By Mike Toast

For some reason I still care about these games and for the second week in a row I am so pissed at the outcome. How did we lose this football game? The Chefs are horrible. They are a bad football team. Their coach Todd Haley sucks. Their QB Matt Cassel is a complete bum. The only good player on their team is Jamal Charles. The Chefs ran for 274 yards. This should seem like an astronomical amount of yards but we as Bills fans are numb to running backs averaging 8 yards per carry. Seriously, did Haley really punt on 4th and 7 from the 33 and then go for it on 4th and 3 from the 20? Then, was he really going to go for it from his own 30 at the end of regulation? Is this dude on crack? I would never ever ever punt on 4th and 7 from the 33. Kick a field goal or go for it…why would you punt?

The Bills defense is bad. I know I have said this over and over like a broken record but how many bad plays can Chris Kelsay make? What loyalty does this coaching staff have to Kelsay? He got juked by Matt Cassel. That is almost as bad as getting juked by Chad Pennington like another terrible Bills linebacker did in Eddie Robinson. If you are getting compared to Eddie Robinson, that is not a good sign. The Bills defense can’t buy an interception either. I haven’t heard Jairus Byrd’s name said on air all season. George Wilson had a ball right in his hands. Whitner had a chance at an interception…but who is surprised at Whitner making no plays…again. The Bills had 28 interceptions last season…they have one this season. How can you possibly go from 28 interceptions to 2? That is what they are currently on pace for.

How bad must the Bills defense be for George Edwards to get fired? I understand that it is his first year as Bills defensive coordinator, but thus far I have seen no improvement. The Bills did only allow 13 points but I think that has more to do with the lack of talent on the other side of the ball than actual good play by the Bills defense.

I know on the podcast I said how much I like Fitzpatrick. He made some big plays today, especially that pass to Parrish on 3rd and long in leading the Bills to the game tying touchdown. When it is all said and done however, Fitzpatrick did not make the plays needed to win the game. He made two horrible throws that you can say cost the Bills the game today…the wounded duck interception at the end of regulation and the pass to Spiller that he missed in overtime. If you want to be a starting quarterback in the NFL, those are plays that have to be made. Fitzpatrick is guaranteed to throw a terrible interception in every close road loss we have it seems. As of today, Fitz is nothing but a backup that we will keep around to hopefully mentor Andrew Luck. I will not put 100% of the blame on Fitz though. The play calling when the Bills got close to field goal range was very questionable. The Bills ran 10 plays starting with the drive at the end of regulation in which they had 1st and 10 inside the Chefs 43 yard line. The passed incomplete on 7 of those plays, threw one interception and threw one 3 yard pass to Jackson. The only run was a QB scramble. Why did the Bills become so one dimensional when they got near field goal range? No one knows. On Lindell’s missed field goal, if the Bills were about 4 yards closer, that kick would have been good and not hit the goal post.

Does anyone else absolutely despise listening to Steve Tasker? In the beginning of the game he actually said the Bills defense was improving. Then, in the 2nd quarter when the game was tied at 0, he said this game was playing out exactly how KC wanted to. I am sure Todd Haley drew it up just like that. “Hey guys, we are playing a 0-6 team, hopefully we can keep it tied in the 2nd quarter.” Then, on 3rd and 3 after the Evans fumble, he went to commercial saying the Bills should kick a field goal and take the points because “they need to stop KC anyway.” Then after commercial, he said that the Bills need to try and score a TD on this drive. What is he talking about? Hopefully his producer called him out on how absolutely lost he is during that commercial break. Stick to special teams, Steve, you lifetime mediocrity.

The Bills are now 0-7 and play the Bears in Toronto next week. The Bills have had no business losing their past 2 games. I would say that the chances a team would lose the last 2 games based on how the games transpired would be less than 1% but that’s the Bills for you. This team just cannot win.

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2010 Record: 10-6

Draft Position: 21

2010 Season Recap: Click Here

Offseason Needs: Click Here

Free Agents/Team Transactions: Click Here

Draft Grades: Click Here

Key Offseason Moves: None

 

 

 

29. OT Gabe Carimi A

Seattle passing on Derek Sherrod, Ben Ijalana and Gabe Carimi for James Carpenter allowed the Bears to get their choice between those 3. Given their struggles upfront, I don’t think they could have gone wrong with this pick so long as they took one of those three. I had Carimi rated highest, but Ijalana and Sherrod have more upside.

