BOLT ANALYSIS: WEEK 16 -- BACK TO THE FUTURE

Another season has ended; another year of broken promise. For us long-suffering Charger fans, the feeling is expected, normal, natural. The Christmas Eve beatdown we all witnessed just the latest in an annual occurrence that has been a part of our lives for decades. It’s like a pre-printed spot on the calendar, really, somewhere in December usually…every once in a while it happens in January. But it always happens. The season ending a few games earlier than we all wish it would. This year’s ending has a different tenor than the past few years however. The past few years, the last game of the season (whenever it was) was tinged with excuses and expectation. There was always a reason that seemed readily at hand (e.g. “If only our special teams had played better”, “if it was not for that one bad game”, “if only our coaches would have inspired us in a different way”). No, followers, we don’t have those excuses this year. All of us who watched and hoped this year are now feeling the way we have so many times before:  We are starting over.

The Detroit Lions are a pretty good team. I would not call them great, but I would call them good. They are tough, they try hard, they seem to like playing together. They came into Saturday’s game with a chance to make the playoffs at home. As we all now, they have been one of the worst teams in the League over the years, so making the playoffs is a big deal for them. So, they had something to play for. Incredibly, so did the Chargers. Despite the 6 game losing streak, the Chargers were situated with a real chance for the Playoffs. As they game was starting, two things had happened that made those chances far more realistic:  Denver and the Jets had both been beaten badly.  These are two things the Chargers needed, increasing their chances exponentially. Suddenly, with a win over the Lions, the Chargers would have just as much a chance as Denver, the Jets, the Bengals, etc. in the final week of the season. After last week’s great showing against the Ravens, I for one settled in for what looked like it could be a very fun game.

Uh. No. You could tell on the first drive that the Chargers did not make the trip. You knew it, didn’t you? Halfway through the first quarter you knew it. The fire was not there. The motivation was absent. The sad sack, defenseless, pathetic body language was back. After three big wins, there it was. Detroit came out hot…playing hard…and we had no answer. There was no answer the entire game. I can only say that if this is all our team can muster with a chance to play in a real game…with a chance to make the playoffs…then nothing is sacred and nothing should be kept. Like WalMart after Christmas….Everything Must Go. And many things will go. If Norv Turner and Greg Manusky do not lose their jobs after a game like that, than we know for sure that Archie Manning was right when he would not let young Jughead play for the Chargers: the team is just not committed to winning.

This defense, so good against the Ravens, was horrible. The Lions scored on every drive in the first half. So thorough was the domination, and so pathetic was the response, I left to get my dry cleaning and do some errands. This team was not ready to play. Whatever soft “zone” they were running was an embarrassment. This team had 7 sacks and a bunch of turnovers last week. In this game, they could not have covered a High School team. When your job is to play games, this was inexcusable. I would be fired for such incompetence, why shouldn’t this coaching staff be fired for the same? Look, I know it is just a game, but the name of that game is to try and win. We did not even try. Collectively, you cannot tell me they did. There may have been a few players who looked like they were trying:  Weddle maybe….Floyd….but overall it was beyond a dud. The quotes afterward, “They wanted it more”, “They out-executed us”, “they were more intense”. These types of quotes are unacceptable. This is the last game of the season for them..and you are not motivated or intense?  These are the quotes of losers.  And that is what we are folks.

I won’t waste your time or mine talking too much about this game, and I refuse to even acknowledge the defense was there. But I would like to raise a couple of points. I guess Vincent Jackson was hurt. But how sick are you of seeing this guy half-heartedly running through plays? I guess people are always double-teaming Gates, but we all need to face the reality that he is about 50% what he used to be.  I guess they don’t trust Ryan Mathews to block, but why do you leave him on the bench after you have sold your soul to get this guy (e.g. getting rid of Sproles, first round draft pick, etc.). Those 2 yard screen passes to Tolbert? Really? If you don’t trust the kid, get rid of him and get someone you do trust. He was very good early in the season at taking screens so what happened? That interception Rivers threw that was returned for a TD? I don’t care that you are down 31-10 at the time….that is a horrible play by a guy who had a very rough year.

