Expecations for 2020 Season

[Chargers]

If the Season were to happen and not get cancelled at any point during. What are you all expecting to be our record. I've been following alot of the players on Twitter and they seem to be in great shape. I personally believe in Tyrod alot and I think this defense is finally ready to bring it all together and be a real Top 5 core. I have us being a 11-5 wild card team.

 

@Bearerofnews @Mojibwe @Zappaz @Bolts223 @BoltsFan937 @Boltstrikes @Duffman57 @DingoLadd

[BoltsFan937]

22 minutes ago, Classic said:

If the Season were to happen and not get cancelled at any point during. What are you all expecting to be our record. I've been following alot of the players on Twitter and they seem to be in great shape. I personally believe in Tyrod alot and I think this defense is finally ready to bring it all together and be a real Top 5 core. I have us being a 11-5 wild card team.

 

@Bearerofnews @Mojibwe @Zappaz @Bolts223 @BoltsFan937 @Boltstrikes @Duffman57 @DingoLadd

I’m a little less bullish on this season.  I do see winnable games on the schedule and drawing Cincinnati and Jacksonville should help.  The AFC East are all winnable games and the NFC South could provide a couple wins.  Unfortunately we didn’t prove we could win in our division and I’m not sure we’ve done enough to get over the hump.  I think Denver and Vegas both improved, not sure we closed the gap there.  I do think in a lot of these games, the difference comes down to QB play. I’m skeptical about Tyrod and if we turn it over to Herbert, it could go downhill quick.  That’s not a dig at Herbert, just reality with rookie QB’s.  I see us winning some games we shouldn’t and losing some games we shouldn’t.  I could see 10-6 and also see 6-10. I’ll call it 8-8

[Bolts223]

Well at least our lack of a HFA won't really be a factor this season.

Uhh I'll be optimistic and say 9-7 and potentially the #3 wild card.

We still have a pretty stacked defense and skill players on offense.

Our O-line should also be a bit improved from last year.

While Tyrod is nothing special he doesn't turn the ball over much, and turnovers are what really plagued us last year.

Edited July 8, 2020 by Bolts223

[Leoric]

Top 5 pick. 

[Bearerofnews]

I think 14-2 and #1 seed. Did you guys watch same team i did? This team had a chance to win every game outside of the Vikings game and that was a 7 turnover game. If QB doesnt turnover the ball, this team is as good as any in the league. Good thing about Tyrod, while not a top end qb, he is mobile and doesnt turn the ball over. Herbert is a big question mark. Linval is gonna lay dividends and help Tillery. Nassir will be healthy and added Harris. Love Murray as our ILB with Tranquill in year 2. Our defense will be as good as any in the league. Love our WRS with Hill at the #3. Depth beyond him is avgerage with some good potential. I love love the Parham signing. Him and Hunter bout to go off.

I like our RT our LGs and OC. Im optimistic Pouncy plays at high level. If not, i like Feeny continuing to develop there. Lamp is still a question. LT is biggest concern. Im exicited about the backfield. Alot had to go wrong last year in games to lose them. That isnt sustainable year to year, even for the Chargers.

No fans in crowd will be HUGE for Chargers vs literally any other team. 

Legit.. this could be the year. Also Chargers always do better when everyone writes them off.

[BoltsFan937]

10 hours ago, Bearerofnews said:

I think 14-2 and #1 seed. Did you guys watch same team i did? This team had a chance to win every game outside of the Vikings game and that was a 7 turnover game. If QB doesnt turnover the ball, this team is as good as any in the league. Good thing about Tyrod, while not a top end qb, he is mobile and doesnt turn the ball over. Herbert is a big question mark. Linval is gonna lay dividends and help Tillery. Nassir will be healthy and added Harris. Love Murray as our ILB with Tranquill in year 2. Our defense will be as good as any in the league. Love our WRS with Hill at the #3. Depth beyond him is avgerage with some good potential. I love love the Parham signing. Him and Hunter bout to go off.