53. DT Stephen Paea A

Paea was being mentioned as an option at 29 should all of the first round tackles be off the board, so getting him at 53 is a very smart move for this borderline first round prospect. They moved up for him, but doing so was smart as it was probably necessary to get their guy.

93. S Chris Conte D

I didn’t have safety high on their needs list. I also didn’t have close to a 3^rd round grade on Conte. The only reason this isn’t an F is because they’ll need depth at safety should Danieal Manning leave as a free agent.

160. QB Nathan Enderle B

Quarterback shouldn’t be higher on their needs list than another running back to replace Chester Taylor and his 2.4 YPC average or even another offensive lineman. However, they may look to move Caleb Hanie through a trade, once that’s allowed. Some desperate team might overpay for him based off of his performance in the NFC Championship game. If they did that, they’d have nothing at quarterback should Jay Cutler get “hurt” again. Enderle fits the range.

195. OLB JT Thomas B

Unfortunately, Lance Briggs and Brian Urlacher won’t be able to play forever. While their linebackers are a strength now, they have a lot of age there. Thomas brings youth, can play special teams, and fits the range. A running back, offensive lineman, and a wide receiver would have been higher on my needs list, however.

Overall:

I really liked what they did with their first two picks. Obviously it would have been tough for them to mess up at 29 given the options available, but I’m still giving credit where credit is due. Moving up for Paea in the 2^nd was smart. The Chris Conte pick didn’t make much sense and that’s the reason this isn’t an A grade, but they did end decently. I would have liked to have seen them take another offensive lineman, a wide receiver, and a running back over a safety, a quarterback, and an outside linebacker, but the last two weren’t terrible ideas.

Grade: B+

 

 

Debate the Chicago Bears’ offseason needs in The Football Fan Spot

2010 Preview:

The Chicago Bears’ offense is going to try a Mike Martz approach this year, after hiring him as their offensive coordinator. Martz has had some success in the past, but with a turnover prone quarterback like Cutler and a weak offensive line, I don’t think it’s the best scheme for them. One of the downfalls of the Martz scheme is that it causes quarterbacks to throw picks. Jay Cutler already does that well enough on his own. It’s also extremely pass heavy so defenses can blitz more often. This offensive line did alright last year, but overall lacks the talent to hold up in a Martz scheme the way you’d like it to.

All that being said, Martz should get the best out of his two pass catching backs, Matt Forte and Chester Taylor. A Martz scheme needs pass catching backs like that and they’ve got them. Martz also has had plenty of success in the past, despite the downfalls of his scheme. He turned Jon Kitna into a 4000 yard quarterback for crying out loud. He’ll help Cutler as much, if not more, than he hurts him.

Defensively, there’s no reason why they shouldn’t be better this year overall. Their secondary still has a few holes, but the addition of Julius Peppers to the defensive line will help take the pressure of off the secondary. Rookie Major Wright also figures to be an upgrade at free safety. A fully healthy Tommie Harris will help both their pass rush and their run defense and Brian Urlacher, who missed most of last year with a wrist injury, is back to solidify their defense. They’ll be better overall, but they’re still going to be looking up at the Packers and the Vikings. Those two teams are too complete right now for Chicago to overtake them.

Projection: 9-7 3rd in NFC North

Power Ranking: 15

Last season: 7-9

Grade:

#75 S Major Wright (Florida)

Wright fills a need and, while there were better safeties, Wright has more upside than any of those safeties. He is a bit of a boom or bust pick, but that’s okay in the 3^rd round. He needs some work, but he could be a solid starter for them, though Wright does not have the positional value of a cornerback, or fill as much of a need as taking an offensive lineman would have.

Grade: B

#109 DE Corey Wootton (Northwestern)

Wootton is a good value in the 4^th, but didn’t the Bears just cut Alex Brown, while he was still a capable player, because they didn’t need an defensive end. Wootton is not a great fit for the defensive scheme either, but he does have positional value and he is a value according to my board. However, with so few picks and so many needs, using one pick on a non-need is not smart.

