Terrell Owens in 2010 October 27, 2009
Posted by rhaber in nfl.Tags: new england patriots, terrell owens
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Today as I chatted with some co-workers about last night’s Monday Night Football game, somehow the topic of Terrell Owens’ future popped up. Almost instantly a light bulb lit up, one that I didn’t necessarily like. Nevertheless it was an idea I couldn’t ignore, and that idea was that Terrell Owens could very well sign with the New England Patriots after this season is over.
Would T.O. submit to Belichick's "system" in New England? (AP photo)
My blog tells me very few people visit this site, but the few of you who do might want to say, “The Patriots would never let a cancer like that onto their team.” But think about it…would they? T.O. is going to turn 37 next December, and has to know he is nearing the end of his career. He also lacks a Super Bowl ring, and as players get older (such as Junior Seau) they are much more likely to do whatever it takes to reach that plateau. T.O. has relatively behaved himself this year and you better believe he would put his outward ego on the shelf and take less money for a team that could go all the way in any given year that Tom Brady and Bill Belichick are in control. The Patriots rolled the dice on Joey Galloway and it failed, but that is no reason to think they wouldn’t roll those same dice for T.O. now that he has been on the terrible Bills.
You might also say, “But wait, T.O. has sucked this year! Surely there are better options out there.” Thus far in ’09 he has not been productive, but that has to be due in part to his realization that the Buffalo Bills suck. Look at Randy Moss – a world-beating All Universe receiver. He dogged it almost every game in Oakland, then proceeded to set the single season touchdown reception record his first year on the Patriots. Not that T.O. would have to produce like that with Randy Moss and Wes Welker on the field too, but you know he would find that motivation. With the Patriots, he could produce a 1000+ yard, 8+ td season as Brady’s #2 option, which I believe he wouldn’t mind being for them. From the Patriots viewpoint, having two #1 caliber receivers lining up on either side of Tom Brady would be very hard to pass up.
While I honestly hope this doesn’t happen, anything is possible.
Chargers Chop Chiefs October 26, 2009
Posted by rhaber in chargers.Tags: ad-lib, darren sproles, kansas city chiefs, malcolm floyd, philip rivers, throwbacks, vincent jackson
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Vincent Jackson torched the Chiefs for 142 yards and a score in the first half. (AP Photo/Orlin Wagner)
Let me start by saying that I absolutely love those white 60’s throwback jerseys the Chargers wore in their 37-7 trouncing of the Chiefs. They are and have been my favorite uniforms from any sport ever, and I wish the Spanos family would bring them back permanently. The Chargers really looked sharp on Sunday, and thankfully they played sharp as well.
While the Chiefs may not be the stoutest test of a team’s mettle, beating them most certainly put me at ease. Seeing as how the Chargers had struggled on the road against the Raiders in week one, the “any given Sunday” phrase danced around in my mind all last week – until Philip Rivers called out mid play where he was going to throw a touchdown, then proceeded to do so. And to whom? None other than budding superstar Vincent Jackson, who is one of the top receiving threats in the NFL today. The man not only reeled in two 51 yard bombs, but also ad libbed with Rivers on their touchdown hook-up. Very impressive VJ!
Darren Sproles and Malcolm Floyd both got to enjoy touchdown receptions of their own, with Sproles showing off some amazing quickness. Floyd found himself wide open after Tomlinson couldn’t cross into the endzone, and made it look easy. The final touchdown in the game was a huge special teams play by Jacob Hester, who is turning into a demon in that role. If the Chargers continue to find ways to score with multiple personnel like this, they will be an incredibly formidable foe this year.
Not only did our offense look good, but our defense had a field day with Matt Cassel, the former backup to Tom Brady. Chargers defenders came from all directions on nickel and dime blitzes, which helped get the pressure needed to force three poorly thrown interceptions. It was also the first time I can remember in a long while that we sacked the opposing quarterback four times. Ron Rivera, please keep it up!
Next week: Oakland. The Raiders are coming off the losing side of a 38-0 shellacking at the hands of the Jets, in which they were pounded for over 300 rushing yards. Do you think anyone out there is playing with the idea of putting Ladainian Tomlinson back in their starting fantasy lineup? I know I am and I have Ronnie Brown, Ray Rice and DeAngelo Williams on my roster. I have to wonder if we will see the Raiders that played for broke in week one, or the Raiders that were humiliated this past Sunday. While this match up may have an almost pre-determined look to it, just remember that overlooking any team in the NFL (that isn’t the Detroit Lions) can be dangerous.
Chargers lay egg on MNF October 21, 2009
Posted by rhaber in chargers.Tags: denver broncos, eddie royal, jeff hurd, monday night football, norv turner, ron rivera
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I am officially finished with Norv Turner. As I said on Monday’s post, he had to prove he could coach a winning game against a team that wasn’t bad. On Monday night he had his chance and he blew it, no excuses can be made. Ron Rivera and quite possibly the strength & conditioning coach Jeff Hurd also need to be replaced. The defense was out muscled and out lasted, looking slow and tired almost the entire second half. They simply couldn’t stop the Broncos from converting on third down. Nor could they stop Eddie Royal from coasting through their kickoff and punt return coverage for touchdowns.