I like our RT our LGs and OC. Im optimistic Pouncy plays at high level. If not, i like Feeny continuing to develop there. Lamp is still a question. LT is biggest concern. Im exicited about the backfield. Alot had to go wrong last year in games to lose them. That isnt sustainable year to year, even for the Chargers.

No fans in crowd will be HUGE for Chargers vs literally any other team. 

Legit.. this could be the year. Also Chargers always do better when everyone writes them off.

The problem is most games in the NFL are competitive, so most teams can argue that if the ball bounced a different way, they could have been 10-6 or whatever.  As Parcells said “you are what your record says you are” and that’s us in my opinion. We had problems at LB, Oline, when Hunter was out TE, deep threat/speed at WR (still an issue), and of course Rivers throwing picks probably due to poor oline play.  
 

So the question is did we get better and if so, how much?  It’s hard for me to see Tyrod moving the needle much and same for Herbert.  Left tackle is still an issue.  We lost Gordon and will go with Jackson I assume or maybe Kelley.  Counting on a lot of rookies and unproven players to step up is always dangerous. Talkin about Taylor, Herbert, Nas, Tillery, Murray, Hill or Reed, and whoever takes over at LT.  I love the optimism but I don’t see how we stack up with the upper tier of teams in the league.  
 

I was hoping we would get a power back to go with Ekeler and try to run the Baltimore offense.  I think that’s our best chance for success.  Try to lean on the defense and run game. I think if we put too much on the QB, we’re gonna be in trouble 

[Duffman57]

8 hours ago, BoltsFan937 said:

The problem is most games in the NFL are competitive, so most teams can argue that if the ball bounced a different way, they could have been 10-6 or whatever.  As Parcells said “you are what your record says you are” and that’s us in my opinion. We had problems at LB, Oline, when Hunter was out TE, deep threat/speed at WR (still an issue), and of course Rivers throwing picks probably due to poor oline play.  
 

So the question is did we get better and if so, how much?  It’s hard for me to see Tyrod moving the needle much and same for Herbert.  Left tackle is still an issue.  We lost Gordon and will go with Jackson I assume or maybe Kelley.  Counting on a lot of rookies and unproven players to step up is always dangerous. Talkin about Taylor, Herbert, Nas, Tillery, Murray, Hill or Reed, and whoever takes over at LT.  I love the optimism but I don’t see how we stack up with the upper tier of teams in the league.  
 

I was hoping we would get a power back to go with Ekeler and try to run the Baltimore offense.  I think that’s our best chance for success.  Try to lean on the defense and run game. I think if we put too much on the QB, we’re gonna be in trouble 

Ah, ever the optimist bolts fan.

I guess I don't really get where the powerback part comes in, but we are planning on running the Baltimore offense essentially. I mean it was the Buffalo offense before that, and the 49er offense before that, but same concept. The powerback isn't needed at all, especially since both Kelley and Ekeler are more than strong/built enough to carry a load. Kelley in particular is a pretty similar back to Ingram stylistically (not necessarily as good).  He's more north south with elite vision and some breakaway speed. He strikes me as kind of a faster Alfred Morris, that's just going to churn out yards with correct reads and footwork. 

Also it seems pretty clear to me that Pipkins is the guy at LT.  I think the team liked what they saw from him, and Campen is a guy with a bigtime history of developing mid round OL with his sort of talent.  Whether it works out or not, it's definitely not wrong to give the reigns to a 3rd round pick and let him develop. 

You mention all of those rookie/young guys that need to step up, but there's a good likelyhood many of them don't need to start at all. Jones has been solid at 3T, so even a situational pass rusher gig for Tillery would be ok in the worst case scenario, Jenkins has been pegged by nearly every coach as the breakout guy, Murray's going to need to play a role, but very few teams can afford a 1st round pick not playing a role.