Grade: B

#141 CB Joshua Moore (Kansas State)

I didn’t have Moore getting draft and I don’t think he was worse a 5^th round pick. I understand they needed cornerbacks, however, they really needed to get an upgrade at the guard position to open up more holes for their running backs and you can still get serviceable guards in the 5^th. I’d rather have a #1 guard than a #3 or #4 cornerback like Moore.

Grade: D

#181 QB Dan LeFevour (Central Michigan)

LeFevour is a fine value, but the Bears already had 5 picks to begin with. Backup quarterback was not as pressing of a need as guard or any of their offensive line.

Grade: C-

#218 OT J’Marcus Webb (West Texas A&M)

While I didn’t have him in my top 300, he was on the borderline and not too much of a reach here. The Bears needed offensive line depth with Orlando Pace leaving.

Grade: B-

Overall:

The Bears only had 5 picks, but I thought they could have done a lot better. There was nothing wrong with taking Major Wright in the 3^rd, but they used two picks on guys who don’t fill needs, a cornerback who I don’t like, and only took one offensive lineman, and he wasn’t even a guard, which they needed badly. They could have gotten a future guard in the 5^th, but they didn’t.

Grade: C+

Key undrafted free agents:

S Quentin Scott (Northern Iowa)

RB Brandon Minor (Michigan)

WR Freddie Barnes (Bowling Green)

CB Cornelius Brown (UTEP)

Positions of need:

Wide Receiver:

The Bears have some decent receivers, but overall their receiving corps were very mediocre and lacking a true #1 guy with size. If they don’t sign either Antonio Bryant or Derrick Mason in the offseason, they could look for a receiver with their first pick, which unfortunately happens to be in the middle of the 3rd round. Maybe a guy like Demaryius Thomas or Eric Decker will be available at that point. If not, they have so many other major needs and so few picks that they may just completely ignore their need for a #1 receiver for another year.

Cornerback:

Nathan Vasher is always hurt and neither Charles Tillman nor Zachary Bowman had a particularly impressive year last year. They need some depth at the position and considering how thick this cornerback class is in the 2nd-4th round range, they could get a 2nd round prospect in the 3rd or a 3rd round prospect in the 4th.

Drafted Joshua Moore (#141) 

Defensive End:

The Bears needed defensive end help so they traded their 2nd rounder to Tampa Bay for Gaines Adams. Unfortunately, Gaines Adams passed away this offseason. Sadly, life moves on in football and the Bears still need help at the position. The Bears cannot be a dominant defense again until they have more than 35 sacks as a team.

Signed Julius Peppers, Drafted Corey Wootton (#109) 

Safety:

Danieal Manning is a hell of a kick returner, but not a great free safety. In fact, the only reason they used him last year was because they had no other choice. Luckily, like the cornerback class this year, the safety class is full of depth in the middle rounds so they can snag a good future starter in the 3rd or 4th depending on how quickly safeties are coming off of the board.

Drafted Major Wright (#75), Traded for Chris Harri 

Offensive Guard:

Matt Forte stunk last year, but that wasn’t all his fault. Frank Omiyale was one of the worst guards in the league last year. They need a new left guard fast, otherwise next year will be more of the same. They should target one in the 3rd round range, but unfortunately, they have a ton of other needs they could and should target in that range. I really believe it’ll all be a case of who falls to them.

Offensive Tackle:

I know Chris Williams was a 2008 1st round pick, but neither he nor Kevin Schaffer were particularly impressive last year and after cutting Orlando Pace, they don’t have very much depth at the position either. They will look for a swing tackle with upside in the 5th or 6th round. A guy like Adam Ulatoski would be a good value for them in that range.

Drafted J’Marcus Webb (#218) 

Running Back:

Matt Forte didn’t try too hard last year, especially after the Bears started struggling. Why would he? After all, the Bears had absolutely no one good below him on the depth chart. He could be awful and start get all the touches. The Bears even tried to scare him by giving some carries to Kahlil Bell, but Bell is nowhere near talented enough to put any fear into Matt Forte. Taking a running back early could. Also, running back depth is always very important in this league because of how easily it is for a running back to get hurt. 

