. Well, not quite yet as we are tied with Denver (nice losing streak by the way). Going into Denver next week gives us no breather. Win, and we control things. This is what you play for. Just win, baby.

BONUS COVERAGE: In a move that will have the sports talkies getting all excited all week long, Evil Bill B of New England goes for it on 4^th and 2 from his own 28 against the Colts. Wow. Massive stones? No confidence in Defense? Dumb? Whatever the result, I just loved the look on his face when that play did not work. Loved it. Sorry Paul, but that was pretty choice.