Not even the power of powder could stop Eddie Royal from scoring twice on returns. (photo by AP)
Obviously, credit has to go to the Broncos for doing what they needed to in order to win but I also have to assign blame to the people in charge of getting our players ready to play. Normally our team is a second half monster, scoring the majority if not all of their points after halftime. This time they were held to a field goal, while surrendering 17 points. I could write up a long exhausting post, but exhausted is exactly what I am when it comes to sifting through the shortcomings of this football team.
Don’t expect to see me jumping off the Chargers train though, I am securely strapped into my seat.
Next week: Kansas City Chiefs. The Chiefs have always been a tough game for the Chargers, even when the bolts were the class of the division. Kansas City has yet to win a game at home this year, and Rivers and Co. should come out swinging for the fences early and often. The Chiefs no longer have Tony Gonzalez, but that’s no reason to think the Chargers defense can’t be embarrassed by whatever tight end KC has to offer. Tomlinson showed a distant echo of his days of greatness against the Broncos, and maybe he’ll have a hint of that magic this Sunday. If Vincent Jackson or Antonio Gates are on your fantasy team, I expect they will be top performers at their positions for you this week. We’ll see.
Monday Night Football October 19, 2009
Posted by rhaber in chargers.Tags: aj smith, monday night football, norv turner
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It’s only a short time away, the one good thing about a Monday. And today, only a Chargers win will be acceptable to Chargers fans. I won’t point to any past statistics against the Broncos, seeing as how little games in the past affect today’s game.
Tonight's game may be very telling about LT's future. (photo by AP)
Although a statement can be made in any game, to me and possibly many others this night’s game has all the feeling of an apocalyptic showdown to it. Ladainian Tomlinson REALLY needs to show the world he isn’t washed up, as he almost certainly appears to be. AJ Smith needs the safeties that will play in place of Clinton Hart to prove that they were indeed ready to take over and produce. Norv Turner needs to show us all that he can coach a solid, winning game against a team that so far isn’t pathetic…the list goes on.
Out of all the statements needing to be made, the person with the most control who can no longer directly influence the outcome of the game is probably under the most pressure to make one. AJ Smith had two weeks to make changes to the Chargers roster, and with the trade deadline coming tomorrow it seems unlikely that any big deals will be made. If the Chargers come out flat on defense, AJ stands to shoulder a heavy load of blame as the only thing he did was cut an underachiever and sign an injury prone player at a high injury risk position. Smith, that feeling that keeps getting hotter is the seat you’re sitting in, you better hope this works.
Norv Turner mirrors our frustration. (Photo by AP)
The second-most heat has to be on Norv Turner. Ever since he took the reins of this team, the only consistency they have managed is to play at or near the level of their opponents. The past two seasons have seen the Chargers play close games and some times lose against bad teams, something that has to stop especially at the cost of Norv Turner’s job. The Denver Broncos are riding into town unbeaten, hardly the underachieving team they were in 2007 and 2008. If Norv cannot coach this team into beating our toughest division rival then there is no longer room for him in San Diego as head coach.
All in all, this game could either signal the changing of the guard for the AFC West, or it could see the Chargers make a stab at reclaiming their status as the team to beat. Either way it’s best to remember that it’s only a game, right? Psh…
Chargers making moves October 14, 2009
Posted by rhaber in chargers.Tags: clinton hart, ian scott, kevin ellison, steve gregory
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Clinton Hart played for the Chargers since 2004. (Photo by AP)
Today the Chargers made the move that many believe they should have made quite a while ago, cutting safety Clinton Hart. The cut was made to make room for defensive tackle Ian Scott, who at this point holds far more value on the injury plagued Chargers defense. Here’s to hoping Kevin Ellison and Steve Gregory can elevate the safety play this coming Monday.
Denver Broncos October 12, 2009
Posted by rhaber in nfl.Tags: aj smith, denver broncos, josh mcdaniels, mike nolan, new england patriots, philip rivers, tom brady
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What happened here? Suddenly this former joke (defense really) of a team is undefeated after 5 weeks of NFL play. Granted, a pre-injury Tom Brady would have won yesterday’s game for the Pats, and (I’m sure you’ve read/heard it 1 million times already) the tipped ball for a td reception in week one was a fluke play. On a side note, Brady looks like a shell of himself, missing on throws he used to make with seeming ease.
