Angel
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Chargers a good team with big question mark
June 10, 2006
This is not a “push year.” A.J. Smith used that one once and it flopped like a bad souffle. The 2003 Chargers won four games, so push turned to surrender, hands in the air.
No, this is The Year, probably a make-or-break one for head coach Marty Schottenheimer, the king's men and, given that these are the San Diego/Chula Vista/National City/Los Angeles/San Antonio/Las Vegas/Minsk Chargers – Earth's Team – only well-informed saints know who or what else.
General Manager Smith has stocked his club with good football players. Few NFL rosters have more. So expectations weren't just high yesterday in Chargerville as things began to get serious with the opening of minicamp – they were Himalayan.
Being labeled the best team not to make the playoffs last year won't buy you a cheap cigar. Despite playing the most ridiculous schedule in memory, the Chargers still should have been playing on into January. Six players made the Pro Bowl.
They lost games they should have won, especially at home. They either weren't prepared properly, game-coached properly or some players didn't perform at the needed level – probably a combination of all three. That won't do anymore.
But there are questions that can't be answered in minicamp, only when, as Smith says, “Bullets are thrown around.” All teams have them, but the Chargers have a big one. It's at the most important position. How many so-called contenders have one of these (?) behind center?
Drew Brees, ciao. The rudder has been grabbed by third-year quarterback Philip Rivers, whose only snaps in games that mattered didn't matter. He's gifted. But this isn't North Carolina State anymore.
“There's no doubt,” Schottenheimer says, “until he proves he can win in the National Football League, there's that question mark.”
There are others, as there must be on every team.
As in the left tackle problem. Can Roman Oben recover from a foot injury (two surgeries) that cost him half of 2005? Can the secondary live up to the front seven's pass rush and actually make a play? Can the team win with the GM and head coach not even in the same book-of-the-month club, let alone on the same page?
“Absolutely,” Smith says, “because I think we're good enough talentwise. There will be an evaluation. Can we move on and win the world championship? I'm doing everything I can for him (Schottenheimer) to be successful. I don't coach 'em. I'm a scout.
“If we don't go (to the playoffs), why didn't we go? We've reached a point in time as the San Diego Chargers where we're a very, very good football team.”
We can put the front-page hair pull between Smith and Schottenheimer aside. For now. So they aren't Hansel and Gretel? The GM has provided players; it's left to Schottenheimer and his staff. If they don't win, so many heads will roll in Castle Charger we'll be scoring strikes and spares.
But the GM and coach won't be playing quarterback. Hard to say the season will go as Rivers goes, because there will be people around him. But, if he stinks, they won't go anywhere. My guess: They will do with Rivers as Pittsburgh did with Ben Roethlisberger his rookie year – give him just enough to succeed and not enough to fail.
You can take one look at Rivers and tell he's talented. Schottenheimer often compares him to another of his proteges, Bernie Kosar. Smith likens Rivers to Dan Marino.
“All those years in Buffalo, I saw Marino enough,” Smith says. “The quick release – the footwork, the right-to-left movement. There are similarities between Philip and Marino.”
When Rivers came out of college, I thought he had the quickest release since Marino, so I'll side with Smith on this one. But Marino's in the Pro Football Hall of Fame because of how he played in the NFL, not at Pitt. Because of the Eli Manning thing and the fact that Rivers is taking over for a Pro Bowl QB who was allowed to walk after guiding his side to 21 wins in two seasons, his every step may fall under national scrutiny.
Can he handle it? Can he lead? That's the thing. Players must have total confidence in their quarterback and vice versa. He's not a rookie. He's been around. That helps.
“There's some benefit to his being here, but the only thing that matters is when he starts putting wins together,” Schottenheimer says. “Philip is harder on himself than anybody else, and players like that have ways to find success.
“We obviously like his leadership ability. He has a lot of confidence. He understands football. That's probably one of his greatest assets. Philip Rivers understands football.”
And a whole lot of people who think they do, do not. Thing is, if a healthy Brees were quarterbacking the Chargers, they'd be among the favorites to advance to Miami in February. Rivers, physically superior, is an unknown. Oddsmakers hate unknowns.
But Smith still expects results.
“The disappointment for me will be if we don't go to the playoffs,” he says. “I'm not satisfied. We are good enough to get to the tournament. If we get there, it's a tremendous accomplishment. Then you have a chance.
“One (Brees) goes, now it's the other person's turn. Philip has leadership abilities and he's a tremendous talent. If he has rough days, we have enough good players to help him.”
