Pats at Chargers: pre-game opinions

[jmt57]

From a SD fan forum, a Chargers fan finds himself Searching for Optimism

In an effort to look for anything optimistic in the game against the New England Patriots, we started digging through some stats and came up with some stuff to give us a little hope. Kinda sad that this game we are searching for some golden nuggets, when we were supposed to be heading into this game with at least 4 wins!!!

- Since 2000, the Patriots have traveled to San Diego twice in the regular season and had to leave the game with a loss. Of the 17 teams that Bill Bellichick has faced at least twice in the regular season, the Chargers are the only team that he has yet to beat.

- The Chargers enter the game with the number 1 ranked offense and the number 1 ranked defense. I know these stats do not mean anything without the wins associated with them. With our ability to move the ball on offense and our ability to stop the ball on defense, we give ourselves a good opportunity to win the game. IF ONLY special teams could do there job and we could stop turning the ball over.

- This game is at HOME. We are undefeated at home and have had an average victory margin of 28 points in those wins. It will be the home town fans (hopefully a sell out) in the stadium and we shouldn’t see Philip Rivers getting pissed at Nick Hardwick for not snapping the ball with the time running out on the play clock. SHOULDN’T!

- The Chargers have opened the previous 4 seasons with a poor start and have broken off long winning streaks. The Bolts have been through this situation before and know how to handle the pressure. We are due!

Alright…. The Pats are coming into town and the doubt is creeping in all of us, The Bolts need to build up our confidence in the team and the best way to do that is to beat a good football team.

 

[jmt57]

Belichick's message: Chargers a good team, despite record by Robert Lee of the Providence Journal

Don’t let San Diego’s 2-4 record fool you.

The Chargers are a very good team — a team with its back against the wall. There’s no question that they are going to give everything they have Sunday when they host the Patriots.

That’s the message Patriots coach Bill Belichick delivered to his team this week.

“We’re all very impressed watching the Chargers here,” said Belichick. “This is a really good football team. They’ve had a couple of really huge wins out there at home with Jacksonville and Arizona. I think you can really see what kind of talent and what kind of football team they have. I know they’ve been in this position the last few years — getting off to a little bit of a slow start. This is about where they hit [their] stride, and that is obviously a little bit concerning, based on their track record.”

Poor special-teams play and turnovers have been factors in all four of San Diego’s losses.

In their season-opening 21-14 loss to the Kansas City Chiefs, Dexter McCluster scored the game-winning touchdown on a 94-yard punt return.

In their Week Three, 27-20 setback to the Seattle Seahawks, Leon Washington scored the game-winning touchdown on a 99-yard, fourth-quarter kickoff return. It was his second kickoff return for a touchdown in the game.

In Week Five against the Raiders, Tyvon Branch scooped up a fumble and returned it 64 yards for a touchdown to seal Oakland’s 35-27 victory over the Chargers.

Then last Sunday, in their 20-17 loss to the Rams, a Rivers interception led to the Rams first touchdown of the game. In the fourth quarter, San Diego placekicker Nate Keading saw his 49-yard field-goal attempt blocked, which helped lead to the Rams final three points.

So, playing well on special teams and forcing turnovers could be the key for the Patriots this Sunday, and the Chargers know it.

 

[Patriot Missile]

From a SD fan forum, a Chargers fan finds himself Searching for Optimism

I really hope they aren't seriously thinking they have the top rated defense? Last time I checked they haven't played a team that had a top 20 offense. Maybe on paper. On the other hand we have the top scoring offense so nah nah nah.

Still this game has my intense attention as far as the Pats playing a top flight QB like Rivers. I really want to see what this defense can do, like as in have they figured it out

 

[jmt57]

Here's a full transcript of Belicheck's Q&A today; he also talks about Sebastian Vollmer, Jerod Mayo, the MLB position and more.

Belichick: We're All Very Impressed With The Chargers by Mike Petraglia of WEEI

Q: Antonio Gates seems to be even more productive this year. Is he better this year?