So, what happens next? We have one more game. Against the Raiders…who do have a chance at the postseason. There is zero reason to win this game. A loss gets us a better draft pick and a more favorable schedule next year. Plus, the Raiders have kicked our butt three straight times so why would they not again? We talked for the last few weeks about what should it take to get rid of our coach? If that game against the Lions did not do it, not sure what woul.  But it is not just Norv. It is Manusky, who was such an epic failure he probably deserves more of the blame than Norv. It is also Ollie Wilson, a schizophrenic running backs coach who is destroying Ryan Mathews. It is Charlie Joiner, who cannot seem to coax much out of his often-injured corps of receivers. Folks, they all need to go. But it cannot be blamed on the coaches alone. All the vitriolic-spewing yahoos out there in the Blogosphere think that a new coach alone will get this team somewhere? No chance. As I said weeks ago, this thing needs to be blown up. It is not working; the model is broken. Those players are out there on the field..who would you keep? I would submit that there are maybe 5 players who are untouchable…everyone else is fair game. This will be a fascinating off-season, because we are not “tweaking” anymore. We are not “tinkering” with our roster…we need to detonate it.

Right now, you are saying, “Wow. Someone at The ANALYSIS got some coal in his stocking”. Maybe you think I had too much Bourbon in the Egg Nog. You are right, usually I am less ranty and out of control. But, I’m mad. I am mad at seeing this team go from a very good one a few years ago to a below average one. It happened in pieces…not always obvious….but it has happened. We are no closer to the Super Bowl today than in 2001 when we started over by drafting LT. Watching the wonderful Drew Brees and the havoc-wreaking Darren Sproles last night in their game kind of drove this point home didn’t it? We are not close to that. Our former QB just set the all-time passing record for a season AND he already has one Super Bowl under his belt. Our former 3^rd down back and all purpose guy is still one of the most exciting players in the game, yet we let him go for nothing (after paying him $14 million over two years for some reason) and then not feeling comfortable using the guy who replaced him. All I can say is good luck to Brees and Sproles. I am rooting for you. No, we are not like that anymore. When it comes down to it, of Norv’s 5 years as head coach, we are going to miss the playoffs in three of them. One and out in the playoffs in a 4^th. Not good. And now, after seasons of 8-8, 9-7, and 7-9 (likely) over the past 4, can anyone really say we are good. The answer is no. Don’t just look at the coach though….everyone should be on the block.

So, followers, I hope you all had a wonderful holiday. I really do. I hope you will have a wonderful New Year too. Sports are just sports. Nothing more. And when I see a tweet from Vincent Jackson the day after his team has been eliminated…gushing about how he is so excited and happy to be watching basketball….I know where my perspective should lie. Because folks, when you care more than the players, it ain’t worth it. So, I don’t. And neither should you. I said at the end of the last post that you should not hope for Charger success this year. I hope that you did not. But, we can start hoping now. We can hope that we lose the last game…..we can hope that our coaching staff gets completely replaced….we can hope that our General Manager gets replaced….we can hope that many of our players get replaced……we can hope that we are better next year. Because that is what makes sports fun…right? Hope.

BOLT ANALYSIS: WEEK 15 -- A SIGNATURE WIN, WHEN NOBODY NEEDS YOUR SIGNATURE

As this bizarre and painful season rolls on, we all need to acknowledge that we saw something like this coming. You just kind of believed that this team would put it together at some point. Facile wins over the struggling Jaguars and Bills at least planted the seed that something like this was possible.  Last night’s nationally televised beatdown (on a game that avoided being blacked out by inches by the way) was just the final cherry on top of our sour sundae this season. A teasing glimpse into what might have been….not unlike Ebenezer Scrooge looking at his own headstone with the Ghost of Christmas Yet to Be. But, unlike Scrooge, we cannot undue what has been done. We have come to expect the unexpected…us Charger fans…good and bad. And all the good that came out of last night is likely to mean nothing, or at least very little. But man, that was cool while it lasted.

If someone had told me that a team in last night’s game would score on their first 5 possessions (should have been 6 if not for a missed field goal) and that same team would have SEVEN sacks, I would have said, yep…looks like the Ravens dominated.  The fact that it was the powder blues administering a world class demolition on a team heralded as the “most balanced team in the AFC” was simply stunning. Folks, this was not just a case of a team playing above themselves, making big plays, and getting a clunker from the opposition…this was systematic and complete domination of a good team. Especially of a good defense;  the  #1 defense in the League just got absolutely crushed.  Speaking for myself…I like drives…I like long, time consuming, scoring drives. They turn me on. They make me happy. Nothing smacks another team in the head better than a 6 or 7 minute drive that ends in a Touchdown or Field Goal. Last night…the first 6 times the Chargers had the ball…this happened. And that, folks, was beautiful (and a little bit sexy) to watch.  Let’s get right to it.