You mentioned the Baltimore offense, but you fail to mention it's success with less than perfect players at the QB position.  It relies on guys who make smart decisions and don't throw the ball away. They want to get downhill and be efficient, and that's something that this team can do as it is right now.  This is going to be a very heavily Greg Roman (and Jim Harbaugh) influenced offense from many different fronts.  The way that Tyrod is going to move the needle is not throwing games away like Rivers did.  In 2 games against the Chiefs last year, Rivers threw 6 int's, games that we lost by a combined 17 points. It's damn near impossible to win games like that. I think Rivers was a massive problem last year, and it wasn't just the OL's fault like many want to blame it on.  He threw us out of more games than he kept us in. And I still have this conspiracy theory that he was a huge contributing factor to the OL struggles throughout his career, between his constant last second audibles, and keeping the OL in their stance for 30s before damn near every play. There was a balance to be had there between getting the right information and keeping the bigs up front fresh and he did not toe that line well.  But that's besides the point. 

I think the big thing to me is that this defense is giong to be downright terrifying. We struggled hugely up the middle last year, and we went and got the most explosive downhill and rangiest LB in the draft, and got maybe one of the strongest NT's int he league, that's known for his ability to chase plays backside. Then you're basically adding in Harris, Derwin and Nas  to the defense from last year, on top Jenkins. This defense is going to be scary good, and this offense has the ability to keep efficiency really high on the other end, which makes a really hard team to beat.  Not always the prettiest but a really scary team in any game or situation.  

[BoltsFan937]

On 7/14/2020 at 11:02 PM, Duffman57 said:

Ah, ever the optimist bolts fan.

I guess I don't really get where the powerback part comes in, but we are planning on running the Baltimore offense essentially. I mean it was the Buffalo offense before that, and the 49er offense before that, but same concept. The powerback isn't needed at all, especially since both Kelley and Ekeler are more than strong/built enough to carry a load. Kelley in particular is a pretty similar back to Ingram stylistically (not necessarily as good).  He's more north south with elite vision and some breakaway speed. He strikes me as kind of a faster Alfred Morris, that's just going to churn out yards with correct reads and footwork. 

Also it seems pretty clear to me that Pipkins is the guy at LT.  I think the team liked what they saw from him, and Campen is a guy with a bigtime history of developing mid round OL with his sort of talent.  Whether it works out or not, it's definitely not wrong to give the reigns to a 3rd round pick and let him develop. 

You mention all of those rookie/young guys that need to step up, but there's a good likelyhood many of them don't need to start at all. Jones has been solid at 3T, so even a situational pass rusher gig for Tillery would be ok in the worst case scenario, Jenkins has been pegged by nearly every coach as the breakout guy, Murray's going to need to play a role, but very few teams can afford a 1st round pick not playing a role.

You mentioned the Baltimore offense, but you fail to mention it's success with less than perfect players at the QB position.  It relies on guys who make smart decisions and don't throw the ball away. They want to get downhill and be efficient, and that's something that this team can do as it is right now.  This is going to be a very heavily Greg Roman (and Jim Harbaugh) influenced offense from many different fronts.  The way that Tyrod is going to move the needle is not throwing games away like Rivers did.  In 2 games against the Chiefs last year, Rivers threw 6 int's, games that we lost by a combined 17 points. It's damn near impossible to win games like that. I think Rivers was a massive problem last year, and it wasn't just the OL's fault like many want to blame it on.  He threw us out of more games than he kept us in. And I still have this conspiracy theory that he was a huge contributing factor to the OL struggles throughout his career, between his constant last second audibles, and keeping the OL in their stance for 30s before damn near every play. There was a balance to be had there between getting the right information and keeping the bigs up front fresh and he did not toe that line well.  But that's besides the point. 

I think the big thing to me is that this defense is giong to be downright terrifying. We struggled hugely up the middle last year, and we went and got the most explosive downhill and rangiest LB in the draft, and got maybe one of the strongest NT's int he league, that's known for his ability to chase plays backside. Then you're basically adding in Harris, Derwin and Nas  to the defense from last year, on top Jenkins. This defense is going to be scary good, and this offense has the ability to keep efficiency really high on the other end, which makes a really hard team to beat.  Not always the prettiest but a really scary team in any game or situation.  

