The Marathon Continues.

[mvp]

letrusscook

[Soapy]

[Soapy]

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LAC (17-1) | 7 | 14 | 7 | 14 || 42
NYG (13-6) | 0 | 14 | 7 | 0 || 21
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Ramsey, McDonald Dominate in Charger Super Bowl Victory Over Giants
The New York Giants seemingly had an answer for everything until they didn't.

The Los Angeles Chargers ended the game on a 28-7 run, putting all doubters to rest as a hobbled Will Castonzo and future Hall of Famer Jalen Ramsey led the Chargers to their second straight Super Bowl with a 42-21 win over the New York Giants.

Most of the drama took place before the game with Castonzo being hospitalized just hours before the Super Bowl only to throw the first touchdown of the game. He threw another to Hunter Henry on fourth down from the one-yard line with 11:32 left in the second quarter to go up 14-0 and seemingly knock the Giants out.

The Giants responded with back to back touchdown drive to tie the game only for the Chargers to go down the field in less than two minutes, culminating with a 21-yard touchdown to Odell Beckham, his second of the day.

The Chargers appeared ready to put the game away following a touchdown on their second drive of the day, a two-yard bulldozing of a run by Derrick Henry and an interception on the following drive by Jalen Ramsey. However, Castonzo made his first mistake of the day, an interception which led to a Wes Thorne touchdown.

The comeback attempt was short lived as the Chargers defense shut out the Giants in the fourth quarter, including a goal-to-go stop. Meanwhile, Los Angeles added two more touchdowns including Clinton McDonald's 55-yarder which put the game away. McDonald finished the game with 187 yards rushing but it wasn't enough to wrestle the Super Bowl MVP nod from Ramsey.

Ramsey finished the game with 11 tackles, two interceptions and four pass breakups. He also rendered Wes Thorne absolute, totaling just 39 yards on the day.
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Scoring Summary
Quarter 1
[LAC] O. Beckham Jr. 10 Yd pass from W. Castonzo (6:45)

Quarter 2
[LAC] H. Henry 1 Yd pass from W. Castonzo (11:32)
[NYG] C. Tatum 11 Yd pass from D. Jones (8:40)
[NYG] S. Barkley, 1 Yd run (3:04)
[LAC] O. Beckham Jr 21 Yd pass from W. Castonzo (0:46)

Quarter 3
[LAC] D. Henry, 2 Yd run (9:48)
[NYG] W. Thorne 3 Yd pass from D. Jones (3:59)

Quarter 4
[LAC] D. Henry, 11 Yd run (14:55)
[LAC] C. McDonald, 55 Yd run (12:42)
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Los Angeles Chargers
Will Castonzo: 15 of 23, 184 yards, 3 touchdowns, interception.
Clinton McDonald: 16 carries, 187 yards, touchdown.
Derrick Henry: 8 carries, 23 yards, 2 fumbles.
Hunter Henry: 4 receptions, 51 yards, touchdown.
Odell Beckham Jr: 4 receptions, 44 yards, 2 touchdowns.
A.J. Brown: 2 receptions, 31 yards.
Jalen Ramsey: 11 tackles, 2 interceptions.
Christian Childs: 4 tackles, tackle for loss, 2 sacks.

New York Giants
Daniel Jones: 28 of 42, 333 yards, 2 touchdowns, 2 interceptions.
Saquon Barkley: 17 carries, 40 yards, touchdown.
K.J. Hamler: 7 receptions, 103 yards.
Darius Slayton: 6 receptions, 115 yards.
Wes Thorne: 6 receptions, 39 yards, touchdown.
Carson Tatum: 5 receptions, 44 yards, touchdown.
Gabe Toon: 9 tackles, interception.

[Captain Canada]

Derrick Henry's statline

Time to wrap it up. But solid victory nonetheless.

[Soapy]

Derrick Henry's statline

Time to wrap it up. But solid victory nonetheless.

He actually had a good season, I wish the game kept a stat like first downs gained for each player because i really only used him in the red zone and short yardage so if every 3rd and 1, he picks up 3 yards, he's doing what needs to be done.

[Soapy]

Start of a Dynasty: With potential cap relief coming in 2029, NFL teams should be weary
Chargers QB Will Castonzo staying in that hospital bed was probably the best chance the New York Giants had at winning a Super Bowl. They were held to just 48 yards on the ground while the Chargers rushed for 289 yards, using the hobbled NFL MVP as just an ornament en route to a decisive victory.

Three years into the Stephon White - Brian Flores project, the Chargers have produced two Super Bowls in as many years with no signs of slowing down. They did so with very limited cap in the 2028 off-season and no first round picks. Now, they have around $50 million in cap space, three picks in the top 100 and a succession plan in place for many of the key positions in question.

