AFC West Runners

The AFC West was down and out last year, but the running backs still made their mark.

There are quite a few notable runners in the West and defenses will be tasked with keeping these horses in the stable.

There are veterans like LaDainian Tomlinson, Larry Johnson, and Justin Fargas. There are young guns like Knowshon Moreno, Darren Sproles, and Darren McFadden.

The great running, combined with the revitalized defense should make the AFC West a great division again within the next couple of seasons.

Anger Reigns as Another Sweep Possibly Looms for the Oakland Raiders

Despite all the sorrow and angst, the Raiders could go another six years without a victory over the Chargers and the all-time series would only be at .500. One wonders why this has ever been called a rivalry.

The Chargers have little to show for their recent domination over the Raiders. Each year the pundits pick the powder blue to represent the AFC in the big game and each year they find a new way to disappoint their front running fan base. -Chris Shellcroft

Ouch! It took long enough, but Raider fans really seem to be sick of losing to the Bolts and are staring a possible continuation of sweeps after being swept five seasons in a row—and they needed overtime to avoid a sweep the year before that!

There is even an unanswered “wiki question” asking “When was the last time the Raiders beat the Chargers?”

I’ve read an article or two about how the Raiders can beat the Chargers. One guy even  attempted to arm the Raiders coaching staff with knowledge on how to overcome the Bolts.

Apparently, it’s as simple as sticking two tight ends out there and running the ball on every down. Actually, I enjoyed this article, but it was a case of “easier said than done.”

If Oakland is smart, they will turn this game into a slugfest. The Raiders have to keep the game close to have a prayer. Once San Diego gets a lead, they usually step on the gas and turn you out. -Coach Elkins

The big problem with that theory is that San Diego won back to back slugfests with the Tennessee Titans and knocked the Titans out in the 15th round both times. They’ve engaged the Steelers, Colts, and Patriots in multiple street fights.

In those steel cage death matches, he who made the least mistakes won the game and that’s where the Raiders play the role of jobber. Shockingly, the Raiders haven’t won the turnover battle against the Chargers since December 8, 2002!

I don’t care what strategy you use, if the Indianapolis Colts can’t beat the Chargers when they lose the turnover battle, the Raiders probably can’t beat the Chargers without actually winning the turnover battle.

Going negative sixteen in the turnover battle over the last five years is the primary reason for the Raiders futility against the Bolts.

Marty Schottenheimer stressed two things when he was the head coach of the Chargers.  DO NOT turn the ball over and score touchdowns rather than field goals in your opponents red zone.

If the Raiders want to ever compete with the current Chargers squad, they’ll have to find a way to make the Chargers beat themselves. That will be a monumental task with the way the Raiders are currently drafting.

Speed guys? How much faster than the 4.3 running Antonio Cromartie can any guy they draft be? Can a 5’9″ corner running 4.25 forty seriously out-leap or out-muscle 6’5″ 240lbs Vincent Jackson (who runs a 4.4)? Can your speed rusher get by two time Pro Bowl LT Marcus McNeil consistently to rush Philip Rivers into a mistake?

Where are the tough S.O.B.s that the Raiders need to deal with linebackers Stephen Cooper, Shawne Merriman, and Shaun Phillips (and now Larry English).  Can anyone frustrate LaDainian Tomlinson, push around Antonio Gates, or single block Jamal Williams?

They don’t need more speed, they need more toughness – or better yet both if possible.

Do you really think a two tight end scheme is going to give you that? Ask Larry Holmes if “strategy” worked against a young lion-like Mike Tyson. What Holmes needed was Tyson to either paint his chin red and stick it out while wearing a blindfold or step in a bear trap.

Top Six AFC Powers

In the AFC, the top teams have been fairly clear over the years. The order is not important, because these teams don’t play the same schedule, location, or times. They won’t have the same bye, won’t play in the same weather conditions, and in some cases, won’t play each other.

The other teams in the AFC aren’t just sitting around, however. A bad team will get good breaks or vice versa like the Patriots. A player may breakout and suddenly become a legit All-Pro and carry his team to the Championship like James Harrison or Kurt Warner.

Keep Hope Alive AFC West, but the Chargers Aren’t Going Anywhere

Or is that keep dreaming? 

Based on some of the reasoning I am seeing online, the Oakland Raiders will win the division, because of the gloom and doom that shall befall the San Diego Chargers.

