Chargers Regular/Pre Season thread

[Malfatron]

rooting for old man rivers if the packers are out of it

[Neutral2]

Does this injury change what the Chargers do with Perryman this offseason?

I think we've seen how key he's been to our run defense, but he just can't seem to stay on the field.  He's now played 14, 12, 7, 9 games in each of his four years.

[DingoLadd]

12 minutes ago, Neutral2 said:

Does this injury change what the Chargers do with Perryman this offseason?

I think we've seen how key he's been to our run defense, but he just can't seem to stay on the field.  He's now played 14, 12, 7, 9 games in each of his four years.

They'll likely re-sign him to a 1 year prove it deal or give him a massive extension he doesn't deserve because he's talented and the front office likes overpaying injury prone players.

[Leoric]

Perryman is Usually good when he’s on the field. Doesn’t play enough to warrant a big deal. It’s imposisble to build a defense around a player that never plays all 16 games and it’s not like getting older helps a players health. Could see a one year deal in a stay healthy or bust situation but also could see him out of the franchise. 

[Chargers]

23 hours ago, DingoLadd said:

They'll likely re-sign him to a 1 year prove it deal or give him a massive extension he doesn't deserve because he's talented and the front office likes overpaying injury prone players.

Telesco probably moves on from him but not before drafting his replacement in the draft.

[BoltsFan937]

On 11/12/2018 at 9:42 PM, DingoLadd said:

They'll likely re-sign him to a 1 year prove it deal or give him a massive extension he doesn't deserve because he's talented and the front office likes overpaying injury prone players.

He's good enough that another team would offer more than a one year "prove it" deal.  Whats the going rate for a middle linebacker these days?  I would offer a fair contract in the 4 year range, but I certainly wouldn't overpay.  I would also look to get some younger depth in the draft next year for insurance.  That position is brutal and injuries are pretty commonplace so to expect these guys to go years without injury is dreaming.  Not long ago Patrick Willis and Navorro Bowman were the gold standard and they fell off a cliff fairly quickly.  Another thing to consider is Melvin Gordon.  What are we gonna offer him?  He's on record as supporting Le'veon Bell so reading the tea leafs, he's gonna want to get paid.  Might be tough to sign both.  Oh yeah and I didn't even mention Tyrell Williams.

[Chargers]

Resign Melvin Gordon to a deal that works out for both parties. I don't see Telesco not resigning him as he was his prized pick that he traded up for. I don't think Melvin will hold out like Bell did but just to be sure the Chargers should draft a RB in the later rounds as insurance. As for Tyrell, I would let him walk as Rivers can make do with Keenan and Mike plus we'll have Henry back next year to level things out. Perryman can walk and I don't want him back as he has been injured every year his been in the league. This upcoming draft is loaded with MLB and I saw enough from Kyzir White to have him replace Perryman. Chargers sole focus should be how to resign Joey Bosa in the next few seasons.

[H.E Pennypacker]

We're in a superbowl window and we really should be for the next 2-3 years, we just need to stay as healthy as we possibly can. 

The Perryman injury sucks, our LB depth is looking very thin now with White already on IR. 

No more injuries and Bosa/Henry back in the lead up to the playoffs, particularly Bosa.    Please!

[Zappaz]

Bosa back to practice today!! Will do individual drills and possibly team drills per Anthony Lynn!!

[DingoLadd]

Nice to hear but if he suffers a setback because they rushed him back.....Sigh.

[Duffman57]

17 hours ago, DingoLadd said:

Nice to hear but if he suffers a setback because they rushed him back.....Sigh.

WTF are you talking about....?  They clearly played it conservatively, putting him in a boot/cast for as long as they did.  Either way, NFL practices are basically all non-contact, so there's really not much he can do to re-aggravate it.  The biggest thing that is going to be a problem is his ability to hold ground vs blockers, as that puts the maximum stress through that TMT (lisfranc) joint.  So that's not practice isn't exactly what is going to be the issue, and at some point, they're going to have to test it against that kind of contact before they throw him out there.

At this point, I'm sure he's ready for all of the explosive movements that he's going to need to perform, as that's something the AT's wouldn't let him back without proving.  But the stuff they can't really simulate is what will be the issue moving forward.

[Xenos]

I'll probably post a few fluff pieces after every win to keep this board going lol.