Joey Bosa is 34 years old and a free agent this off-season but the Chargers have some leverage with the potential future Hall of Famer. They drafted Willis Rayford with the hope that he'll one day replace Bosa and quite frankly, Rayford's rookie season was better advanced number wise than most of Bosa's top seasons. Will he turn into a 10+ year vet with 136.5 sacks to his name? That's a tall task but right now, Rayford is a more than suitable full time replacement for Bosa.

Another Charger legend that could be on their way out is tight end Hunter Henry. Henry played on the franchise tag this year, a quiet expensive one at that at $9.1 million. He was still productive and made some key plays but the Chargers are loaded at that position. Don Willson is already one of the better blocking tight ends in this league and Stephen Burke is a legit vertical threat while Teryan Vanover is the ultimate Swiss Army knife. Moving on from Henry this time around is a lot more feasible than last year.

Speaking of loaded positions, the Chargers stumbled into some good looking backs this season. Juwan Stanford returned to his college position after spending three years bouncing around in the league as a receiver and was a valuable third down back. Derrick Henry's injury paved the way for Jamarcus Cherry to get some snaps at and at six-foot-two and 232 pounds, he's the perfect long term replacement for Cherry. Clinton McDonald proved his worth in the postseason once more and even at his small stature, it might be time to look at him as a serious feature back.

Where does that leave former second round pick Felix Whittaker? Free agency is the answer at this point. Whittaker just hasn't been able to stay healthy and this season, even when he was healthy, the team opted for more explosive options such as McDonald and more reliable pass catchers like Stanford or even fullback Eric Harper on obvious passing downs.

While talent and intriguing prospects are loaded at some positions, this isn't a perfect roster by any means. Assuming Odell Beckham Jr. either retires or leaves, who replaces him? Jaron Medlock seems like the next logical solution but after him, the cupboard is bare. D.K. Metcalf and A.J. Brown are on the wrong side of 30 and a decline at this point should be expected, it would be unfair to not to.

Staying in line with aging superstars, Jalen Ramsey is 34 years old. He had a great season and even better postseason but the date on his birth certificate isn't going to change. Sean Butler has been serviceable as a dime back but should Ramsey retire in the next few seasons, can he elevate to being a reliable nickel corner? When you add in the injury history of Malik Truman and Donovan Bigby, adding another corner through the draft seems like the prudent decision.

Who are some names to watch for at pick 32? The pipe dream is someone like UCF's WR Neil Hill but that's not likely to happen as Hill could be the first WR off the board. Track star Daymond Christian is an interesting prospect given the Chargers draft history of selecting track guys at defensive back such as Sean Butler and Samuel Fleming. Christian fits that mold and would address a need at corner.

Draft Picks
Round 1, Pick 32
Round 3, Pick 85
Round 3, Pick 96
Round 4, Pick 128
Round 5, Pick 160
Round 6, Pick 181 (via NE)
Round 6, Pick 192

Expiring Contracts
EDGE Joey Bosa
TE Hunter Henry
HB Felix Whittaker
WR Odell Beckham Jr.
HB Derrick Henry
LB Henry Woodson
OLB Glenn Wakefield
HB Jamarcus Cherry
HB Juwan Stanford
DT Paris Ford
S Ashtyn Davis
LB Deion Jones
CB Cortez Claybrooks
DE Will Ford
QB Russell Wilson
DT A'Shawn Robinson
LB Jaylon Smith
WR Joey Ramsay
WR Shaq Hodges
* denotes key contributor

2028 Los Angeles Chargers Stats
Passing
QB Will Castonzo: 365 of 554, 4862 yards, 50 touchdowns, 13 interceptions.
QB Russell Wilson: 7 of 16, 149 yards, touchdown, interception.

Rushing
HB Felix Whittaker: 145 carries, 835 yards, touchdown, 2 fumbles.
HB Clinton McDonald: 88 carries, 645 yards, touchdown.
QB Will Castonzo: 68 carries, 627 yards, 6 touchdowns.
HB Juwan Stanford: 52 carries, 334 yards.
HB Derrick Henry: 46 carries, 275 yards, 2 touchdowns.
HB Tyron Floyd: 28 carries, 161 yards.
HB Jamarcus Cherry: 20 carries, 142 yards, touchdown.
FB Eric Harper: 11 carries, 39 yards.

