Every Down Back
by Dave Gardner
The Chargers are off to a slow start again, and other news and notes from Week 5 of the NFL.
The San Diego Chargers were supposed to roll through the AFC West: it’s a weak division, and they have one of the most talented rosters in football. So why have they started 2-3?
After making the transition from Drew Brees to Phillip Rivers, the Chargers have been counted among the league’s most talented teams. They have the best running back in the league (LaDanian Tomlinson), the best tight end in the league (Antonio Gates) and the best young corner in the league (Antonio Cromartie).
The skill positions are there, but, this year, the problems start along the offensive line. A quarterback would never throw out a negative quote about his line, but a head coach certainly will.
“We didn’t execute the things that we’re capable of executing,” head coach Norv Turner told reporters after the game. “Obviously we had protection problems offensively, and they did a great job on third down keeping us off the field.”
Two-time Pro Bowler Marcus McNeill hasn’t been as consistent at left tackle in his third season, and the whole offensive line had trouble with their assignments against the Dolphins’ zone blitz scheme.
The offense clicked on the first drive, following a game plan of screen passes and underneath routes. The plan was abandoned, despite its success, as the team fell behind in the game.
“You come in 15-0, you come in 31-17, you come in 17-3,” Rivers said. “You just can’t keep doing. Certainly, we believe we can come back every week. If that’s the case, we have got to quit digging these holes.”
When the team fell behind, they switched to a more vertical passing attack, which left Rivers vulnerable. He was sacked twice and was visibly shaken after a few knock downs.
Falling behind early was a theme last year as well. Although the road to the AFC Championship game is fresh in their memories, the Chargers were off to a similar 2-3 start last season, and were .500 through 10 games.
When the team got to 5-5 last season, Tomlinson held a meeting with his players and motivated them to that win streak, but why isn’t the head coach the motivator?
Turner, who has been an excellent offensive coordinator but a mediocre head coach, shows almost no enthusiasm in press conferences after wins and almost no frustration following losses.
Maybe the Chargers think too highly of themselves and don’t take teams like the Dolphins seriously. Or maybe teams shouldn’t be taking the Chargers seriously — they haven’t beaten a team with a winning record yet. All they know is that, for now, this loss doesn’t feel good.
“Every loss hurts. This one hurts like Kansas City hurts – Kansas City put us at 1-3, and that hurt us pretty bad.”
With games against the Patriots, Bills and Saints in October, they could be hurting really bad in November.
Monday Night Notes
Saints: The Saints can only blame themselves for this loss. Although Reggie Bush redeemed himself with three great punt returns (two for touchdowns), he also coughed up the ball twice. The whole team — not just the offense — is relying on Drew Brees, but the weapons around him still aren’t there. He is extremely accurate, and he’s playing like the best quarterback in the game right now. When he gets his favorite tagert, Marques Colston back, the Saints could be dangerous. For now, though, they’re the only team below .500 in the NFC South, and they have a lot of ground to cover.
Vikings: Gus Frerotte provides two things for the Vikings: a strong veteran presence and a wicked pump fake. The veteran presence was on display as he coolly got up from a monstrous hit and led his team down the field for the game-sealing field goal. He used the pump fake at least three times tonight, and, while he may not have a stronger arm than Jackson, he is more accurate with the deep pass, and defenses have to respect it. Every call, every bounce went the Vikings way; they still look like a team destined for mediocrity.
Playoffs? You wanna talk about playoffs?
AFC
1. Titans (5-0): Kerry Collins had a passer rating of 52.0, but he did lead the team on a fourth-quarter, game-winning drive. It’s hard to think that either Vince Young or Kerry Collins is the answer in Tennessee.
2. Bills (4-1): There’s no good time to have your starting quarterback get knocked out of a game, but the Bills do have a bye this week. They need to start scripting their first 15 plays to get off to better starts offensively in games.