When people are saying that LaDainian Tomlinson (LT) has “clearly lost a step,” they are not taking into account the injuries that he was playing with.  Tomlinson was healthy for about three games last season and looked great.  In those games, he averaged 19 carries for 94 yards, which is an average of 4.94 YPC and over 100 YPG of total offense.

It’s important to remember that the Chargers, and probably every other running team, gain more yards per carry as the game goes on.  During the 2006 season, LaDainian Tomlinson averaged about 3.6 YPC for carries 1-10, but averaged 7.6 YPC for carries 21 plus!  With injuries and bad defensive play, LaDainian Tomlinson didn’t get a chance to run the ball 25-30 times a game.

It did not help that the run blocking of the offensive line has steadily deteriorated over the last two seasons.  Too bad for the AFC West that San Diego has addressed that problem with the addition of former Atlanta Falcon Kynan Forney to replace Mike Goff.

Some fans feel like the Chargers will try to use Darren Sproles to replace LT, but that is not the case.  The Chargers know that Sproles is not a season long answer for LT, but they also know that he may be the best screen runner in all of football, and they intend to use him as a weapon against the AFC West and everybody else. 

Unlike a lot of teams, the Chargers know the value of special teams play. Especially after they lost to the Pittsburgh Steelers in the playoffs last season due in very large part to not so special teams play.  Having returner Darren Sproles, gunner Kassim Osgood, kicker Nate Kaeding, and punter Mike Scifries puts San Diego one step closer to a win right off the bat. 

When those guys win the special teams battle, it will be very difficult for any team to beat the Chargers.

The Chargers’ points scored and offensive yardage ranking generally don’t match, because they win the hidden yardage game.  The Chargers were number two in points scored last season, but ranked number eleven in total offense. 

Take the Indianapolis Colts.  The Colts always seem to at least be even with the Chargers when you simply look at offense and defense talent, but have a clear disadvantage on special teams. When the Colts play the Chargers, they are usually forced to drive a lot further for points which means they usually lose—and are full of excuses. 

It also means that teams with lesser offenses usually lose to the Chargers as well, because they don’t have a Tom Brady. 

I am repeatedly seeing head coach Norv Turner bashed on the Internet, and when I look at articles other than the ones I have been writing, those guys are not too thrilled with Turner either.

Turner had no business trying to improve San Diego’s offensive philosophy (the Chargers have changed back to a run first team), but he was brought in to develop Philip Rivers into a championship caliber passer and win in the playoffs. 

Can there be any doubt that he’s doing his job? 

The offense has done exactly what Norv Turner said he wanted it to be able to do.  Move the ball against good defenses in big games.  Bad luck has struck San Diego down in the playoffs, rather than superior opponents. 

Eventually, teams will have to face a completely healthy Chargers team in the playoffs and then we’ll see how good of a big game coach Norv Turner really is.

Defensive coordinator Ted Cottrell was just as bad as 2003 defensive coordinator Dale Lindsey.  Just as Lindsey’s bad coaching was covered up by Junior Seau and Rodney Harrison, and then exposed when they left the following season; Ted Cottrell’s horrendous play calling was covered up by the ferocious pass rushing of Shawne Merriman and then exposed when he was injured last season.

Replacing Cottrell, new defensive coordinator Ron Rivera will have his chance to turn Chargers defense back into the formidable force it was a couple of years ago.

In defense of Cottrell, with a healthy Merriman on the field it was nearly impossible for teams to successfully pass the ball on the Chargers.

There has been speculation that the window has closed on the Chargers.  No.  While stars LaDainian Tomlinson, Stephen Cooper, and Quentin Jammer are all going to be 30 years old when the season starts, the other stars on the team are all 25 – 28 years old.  

It should not be assumed that there will be mass exodus of players like Philip Rivers, Vincent Jackson, and Shawne Merriman when their contracts are up.  While they can’t Franchise Tag everybody, the Chargers are a well run organization and players generally do not want to skip town. 

28-year old Kris Dielman couldn’t even bring himself to take an extra few million to sign with the Seattle Seahawks and leave the Chargers.

As long as Rivers is on the team, the team has a chance at the Super Bowl if the rest of the team is at least solid.  The window is not closing anytime soon. 

Fans of other AFC West teams feel that their teams have made significant strides to take over the division from the Chargers.  After all the Chargers went 8-8 last season.  However, the Chargers have gone 5-1 against the AFC West three out of the last four seasons.  With all the injuries the Bolts sustained, going 1-5 against the Chargers is not a good sign for the AFC West. 