Maybe Josh McDaniels is the real deal, or maybe he just stole the other teams’ signals. I don’t really think that’s the case, but he obviously has this team believing in his system. A lot of credit has also been given to Mike Nolan, who stopped the flip flop approach of going from 3-4 to 4-3, and settled the team in a 3-4. They also appear to be injury free at their key positions…
I honestly can’t say that the Chargers will be a real test of the Broncos, seeing as how our team is wallowing in mediocrity. Our offense will most likely shift out of park into drive some time in the third quarter once we are down two or more scores, resulting in 250-350 yards and 2-3 td passes for Philip Rivers. On the other side, I shudder to think what our defense will allow them to do. Unless AJ Smith finds some gullible team to ship us a starting caliber nose tackle, this season might find the Chargers in 2nd or worse…
Bye Week Wishlist October 6, 2009
Posted by rhaber in chargers.Tags: antonio cromartie, bye week, clinton hart, ladainian tomlinson, ron rivera
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- Ron Rivera benches Antonio Cromartie. The idea behind this is that the benching would wake Cro up from his dreamland where he’s still a top cornerback, and motivate him to do whatever it takes to reach that status again.
- Ron Rivera benches Clinton Hart. If you’ve been watching the same games I have the past two years you know this is a no brainer.
- Defensive and offensive lines work on strength and technique. Hit the weights and get stronger or hit the road out of town. Too many guys getting pushed around, plain and simple.
- LT gets back to game speed.
- Maybe a trade or two? Something has to be done on our lines.
Chargers defense aids Steelers offense in pro-bowl bids October 5, 2009
Posted by rhaber in chargers.Tags: jacob hester, jamal williams, ladainian tomlinson, luis castillo, norv turner, ogemdi nwagbuo, pittsburgh steelers, san diego chargers
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This past Sunday, the Chargers traveled to Pittsburgh to face down the reigning league champions, the Steelers. The Steelers were coming off of two straight road losses, and the voices on the radio and television had been telling me that their offensive line was highly suspect. As it turned out, Steelers fans had nothing to worry about – the Chargers defense is playing even worse. So much worse, in fact, that they made a backup running back look like a first string pro-bowler.
I will do my best not to come across as being some homer fan attempting to take away from the Steelers victory, but the Chargers are indeed missing a certain key component of their defense. Not to toot my own horn for predicting bad things, but I have always said that if Jamal Williams goes down our defense goes with him. Sadly enough for Chargers fans, he will be gone for the whole season.
Jamal Williams always brought his "A" game against the Steelers. (REUTERS/ Jason Cohn)
Last year the Chargers were in a similar situation, when they lost Shawne Merriman in week one. His absence was heavily felt as teams no longer faced a vicious pass rush, and our pass defense suffered as a result. Even greater an absence however is Jamal, who is the concrete foundation of our 3-4 defense and a big reason why San Diego fans could once chant “you can’t run,” in seasons past. His presence and skill do not manifest themselves on his own stat sheet, but he is a force to be reckoned with and can command double teams. Without Jamal on the line, the Chargers had to send the kitchen sink to get pressure on Big Ben.
I have to remind myself that while I can be upset about the Chargers’ nearly complete lack of a defensive showing on Sunday, the offense did spend *some* time on the field. Philip & Co. spent the first half of the game in stall mode, hampered by lackluster offensive line play and uninspiring play calls that came from who-knows-where (here’s a hint – his name rhymes with Torv Nurner). It wasn’t until late in the third quarter that the offense picked up and got going strong, and accompanied by a great special teams play by Jacob Hester, almost mounted a comeback victory. Unfortunately, as we might see the rest of this season…a good offense will not win the game when the defense is more terrible than the towels in Pittsburgh.
Players that make a difference:
LT was limited to 15 yards on 7 carries. (AP Photo/Keith Srakocic)
Ladainian Tomlinson: Woe are we who have watched his brilliant career come to this. Mr. Tomlinson is back, appears to be healthy, and has awful offensive line play in front of him. This year we were to see the resurgence of LT, a return to his jaw dropping runs, and it ends up being the year during which our o-line hits rock bottom. I hold out hope for LT, but I also fear that this could be his last year with the Chargers.
Luis Castillo: As the one remaining Chargers defensive lineman who has been a standout starter in his career, you would expect Luis to stand out from the other linemen. That was clearly not the case. Luis was routinely shoved to his back and moved around, our pass rushing linebackers suffered as a result, and our defensive backs also suffering as a result in the domino effect of doom that is the injury to Jamal Williams. Luis, you are the top lineman on our defense now, please play the way we know you can! That is all.
Next week: Bye
The Chargers face their easiest opponent of the season next Sunday. While one figures they will use the time off to work on what ails them, they must also attempt to recoup from the monstrous loss of their monstrous nose tackle. It remains to be seen whether they come out victorious from this bye week, having used the time to a) work diligently on fixing simple football errors, b) eat more big macs and thus become harder to push around, or c) get accused of strangling more C-list wannabe celebrities. Perhaps Ogemdi Nwagbuo will emerge as the next Jamal Williams? Only time will tell.
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