Receiving
WR D.K. Metcalf: 84 receptions, 1632 yards, 12 touchdowns.
WR A.J. Brown: 42 receptions, 638 yards, 9 touchdowns.
TE Hunter Henry: 41 receptions, 423 yards.
FB Teryan Vanover: 40 receptions, 271 yards, 5 touchdowns.
TE Stephen Burke: 30 receptions, 390 yards, 4 touchdowns.
WR Odell Beckham Jr: 29 receptions, 422 yards, 5 touchdowns.
WR Jaron Medlock: 28 receptions, 439 yards, 2 touchdowns.
TE Don Willson: 15 receptions, 219 yards, 4 touchdowns.

Blocking
LT Melvin McKinley: 1106 snaps, 10 sacks allowed, 3 QB hurries allowed, 2 run stuffs allowed, 18 penalties, 66.1 PFF grade | 70.9 Playoff PFF grade
LG Chauncey Truman: 1107 snaps, 6 sacks allowed, 2 QB hurries allowed, 9 run stuffs allowed, 13 penalties, 65.3 PFF grade | 63.8 Playoff PFF grade
C Austin Griggs: 1106 snaps, 7 sacks allowed, QB hurry allowed, 9 run stuffs allowed, 11 penalties, 65.5 PFF grade | 63.1 Playoff PFF grade
RG Stephen Zeigler: 1106 snaps, 4 sacks allowed, QB hurry allowed, 12 run stuffs allowed, 22 penalties, 65.7 PFF grade | 70.4 Playoff PFF grade
RT Jerron Bowman: 1107 snaps, 5 sacks allowed, 2 QB hurries allowed, run stuff allowed, 14 penalties, 72.1 PFF grade | 69.7 Playoff PFF grade
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Grade Scale :: 80+ ELITE | 79-70 ABOVE AVERAGE | 69-60 AVERAGE | 59> BELOW AVERAGE

Defense
DE Christian Childs: 52 tackles, 13 tackles for loss, 11.5 sacks, 71.1 PFF grade | 69.3 Playoff PFF grade
NT Cedric Darius: 18 tackles, 2 tackles for loss, 3.5 sacks, 63.3 PFF grade | 63.6 Playoff PFF grade
DE Vincent Zellner: 65 tackles, 17 tackles for loss, 23 sacks, 78.9 PFF grade | 72.5 Playoff PFF grade
EDGE Joey Bosa: 26 tackles, 6 tackles for loss, 10.5 sacks, 66.2 PFF grade | 63.3 Playoff PFF grade
EDGE Rashard Keaton: 32 tackles, 9 tackles for loss, 7 sacks, 58.1 PFF grade | 65.1 Playoff PFF grade
EDGE Willis Rayford: 35 tackles, 10 tackles for loss, 17 sacks, 77.2 PFF grade | 81.6 Playoff PFF grade
ILB Layne Scott: 103 tackles, 12 tackles for loss, 5.5 sacks, 4 interceptions, 67.7 PFF grade | 73.0 Playoff PFF grade
ILB DeAndre Bridge: 58 tackles, 7 tackles for loss, 6.5 sacks, interception, 68.2 PFF grade | 69.6 Playoff PFF grade
CB Jalen Ramsey: 89 tackles, 8 tackles for loss, 5 interceptions, 70.8 PFF grade | 77.7 Playoff PFF grade
CB Malik Truman: 68 tackles, 2 tackles for loss, 2 interceptions, 69.2 PFF grade | 65.6 Playoff PFF grade
CB Donovan Bigby: 62 tackles, 2 tackles for loss, interception, 69.2 PFF grade | 75.0 Playoff PFF grade
S Samuel Fleming: 95 tackles, 10 tackles for loss, sack, interception, 68.4 PFF grade | 61.1 Playoff PFF grade
S Derwin James: 105 tackles, 12 tackles for loss, 5 sacks, 2 interceptions, 67.6 PFF grade | 59.6 Playoff PFF grade
S Sean Butler: 88 tackles, 4 tackles for loss, 3 interceptions, 61.9 PFF grade | 67.5 Playoff PFF grade
S Nick Steward: 43 tackles, tackle for loss, sack, 63.5 PFF grade | 68.1 Playoff PFF grade
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Grade Scale :: 80+ ELITE | 79-70 ABOVE AVERAGE | 69-60 AVERAGE | 59> BELOW AVERAGE

Team Stats
Total Offense: 7802 yards (1st)
Passing Offense: 4604 yards (1st)
Rushing Offense: 3198 yards (1st)
Scoring Offense: 34.6 PPG (1st)
Total Defense: 5341 yards (6th)
Passing Defense: 3876 yards (15th)
Rushing Defense: 1465 yards (7th)
Scoring Defense: 19.4 PPG (4th)

Special Teams
K Michael Badgley: 29 of 29 FG, 52/52 XP, 57 FG Lng
P Johnny Townsend: 54 punts, 2783 yards, 46.9 Net Avg, 22 punts inside the 20
HB Clinton McDonald: 45 kick returns, 1195 yards, touchdown.