3. Broncos (4-1): The defense finally showed up, and Jay Cutler – despite his outbursts – did show a good amount of patience as a passer. The Broncos also look like they are getting a good return on the risk they took with defensive tackle Marcus Thomas.
4. Steelers (4-1): Ben Roethlisberger’s performance was legendary in Jacksonville Sunday. He literally picked his battered body off of the field with one arm and led his team on a game-winning drive.
5. Patriots (3-1): Matt Cassel showed good arm strength on Sunday, but he still struggles significantly with his reads and his intermediate throws. The defense’s play was inspiring, disguising coverages against another young quarterback, J.T. O’Sullivan.
6. Colts (2-2): It took the Colts five games to appear on this list, and it took them five minutes to beat the Texans Sunday. But is any Colts fan sleeping soundly these days?
NFC
1. Giants (5-0): Every concern about the Giants has been answered, in full, this season: Eli Manning has progressed monumentally, the defensive line is getting to the quarterback and Brandon Jacobs is for real. This is the best-coached team in the league right now.
2. Panthers (4-1): The Panthers have cruised to a nice start, and their next two games will prove who is the class of the NFC South. They go to Tampa and then face the Saints at home.
3. Cardinals (3-2): The Cardinals have almost no running game, and defenses should know by now that disguising coverage’s doesn’t rattle Kurt Warner, hitting him does. It’s hard to imagine anyone winning the NFC West at this point.
4. Bears (3-2): The Lions are just bad at predictions, their interim GM Tom Lewand predicted that the Lions would beat the Bears. Chris Williams is getting ready to come back, and he could improve their strength: the running game.
5. Redskins (4-1): The Redskins have played 20 quarters without a turnover.
6. Cowboys (4-1): The Cowboys recorded their first interception in the last 178 pass attempts they faced. So much for an outstanding secondary, Greg Ellis nabbed the pick.
Call it, Coach
The first drive of the game for Atlanta started at their own 19 yard line and arrived at the 6 yard line seven plays later. They stuttered inside the ten, though, and faced fourth-and-goal. Instead of kicking the field goal, head coach Mike Smith decided to go for the touchdown. They showed the I-formation before motioning the fullback to the strong side. The pre-snap defensive read was a Michael Turner run left, and the Falcons playfaked that direction, sending Matt Ryan rolling right. His only available receiver, Justin Peelle, was well-covered, but Ryan rifled it to him anyway. Touchdown, and the Falcons never looked back.
Fast Facts
Fact of the Week No. 1: Both Fred Taylor and LaDanian Tomlinson were within 100 yards of 11,000 career yards, but they only combined for 54.
Fact of the Week No. 2: At the end of the first quarter, Eli Manning was 7-for-7 with 145 yards and a touchdown.
Fact of the Week No. 3: The Miami Dolphins have doubled their win total from last season, and their wins came against both of the participants in last year’s AFC Championship Game.
Weekly MVPs
Offense: DeAngelo Williams. RB, Carolina Panthers. Williams has been the centerpiece of the Panthers’ offense, despite pressure from rookie sensation Jonathan Stewart. Williams, on one more carry (20-123), ran for 51 more yards than Stewart (19-72) and scored two touchdowns. He added a 25-yard touchdown pass as well. His burst through the hole and straight-speed complement Stewart’s power running perfectly, and they are a tough combination for a defense to handle. 39 rushes, 22 passes and a shutout — that’s John Fox football.
Defense: Matt Roth, DE/LB Miami Dolphins. Roth has been moved around quite a bit since being drafted out of Iowa in the second round in 2005. He was too small to play on the line, so the Dolphins finally put him at outside linebacker, where he has excelled. He terrorized Phillip Rivers Sunday with a sack and several pressures, and when San Diego needed yards in short-yardage situations, he was consistently in on the play to stop them. He shows great awareness, diagnosing the play immediately, and gap integrity, putting himself in the right position to bring down the ball carrier or allowing his teammates to do the same.
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