Signed Chester Taylor 

 

Free agents:

QB Brett Basanez 

RB Kevin Jones 

RB Adrian Peterson

FB Jason McKie- signed with Saints 1 year

OT Orlando Pace

DE Adewale Ogunleye

DE Mark Anderson (restricted)- resigned 1 year 1.7 million

DE Alex Brown- signed with Saints 2 years 6 million

DT Matt Toeaina (restricted)- resigned

DT Dusty Dvoracek (restricted)

OLB Pisa Tinoisamoa- resigned

OLB Nick Roach (restricted)- resigned 1 year 1.6 million

OLB Jamar Williams (restricted)- traded to Panthers

CB Nathan Vasher signed with Chargers 2 years 4.5 million

S Danieal Manning (restricted)- resigned 1 year 1.1 million

S Josh Bullocks (restricted)- resigned 1 year 1.2 million 

Offseason moves: 

Bears sign OLB Brian Iwuh 

Bears re-sign S Danieal Manning

Bears waive QB Brett Basanez

Bears re-sign DE Mark Anderson

Bears trade S Kevin Payne to Rams for conditional 7th-round pick

Bears acquire S Chris Harris from Panthers for OLB Jamar Williams

Bears re-sign OLB Jamar Williams

Bears re-sign OLB Nick Roach

Bears re-sign OLB Pisa Tinoisamoa 

Bears cut DE Alex Brown

Bears re-sign DT Matt Toeaina

Bears cut CB Nathan Vasher

Bears sign CB Tim Jennings

Bears cut FB Jason McKie

Bears re-sign S Josh Bullocks

Bears cut RB Kevin Jones

Bears sign DE Julius Peppers

Bears sign RB Chester Taylor

Bears sign TE Brandon Manumaleuna

Bears tender OLB Jamar Williams

Bears tender DE Mark Anderson

Bears tender OLB Nick Roach

Bears cut OT Orlando Pace 

 

 

Taylor is going to be 31 in the middle of next season, but he doesn’t have a lot of wear and tear on his body with only 1028 career carries (the equivalent of roughly 3.5 years). However, Taylor is nothing but an average running back right now. He and Matt Forte will make a good running back combination and Taylor should also give the Forte that he lacked last year, which could lead to a rebound year for Forte (like drafting Donald Brown did for Joseph Addai in Indy this year). That being said, 4 years is still a long time for a back for 30, so I don’t love this move.

Grade: B+

 

 

Trade for Seahawks: I know very little, if anything about Whitehurst. I know he was drafted in the 3^rd by the Chargers in 2006 based on upside and never played a snap. And I know now that Pete Carroll likes him. I’ll trust Carroll’s judgment on this one for now, given his track record with quarterbacks, but if Whitehurst proves to be not much in the future, this is going to be a huge waste of picks.

Trade for Chargers: I love this trade for the Chargers. Even if Whitehurst becomes a future Pro Bowler, doubtful, this deal barely hurts them because they weren’t doing anything with Whitehurst and the Seahawks are in a completely different conference. Its not often you can not use a quarterback for 4 years and then trade him away and not only get a pick from the round you drafted him in, but get a fairly significant swap of 2^nd rounders. The move from 60^th to 40^th has a value of 200 points, roughly the 78^th pick so basically the Chargers got 2 3^rd rounder for an unused former 3^rd rounder. Not bad.

Draft implications: All of this will be shown in my next NFL Mock Draft, but this trade does have draft implications and since I do not update until next week, I’m going to use this opportunity to tell you how it will. That trade where the Bucs trade down to 6 and still get Suh while the Seahawks give up the 40^th pick to move up to 3 to get Clausen won’t be included in my next mock, sadly. It was a very interesting move that stirred up a ton of controversy around Buccaneers’ forums around the internet, but I can’t see it happening for two reasons. One, Carroll already brought in a developmental backup quarterback, Whitehurst. Second, that 40^th pick that was sent to Tampa Bay in the deal is now San Diego’s.