Podcast with Philip Rivers:

https://profootballtalk.nbcsports.com/2018/11/12/rams-seahawks-fires-nfl-week-10-fmia-peter-king/

Quote

• So you want to get to know Philip Rivers? Listen to him. He’s a guest on my current “The Peter King Podcast” episode. A few times over the years, when asked what Rivers is like, I’ve answered: He’s the guy you meet once every five years on a long airplane trip, and by the time you get off, you feel like you’ve known him for 10 years.The dude can talk—and I find his energy contagious. Not to mention that now, a month shy of his 37th birthday, he’s playing the best football of his NFL life. The Chargers beat up the Triple-A Raiders 20-6 Sunday, and Rivers continued toward his first real chance to be a major playoff factor since the Chargers lost to the 17-0 Patriots in the AFC title game 12 years ago. Nuggets from our conversation:

• On leadership: “When people ask me, ‘How do you want to be remembered? What’s most important to you?’ That I was a teammate. I love that part of it. Being one of the guys, it’s the best.”

• On being coached in high school in Decatur, Ala., by his father: “I think from my dad, it was the little things. If you’re gonna do something, do it all the way. If you’re gonna mow the grass, do it right. You don’t cut corners. We’re gonna dump the bag after about every third or fourth strip. Not gonna blow the grass everywhere. From a football standpoint, there’s an element of just that toughness. And that will to win that he coached his players and that’s him as a man. He washed the laundry as a head coach. Made sure the jerseys were in the washer and everybody had a ride home before we went home. Little things like that. He cared about every guy. I think guys that didn’t even play would tell you they had a great experience playing for him.”

• On his 160-mile round-trip from home in San Diego to the Charger practice facility in Orange County, in a van outfitted with a video system so he wouldn’t have wasted time on his commute: “I did some research on it. I drove it a few times. I really wanted to exhaust it, not just make a hasty decision. It has … exceeded expectations, how smooth it’s worked out. [The van] is an extended quarterback room. Because 5 to 6:30 p.m., whatever it is, I’d be sitting in that QB room. Now it’s the same, I just happen to be on the I-5 South. Get home about the same time. I’ve been able to keep my same work routine. I used to get in at 6 a.m. Now I leave at 6 a.m. because I’m getting in the quarterback room in my driveway. If I was in year seven or eight, would we have done it this way? Probably not. But when you spent 14 years in a community and your family and your children are a little older, it just makes sense. I’m thankful that it’s worked out the way it has.”

• On playing in the AFC title game in Foxboro 12 years ago with an ACL torn the previous week at Indianapolis: “I was just torn up. I was like, I can’t believe we’re right here on the cusp of having the chance to go to the Super Bowl. And I might not be able to go. I remember [coach] Norv Turner telling me—you know, you get the news about the ACL and it’s like you’re not going to play—and Norv just said, ‘Hey don’t worry, you’re gonna be at a bunch of these games. You’re gonna be at a bunch of AFC Championships.’ As you know, we haven’t been back. Haven’t been back, that was 11 years ago. But … talking to my mom, she said you know St. Sebastian; not to get too deep here but St. Sebastian’s feast day in the Catholic church is on January 20. And he’s the patron saint for athletes. I have a great affection for St. Sebastian. Immediately, I was like what? I got chills. I still get chills telling you about it right now. I thought well, shoot! I’ll be able to play! Just like that, I thought maybe I will be able to play. I went through a range of emotions. It was up and down, up and down all week. Rehab. I slept in the knee machine that straightens and bends it, straightens and bends it. It was crazy, the physical rehab I went through. It was beyond me and beyond toughness that allowed me to play that Sunday. I didn’t have a shot for pain, and I didn’t have pain in that game. And that was six days after a scope for a meniscus surgery and just pretty much removing the ACL. There’s been a lot spoken about that game over the last decade. I certainly didn’t do it for any credit at all. I wanted to, if I could be out there with ‘em I wanted to be out there with ‘em and give it one chance to see if we could make it to the big game. We didn’t get it done. It was a heckuva memory for sure.”

• On learning to accept the possibility that he may not win a Super Bowl in his career: “I had a coach tell me—John Ramsdale, quarterback coach, he was with the Rams those years they won it—he said if your sole happiness is based on whether you win a Super Bowl or not, then you got a chance to be a miserable person. And it’s true! Thirty-one of us aren’t gonna win it every year. That doesn’t mean you don’t fight like crazy to get it done, but that can’t be the only thing out there because you got a chance to be pretty miserable.”

 

[Xenos]

How the defense got its groove back:

http://www.espn.com/blog/los-angeles-chargers/post/_/id/25300/how-the-chargers-defense-got-its-groove-back

Quote

COSTA MESA, Calif. -- NFL observers rightly questioned whether the Los Angeles Chargers had enough firepower on defense to compete with the best teams in the league after a 1-2 start.

The Chargers allowed just 17.4 points per game in 2017, third-best in the NFL. However, through three games this season, the Chargers were giving up a humbling 31 points a contest, second-worst in the league.

Those first three games, the Chargers allowed 19 explosive plays -- runs of 15-plus yards or passing plays of 20 or more yards -- tied for fifth-most in the league.