The Ravens started fast…first play from scrimmage a big run by Rice…and then a nice, balanced drive on the Bolts. However, when that easy field goal sailed just wide…you kind of sat up and said…”huh”. A little bit of luck perhaps..and a little hope. The Chargers first drive was brilliant. A great mix of pass and run that had the Ravens guessing and grabbing.  A Tolbert TD run on 3^rd down put an exclamation point on it. Us seasoned viewers said to ourselves…”at least we are going to fight in this one”. After the Ravens tied it by virtue of the undersized Strong Safety Steve Gregory getting blown up, the Chargers answered right back with a nice drive and another score. When the Ravens were forced to punt back to the Boyz, the resulting long drive and Ryan Mathews TD was nothing short of wonderful.  Where has this been all year? This balance…execution…and play calling. How many times did this team blow chances to make a statement…throw interceptions in the redzone…get called for horrendous penalties?. Suddenly, when Mathews hit the stick and we went up 17-7, that feeling crept back in. Damn…we could have been good.

The second half started even better. The Bolts taking the opening kickoff and cruising downfield. Rivers to Floyd for a 24-7 lead. Say what? Rivers was on fire all game. Absolutely awesome. This is the guy we expected. Standing up to blitzers…stepping into throws…delivering with authority. Not one pass CAME CLOSE to being picked off. This was about as good as a QB can play and it just makes the six game losing streak and all his awful play that much harder to understand. Floyd, VJ, Gates, and others making catches. And how about the offensive line? The pick up of Jared Gaither to play left tackle has been almost impossible to believe. The guy has just dominated everyone he has lined up against. He was crushing them last night. Same can be said of the rest of the line…to a man their finest game of the season. With Marcus McNeil and Dielman out for the year and hurt pretty bad, this is going to make for an interesting off season for the line. But that is for another post.

Once the game got to 24-7, the Ravens started making the mistakes. Flacco looked lost, throwing two picks. Getting sacked repeatedly as the Chargers started bringing the dogs after him. Another Touchdown by Mathews…this one a launch through the air from the 4 yard line…and we could call this one a rout. But, my favorite part of the game came later. With a 31-7 lead, the Chargers stopped the Ravens again and forced a punt that went out of bounds at their 1 yard line. What happened after that was just amazing. The Chargers cooly and calmly embarked on a 9 MINUTE DRIVE!  Almost all running plays through the confused and demoralized Ravens Defense. Guys like Ray Lewis, Suggs, and Ed Reed could not handle Mathews and Tolbert as they went through and around them for first down after first down. The best being Tolbert…spinning away from Mr. Lewis in the backfield and blasting his way for another first down. It was mercy that the Chargers settled for a field goal on that drive. But it was without question the biggest statement this team has made all year.

But what does it mean? Is it all for naught? Followers, the answer is almost certainly yes. Even if the Chargers win out against Detroit and Oakland..they are not likely to advance. Denver just needs to win one…and the Jets and or Bengals are also on top looking down. But, should we even be talking like this? I have already seen the “save Norv” language rattling around. Is that what we want? I hate to be Debbie Downer, but before we all get too excited…think of the way we all felt in that pathetic, moribund loss to the Broncos. That cannot be tolerated. Think about how you felt when we were helpless to stop the Raiders…and we gave up an 11 point lead against the Jets. Think about how you felt when the Bears spanked us and we fell to the Chiefs. We are 7-7. This fantastic win counts for just 1. It is probably not enough. We must stay resolute, followers.

Last week I spoke of Ryan Mathews and the importance of having Floyd-Gates-and Jackson all healthy and on the field. Man, last night showed us all that this group of players…guided by Rivers….is a powerful combination. And, despite the softness of our defense for most of the year….who would have thought we would sack the QB 7 times…that Weddle would look powerful…that our tackling would be crisp and excellent…that our outside pass rushers like Antwan Barnes would get the job done..and our secondary would cover the long ball so well?  I guess we can take from this game that we have our Quarterback back…and that we have some weapons. But that wistful feeling you all have right now? That feeling of hope? What should you do with it? Don’t hope too much followers. Just try to enjoy the last two games of the season. Maybe we will see some fun stuff. But if you start hoping now…it is only going to hurt worse when you see teams like Denver or the Jets playing in the postseason. No, don’t hope. Just enjoy the moment. Savor this excellent win, and leave it at that.