[Soapy]

Super Bowl Result
LAC 42 - NYG 21
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Super Bowl MVP
CB Jalen Ramsey (LAC): 11 tackles, 2 interceptions.
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Notable Retirements
WR Amari Cooper
DT Chris Jones
DT Deforest Buckner
DE Fletcher Cox
WR Odell Beckham Jr.
HB Derrick Henry
DE Trey Flowers
S Justin Simmons
LB Jaylon Smith
LB Deion Jones

[Soapy]

Chargers Re-Sign RBs Stanford, Cherry
The Los Angeles have re-signed running back Juwan Stanford and Jamarcus Cherry, bringing both back on two-year deals.

Cherry and Stanford were midseason acquisitions that paid off for the Chargers and now, it's their turn. Cherry's deal is worth $5.3 million while Stanford comes in at a reported $6.26 million.

Similar to Clinton McDonald's deal last spring, this big bump in pay could be hinting at a bigger role in 2029. With Derrick Henry retired, this moves positions Cherry as the team's lone big back currently on the roster as he's the only running back over six-foot-one and 205 pounds.

Stanford found his sweet spot as a third-down back in a similar fashion as James White. The converted receiver caught eighteen passes and rushed for 334 yards on an amazing 6.4 yards per carry, averaging 47.7 yards per game.

The extensions to both puts the writing on the wall for HB Felix Whittaker as the team is already paying McDonald upwards of $2 million, putting their RB room total at around $8 million and even with approximately $30 million in cap room left, the team is not likely to want to spend more than that at the position.

[Soapy]

Report: Chargers Moving On From Bosa, Henry
The Los Angeles Chargers are not expected to re-sign or franchise tag veteran players Joey Bosa and Hunter Henry according to a report by ESPN.

Fresh off their second Super Bowl win in as many years, the Chargers are moving on in a different direction from their longest tenured players. Both 34 and with the team since 2016, Henry and Bosa are expected to be free agents for the first time in their careers. While they both had good seasons in 2028, ultimately, the report states that the team felt confident in their replacements and wanted to go with a younger core.

Chargers Free Agents
OLB Joey Bosa, 34 ‣ 80 overall
TE Hunter Henry, 34 ‣ 80 overall
HB Felix Whittaker, 25 ‣ 74 overall
DE Will Ford, 25 ‣ 73 overall
S Ashtyn Davis, 32 ‣ 68 overall
CB Cortez Claybrooks, 25 ‣ 67 overall
DT Poona Ford, 33 ‣ 66 overall
LB Henry Woodson, 23 ‣ 66 overall
OLB Glenn Wakefield, 23 ‣ 63 overall
DT A'Shawn Robinson, 34 ‣ 61 overall
QB Russell Wilson, 40 ‣ 59 overall

Top Free Agents
QB J.T. Daniels, 28 ‣ 75 overall
QB Hal Sams, 30 ‣ 74 overall
QB Jared Goff, 34 ‣ 73 overall
QB Dak Prescott, 36 ‣ 71 overall
QB Carson Wentz, 36 ‣ 71 overall

HB Zamir White, 28 ‣ 83 overall
HB Joe Mixon, 33 ‣ 83 overall
HB Ezekiel Elliott, 34 ‣ 82 overall

WR Wayne Hunter, 27 ‣ 75 overall
WR Tyrone Delmas, 25 ‣ 75 overall
WR Deion Daniel, 26 ‣ 75 overall

TE Hunter Henry, 34 ‣ 80 overall
TE Evan Engram, 34 ‣ 74 overall

LT Justin Lang, 26 ‣ 83 overall
RT Orlando Brown Jr, 33 ‣ 81 overall
LT Princeton Stackhouse, 26 ‣ 80 overall
LG Elgton Jenkins, 33 ‣ 79 overall
C Derek Blaylock, 28 ‣ 79 overall
LG Derrick Higgins, 27 ‣ 77 overall

DL Dexter Lawrence II, 31 ‣ 78 overall
EDGE Nolan Garrison, 28 ‣ 88 overall
EDGE Joey Bosa, 34 ‣ 80 overall

LB Nate Culberson, 24 ‣ 83 overall

CB Marlon Humphrey, 33 ‣ 81 overall
CB Jarrid Ivey, 28 ‣ 75 overall
CB Marshon Lattimore, 33 ‣ 74 overall
CB Shaun Wade, 31 ‣ 73 overall

S Richard Lecounte, 28 ‣ 80 overall
S Denard Haynes, 24 ‣ 77 overall

[djp73]

Do something crazy for the last (I assume) season