Teams may still try to move up to get Clausen (Cleveland, Buffalo), but they aren’t going to do it with Tampa Bay (assuming either Suh or McCoy falls). Tampa will take the smart move and just go with whichever of the two they feel fits best at 3. Trading down to 9 or even 7 and expecting one of those two to still be there is borderline insane. If one of those teams tries to move up to get Clausen, it will be with Detroit, who has been rumored to be trying to shop the 2^nd pick. However, after Russell Okung’s positive visit with the Lions earlier this week, that is unlikely as well.

Another draft implication makes it very unlikely that the Chargers will take Ryan Matthews at 28. With a pick at 40, it’s likely the Chargers are going to take Terrence Cody at 28, knowing they can get a back like Jahvid Best or Montario Hardesty at 40 and that they can’t get a nose tackle like Cody there. Terrence Cody will be the Chargers’ first rounder in my next mock. 

 

Charles Johnson had 11.5 sacks last year, but only 10 in his first 3 years and yet the Panthers give him Julius Peppers money. Peppers got 6 years 92 million with 42 million guaranteed. Johnson gets 6 years 72 million with 30 million guaranteed. Why didn’t they just resign Peppers (89 sacks in 9 years) last offseason? I guess I shouldn’t expect any better from the same franchise who gave Jake Delhomme 5 years 42.5 million 3 months after he turned the ball over 6 times in a playoff game.

Grade: F

 

 

Offensive Tackle

USC

6-5 303

40 time: 5.25

Draft board overall prospect rank: #10

Draft board offensive tackle rank: #2

Overall rating: 88*

            3/20/10: Charles Brown is one of the more underrated offensive tackles in this draft class. He will go in the first round, but he should go in the top half of the first round and garner some top 10 consideration by teams like Buffalo. He’s a former run blocking tight end, but he has bulked up to 303 for the Combine, though his decision not to run at that weight is a bit concerning. Let’s see how he runs, assuming he’s the same weight, at his Pro Day. His frame may be maxed out as a former run blocking tight end and he is still on the small size, but makes up for that with excellent mature technique and good athletic mobility and footwork. He has experience in a zone blocking scheme and excelled last year protecting Matt Barkley’s blindside at USC. He’s got very good long arms and uses them well. He is extremely mobile for a man of his size and can block at the second level. He plays with good lower body leverage, but lacks elite upper body strength and can be pushed back a bit by bigger bull rushers. His footwork and his hand use are extremely mature for his age, probably the best in the draft class. They rival Ryan Clady’s coming out of school and Clady allowed just 1 sack in a zone blocking scheme in Denver his first year in the league before struggling in a man blocking scheme in his 2^nd year. Likewise, Brown would struggle in a man blocking scheme where he was matched up one on one with a defender. He’s got great character and work ethic and he’s extremely consistent. I didn’t see him take very many plays off for what I saw of him last year and didn’t wear down late in games. Overall, he lacks bulk, but he has a great understanding of both the zone blocking scheme and the West Coast offense. He has an excellent motor and great instincts as well as excellent footwork. He used his hands well and he has great lateral agility. He should be considered in the top ten, but probably won’t be. The highest he possibly could go would be 14 to Seattle, but if someone gets him in the 20s, they would be getting a steal, assuming the used a scheme that properly utilized Brown’s skills and minimized his weaknesses.

NFL Comparison: Jordan Gross

*=For a breakdown of what this means, click here

By Eric Howard

At 2-5, all is not yet lost for the San Diego Chargers this season.  But, they must right the ship against the Tennessee Titans this Sunday.  Another loss against a beatable team at home could have all San Diego fans looking for other things to do on Sundays.

The Chargers have lost three straight games, the last two by a combined six points.  Minor tweaks, adjustments and players getting healthy could turn things around quickly and leave Charger fans with some hope.  At the same time, the San Diego football follies that have showed up on a weekly basis need to immediately disappear.

Tennessee is coming in, riding a three game winning streak.  They have overcome some injuries of their own, primarily at the quarterback position, and rest in first place in the AFC South.

The Titans are no slouches, they have several offensive weapons and a pretty stout defense and that will not make it easy for the Chargers to get on track to another playoff appearance.

History is on San Diego’s side.  The Chargers have won seven straight and Tennessee head coach Jeff Fisher is 0-6 against San Diego.  The Titans franchise has not beaten the Chargers since 1992, when they were the Houston Oilers. 