Cmon man, all I did was point out what I believe are some of the flaws/weak spots on the team.  The man said 14-2, I don’t see that.  Doesn’t mean I think we suck, I just think that’s a little lofty.  

You pointed out the Baltimore/SF offense as what our offense will try to emulate. OK but those offenses both have dominating offensive line play. We picked up Bulaga and Turner to go with Pouncey (coming off neck surgery), I’m assuming LG will be a competition between Lamp, Feeney, maybe Scott and whoever else, and LT is the same with Pipkins, Lamp, Tevi, Scott and whoever.  There’s some question marks there.  We can probably scheme around it somewhat, but it’s still a concern in my opinion.  
 

Power back was probably the wrong term, although I personally would love to see a Henry or Fournette in the backfield. How about bell cow to go with Ekeler? My point is Ekeler has never been counted on to carry the ball 250 times in a season and Jackson hasn’t shown he can and stay healthy.  Kelley is a rookie, unproven as I mentioned.  I’m sure you’ll counter with a RB committee and we don’t need one guy. Fair enough. But I’d still feel better than rolling into the season with Jackson and Kelley as the primary ball carriers. 
 

I won’t argue about the defense, I feel that unit could be exceptional.  My only pause is I feel people are expecting a lot from Tillery and Nas.  Tillery didn’t show much last year and Nas was obviously hurt. So when their names get mentioned as part of the reasons for a great D, I just question it, because we haven’t seen it yet. 
 

I’ll probably take some heat for this, but I’m excited that we moved on from Rivers too.  I agree with a lot of what you stated above. I never considered the audible aspect but that makes some sense as well.  I enjoyed watching Rivers career and will root for him in Indianapolis, but I thought we should have moved on from him a few years ago.  I was against the Herbert pick initially, but I’m excited to see what the kid can do. 
 

I’m not all negative, but I don’t see 14-2 either. I’d love to be wrong and you guys to throw it in my face at the end of the year, trust me, I do. But realistically, I have my doubts. 

[Duffman57]

12 minutes ago, BoltsFan937 said:

Cmon man, all I did was point out what I believe are some of the flaws/weak spots on the team.  The man said 14-2, I don’t see that.  Doesn’t mean I think we suck, I just think that’s a little lofty.  

You pointed out the Baltimore/SF offense as what our offense will try to emulate. OK but those offenses both have dominating offensive line play. We picked up Bulaga and Turner to go with Pouncey (coming off neck surgery), I’m assuming LG will be a competition between Lamp, Feeney, maybe Scott and whoever else, and LT is the same with Pipkins, Lamp, Tevi, Scott and whoever.  There’s some question marks there.  We can probably scheme around it somewhat, but it’s still a concern in my opinion.  
 

Power back was probably the wrong term, although I personally would love to see a Henry or Fournette in the backfield. How about bell cow to go with Ekeler? My point is Ekeler has never been counted on to carry the ball 250 times in a season and Jackson hasn’t shown he can and stay healthy.  Kelley is a rookie, unproven as I mentioned.  I’m sure you’ll counter with a RB committee and we don’t need one guy. Fair enough. But I’d still feel better than rolling into the season with Jackson and Kelley as the primary ball carriers. 
 

I won’t argue about the defense, I feel that unit could be exceptional.  My only pause is I feel people are expecting a lot from Tillery and Nas.  Tillery didn’t show much last year and Nas was obviously hurt. So when their names get mentioned as part of the reasons for a great D, I just question it, because we haven’t seen it yet. 
 

I’ll probably take some heat for this, but I’m excited that we moved on from Rivers too.  I agree with a lot of what you stated above. I never considered the audible aspect but that makes some sense as well.  I enjoyed watching Rivers career and will root for him in Indianapolis, but I thought we should have moved on from him a few years ago.  I was against the Herbert pick initially, but I’m excited to see what the kid can do. 
 

