Everyone seems to have a theory as to why the Chargers blew the lead and lost the game to the Ravens this past Sunday. You can blame the self-inflicted wounds of penalties and turnovers; you can blame Marty Ball and the Chargers being content to protecting a small lead instead of trying to increase it. You can blame mistakes and miscues in the kicking game; you can blame the defense that couldn't stop the Ravens from scoring in the final minute. You can even blame the inexperienced Quarterback.Regardless, the wins and losses are earned by the team on the field and the players that perform - or fail to do so.
In this case, I'd like to shine some light on a sore problem with the Chargers defense, namely the Safety position.
Marlon McCree was brought in to help shore up a secondary and provide the type of consistency at the safety position that this team lacked for years after Rodney Harrison went to the Patriots. Unfortunately, for as well as he has played, he only plays one of the two Safety positions. Marlon McCree has been tremendous for the team, bringing playmaking skills, experience, and leadership to the secondary. As of now, he is playing Free Safety and the Chargers have problems at the other safety spot. Terrance Kiel started the season as the first team Strong Safety. But he has since had his run-in with the law and his future is uncertain. Bhawoh Jue has tremendous talent but can't stay healthy. When he is healthy and on the field, he can make plays and has great size. But he needs to be on the field and he is out with a knee injury. Clinton Hart started at Strong Safety and was ineffective. Both Ravens touchdowns were caught by Tight Ends. Todd Heap finished the game with 4 catches, 60 yards, and 1 TD. This game reminded me a lot of last year's home game against the Steelers, where Heath Miller caught a 16 yard pass for a score. Both games featured a power run game with defenses who fought hard. However, the Chargers ended up losing both games by 3 points or less. Until this team can get some consistency at Safety, we will continue to be vulnerable to Tight Ends.
If you go back and watch the Ravens game, you will see Chargers linebackers forced into covering tight ends instead of pressuring the QB. The Chargers Defensive line can provide pressure on the QB, but as Steve McNair and Ben Roethlisberger have shown, if the QB can move around and there are no linebackers in there to contain him, we can be beat downfield. The Chargers face Pittsburg in San Diego, this sunday night on national television.
Having Randall Godfrey and Shawne Merriman 10-15 yards downfield covering Tight Ends instead of pressuring the Quarterback is not a recipe for success. Teams that employ multiple Tight End sets will prove to be tough challenges for the San Diego 3-4 defense because we do not have a Strong Safety that can be trusted to cover the TE downfield.
Here is what I mean:
- On the Ravens first touchdown, TE Daniel Wilcox beat both Charger Safeties and scored on a 5 yard catch and run.
- Later in the game, TE Todd Heap caught a pass for a big gain on a crossing route, totally outrunning Godfrey and picking up a crucial first down.
- In the Ravens game-winning drive, with linebackers downfield in coverage instead of pressuring QB Steve McNair, McNair was able to scramble for 12 yards and pick up a big first down.
- Finally, on 2nd and goal from the 10, when all the Chargers needed to do was stop the Ravens from scoring a touchdown, McNair hits TE Heap for 10 yards and the winning touchdown. 3 Chargers linebackers were covering him, with OLB Shawne Merriman unable to make the preventative tackle.
In my opinion, with the health of S Bhawoh Jue as a concern and the future of S Terrence Kiel unknown at this time, the Chargers should be looking to make a trade for a starting Safety to pair with Marlon McCree. This from FOXSports.com
ETC: Remember last week when Colts safety Mike Doss became hero for a day for a victory-sealing interception of a Byron Leftwich pass. Good thing nobody took the Colts up on recent advances. What are we talking about? Several teams told FOXSports.com they recently heard from the Colts who have been offering up their safety in trade talks. Obviously, nobody has bitten as of yet ...Frankly, the round-robin the team has pulled for the past few years is getting old, and some solidification is desperately needed; especially considering the prominent role Tight Ends have grown into in an NFL offensive attack. No longer can the safety position be overlooked - the San Diego Chargers need starters there so that the Linebackers can be free to fly to the ball and provide never-ending pressure on the QB.
Reader Comments (Page 1 of 1)
10-05-2006 @ 3:27PM
LBHomey said...
doesn't matter who's in the secondary if they don't tackle - neither ravens td was in the endzone - the
first was a "lets roll into the feet" tackle and the worst was the "I'll just knock you down with my
shoulder" that lost the game - that may work with a
wideout but not with a 6-5 250 TE - what happened to
using your arms to wrap up the receiver ?? if we had
tackled like that in high school we'd have been running wind sprints 'til the cows come home - thats
just lazy football - oh and how about a blitz once in
a while and maybe some creative playcalling on offense
- LT up the middle over & over ain't cuttin' it - you've gotten so predictable I'm calling the plays at
home and I'm right about 85% of the time - Play to
Win Marty don't Play to Survive - Its embarrassing
Reply
10-05-2006 @ 8:16PM
MGS said...
Seriously, at this point I am more than pleased with the D this year and find it hard to put the blame on the secondary for the loss to the Ravens. I remember seeing a certain CB get burned almost every game he played with the Chargers and that player (to remain nameless) has yet to get burned big time this season. While it will hurt to lose Keil, this D is better than any that I have seen in San Diego since the days of Junior's prime. It is awesome that I can go to Qualcomm, sit down, and know that our D can put us in the position to win every game.
This is especially important since Rivers is still looking to find his groove in the NFL and is doing a great job to date in my opinion. While the coaching staff is set to "wait and see" with Rivers I am of the opinion that we have to let him loose at some point if we plan to be successful. When you have a receiver like K Mac and a TE like Antonio Gates there is much room for error on the part of the QB! So, it is my hope that Marty not only realizes the talent level on defense but also on the offensive side of the football. With LT in the backfield, very few teams are going to be willing to blitz when the game is not on the line. When the game is on the line it is too late to put it in the young QBs hands, as defenses around the league will send more than we can block.
At this point though San Diego, please do me a favor and get excited about your football team because they are gonna be good, if not great, for years to come. Come out to Qualcomm and enjoy the games...
Reply