But those two losses came to the Kansas City Chiefs and Los Angeles Rams, offenses we know to be juggernauts, and Chargers slot defender Desmond King said the slow start helped serve as a wake-up call for the defense.

"From that point on, we said, 'We're going to stop the explosive plays,'" King said. "If we can stop the explosive plays, our defense can be so much better and the games will be in our advantage. And that's what we've been seeing throughout the season as we've stopped passes going over our heads."

King's right. Now riding a six-game winning streak, the Chargers have held teams to 15.5 points per contest, tops in the NFL during that stretch.

Along with that, the Chargers allowed just 28 explosive plays over the past six games.

Well, how have they done it? Here are four things the Chargers are consistently doing as they've staked out a 7-2 record.

Stingy in the red zone

The Chargers also are No. 1 in red zone efficiency since Week 4, at 33.3 percent, and they've had impressive goal-line stands in the past three games.

The defense kept Marcus Mariota and the Tennessee Titans' offense from converting a two-point conversion that would have won the game for Tennessee in London in Week 7.

The Chargers stopped the Russell Wilson-led Seattle Seahawks from scoring a touchdown that would have potentially sent the game into overtime at CenturyLink Field in Week 9.

And Sunday against the Oakland Raiders, safety Derwin James sniffed out a shovel pass to Dwayne Harris on fourth down on the team's opening drive, shutting down Oakland's momentum early.

"We always talk about, if it's on the 1-yard line, give us an inch and we'll protect it," Chargers defensive coordinator Gus Bradley said. "That's more our mentality as a defense in those situations. ... Give us two inches and we'll protect it. So to go out there and compete, and to come together and make a play, you know, it's great to show the players that mindset."

Taking the ball away

One of the main principles head coach Anthony Lynn and Bradley preach is getting after the football. And during their six-game winning streak, the Chargers have done a much better job of taking the football away.

The Chargers have a plus-6 turnover differential during the streak, forcing nine turnovers in six games.

Philip Rivers and the Chargers' offense have converted those opponent miscues into 28 points, fourth-most in the NFL over that time.

During the Lynn era, the Chargers are 11-3 when they force at least two turnovers in a game.

With Joey Bosa out due to a bruised left foot, it took some time for the Chargers to figure out how to create consistent pressure up front. But after recording seven sacks through three games, the Chargers have 19 since Week 4, including eight on third down.

A more effective pass rush has helped the Chargers get off the field and keep teams out of the end zone. The Chargers have allowed a league-low eight offensive touchdowns since Week 4.

Playing from ahead

The Chargers have trailed a total of 60 minutes in the past six games, holding leads going into halftime in five of those six.

The Chargers have outscored opponents 147-89 in the first half this season.

Last season, the Chargers trailed at halftime in six of the team's 16 games and were outscored 66-44 in the opening quarter.

So playing from ahead has helped the Chargers continue to be more balanced and aggressive on offense, and allowed the defense to be just as aggressive in getting after the opposing team's offense.

"That's something that we put an emphasis on," Lynn said. "We want to play from ahead. Last year we played from behind a lot. We're trying to start with more urgency this year, playing from ahead.

"It can benefit your pass rush, I can tell you that. You force teams in obvious situations where you've got to pass the football, our guys get a chance to come off the ball and tee off a little bit."

Playing with energy

Melvin Gordon says he's an energy guy. His first two seasons with the Chargers, Gordon said he could sense in the locker room that things weren't great from an energy standpoint, and it showed on the field.

The Chargers finished 4-12 and 5-11 during Gordon's first two seasons, so he's not taking this one for granted.

"It's just dope, man, because I'm enjoying winning," Gordon said. "I'm not going to lie to you. On the plane rides back -- in previous years, guys were quiet on the plane and guys were in their own world. It's a different type of energy that's not good."

Winning has changed players' attitudes at the facility. Since starting last season 0-4, the Chargers are 16-5, the fifth-best record in the NFL over that time frame.

The energetic, enthusiastic play of the defense has a lot to do with the team's success.

"We're having a lot of fun," safety Jahleel Addae said. "It's what we love to do. I think you can see that. It doesn't matter who gets the play on the ball. It could be a linebacker, it could be a forced fumble by a defensive lineman. It doesn't matter. Whoever makes that turnover, we're going to take it."

Added Gordon: "Looking at those guys sometimes, I'm like, 'Man, I can't loaf today.' They're depending on me. I'm depending on them. We have to go get it. That's just the mindset."

 

[JaguarCrazy2832]

Hey guys, just curious after looking back at previous drafts and guys I was really big on pre-draft. 

How have Forrest Lamp and Dan Feeney been for you guys? I know at least 1 has had some injuries but given how much better Gordon has been this year, I figured they have played a big part in it

[Zappaz]