I’m not all negative, but I don’t see 14-2 either. I’d love to be wrong and you guys to throw it in my face at the end of the year, trust me, I do. But realistically, I have my doubts. 

I see 14-2 as an absolute upside. I think that the questionmarks aren't at super important positions.  The downside of Taylor is also his upside. He's incredibly safe, almost to a fault.  He skirted the balance REALLY well in Buffalo, I think we see that again if we're lucky.  But the efficiency is going to be key with this defense. 

As for the Niners/Ravens, you act like they're elite at all the positions, Bozeman and Skura are far from that.  This OL IMO, very easily emulates the Vikings, and the success they could have. They're a very good outside zone blocking team, and have guys that can do that very well.  You forget even last year, they were a very solid run blocking unit, and we added 2 of the best run blocking players in the league on our right side, and return some of the better zone blocking guys on the left side.  I also think we see a big step forward with Pipkins/Feeney under Campen, who is a guy who specializes in developing players with this exact mold. 

There's some cause for concern with Tillery and Nas sure.  Honestly I don't see why people are hyped up on Nas right now.  I think Jenkins is going to run the show this year at that 2nd S spot, with Nas coming in to allow us to move Jenkins around. I think Jenkins could honestly be our Kelvin Byard type S. As for Tillery, he's gotta take a step up, but he's going to have every change to.  He's got a dirty work player as a tandem for him at 3T, and he's the last guy anyone is going to look at on this DL sandwiched in between Linval and Ingram with Bosa on the other side. Even if he doesn't step up, and becomes a role player who can get some interior pressure like he did at ND, that'll be good enough to make this DL elite. By the end of the year we saw a few good things from Tillery in that department, so I have some hope. 

Yeah, I think that Rivers wasn't cutting it in the new generation, which hyperfocuses on efficiency.  While Rivers was amazing, he was really erratic. On top of the OL thing, I think his temprement was weird and the calmness wasnt there in pressure filled situations.  Instead he got jacked up and adrenaline filled and tried to do too much, or became erratic.  Especially in this day in age where having a low QB contract is gigantic plus for a team, it's the right decision to move on, and Herbert was the right move. I think the ideal situation was to wait a year and draft one next year, but with how this team is contructed, we couldn't risk being a playoff team and basically not having a shot at a single QB. 

I just don't get the RB thing. Do the Ravens really have a powerback it's not like Ingram in't a real road grater? 9ers? Vikings? Or really many of the top running teams? You don't need one. You need efficiency (the theme of this team now).  You need a guy that can consistently read plays right and get 3+ yards. You see what Dalvin was able to do carrying the load this year. I think this team is built very similar to them offensively, with a different player at QB. While he didn't do it over 16 games and just did it the first 6-8 games while Gordon was out, I have no doubt Ekeler COULD have. I think they'll use Kelley/Jackson to spell him, but Ekeler isn't just a scat back, and has proven that he can be more than that.  I know the team will want to split him out and do some weird things with him, so it may be more like how the saints use Kamara, but he'll be the feature guy.  This outside zone scheme that we're perfectly fit for is built to different things than your typical ground and pound game. It want's to get those bigs moving and chasing down the line. I have high hopes for this running game as you may see. But you act like we need massive production from our 4th round pick.  We just need him to play a role, maybe 5-10 carries a game split between him and Jackson. They can manage that easily. 

[HoboRocket]

Honestly, I have really high hopes for aspects of the Chargers' offense. I love Donald Parham and I trust Pep Hamilton as a QB mentor for Justin Herbert. I like their RB room at the moment, and I'm a fan of the WR corps. Protection should be worse for Herbert than what he's used to, but overall I think the needle is pointing in the right direction, and this is one of those situations where, if the Chargers can get decent play from their OL, they can go far.