Re: Is Hate a strong word.?
1. Get Philip Rivers in a rhythm
He's got the most yards so far in the postseason and I don't care if it's eight-yard outs to Antonio Gates or 30-yard slants to Chris Chambers or playing pitch-and-catch with LaDainian Tomlinson and Michael Turner, passing the ball is the only way to spread a New England linebacking corps that's aging and do precisely what it takes to do to beat the Patriots, which is...
Guess what? On divisional weekend, all the passers who passed for the most yards
lost. Its YPA that matters. So, yeah. "He has the most yards in the postseason so far" holds as much water as a boat.
2. Run, run, run as fast (and hard) as you can
This should be number one, but it hinges on Rivers and the Chargers receivers loosening up an overrated New England defense. Any defensive coordinator in the league would love to lean on the legs of Pro Bowler LaDainian Tomlinson and his league-leading 1,474 yards. You've got to outrush the Patriots if you're to have any chance at winning. Don't believe me? Here's every game the Patriots won by four points or less:
November 4th: NE 24, IND 20 — Joseph Addai (IND), 122 yards
November 25th: PHI 28, NE 31 — Brian Westbrook (PHI), 52 yards
December 3rd: NE 27, BAL 24 — Willis McGahee (BAL), 138 yards
December 29th: NE 38, NYG 35 — Brandon Jacobs (NYG), 67 yards
You've got to run and run it often if you're going to...
D-coordinator? Don't offensive coordinators call offensive plays? Anyways, what do these stats prove? There are 2 good rushing totals and 2 mediocre (at best) rushing totals. Maybe, if you want to make the argument about rushing being the key to victory, you should include rush attempts. Also, these are only spectacular examples of how to keep it close. Not how to win.
3. Dominate the time of possession
In all of the above games, the opposing team had at least 28 minutes time of possession. You've got to keep Wonderboy off the field so he has a chance to get cold and you have a chance to...
Ok. Sure. File this one in the "score more points than them" category.
4. Make interceptions
In the five games where the Patriots won by 10 points or less, Tom Brady threw five interceptions. In the other 11 games? Three interceptions. Combined. Brady's thrown more balls to receivers in the end zone (50) than punter Chris Hanson's has attempts (44). The Chargers have the best intercepting-secondary in the league, taking 30 passes away from opposing quarterbacks. You've got to take chances away from Brady, or at the very least...
What's that? Turnovers correlate with wins? Alert the presses! Again, file under the "score more points than them" category.
5. Hit him and hit him hard
If you can't end a series, end a down. The teams that come the closest to beating the Patriots hit him and hit him hard. The four teams that came within a score of beating them had nine sacks on Brady. The other 12 teams? Twelve sacks combined. The Chargers had the fifth-most sacks in the league (42). It'll be a test for Chargers defensive coordinator Ted Cottrell to get pressure on the least-sacked, least-pressured quarterback in the league. That's why a more realistic goal might be to...
The next time Brady gets rattled by a tough hit will be the first.
6. Lengthen Brady's field
It's naïve to think Brady won't be on the top of his game on Sunday afternoon. Realistically, the goal should be to win the special teams battles and coach up your kick and punt coverage teams. The Chargers have the sixth-best punt coverage team in the league, limiting returners to 6.5 yards a return, and have the fourth-best kick coverage team in the league, limiting returners to only 19.9 yards a return. Brady always must be on the long field. And Brady has to be throwing to receivers that are being tackled by a Chargers defense that's thinking...
"Coach up your kick and punt coverage teams." Maybe somebody should tell him that the Chargers have a special teams coach who's job is to, surprise, coach special teams. Yes, having a unit (O/D/ST) play exceptionally well will help you to win. File this one (#3 now) in the "score more points than them" category.
7. Punish the receivers
They're going to catch passes. Wes Welker and Randy Moss have 210 receptions between them. Jabar Gaffney, the fourth-string wide receiver, has 449 yards, a 12.5 YPC average, and 5 touchdowns. The Chargers defense needs to punish Welker, Moss, Donte Stallworth, and Gaffney for every step they take after the catch so that they can...
Punish them. It sounds manly. Frankly, all this section does is make me smile at the Patriots recieving numbers.
8. Get into the Patriots' heads
I'm not buying what Bill Belichick is selling. The Patriots are playing under more pressure than any other team. Brett Favre's retirement, Eli Manning proving to New York he was worth the 2004 draft day debacle, Norv Turner silencing his critics — it's all overshadowed by the Patriots' pursuit of perfection. They're under enormous amounts of stress not to blow it and a few big hits might...
Belichick is selling that the Chargers are a legitimate threat to the Patriots. Way to undo your entire column with one moronic statement. :bricks:
9. Show that you're the more physical team
They're defense is overrated and their offense looks like Madden on Easy Mode. Jar some helmets loose, knock out some teeth, and let Shawne Merriman loose. It's Super Bowl or bust. C'mon, Chargers, you need to...
I'd love to see stats on how "physical" teams are. Who leads the league? You say the defense is overrated? Ok, I may as well take you at face value since you don't back up your argument. Yes, the offense does look like it is Madden on easy mode. Because it is. #9 is a bunch of fluff.
10. Make this a Cinderella season
Norv Turner takes over a 14-2 Chargers team only to lead his team to more losses in the first four weeks than all last season. He's crucified for not using L.T. as much as you should use last year's league-leading rusher and Philip Rivers plays so badly he doesn't look like he should be playing second-fiddle to Drew Brees ... he should be playing third or fourth. Then you turn it around, win the last six of the regular season, physically dominate a physically dominating Tennessee Titans team, and go into the RCA Dome and Billy Volek hands the ball off to Michael Turner for the victory. There's something in the water in San Diego. Bottle it up and send it to Boston, because you'll need every ounce of that glass slipper to...
Yes. Boston doesn't know what it's like to come up big in postseason games. The Chargers have 9 postseason wins
all time. Bill Belichick and Tom Brady have 12. Water? Sorry. We have plenty of chowdahh.
11. Beat the goddamned Patriots
Yeah, it's 11, but I hate Brady. I hate Belichick. I hate the fact that Patriots aren't looking to just one-up the 1972 Dolphins — they're looking to two-up them, going 19-0 if they win the Super Bowl. Brady & Co. need to be knocked down a couple of notches and I'd rather stop them before they get to the Super Bowl and enjoy a nice win by Brett Favre over the Chargers.
You should have just not written anything.
