Bolt Up

Post by **KimJongBaze** » 28 May 2020, 18:21

One Month In: The State of the Chargers

By Fapplatte

The Chargers have had a rocky start to their 2020 campaign. The next four weeks will be telling whether LA can weather the storm and hunt for a bye. The Chiefs are 2-2, the Chargers are 2-2. The AFC West is wide open.

What needs to change? The Chargers have made plays on defense, yet they’ve allowed the second most yards and are ranked 28th in points allowed. Those numbers aren’t going to get you to the postseason, regardless whether they have second most points scored in the league.

With a weak schedule for the next four games, the Chargers should get a winning streak going and enter week nine with a healthy winning record.

Best player through weeks 1-4:
Joey Bosa. Derwin James has played incredible, but people like splash plays and Bosa has provided a handful of them. He leads the team with six sacks. He’s an early candidate for Defensive Player of the Year honors.

Worst player through weeks 1-4:
I’m tempted to go with Tyrod Taylor but right guard Trai Turner has been an awful guard. He’s allowed a team high six sacks. The Chargers offensive line isn’t great. They’ve allowed 22 sacks through four games. That’s putrid. Still, Turner is a new addition to the O-line but that’s no excuse. He needs to play better or he could be on a different team by spring.

Most Impressive game so far:
W 40-13 at Tampa Bay Buccaneers

Say it with me. Fuck Tom Brady. The game was over by half-time. Brady aired the ball out, but also threw five costly interceptions. Lamar Miller rushed for 120 yards but had a long of 70. This was the most complete game the Chargers have played and they’re fresh off the victory. Justin Herbert played as well as a rookie could and Austin Ekeler routinely moved the chains – installing some confidence for the rookie QB1.

Least Impressive game so far:
L 43-25 vs Kansas City Chiefs

Not the starting home game you want in your new stadium. The Cowboys flopped their home opener back in 2010. It’s not the end of the world, but this is a game the Chargers would like to forget about. Patrick Mahomes shredded the Chargers defense for 335 yards and Tyreke Hill went off for a 5 reception, 110 yard game. Tyrod Taylor played awful and Justin Herbert should have come in during mop-up duty.

Contract Negotiations at this point:
I know, the first month and change of the season has just finished, but there’s some important players headed to free agency for 2021.

WR Keenan Allen – This is a given. If there is a player who needs to be locked up as soon as possible, it’s wide receiver Keenan Allen, who is third in the NFL with 26 receptions and is on pace for 1,184 yards. The Chargers should offer Allen the most lucrative contract for a wide receiver. I’ve heard an agreement could be in place by the bye week. How much? Should be around $20M over per season. With Justin Herbert on a rookie contract, this one is possible.

LE Joey Bosa – Bosa had trouble signing with the Chargers when he was drafted. We’re all hopeful he won’t have trouble re-signing with the Chargers this offseason. The franchise tag is possible here. He’s the heart and soul of that defense and with six sacks in the first four games you can see why. The Chargers have the unfortunate situation of probably shelling out the two most lucrative contracts at their position this offseason. Keenan Allen on offense, Joey Bosa on defense.

CB Desmond King II – A versatile corner who can play on the outside, in the slot and return punts. King should be re-signed. Yes, $15M a season may be pricey, but he’s worth it, especially as the three others on this list likely will be allowed to walk.

RE Melvin Ingram III – He’s disappointed this season with just 12 tackles. At 31 years old, Ingram is reportedly asking for $17M per season. His days of double digit sacks are over. He will be on the wrong side of 30 by next fall. That’s a pass for me. Out with the old, in with the new is the saying.

TE Hunter Henry – On the franchise tag, he’s been mildly quiet the first four weeks of the season. Should he be re-signed? Yes. Will he? Doubtful. He’s going to be one of the casualties which allows for the return of Keenan Allen and Joey Bosa. You have to ask yourself, is 21.8 yards per game worth all that money?

QB Tyrod Taylor – The Chargers are going to go with Herbert now. Taylor was always going to be a one-and-done QB1. He couldn’t last a quarter of the season. His 62.1 quarterback rating is a joke for a starter at the NFL.