They do. But will they?
http://www.signonsandiego.com/uniontrib/20060610/news_1s10canepa.html
June 10, 2006
This is not a “push year.” A.J. Smith used that one once and it flopped like a bad souffle. The 2003 Chargers won four games, so push turned to surrender, hands in the air.
No, this is The Year, probably a make-or-break one for head coach Marty Schottenheimer, the king's men and, given that these are the San Diego/Chula Vista/National City/Los Angeles/San Antonio/Las Vegas/Minsk Chargers – Earth's Team – only well-informed saints know who or what else.
General Manager Smith has stocked his club with good football players. Few NFL rosters have more. So expectations weren't just high yesterday in Chargerville as things began to get serious with the opening of minicamp – they were Himalayan.
Being labeled the best team not to make the playoffs last year won't buy you a cheap cigar. Despite playing the most ridiculous schedule in memory, the Chargers still should have been playing on into January. Six players made the Pro Bowl.
They lost games they should have won, especially at home. They either weren't prepared properly, game-coached properly or some players didn't perform at the needed level – probably a combination of all three. That won't do anymore.
But there are questions that can't be answered in minicamp, only when, as Smith says, “Bullets are thrown around.” All teams have them, but the Chargers have a big one. It's at the most important position. How many so-called contenders have one of these (?) behind center?
Drew Brees, ciao. The rudder has been grabbed by third-year quarterback Philip Rivers, whose only snaps in games that mattered didn't matter. He's gifted. But this isn't North Carolina State anymore.
“There's no doubt,” Schottenheimer says, “until he proves he can win in the National Football League, there's that question mark.”
There are others, as there must be on every team.
As in the left tackle problem. Can Roman Oben recover from a foot injury (two surgeries) that cost him half of 2005? Can the secondary live up to the front seven's pass rush and actually make a play? Can the team win with the GM and head coach not even in the same book-of-the-month club, let alone on the same page?
“Absolutely,” Smith says, “because I think we're good enough talentwise. There will be an evaluation. Can we move on and win the world championship? I'm doing everything I can for him (Schottenheimer) to be successful. I don't coach 'em. I'm a scout.
“If we don't go (to the playoffs), why didn't we go? We've reached a point in time as the San Diego Chargers where we're a very, very good football team.”
We can put the front-page hair pull between Smith and Schottenheimer aside. For now. So they aren't Hansel and Gretel? The GM has provided players; it's left to Schottenheimer and his staff. If they don't win, so many heads will roll in Castle Charger we'll be scoring strikes and spares.
But the GM and coach won't be playing quarterback. Hard to say the season will go as Rivers goes, because there will be people around him. But, if he stinks, they won't go anywhere. My guess: They will do with Rivers as Pittsburgh did with Ben Roethlisberger his rookie year – give him just enough to succeed and not enough to fail.
You can take one look at Rivers and tell he's talented. Schottenheimer often compares him to another of his proteges, Bernie Kosar. Smith likens Rivers to Dan Marino.
“All those years in Buffalo, I saw Marino enough,” Smith says. “The quick release – the footwork, the right-to-left movement. There are similarities between Philip and Marino.”
When Rivers came out of college, I thought he had the quickest release since Marino, so I'll side with Smith on this one. But Marino's in the Pro Football Hall of Fame because of how he played in the NFL, not at Pitt. Because of the Eli Manning thing and the fact that Rivers is taking over for a Pro Bowl QB who was allowed to walk after guiding his side to 21 wins in two seasons, his every step may fall under national scrutiny.
Can he handle it? Can he lead? That's the thing. Players must have total confidence in their quarterback and vice versa. He's not a rookie. He's been around. That helps.
“There's some benefit to his being here, but the only thing that matters is when he starts putting wins together,” Schottenheimer says. “Philip is harder on himself than anybody else, and players like that have ways to find success.
“We obviously like his leadership ability. He has a lot of confidence. He understands football. That's probably one of his greatest assets. Philip Rivers understands football.”
And a whole lot of people who think they do, do not. Thing is, if a healthy Brees were quarterbacking the Chargers, they'd be among the favorites to advance to Miami in February. Rivers, physically superior, is an unknown. Oddsmakers hate unknowns.
But Smith still expects results.
“The disappointment for me will be if we don't go to the playoffs,” he says. “I'm not satisfied. We are good enough to get to the tournament. If we get there, it's a tremendous accomplishment. Then you have a chance.
“One (Brees) goes, now it's the other person's turn. Philip has leadership abilities and he's a tremendous talent. If he has rough days, we have enough good players to help him.”
They do. But will they?
http://www.signonsandiego.com/uniontrib/20060610/news_1s10canepa.html