BOLT ANALYSIS: WEEK 14 -- CHANCES TAKEN TOO LATE

Well, this rainy day in So Cal has me in a reflective mood. I sat there yesterday, with Direct TV blasting eight football games at me on a single screen, and I was not happy. Hours of potential football nirvana just felt empty and lame. The Chargers had not even played yet, but the feeling was there. A feeling that this season, as so many others have been before it, was over. And it is folks….over that is. Going into the day, statistics programs has us at 1.7% to make the playoffs. I have to believe the number is still right about there after Tebow’s most recent parting of the waters. I have been professing the end for awhile…and focusing on the war and not the battle…but when it comes to you with a level of finality, it is still sad. Watching the Chargers demolish the Bills while the Raiders got killed and (for awhile) the Broncos were losing….true fans felt that little bloom of hope. I must say that when Tebow pulled his latest rabbit out of the hat….although the hope died again…that really was the best thing for us in the  long term.

This was the type of game we thought we would see a lot of this year. A high octane offense….a solid defense…and plenty of points. The fact that Buffalo came in on a 5 game losing streak helped, because that team is demoralized and sad. They really did not put up anything resembling a fight. If not for a pathetic Rivers fumble into the endzone, this game is 37-3. The first two Charger drives in the first half were textbook…great balance of plays…conversions…good catches…tough running. And, most importantly, touchdowns on third down. Gates, Mathews, and others with some nice plays…then a field goal late and a 16-0 halftime score. But, the Bolts started crumbling a bit in the third quarter…the Bills had scored twice and had the Chargers stopped on a third down. The beleaguered Charger fan could only say…how did we get from 16-0 to life and death?  But, the Boyz pulled one out of the hat..a nice fake punt to extend a drive and lead to another score…and the Bills were done. After that it was just an exercise in getting to the end of the game. A pick 6 by Gregory put the Bills to sleep.

Not much to criticize here…Rivers looked great (except that Phumble)…Mathews ran for 114 yards….Gates and the rest of the receiving corps solid…offensive line stout. How about mountain of a man Jared Gaither?  Wow has he looked good filling in at left tackle. And defensively, nothing too special but just always seemed to be there. Three INTs did not hurt also. Weddle seems to be earning his money now…surely.

So, folks, what to do now?  The ANALYSIS is not built to lavish praise on a team that could not bring it when the chips were down.  I can say that it is fun to win…it is fun to score Touchdowns and it is fun to watch players excel.  Rather than focusing on the ins and outs of the game, I would rather focus on a few observations. Either next week…or the week after…or the final week….we will be eliminated from the playoffs mathematically. Regardless of what we do…the Broncos only need to win one more and it sure seems that they will. We lost control several weeks ago when Philip phumbled the snap….and we completely lost control when we played the game that will surely be the one Norv suffers for (against Denver). So, followers, I will dedicate the rest of this post to a few things I have noticed as we start thinking about next season:

Ryan Mathews – He seems to be getting it. He really is the key to our offense just as much as Philip is. A confident running attack will make our receiving corps all that much better and take pressure off. Three games in a row now of more than 100 yards. And he is only 57 yards away from 1,000 yards on the year. Add to that the fact that his yards per carry are better than LT in EVERY YEAR EXCEPT ONE during LTs time here. That is significant. He is not scoring much, but that is OK. I think he has been working hard on hitting the hole with authority and not fumbling. He seems to be really improving in both those areas. Where he is still struggling is once he gets past the line. It is almost like he forgets that he has sick speed and agility. He should have had two long scores yesterday just by mixing in a little vision. Instead, he ran right at the defender, almost like he was just happy to have made a nice play. I think Ryan is going to be good. I just don’t think he is very smart and he does not have natural vision. He needs to focus on one thing at a time…first it was hitting the hole and being patient, then it was holding onto the ball, now it is what he does once he gets free. I think it will come together for him…I really hope it does.

Coaching: Here is my problem with the last two games. Take away the fact we played two of the worst teams in the League (although Jax came back to beat Tampa so who knows). My problem is we only start taking chances when there is no more hope. The difference between the play calls, the inspiration, and the risks taken if you compare the last two weeks with the game against Denver is really noticeable. I chalk this up to a coaching staff that is so paralyzed by trying not to lose, they do lose. Once we slipped to 4-7 and there really was not much hope…suddenly we start mixing things in. A fake punt? Do you think this would have been dialed up against Denver when “we still had a chance in the standings”? No way. I remember saying that Philip always plays his best when he is allowed to be a gunslinger. Norv has tried to manage games for him for too long and it has cost him his job (I hope).

 VJ/Gates/Floyd: Perhaps there is something to getting these three guys on the field at the same time. As long as we can accept that none of these guys is Superman anymore…but just three really good players who create matchup problems…we can win games. We need to sign VJ…and it is going to cost us….but his presence along with these other guys leads to results. We have to keep these guys healthy, which is no easy feat, but I think we can get some swagger to this offense if we do.