The Next Four Weeks:
The Chargers have a huge primetime game against New Orleans this week. I don’t think the Chargers will escape the Superdome with a victory. They should reel off three straight afterwards, which should give them a somewhat healthy, 5-3 record heading into the second half of the season.

L at New Orleans
W vs New York Jets
W at Miami
W vs Jacksonville

Post by **KimJongBaze** » 28 May 2020, 18:51

Report: Chargers, Allen enter contract negotiations
According to various sources, the Los Angeles Chargers and wide receiver Keenan Allen have begun engaging in talks about a contract extension.

Allen is one of several high-profile players on the Chargers whose contract ends after the 2020 season. After 7 seasons, he's established himself as one of the premier targets in the NFL. In the previous 3 years, Allen has recorded at least 1100 yards and 6 touchdowns in each season and has been named to the Pro Bowl all three years. He's spent most of his football career in California - Allen's collegiate career was spent up north player for the Bears at Berkeley before being drafted by the Chargers in the 3rd round of the 2013 draft. He was named the Pepsi NFL Rookie of the Year following a 71-catch, 1046-yard season.

This season, he is currently leading the Chargers in receptions (26), yards (293), and touchdowns (3) through 4 games.

Allen has expressed his desire to remain a Chargers for years to come and hopes to reach a long-term deal to stay in Los Angeles. His first contract extension came in 2016 when he signed a 4-year, $45 million deal.

The Chargers currently have $38.6 million in cap space to retain the likes of Allen, Joey Bosa, Melvin Ingram, Desmond King II, and Hunter Henry, to name a few players.

Post by **Captain Canada** » 29 May 2020, 20:26

Gonna be a tough time getting some of these guys back. Good luck in negotiations.

Post by **KimJongBaze** » 30 May 2020, 08:21

Week 5 Preview: New Orleans Saints
Record: 2-2, 1-0 NFC South

Team Leaders
Passing: Drew Brees (65% completion, 984 yards, 6 touchdowns, 5 interceptions, 81.8 QB Rating)
Rushing: Latavius Murray (44 carries, 284 yards, 3 touchdowns)
Receiving: Michael Thomas (21 receptions, 236 yards, 3 touchdowns)
Defense: Alex Anzalone (29 tackles, 4 TFL, forced fumble, fumble recovery)

Team Rankings
Total Offense: 12th
Total Defense: 2nd
Points Per Game: 20th
Turnover Differential: 5th

Injuries
CB Patrick Robinson (ankle)
HB Alvin Kamara (foot)
LB Alex Anzalone (back)

Los Angeles walks into their Week 5 contest against the Saints with much-needed momentum following a win over the Tampa Bay Buccaneers last week in Justin Herbert's starting debut. A win in the Big Easy pushes to 3-2 on the season, however they'll have to contend with the league's 12th-best offense and 2nd-best defense.

Despite ranking 12th in yards per game, the Saints are below league average when scoring points, ranking 20th. Drew Brees, who at age 42 isn't the oldest quarterback the Chargers face in 2020 (Brady is 43), isn't having the best year. He's thrown 5 interceptions, which is already 1 more he had all of last season. The Saints have been without running back Alvin Kamara ever since he fractured his foot in the team's season opener. Kamara isn't expected to return for at least another month.

In spite of their offensive shortcomings, Brees and the potent Saints offense can explode at any minute. The Chargers defense took some steps towards improvement last week, particularly the secondary which intercepted Brady 5 times. They'll hope to put up another strong performance in pass defense as well as improve the run defense.

New Orleans has relied on their defense to win games, however they will be without leading tackler Alex Anzalone against the Chargers. That won't stop the league's 2nd-ranked defense from targeting Herbert.

Post by **KimJongBaze** » 30 May 2020, 08:56

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LAC (3-2) | 3 | 7 | 7 | 14 || 31
NO (2-3) | 7 | 10 | 3 | 10 || 30
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Williams' TD in final seconds gives Chargers win in Monday night thriller
It looked as if the New Orleans Saints had all but wrapped up a comeback win after stripping Justin Herbert and recovering his fumble late in the 4th quarter.

However, Herbert kept his head up and with the trust of head coach Anthony Lynn, engineered his first career game-winning drive that was capped with a 7-yard touchdown pass to Mike Williams with 14 seconds remaining.