BB: He’s always open. It seems like he’s always open. I don’t know how he gets so open. They cut him loose and part of it is the scheme and part of it is him. Rivers definitely has confidence in him and looks for him, but there are times when there’s nobody near him. I don’t know how he gets that open. But even when you’ve got him covered he’s a tough matchup. He’s big. He does a great job of using his basketball skills to just get his body between the defender and the ball and you just can’t get it away from him where he just boxes the defender out. He’s got great hands. He’s got a big radius to catch the ball. He can pretty much get it anywhere. I don’t really see a whole lot different, but there’s a lot of him standing in the end zone spiking the ball.

 

[jmt57]

And we think the local media is tough on the hometown team here?

Norv Turner Is The Chargers' Wrecking Ball

Lack of discipline, lack of discipline off the field, distractions, unpreparedness, injuries, ... here's his summary:

Yes, the ‘O’-Line is not protecting Philip Rivers. They are not giving him the time he needs to work his magic. But the problems with the Chargers go much deeper than a few positions.

The time has come to place the blame where it belongs – the head coach. Turner has been unable to win due to his inability to demand the best from his players.

The San Diego Chargers’ fans need to demand better from the ownership. The Spanos family needs to demand more of their head coach, who should demand more from their players, if they are ultimately going to enjoy another Super Bowl appearance.

Until then, the seat on the Chargers' bandwagon will continue to become worn down with people jumping on and off.

Yes, my analysis is unscientific. I have never been a Chargers fan and I have no skin in this local team. I simply believe that if the ownership wants the fans to build a new stadium for them, they deserve better.

Otherwise, it’s time hold onto your wallets, go sailing, hit the slopes, or do one of thousand other things our weather affords us. San Diego deserves better, and I am tired of pitying the fans and telling my Chargers-loving friends that I feel sorry for them.

The house that Spanos built is being torn down by the Turner Wrecking Ball. It’s time to put a halt to the demolition before the foundation is destroyed.

 

[JoeSixPat]

I like Phil Rivers as a QB but with no OL, this defense could be ravenous for an opportunity to attack the passer amd push him to dump short passes to a depleted receiving corps

Our defense could grow a bit more in this game - I'm hopeful it will be part of the turning point of the season as a young defense comes of age

I disagree with this though

...the Patriots are coming off a highly impressive victory over Baltimore that has folks saying the Pats are starting to look like the Pats back when they were winning Super Bowls and going through a regular season unbeaten.

This is more like 2001 than 2007 - and to a certain degree I like it that way (as long as someone develops into a deep threat WR)

 

[jmt57]

It's funny, for some reason when I see 'Turner' and 'San Diego', my first thought is still Michael Turner. For whatever reason I don't think of Norv unless I see his first name. If made the headline up I'd remove the word Turner and replace it with Norv.

Has Turner's Time Come?

Now, even making the playoffs seems unlikely.

The biggest factor working in San Diego's favor is they are only 1.5 games out of first place with 10 games left to play. Unfortunately, this team has shown no signs of being able to close that gap.

If the Chargers can't beat the Chiefs, Seahawks, Raiders or Rams, how can they expect to top the Patriots, Titans, Colts, Texans or Bengals?

There are serious problems in all three phases. The offense cannot protect the ball of its quarterback; the defense has only one player playing at an elite level (Shaun Phillips); and the special teams … well, let's just say Steve Crosby must have some Brett Favre-like pictures of Norv Turner stashed away somewhere or he would have been fired weeks ago.

Despite all these struggles, the Chargers will have to get through the season with a head coach who is about as motivational as banana bread. Who knows, if Vincent Jackson reports later this month as expected and plays well down the stretch, the Chargers could even bounce back and win a fifth straight divisional title (the Chargers would be 6-0 at this point if Jackson were in the lineup, so perhaps the team's hard-headed GM deserves even more blame than Turner).

 

[jmt57]

Pats to play band of underachievers by Glen Farley for the MetroWest Daily News

Their track record this year has been one of turnovers. The Chargers have fumbled 11 times, lost a league-leading nine of them, and are a minus-3 in the former department. All that's been enough to render the work of Rivers insignificant at times.

With 2,008 yards through six games, the quarterback is on pace to throw for 5,355 this season, a total that would obliterate Dan Marino's record-setting 5,084 in 1984.