Chargers on Offense

On Christmas Day last season, the Chargers offense dominated the Titans.  The team combined for 166 yards on the ground and 4 touchdowns, including a team 60 yards from Mike Tolbert and two rushing touchdowns from Darren Sproles.

Philip Rivers had a very efficient day against the Titans last season.  He was 21-of-27 for 264 yards and two touchdowns.  He threw touchdown passes to Antonio Gates and Sproles.

Though some of the pieces are still there, the Chargers offense on Christmas last year is not the same that will take the field Sunday.  San Diego will still be without Malcom Floyd and possibly Buster Davis and Legedu Naanee because of injuries and Vincent Jackson is still three weeks away after just signing his tender.

Gates is still not 100%, but is a warrior and continues to battle through injury and produce.  Gates at 75 or 80 percent is better then most tight ends at 100%.  He will go as long as he can, as hard as he can and will probably still get around 80 yards and a touchdown.

Rivers will have only healthy veteran wide out on Sunday in Patrick Crayton.  Philips and Crayton have shown pretty good chemistry, accumulating 13 catches for 199 yards the last two games.

If the other wide outs are not healthy enough, Seyi Ajirotutu will get a long look. Last week, he made his NFL debut and had two catches for 26 yards.

Titans on Offense

The Tennessee offense revolves around running back Chris Johnson.  The best running back in the NFL already has accumulated 662 yards and 7 touchdowns.  He went over 2000 rushing yards last season and vowed to match that feat again this season.

Johnson ran for 142 and a touchdown in the December game against the Chargers.  Much of it came in garbage time with Antonio Cromartie running along side of him instead of tackling him in a 42-17 blow out victory for San Diego.

Injuries have forced Vince Young and Kerry Collins to share time at the quarterback position.  It appears that Young will be the one taking snaps on Sunday and with his mobility, adds an extra dimension to the Titans offense.

Wide receiver Kenny Britt is coming off a monster game against Philadelphia last week.  He torched the Eagles for 225 receiving yards and three touchdowns last week.  Britt has caught touchdown passes in five consecutive games and has seven for the season.

Veteran tight end Bo Scaife is the other big receiving target for the Titans.  He has caught 19 passes and two touchdowns this year.  The Chargers are notorious for giving up big games to tight ends, so he could be someone to keep an eye on.

Chargers on Defense

Tennessee played coy most of the week, not letting on who will start at quarterback, which was probably by design.  Young and Collins are two completely different types of players and require different types of defensive scheming.

It sounds as if Young will start which will mean the Chargers defense will have to leave a “spy” on him most of the game.  Having to keep a defensive player on Young during most of the game, leaves either one less defender in pass coverage or one less defender to blitz and put pressure.

Last season, the San Diego defense completely shut down Young.  He was only 8-of-21 for 89 yards and two interceptions.  Eric Weddle and Brandon Siler both picked off passes in the Christmas Day game.  Young did run for 40 yards and a touchdown but fumbled when Shaun Phillips striped the ball from him.

All in all, the defense held the multi-threat Young in check last season.  The Titan quarterback has played well when healthy this season though.  His over 61 percent completion percentage and his 7-2 touchdown-to-interception ratio are both above his careers norms.

With all that quarterback talk, the primary goal for the Chargers is to slow down Johnson.  A tall task obviously, but one San Diego should be up to.

The Chargers are giving up only 86 yards per game on the ground.  Defensive coordinator Ron Rivera has his squad playing well, but this will be the best running back they will see all season.

The line backing group will have to be at the top of their games on Sunday.  The group of Phillips, Stephen Cooper, Antwan Applewhite and Kevin Burnett will have to stay disciplined.  Over pursuit by a linebacker and a cutback by Johnson, could mean six points for the Titans.

Titans on Defense

Tennessee has a pretty formidable defense, with playmakers all over.  The Titans have done a great job of creating turnovers and with the Chargers propensity to give the ball away, ball security could be a major factor Sunday.

The defensive line is lead by Dave Ball and Jason Babin.   The two are tied for the team lead with six sacks each.  Chargers right tackle Jeromey Clary will not be able handle either one of those defensive ends.  He will need help from a tight end or get chip blocks from the running backs to protect Rivers.