"It wouldn't have been possible without the defense and the rest of my teammates," the rookie said. To reference Herbert, the Chargers forced the Saints to kick a field goal following his turnover to keep it a one possession deficit. And one of the most important plays in the final drive involved Keenan Allen diving for a 23-yard catch on a 3rd and 20.

The Chargers looked somewhat helpless in the first half, going down by as much as 14 points after Will Lutz's 2nd quarter field goal. However, Los Angeles came up with a much-needed touchdown from Austin Ekeler right before halftime to head into the locker room down 10-17. Momentum began to shift late in the 3rd quarter after Derwin James ripped the football from Jared Cook after a catch, which was recovered and returned for a touchdown by Casey Hayward. The Chargers were given their first lead after Herbert connected with Dillon Mitchell for a second consecutive game.

From there, New Orleans scored 10 straight points to regain a 6-point lead. The ending was dictated by Hebert and the Chargers offense.

Austin Ekeler's recent increase in production has been welcoming for the Chargers - the back gained 110 yards on the ground to go along with 31 receiving yards against New Orleans. In the last 3 games, Ekeler has scored 4 times and recorded at least 100 yards of offense in each of them.

The LA secondary chalked up what could be considered another win, limiting Drew Brees to just 192 passing yards but 2 touchdowns. This includes allowing Michael Thomas and Emmanuel Sanders to combine for only 59 receiving yards. However, part of the low output had to do with the amount of success the Saints had running the football. Against the league's worst run defense, the Saints compiled 186 yards on the ground, including 109 yards from Latavius Murray. The Chargers also saw linebackers Nick Vigil and Kenneth Murray leave the game and not return. Their statuses remain to be determined.

The win puts the Chargers at 3-2 and caps off 3 straight games against the NFC South. The team won't play the Atlanta Falcons until Week 14. Instead, they'll head back home to prepare for the New York Jets.
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Scoring Summary
Quarter 1
[NO] M. Thomas 3 yard pass from D. Brees (10:55)
[LAC] M. Badgley 30 yard FG (1:19)

Quarter 2
[NO] E. Sanders 31 yard run (14:17)
[NO] W. Lutz 33 yard FG (4:10)
[LAC] A. Ekeler 2 yard pass from J. Herbert (0:02)

Quarter 3
[NO] W. Lutz 26 yard FG (5:50)
[LAC] C. Hayward Jr. returned fumble 39 yards (1:53)

Quarter 4
[LAC] D. Mitchell 11 yard pass from J. Herbert (11:49)
[NO] J. Cook 7 yard pass from D. Brees (4:32)
[NO] W. Lutz 19 yard FG (1:51)
[LAC] M. Williams 7 yard pass from J. Herbert (0:14)
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Los Angeles Chargers
Justin Herbert: 24 of 37, 283 yards, 3 touchdowns, 2 interceptions
Austin Ekeler: 16 carries, 110 yards :: 3 receptions, 31 yards, 1 touchdown
Keenan Allen: 7 receptions, 91 yards
Mike Williams: 4 receptions, 50 yards, 1 touchdown
Derwin James Jr.: 13 tackles, 1 TFL, forced fumble
Drue Tranquill: 8 tackles, 4 TFL
Casey Hayward Jr.: 4 tackles, fumble recovery, 1 touchdown

New Orleans Saints
Drew Brees: 20 of 27, 192 yards, 2 touchdowns
Latavius Murray: 23 carries, 109 yards :: 4 receptions, 38 yards
Jared Cook: 9 receptions, 69 yards, 1 touchdown
Michael Thomas: 3 receptions, 32 yards, 1 touchdown
Emmanuel Sanders: 2 receptions, 27 yards :: 2 carries, 35 yards, 1 touchdown
Marcus Williams: 11 tackles, TFL
Cameron Jordan: 7 tackles, 1 sack
David Onyemata: 6 tackles, TFL, 3 sacks
Demario Davis: 5 tackles, TFL, INT

