NFL post | Minot KXNet.com North Dakota News Talk Forums

The Titans I don't get. I'll come back to them.

Unlike a lot of revisionist Chargers fan, I did not like Shottenheimer......I thought he was good at the regular season but really made some terrible decisions in the playoffs [And Cam Cameron too!].  Marty didn't lose us the game in which Marlon McCree fumbled the intercepted 4th down play.

Under Marty, we beat the teams we should have, but whenever we got to the playoffs, we would typically get outcoached.

So......it wasn't that I disagreed with firing Marty. 

However, we didn't fire Marty the day after the debacle......we fired him 1 month later, when all of the good available coaches and assistant coaches were snatched up.

And we got Norv Turner!?!?!.........and nope, I can honestly say that I didn't want to change Marty for Norv.

The could be the case too.

One thing I will say is that the team under Marty was disciplined.  And the team under Norv is not.

90% of the phone calls to the talk radio station right after the game were to fire Norv. One guy, in Norv's defense, said the following:  NFL coaches know football better than the fans do.

And this got me thinking a little...........: Yes, he is right

HOWEVER, I know what good organizations look like....and even more so, I know what bad organizations look like. And the Chargers have the look of a bad organzation. They have all the earmarks. 

GM pointing fingers at the defense....who are pointing the finger at the coaches who are pointing them back at the players who are pointing them at each other.

- - -

Last week, we just released our starting safety, Clinton Hart.  Think about that.....not demoted to 2nd string or 3rd string.  Released.

Now I get that it was done to send a message (of which there have been so many "messages sent" that it loses its effectiveness). HOWEVER, if this guy wasn't good enough to be on the team, what was he doing STARTING!!!!! 

Yeah....I do fear that. But here is my thinking.  The team is getting older. And I think that the window of opportunity has shut.  Regardless of if someone other than Norv is able to more out of this team, it IS NOT a contender to win the Super Bowl.

LT is passed his prime.  Jamal WIlliams is getting old and injured at Nose Tackle. I have no idea what Merriman will be next year. The offensive line is beat up......but some of the same guys are getting injured on more consistent basis.

But so long as you have a QB that can do things in this league.....and I do believe Rivers is such a QB, there is something pretty solid to build around.

Manning is 33 yrs old. Brady is 32 yrs old. Favre is 40. 

Rivers is only 28 years old. Vincent Jackson is a stud at 26. And Sproles (26) can be an all-star if they ever decide to use him properly. So let us see. The defense needs to be completely reworked.  

Well under Rivera (DC) we are running cover 2 (with a 3-4 defense).  When Jamal Williams was plugging up the middle and when Merriman was at full speed it was feasible. However, without those two, we have 7 guys to defend the run.....and as of this writing we rank.....hold on, let me look.........27th in the league against the run (141 ypg).

We are 28th in points per game (27.2). The only teams worse: Tampa, St. Louis, Detroit and Tennesee.

We can't get off the field. Typical sequences.

• 1st Down:  Opponent gains 6 yards on run


• 2nd Down: Pass for 12 yards a 1st down

or

• 1st Down:  Opponent gains 6 yards on run


• 2nd Down: Run for 3 yards


• 3rd Down: Run for 3 yards and a 1st down.

[There are no runs that get gain zero or less against the Chargers]

And there is no pressure on the QB: 7 sacks through 5 games.

We are predictable on both sides of the ball.  The Broncos fan that sat next to me in the stands on MNF was amazed that my buddies and me were able to predict the type of play at about a 75% clip.

For example:

• 1st:  Run up the middle for less than 3 yds


• 2nd and 7: Attempt pass for 15+ yards


• 3rd down and 7:  Attempt pass for 15+ yards.


• Punt

Norv likes to put us in 3rd and 7 situations.  Everyone knows that the rush is coming. But because of the talent level at receiver, TE and QB, we actually pull it off at a fair clip. 

Unfortunately, our drives are not 10 plays 80 yards. When we score, it seems to be 5 plays, 80yrds (60 coming on one play).

However, when we come up against a decent defense (Denver, Ravens, Pittsburg.....our 3 losses), Rivers ends up getting murdered because Norv doesn't usually call for any quick slants, screens or any play designed to get 5 yards.

- - -

I thought LT started to get into rhythm on Monday. He wasn't great, but he was showing signs of progress in his 1st full game back. His 2nd to last carry was a 17 yard gain.

But the big play is when Norv took him out on 3rd and 1 and put in Sproles in the red zone.  We handed the ball off to Sproles in a similar play that Ray Lewis busted up at the end of game a few weeks ago.........with a similar result.