Linebacker Stephen Tulloch leads the team with 71 tackles while fellow linebacker Will Witherspoon is tied for second on the team with 3 sacks.

The secondary is lead by former first round pick Michael Griffin.  The former Texas star leads the team with 4 interceptions.  Pesky Cortland Finnegan and rookie Alterraun Verner start at cornerback.  The two have combined for three interceptions this season.

Finnegan has made it clear; he is no fan of the Chargers, the quarterback in particular.  In a 2008 Sports Illustrated article, Finnegan was asked who in sports he would want to meet in a ring.  His answer…Philip Rivers!

Chargers Special Teams

San Diego has improved since their deplorable start to the season.  They had nowhere to go but up.

Kicker Nate Kaeding will miss Sunday’s game with an injury.  He may not be back until the after the bye week.  Kris Brown filled in admirably last week, pulling off an onside kick, but missed a game tying field goal.  It’s not 100% sure Kaeding would have made that kick, but the Chargers sure wish they had their regular kicker out there. 

Titans Special Teams

Kicker Rob Bironas is one of the best in the NFL.  He has missed only one field goal in 15 tries this season, so with the game on the line, he will not miss.

Marc Mariani handles both the kick off and punt returns.  Earlier this season, he returned a kick 98 yards for a touchdown against Denver.  He will challenge in always shaky San Diego special teams units.

Prediction

It won’t be easy, but San Diego has Philip Rivers and a stout enough defense to hold Johnson and Britt in check.

The Chargers get an early lead and hold on in front of the faithful home fans and pull out a tight victory and stay in playoff contention.

Chargers-24

Titans-20

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By Steve Adler

With all the wild goings on this week at Chargers Park, let’s not forget there is a game this Sunday. Sure, the game is against the lowly St Louis Rams, but with San Diego’s track record on the road this year, no win is guaranteed.

Yet again, for the fourth consecutive season, the Chargers have started the season 2-3. And yet again, they are forced to dig themselves out of a hole to win the AFC West. This week’s opponent is a good team to get the season turned around.

Though San Diego is coming off a disappointing loss against the Raiders, the Rams are trying to rebound from a 44-6 drubbing hands at the hands of the Detroit Lions. If you are getting smoked by the Lions, you are not a good team.

No excuses, the Chargers must win this game!

Chargers on Offense

Philip Rivers is simply unbelievable. He currently leads NFL with 1,759 yards and is tied with some guy named Peyton for first in the league with 11 touchdown passes. 

I am convinced that no one or two people can cover Antonio Gates. He had five catches for 92 yards last week and scored another touchdown. With a touchdown this week, he can pass Lance Alworth by catching scoring grabs in 10 consecutive games.

Vincent who? Malcom Floyd is killing Vincent Jackson’s bargaining leverage. Floyd had a gargantuan day against the Raiders last week, catching 8 passes for 213 yards and a touchdown. Many of those numbers were against all world cornerback Nnamdi Asomugha. The Rams don’t have anyone near the caliber of Asomugha, so expect another large day from Floyd.

An injury to Legedu Naanee may open the door for Patrick Crayton and Buster Davis. Crayton has been looking for a chance since being forgotten about on the Dallas Cowboys bench. Rivers has mentioned he likes throwing the ball to Davis. Could be a big day facing the 22nd rank pass defense.

It appears the now very, very wealthy left tackle Marcus McNeill will see his first action after his holdout. His replacement, Brandyn Dombrowski, who played terrific in his absence could be moved to right tackle in place of Jeromey Clary or find himself on the bench. The Chargers have depth now in the offensive line, which will pay dividends as the season goes along.

Mike Tolbert either needs to hang onto the ball or stand on the sideline. It’s fun watching the big guy rumble down the field, but all the yards he’s gaining are wasted when he puts the ball on the ground.

Ryan Mathews is still not 100%, but will see action again this week. When he has been in the game, he has been impressive. As his ankle and elbow get healthier, his touches on offense will increase.

