BOLT ANALYSIS: WEEK 9 -- MIND OVER MATTER

Typically, the ANALYSIS begins each missive with a theme. Each game seems to offer a clear series of points that makes up an overall impression, either positive or negative (or both). Yesterday’s rollicking; crazy affair just leaves me more confused than ever about the Bolts. Should this be a “Light at the End of the Tunnel” theme? Nah….too optimistic. Should it be an “Audacity of Hope” theme? Nah…too Obama-istic? Should it be a “We suck and our window of opportunity has closed” theme? Hmmm… a bit too harsh. Let’s go with this sports fans: We are in first place in a bad division and we will now live and die with our Quarterback. That is it. That is the theme for this week. Yesterday’s game is very interesting to me. The SD press is practically falling over themselves talking about how WELL we played. The national media is talking about how good Rodgers is and how the Pack had to “hold off” the Charging Chargers. The game is being spun as a POSITIVE for the Bolts. Weird. Let’s get down to brass tacks.


This is Philip Rivers’ team, plain and simple. We will be defined now by how Philip plays the rest of the year. The team is watching, the coaches are watching, the fans are watching. On everyone’s mind is the question: “What is wrong with Philip?” Is he hurt? I have heard reports he has a cracked sternum. Has he regressed? Seems unlikely but always a possibility. Is he just pressing and feeling all the pressure? I think that is the most likely answer. Whatever the reasons, Philip made two unbelievably bad decisions in the first quarter yesterday. A pass to a completely covered Gates and a slow floater out into the flat that never came close to Crayton. Both returned for touchdowns. Beating the Packers in a fair fight is hard enough…beating them after spotting them 14 points in near impossible. These two picks had come after their best opening drive of the season and an early lead. It came with Rodgers just sitting on the bench…grinning…waiting to return. What made those 14 points hard to take is that the offense played well all day yesterday. Tolbert got tough yards, Jackson got open and found seams, Gates played solid after a rocky start, and the line held off the vaunted Packer pass rush all game long. The picks were so hard to take because we were in this game and folks came to play. Sad, really. Because every time Rivers shows signs of regaining his confidence…another massive snafu.

The rest of the first half was back and forth. Another TD and a field goal by the Bolts made it 21-17. We had a chance to stop them before the half…or at least hold them to a field goal. But a controversial (and fantastic) throw and catch to Jordy Nelson put them up by another 7. Looked to me that the tip of the ball hit the ground..but what do I know? The bottom line was that we were losing 28-17, yet we really had not done anything wrong on defense. We had covered well…we had gotten pressure on Rodgers…we had stopped the run. But, EVERY time, the Packers did us one better. Rodgers placed the ball in a perfect spot and, when he didn’t, their receivers made great catches. When we covered their guys down field…Rodgers calmly stepped up and ran for a bunch of yards. When we got pressure, he got away. When they needed 9 yards on 3rd down…they got 10. ALL DAY LONG. I really feel that despite a morbid game by rookie Marcus Gilchrist…our defense played quite well. The Packers are good…really good. From top to bottom. They play loose, they have fun, they run their plays, and they have a QB who has supreme confidence and is playing out of this world. They are fun to watch, unlike the Chargers who have contributed to my stress level and irregular heartbeat issues.

The second half did not start too well, and despite our best efforts, got a bit worse. We still were trying hard….moving the ball at times. But, we could not stop them. And when Rodgers and Nelson bombed Gilchrist again (when are we ever going to get another rookie who can actually play?) the game looked out of hand. We were down by 21 points, it was the 4th quarter. But then, the Chargers did what they always do. They give you hope. It would have been easier to go into the rainy night, losing by three TDs, with everyone’s sanity intact. However…this was not to be. Rivers and company came alive late…hitting a bunch of massive plays, VJ getting open and scoring a touchdown. A perfectly executed onside kick…another couple of plays…and VJ is again running clear in the back of the endzone. What the hell? Wait a minute…we are down by 7 and there are 6:30 minutes left! Can we win? Or will this just be the latest chapter…and yet another strangely shaped knife sticking in our collective heart.

Well, after the Packers had scored on 5 of their first 6 possessions..our defense brought it hard late. Stopping the Pack with some great plays deep in their territory. We had the ball on our own 45 yard line. We had a real chance. But no…a sack, a penalty, a bad throw. The same old things plaguing Philip. Exceptional for the whole 4th quarter…he suddenly looked lost again. Yet, a punt deep, and a fantastic stand on defense…including an awesome Antwan Barnes sack and they were punting from their endzone with 2:30 mintues left. Or were they? Uh…no. Quentin Jammer called for defensive holding on our best play of the game. Totally unnecessary play…yet there it was. Our most veteran player called again. Amazing. Yet, the defense brought it again…stopping Rodgers and the Pack for a punt and getting the ball back with 1:10. Still a chance guys…We can still tie this thing. Yet, there Rivers was again, stepping up in the pocket. No pressure. Jackson a step on the safety…if Philip puts it out in front of him…maybe…just maybe. This is the type of ball he is money with…or he used to be. Not this year. Another poorly thrown ball. Another interception. Another loss.

It is cruel to instill such hope in fans only to dash it upon the rocks of a season teetering on the brink. This team can put 38 points and a scare into the Packers? The same team that can go toe to toe with the best team in the league, can lose to the KC Chiefs? The Chiefs just lost 31-3 at home to the 0-7 Miami Dolphins. This is surreal stuff.

So there it is, folks. We are 4-4. We play the Raiders on Thursday. People are lamenting the short week but I think it is a good thing. We beat the Raiders and we are in first place. The Raiders are weakened. They just lost to Tebow. Carson Palmer looks dazed. They are there for the taking. Our season is in Philip’s head now. That is it. We don’t need him thinking too much. Just go out and play. That is what matters now. I won’t talk about the fact that we cannot win the hard ones. I won’t talk about the fact we always seem to play down (or up) to our competition. I won’t talk about the fact that we always seem to make the crucial mistake. I won’t talk about the coaching, or the injuries, or the failures of our number 1 draft picks, or the fact Gates cannot get open any more, or the ownership, or the “Phumble” or anything else. I’m just trying to see what is in Philip’s head. Let’s leave Philip alone. Let’s see if he can get out of this funk. I would suggest he spend the next 3 or 4 days watching home movies. Put in the old home movies that show him in the back yard, hucking the ball to his brothers. Playing with confidence. Having fun. Gotta get back to that Phil. I believe it is that simple. I have to believe in something.