Post by **KimJongBaze** » 30 May 2020, 11:15

Panthers continue resurgence under Matt Rhule
Following a 30-12 win over the Falcons, the Panthers remain 1 of 2 teams undefeated in the NFL. The changes made to the coaching staff over the offseason have so far paid off - head coach Matt Rhule has led his defense to league-highs in sacks and interceptions, while offensive coordinator Joe Brady captains the league's 5th-highest scoring team. And of course it helps to have Christian McCaffrey, who is leading the NFL in carries (83) and yards (519).
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Bengals get in the win column with shutout of Ravens
Perhaps the most shocking upset of the season thus far - Joe Burrow and the Cincinnati Bengals get their first win of the season while shutting out Lamar Jackson and the Ravens in the process. The win leaves the Los Angeles Rams as the only winless team remaining after their loss to the Washington Redskins.
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CeeDee Lamb shows out in Arlington
There was no question that the rookie wide receiver had high expectations put on him after he proceeded to take Michael Irvin's jersey number as his own. Lamb put up his best game of the season thus far in the 35-21 win against the New York Giants, recording 7 catches for 151 yards and a touchdown. He now leads the Cowboys in yards (325) and touchdowns (3).
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Players of the Week
QB Carson Wentz (PHI): 35 of 50, 338 yards, 3 touchdowns, 1 interception :: 21 rush yards, 1 touchdown
QB Deshaun Watson (HOU): 23 of 37, 269 yards, 3 touchdowns :: 56 rush yards
DT David Onyemata (NO): 6 tackles, 3 sacks
LB Vince Williams (PIT): 14 tackles, 1 interception
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Notable Injuries
WR Tyler Boyd (CIN): 3 weeks (arm)
QB Kyler Murray (ARI): Season (achilles)
T Tyron Smith (DAL): Season (shoulder)
WR Deebo Samuel (SF): 7 weeks (knee)
LB Clay Matthews (CAR): Season (knee)
HB Alvin Kamara (NO): 3 weeks (foot)
LB Anthony Barr (LB): Season (knee)
T Laremy Tunsil (HOU): 3 weeks (knee)
HB Kareem Hunt (CLE): 5 weeks (collarbone)
LB C.J. Mosley (NYJ): 3 weeks (ankle)
WR Josh Reynolds (LAR): Season (foot)
WR Chris Godwin (TB): 4 weeks (elbow)
HB Leonard Fournette (JAX): 4 weeks (elbow)
WR Danny Amendola (DET): Season (leg)
DE Stephon Tuitt (PIT): Season (knee)
LB Eric Kendricks (MIN): 4 weeks (elbow)
LB Roquan Smith (CHI): 6 weeks (ankle)
WR Dante Pettis (SF): Season (foot)
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Recent Transactions
None

Post by **Captain Canada** » 30 May 2020, 11:45

Big win over the Saints, being able to limit Cant Guard Mike like that is huge.

Post by **Caesar** » 30 May 2020, 11:45

Justin Herbert the new Jameis Winston?

Post by **KimJongBaze** » 30 May 2020, 14:52

Captain Canada wrote: ↑
30 May 2020, 11:45
Big win over the Saints, being able to limit Cant Guard Mike like that is huge.

checkdown mike

Caesar wrote: ↑
30 May 2020, 11:45
Justin Herbert the new Jameis Winston?

I'll see how he develops. Not comfortable with him throwing them deep passes yet

Post by **KimJongBaze** » 31 May 2020, 08:51

Vigil, Murray out for at least 1 month
Los Angeles' linebacking corps took a hard hit after the team ruled out Nick Vigil and Kenneth Murray for the next month. Both sustained injuries in the team's victory over the New Orleans Saints.

Vigil was signed by the Chargers in the offseason, coming from the Cincinnati Bengals. The linebacker has seen most of his snaps on kick coverage and has recorded 4 tackles. Murray, who was drafted in the 1st round by Los Angeles, ranks 9th on the team in tackles (21) and 5th in tackles for loss (4). The majority of his playing time has him involved in the Chargers' nickel packages, matching him up with the opposing team's running back or tight end.

The Chargers signed linebacker Malik Jefferson from the practice squad to add depth behind Denzel Perryman, Drue Tranquill, and Uchenna Nwosu. To make room for Jefferson, the team assigned running back Roc Thomas to the practice squad.

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