Some of us still remember that old high school cheer, “Hold that line.”
In a nutshell, that’s exactly what’s wrong with the Chargers.
The reason they lost to Carolina, 26-24, on opening day Sunday was simple: The Panthers beat up the Chargers on both the offensive and defensive lines.
The Panthers averaged 4.9 yards per rush against a weakened Chargers defense, even without the benefit of a breakaway run to inflate the statistics.
And when the Chargers had the ball, they certainly weren’t as effective up front without injured center Nick Hardwick and tackle Marcus McNeill.
Also, we discovered that people who don’t play in the exhibition season because of nagging injuries aren’t going to be effective from the start.
How else do you explain Jamal Williams and Shawne Merriman only being in on two tackles apiece?
And even Antonio Gates, despite his late 24-yard touchdown reception, looked rusty as he still recovers from last season’s toe injury.
The Chargers need to make a quick recovery when they go to Denver this week, otherwise they will find themselves 0-2 in what is supposed to be a Super Bowl season.
The redeeming factor?
The AFC West is so weak that the Chargers could likely win it by going 8-8 or 9-7.
In a nutshell, that’s exactly what’s wrong with the Chargers.
The reason they lost to Carolina, 26-24, on opening day Sunday was simple: The Panthers beat up the Chargers on both the offensive and defensive lines.
The Panthers averaged 4.9 yards per rush against a weakened Chargers defense, even without the benefit of a breakaway run to inflate the statistics.
And when the Chargers had the ball, they certainly weren’t as effective up front without injured center Nick Hardwick and tackle Marcus McNeill.
Also, we discovered that people who don’t play in the exhibition season because of nagging injuries aren’t going to be effective from the start.
How else do you explain Jamal Williams and Shawne Merriman only being in on two tackles apiece?
And even Antonio Gates, despite his late 24-yard touchdown reception, looked rusty as he still recovers from last season’s toe injury.
The Chargers need to make a quick recovery when they go to Denver this week, otherwise they will find themselves 0-2 in what is supposed to be a Super Bowl season.
The redeeming factor?
The AFC West is so weak that the Chargers could likely win it by going 8-8 or 9-7.
2 comments:
The whole defense stinks. This isn't a Super Bowl team. What a joke!!!
It is already shaping up to be a strange season as the Patriots are without Brady and the Chargers and Colts both lose in week one. At least the Chargers lost on the last play of the game; but the Colts were somewhat dominated.
Post a Comment