It was only a matter of time before I created a blog to spew all of my anger surrounding San Diego sports to the entire world. The catalyst to this vile creation of a blog...the outcome of the Chargers vs. Saints game on October 7, 2012. No team...I repeat...NO TEAM knows how to effectively flush momentum down the toilet and lose to a downtrodden, injury-riddled team like the San Diego football Chargers.
I truly feel like the Saints got a ton of help on this one. I won't elaborate much on the personal foul on Ingram. That was questionable, but he did lead with his helmet. When the QB is a NFL poster child like Drew Brees, he's going to get that call every time. If Ingram leads with his shoulder pads instead of his dome, the Demorrio Williams INT for a touchdown stands, and the Chargers are clearly in the drivers' seat. Instead, the Saints march down the field, resulting in a 14 point swing. From there on, the Saints have all the momentum, plus, the NFL in their back pocket. A rookie mistake...and a very costly one, at that.
In the 4th quarter, on the most crucial of drives for the Chargers, Malcom Floyd (aka M80) was carrying a Saint on his back when attempting to make a catch...no flag. Antonio Gates appears to have a 1st down deep in Saints territory...only to have a yellow hanky fly in, after the play is over, for pass interference on Gates. On replay, the only thing you see Gates do is swat at the defender that's following #85 on his route. Let the chants of "bullshit" rain down from the heavens in America's Finest City. After what seemed like 100 penalties put the Chargers in a 2nd and 37 on their own 28 yard line, the officials throw a flag on the Saints for illegal hands to the face, resulting in an automatic 1st down. Thanks, zebras. Way to throw us a bone. So, instead of us being at the Saints 24 yard line after the Gates catch that was called back, we are at our own 33 yard line with about 1 minute to play. I think we all know how this usually pans out for the Chargers. Oh, did I mention that Norv has the 2nd worst record in NFL history in one possession games? Yeah, that little nugget conveniently flashed across the screen while the Chargers are making their last ditch effort to tie this atrocity of a game. Flash forward...the Chargers are driving into Saints territory. Time is running out and the Bolts are down to the Saints 33 yard line. Uh oh...Jared Gaither appears to be struggling. He's gassed...he's hurt...he's in no position to be on the field. Everyone can see that he needs to come out of the game. Well, everyone that is except for the Chargers coaching staff. Yes, the same coaching staff that didn't have the common sense to pull a woozy Kris Dielman off the field last season when he was suffering from the effects of a concussion. Cris Collinsworth, still at half-mast from Drew Brees breaking Johnny U's record for consecutive games with a touchdown, points out that Gaither appears hurt and is going to get burned, resulting in a Philip Rivers fumble. Guess what? IT HAPPENED! IT ACTUALLY FUCKING HAPPENED! Yes, Cris Collinsworth could foretell a disastrous situation for the Chargers that our coaching staff obviously couldn't see if a damn spotlight was shining directly on Gaither. Rivers fumbles, Saints recover, ballgame.
Going forward, there are things that need to happen with this Chargers team in order to not only make the playoffs, but make an impact in the playoffs.
Mathews is the starting RB:
This is an absolute no-brainer to everyone not named Norv Turner. Mathews is a dangerous weapon that the Chargers need to have on the field from beginning to end. Jackie Battle looked horrible today. The guy is a 3rd down back and nothing more. Even Ronnie Brown made more of an impact than Battle today...and Ronnie Brown is hot garbage covered in maggots. The Saints defense had no answer for Mathews. So, Turner, being the offensive genius that he is, only called 12 rushing plays for Mathews for the entire game. Bravo, Norv...bravo.
Goodman and Royal need to wake up:
Somebody needs to tell these guys that being a PR/KR doesn't mean that you're supposed to try and take it to the house every damn time. Royal fielded a PR inside the Chargers 5 yard line when he should have let the ball bounce into the end zone, resulting in very poor field position for San Diego. Richard Goodman doesn't care how deep a kickoff is into the end zone. He's going to bring it out and maybe get to the 20 yard line. One of these times, it's going to really bite the Chargers in the ass, and everyone will have seen it coming.
Cason and Jammer need to man up:
It's obvious that we aren't going to find any suitable replacements for these two at this point in the season, but this dynamic duo are one of the worst CB tandems in the league. They look confused, over-matched, and downright pathetic against some of the better receivers in the league. I don't know if it's a lack of physical ability, a lack of preparation, or poor coaching, but something needs to get fixed or we can continue to yell and scream at our TVs when our secondary gets torched.
Robert Meachem needs to show up:
The Chargers brought Meachem in with the idea that he was going to be a huge weapon downfield. Four games in, Meachem only tallied 4 receptions for 92 yards and zero touchdowns. Pathetic numbers for a starting wideout. Tonight, Meachem hauled in 3 receptions for 67 yards and 2 touchdowns in the 1st half, but did not record another reception the rest of the way. I completely expected Meachem to have an impact in this game, seeing how it was a homecoming of sorts for him. However, I'm afraid that he's going to disappear again after tonight. If he does, Vincent Brown should have no problem taking over the #2 spot when he's eligible to return from a broken ankle in two weeks.
As I finish my rant, it has been reported that Gaither has suffered some sort of groin injury. In other words, plan on seeing Harris back at LT for the next few weeks...or months. Meanwhile, Jeromey Clary is 100% healthy. It just isn't fair sometimes.
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