Most good teams have a down season due to injury, luck, age or other reasons—like the 2007 Ravens—but the AFC West was so bad, they couldn’t even kick the Chargers when they were down.

However! 

I have to believe, like with the Chargers, a simple philosophy change could result in a sudden and permanent turn around for at least one of the other AFC West teams. 

In 2004, the Bolts made significant personnel changes.  The Bolts hit at least 10 home runs on players like free agent Steve Foley, draft pick Shane Olivea, or left tackle Roman Oben who was traded to the Chargers from Tampa Bay.  The Chargers suddenly became one of the most talented teams in the league. 

The Chargers also switched from a 4-3 defense to a 3-4 defense.  The offense switched from a run first team to a no huddle, pass first team after Marty Schottenheimer realized the Chargers two minute offense seemed to be completely unstoppable at the end of games. 

After starting 1-2, the offensive change surprised the Titans and Jaguars, which resulted in blowout wins and victories in 10 out of the next 11 games.

Norv Turner is likely to change San Diego back into a pass first team in 2009.  Trouble is brewing for the AFC West, with that change in conjunction with the return of Shawne Merriman.

I believe that either the Chiefs or the Raiders may be that mismanaged team in the AFC West.  I am not sure what to expect from the Broncos, but I know they have tremendous talent on offense.

In any case, don’t expect the Chargers to collapse due to injuries and horrendous defensive play calling again this season.  If the AFC West wants to dethrone the Chargers after three seasons on top, they will have to earn it on the field.

James Harrison: I Got Better Things To Do, Obama, You Front-Runner!

Well, well, well, NFL Defensive MDP (most dumbest player) James Harrison has taken his stand and will not be visiting the President of the United States with the Super Bowl Champion Pittsburgh Steelers.

This has to be the single stupidest dumb jock line of the year:

“This is how I feel; if you want to see the Pittsburgh Steelers, invite us when we don’t win the Super Bowl. As far as I’m concerned, he [President Barack Obama] would’ve invited Arizona [to the White House] if they had won.” – James Harrison, Pittsburgh Steelers

How about this:

“This is how I feel; if you want to give the Pittsburgh Steelers the Lombardi Trophy, give it to us when we don’t win the Super Bowl.  As far as I’m concerned, they [the NFL] would have presented Arizona with the Lombardi Trophy if they had won.”

What an idiot!  The President of the United States invites the Super Bowl Champion to the White House every year. 

What’s the real reason? My guess is that Harrison is young, rich, and full of himself.  He doesn’t believe anyone is better than he is (not saying anyone is) and doesn’t respect the honor of meeting the President of the United States like most of us do. 

Mr. Harrison did not visit President George W. Bush after the last Steelers championship run either.

On the other hand, the media and non-Steelers fans don’t drool over the Steelers like some of the other top teams in the league, so maybe this is Harrison’s way of thumbing his nose at the world. 

Either way, that is simply one of the stupidest comments I’ve ever read.  So let me end this with one of my own. 

Would the Steelers even have won the Super Bowl if New England and San Diego had not been hampered by injuries? 

Answer:  Doesn’t matter.  They won.

Let’s Bash Ryan Leaf Some More

I was just going through some classic posts from chargerfans.net and came across this one from Yuma Bolt Fan.

 

Worked with Ryan Leaf’s ex math tutor last week!

Posted By: YumaBoltFan
Date: 8/18/2004 2:56 p.m.

I worked with a guy who told me he went to school with Ryan Leaf. He didn’t even know I was a Chargers fan, I had just asked where he went to school. He said Ryan was a really nice guy, UNTIL, after the Rose Bowl when talk started about him being a number one pick possibly.

This guy said he had a small football he wanted Ryan to sign for his son. Ryan told him he didn’t sign anything anymore. Then Ryan had the nerve to ask this guy if he would tutor him in Calculus that semester. The guy said no.

He said what he thought was funny was Ryan was kicked out of three bars and told NEVER to come back, and TWO GROCERY STORES ALSO! We laughed about what a (jerk) you would have to be to get permanently banned from a grocery store, let alone TWO!

Anyway, I met someone who actually knew Ryan Leaf BEFORE he became a jerk! Small world!

 

I wonder if Leaf is still banned from that grocery store?

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