All right folks, please do not despair. The ANALYSIS will continue its weekly role for you all. We will simply change focus. Three more games, and we will be there for you. Let’s just hope we see additional encouraging signs and keep our focus on better days ahead. Days where we can win 37-10 and it actually means something.

BOLT ANALYSIS: WEEK 13 - THE BATTLE OR THE WAR?

A window into what should have been? Was that what last night was? Was it a teasing reminder of what most of us expected from our Boyz this season? Or was last night’s game merely the obvious result of a beaten up and beaten down team taking out their frustration on a team that is even lower on the food chain? Like most things, followers, the truth is probably somewhere in the middle. But, I can tell you that at least it sure felt good when it was over.




When ESPN saw this game coming, they probably cringed and wondered why they would ever put Jacksonville on their schedule. The team came in 3-8, having just fired their coach, and were unable to sell out even a Monday Night game. Well, that sounds pretty darn familiar, with the Chargers only one better in the standings with a lame-duck coach on the sidelines and their own grievous sell-out problems. But, as the NFL often provides, the game was surprisingly entertaining. A first half featuring a bunch of good drives, nice plays, few mistakes, and exciting football. The Chargers opened up by stopping the Jags on a 3 and out…and then going on one of their most impressive drives of the year. A nicely balanced, 8 minute, 70 yard beauty that ended in a nice Tolbert TD. Another stop and another drive by the Bolts netted a field goal and a 10-0 lead at the end of the quarter. The team looked sharp, Mathews running well, Rivers getting time and hitting guys downfield.



Then the Jags got bold. Maurice Jones Drew started ripping off runs and rookie QB Gabbert seemed to find his footing. The Charger D reverted to what we have come to see most of the year: Getting pushed off the ball on the line, with the linebackers and safeties just unable to cleanly bring down ball carriers. Guys like LaBoy, Gregory, Hughes, and Cason are just not good enough to be expected to make downfield tackles consistently. Two great drives by the Jags put them up 14-10 and there it was…that feeling again. Can we really lose another one? Well, a funny thing happened. The line, after a few demoralizing series’, tightened up. Rivers kept hitting guys downfield. A great throw and catch by Vincent Brown made it 17-14…then Gabbert made a horrible throw that was intercepted by Weddle. I mumbled audibly, “Which Norv shows up now…the one content to manage the game to halftime with a three point lead, or the one who goes for the jugular against a 3-8 team”. Well, I am happy to report the latter. What does he have to lose? A great couple of throws..an awesome catch by Jackson..and a 24-14 halftime lead. That TD seemed to energize the boys on both sides of the ball. Confidence seemed to soar…and the second half was an easy slow ride to victory with two more great TDs (Floyd and Mathews). The Jags did not scare the end zone and were easily put to sleep.



So, what did we learn? Well…just keeping it real…not a hell of a lot. The Jags are really bad. Really bad. They are even more banged up than we are. They have no pass rushers (all hurt) and they were starting three scrub corners. Their rookie quarterback looks like he wants no part of the NFL to me. We should have killed them. To be fair, our offensive line is just a bunch of meatheads too right now. But, they improved and played together and gave Philip time. I think we learned that it sure is nice to have VJ, Gates, and Floyd on the field at the same time. I think we learned that Philip has some confidence back after a nearly perfect game. I think we saw how fun it can be when you don’t turn the ball over. But that is about it. We are still 5-7, looking up at the Raiders and Broncos at 7-5. Let’s not lose sight of reality after a fun win here against a morbid team. You heard it here first but I believe the Broncos will win this division. I think Tebow’s magic and a very stout defense, along with a favorable schedule, will put them on top. Even if we win out…which I highly doubt…we likely won’t make it. And folks, I need you to WANT us to NOT make it. We need to miss the playoffs and get rid of Norv. I, for one, am on the fence on AJ. I am not yet sure what I think about getting rid of him too. Your thoughts on this topic are appreciated.



For one week, though, let us enjoy it. We won a fun game on Monday night. Nothing wrong with that. The guys have some confidence. We seem to be getting healthier. We have our next two games at home. Let’s see what happens. Football should be fun and it has not been this year. Still hard to believe that we had lost 6 in a row. A little factoid: Philip Rivers holds onto a snap on Halloween and Novak makes a field goal against Denver and we are in first place right now. But I don’t think that is what we want. We don’t want to limp into the playoffs…we want to ride into them strong. Stay the course, followers, four more to go. Gotta lose the battle to win the war. Just keeping it real.