Rams on Offense

Running back Steven Jackson is in striking distance to set the Rams franchise record for rushing yards. He needs just 141 yards to pass Eric Dickerson (7,425). Last week, he ran for 114 yards against the improving Lions defense. He will be fed the ball early and often against a Chargers defense which surrendered 100 yards to Oakland’s Michael Bush.

For the Rams to have any chance at all, they will need Jackson to get the Rams in third and short situations. If rookie quarterback Sam Bradford is forced to drop back and pass the ball deep, it will be a long, painful day for the former Sooner.

Bradford has shown he is a very capable quarterback during the first five weeks of the season. He was the first overall pick in the 2010 draft and has exceeded many of the expectations that come with being drafted so high. 

The Rams signal caller has passed for 1159 yards and eight touchdowns so far this season. Last week, the St Louis offense was dealt a big blow when wide receiver Mark Clayton was lost for the season with a torn patellar tendon. 

Danny Amendola steps into the number one receiver role. Last week, he had12 catches for 95 yards against the Lions. A group of Mardy Gilyard, Laurent Robinson and Brandon Gibson will be Bradford’s other deep targets.

Tight end Michael Hoomanawanui who showed good chemistry with Bradford during the preseason will see significant action this weekend. The rookie from Illinois gives Bradford a huge target. At 6-5 and 270 pounds, he will be a load to tackle if he gets the ball in the open field.

Chargers on Defense

Antoine Cason and Quentin Jammer should be able to handle the inexperienced Rams receiving group. The two starting cornerbacks have done a splendid job this season shutting down opposing receivers.

An area of concern has to be at linebacker. With injuries and the imminent release of Shawne Merriman, the linebacker group is paper thin. Antwan Applewhite appears to have the first crack at playing outside in place of Merriman until Larry English returns from injury. 

The three other starting linebackers, Kevin Burnett, Stephen Cooper and Shaun Phillips have all played very well this season. Burnett and Phillips have been playing at a Pro Bowl level.

Reality is, one more injury to one of the linebackers and San Diego could be in deep trouble. There are not many quality, healthy players to turn to.

Rams on Defense

This is a bad, bad match up for St Louis.

If St Louis is going to have any chance to slow down the San Diego super offense, they are going to have to find a way to put pressure on Philip Rivers. That task falls on shoulders of defensive ends James Hall, who has four sacks and three fumble recoveries last three games, George Selvie, who is second on the team with two sacks and Howie’s kid, Chris Long.

If a combination of those three can’t put pressure on Rivers, second year cornerback Bradley Fletcher, who leads the team with two interceptions and Ron Bartell, who has not picked off a pass since 2008, will be chasing Malcom Floyd all over the field.

All three starting linebackers for the Rams played college ball at Ohio State. Veteran Na’il Diggs who had many successful years with Green Bay and Carolina is the leader on defense. Diggs and Larry Grant are the outside linebackers in the St Louis 4-3 defense.

Middle linebacker James Laurinaitis who had a celebrated career at Ohio State, leads the defense with 33 tackles. The son of professional wrestler Animal of the Road Warriors, brings toughness and will not be afraid to step up and face Mike Tolbert in the hole.

Chargers Special Teams

Oh the humanity!

A different week, a different special teams disaster. Having seemingly figured out the kick return coverage problem, the Chargers decided to show a flaw in a different area by allowing the first two punts in last week’s game to be blocked. 

Has there ever been a team that has had five weeks of such atrocious special teams weeks? What was once a strength of the San Diego Chargers, has now become one of the biggest reasons the team is under.500.

Rams Special Teams

Here are the returner names you need to know…Danny Amendola on punt returns and Marty Gilyard and Keith Toston share kickoff return duties.

None of these guys are spectacular, but that doesn’t mean they won’t do damage against the Chargers.

Prediction

Call me a sucker, but I just can’t pick against the Chargers when they play an such an inferior team. If San Diego does not win this game, I will not pick them to win ANY road games this season. 

Philip Rivers will continue to play out of his mind and have another huge, huge game. Then, he will hand off to Tolbert and Mathews who will put the game away in the second half.

The Rams offense will not be able to keep up.

Again, barring any turnover problems or special teams meltdowns, this sound not be a competitive game.

Chargers-40

Rams-10

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