The Chargers head into this Sunday's game with 4-1 New England at Qualcomm Stadium (Ch. 4, 4:15 p.m.) coming off a 20-17 setback to a Rams team that suffered a 44-6 loss to the Detroit Lions the previous week. And that begs the question: How can an alleged contender lose to a team that just lost to the Lions by 38 points?

Rams defenders, who entered the game ranked 22nd against the pass and had 10 sacks in five games, were in the Chargers' backfield so often on Sunday that they could have called a team meeting, getting to Rivers so often (a career-high seven times) you had to double check to make sure the name "Cutler" wasn't on his back.

And how does any self-respecting professional team, be it in the National, Arena or United Football League, yield 35 points to an Oakland team that has averaged 17 points per game in its other five and been limited to 16 or fewer points in three of them?

It happens by having consecutive punts blocked, a microcosm of the problems the Chargers have endured on special teams - they've also allowed two kickoffs and one punt to be returned for touchdowns this year.

Farley goes on to compare Turner to Rod Rust, and notes how Norv has earned the distinction of being the fastest coach in league history to reach the 100-loss plateau.

 

[sbpatfan]

We need to get the rushing game going and stick with it, even if it stalls in the beginning. Every game the Patriots have out rushed their opponent they've won this year. It doesn't matter if it's BJGE leading the way or a committee approach with help from guys like Tate / Hernandez. The offense needs help from the ground game.

Game 1
NE - 118
CIN - 87

Game 2
NYJ - 136
NE - 52

Game 3
BUF - 134
NE - 200

Game 4
NE - 119
MIA - 92

Game 5
BAL - 99
NE - 127

 

[RhodyPatriot]

The Pats should be able to beat the Chargers on Sunday.

In fact, this would be a terrible letdown after that great comeback against the Ravens.

Despite the Chargers record, any AFC is important and the Pats shouldn't take lightly.

This is where we find out just how mature this Patriot team is. This is a very winnable game but it's a road game on the left coast and the Bolts have one of the better QB's in football. The Patriots O should be able to move the ball all day long. The key to this game will be limiting the possessions given to Rivers and not turning the ball over.

 

[Wax Frog]

Check out the crappy video of himself he posted in his sig

YouTube - San Diego Chargers #1 Fan!

LMAO

Hmm, I guess being me doesn't suck so much after all!

 

[vyrago]

Check out the crappy video of himself he posted in his sig

YouTube - San Diego Chargers #1 Fan!

LMAO

Some people have no shame.

 

[Haley]

Check out the crappy video of himself he posted in his sig

YouTube - San Diego Chargers #1 Fan!

LMAO

Aww... he disabled comments, no fair.

 

[jmt57]

In this video the Boston Globe's Shalise Manza Young talks about her three keys to Sunday's game in San Diego.

Shalise's 3 keys to a Patriots win over the Chargers - Extra Points - Boston.com

• Pats special teams, which have played very well, against San Diego's special teams, which have not played well.
• Chargers' third down offense, which has been very successful on 3rd and long, against the Pats' third down defense, which had not done well until late in the Ravens game.
• Antonio Gates, and the challenge it will be for the defense to limit his production.

 

[jmt57]

Chargers already feeling a sense of urgency by Danny Picard of CSNNE.

"It's going to take much of the same of what it's taken in past years," said Rivers in a conference call on Wednesday. "This current team hasn't been 2-4. We've been 2-3 in those years, but never got to 2-4. We had the year where we were 4-8 at one point, obviously, so it was even worse.

"But we've just got to clean some things up. I think one thing, when you watch our games, we're doing a lot of things good, but we're doing enough bad, and enough bad in key moments, that's keeping us from winning these close games.

Does their experience, being in these types of early-season holes, help make it easier to dig out again this year?

"I think it definitely can help. I think at the same time it can be a trap," said Rivers.

"The core group of this team, we've been through the highs and the lows together. I think we've kind of been through the whole deal, and we understand what it's going to take to get us out of it, and what a long season it is. I mean, there's 10 games left to play. A lot can happen. But at the same time, assuming that it's going to happen, it can get away from you in a hurry, so I think we've been very honest with ourselves, about where we sit. And certainly the sense of urgency and all that is there."

 

[jmt57]

Brady: Chargers always a good battle Q&A transcript by Mike Petraglia of WEEI

Q: How much talk will there be this week about the loss New England suffered in San Diego two years ago?

TB: Quite a bit, quite a bit. I think that certain teams play differently at home than they do on the road. They’re 2-0 at home and 0-4 on the road. We’re playing them at home, so I’m sure we’re going to get their best. The times we played out there like in ’06 was a battle, hard fought game that we ended up winning. We lost to them in ’08. They really beat us up pretty good. It’s going to be a good challenge. I think everyone’s looking forward to it. I think we want to play the good teams. We want to play them on the road. We played a good game on the road last time against Miami and we have to put another one together this week.

Q: How have the Chargers been able to make up for the loss of Shawne Merriman?

TB: They have a ton of sacks. I think they’re first in the league in defense. [Shaun] Phillips has six sacks. He’s a great pass rusher. They have a very good front seven. It seems like every team is playing the 3-4 now, too. This is about the fifth game in a row we’ve played the 3-4. So, it means you have good pass rushers, outside linebackers. It typically means you have a good, athletic group of linebackers – and these guys certainly do. [They have] a very stout front. It’s a good test.

Q: With so much youth on this team, is there any fear of a letdown in San Diego this weekend?

TB: I hope not. I certainly hope not. I wouldn’t expect us to not put everything we have into it. We know the challenge that it is. This team is 2-4, but they’re 2-0 at home and that’s where we’re playing them. There has to be a huge commitment by the team this week to do everything that we need to do. The last few weeks, we’ve had extra time to prepare. There’s really no opportunity for any lost time this week and also to travel out there to the West Coast, go to California. I never mind that.

 

[lostjumper]

Game 1
NE - 118
CIN - 87

Game 2
NYJ - 136
NE - 52

Game 3
BUF - 134
NE - 200

Game 4
NE - 119
MIA - 92

Game 5
BAL - 99
NE - 127

Thats a great stat actually. I didn't realize that.

 

[tombonneau]

I really hope they aren't seriously thinking they have the top rated defense? Last time I checked they haven't played a team that had a top 20 offense. Maybe on paper. On the other hand we have the top scoring offense so nah nah nah.

Still this game has my intense attention as far as the Pats playing a top flight QB like Rivers. I really want to see what this defense can do, like as in have they figured it out

They had the top D in yardage. But that doesn't include the return for td yardage. Fact is that is a specious number that is aided by the fact opposing offenses were denied drives due to their special teams.

 

[5 Rings for Brady!!]

I like Phil Rivers as a QB but with no OL, this defense could be ravenous for an opportunity to attack the passer amd push him to dump short passes to a depleted receiving corps

Our defense could grow a bit more in this game - I'm hopeful it will be part of the turning point of the season as a young defense comes of age

I disagree with this though



This is more like 2001 than 2007 - and to a certain degree I like it that way (as long as someone develops into a deep threat WR)

This team reminds me of 2003, not 2001...The reason is that the media already knew in 2003 that we had won a superbowl yet chose to overlook us anyway, the team had a lot of young rookies thrown into the fire immediately, the draft was great but the fans and media dissed several picks, we had better talent than 2001, and we had a defining moment, at least IMO. When I watched the first Miami game, the refs basically gave the game to the fish on a silver platter all day long and then within the final two minutes, Ricky Williams very clearly put a knee on the ground and got up and ran about thirty more yards and the stinking officials could not even be bothered to review the play. Then in overtime, he put a foot out of bounds and the refs could not be bothered to review the play. Seymour then blocked the field goal and Troy Brown somehow outran Surtain for the TD. At that point I decided that if there really is any karma left in the universe, that Pats would win the game, and the superbowl. After the game, Matt Light said it was the defining point of the season for the Pats. I felt that when watching the game. Reminds me exactly of the Ravens game this year...

Anyway, sorry to get OT but that is what I have been thinking since last weekend.

The Chargers game will be tough and hard fought, and it sure would be lovely to have Bodden at CB....We are going to need to show the same mental toughness we showed last week to win.

 

[denverpatsfan]

No way Pats D can compete with this team. Unless offense can score 28 and ST can add 7, I don't see a W.

SD 35 NE 17