We’re finally back to football. The Los Angeles Chargers hosted their first game at the Stub Hub Center last night against the Seattle Seahawks. The team lost in impressive fashion, 48 – 17, after a very poor performance from the backups.
But as we know, the preseason is for learning and evaluating. So what did we see that we will discuss and watch going forward?
Michael Peterson – 1. The entire first-team offensive line looked visibly improved during the opening drive. There was one or two plays where you saw the entire line 3-4 yards down field after a push reminiscent of nothing we’ve seen the last two years. Spencer Pulley looked every bit the part of a starting center.2. Michael Davis was my #1 guy to watch and he ended up having the most unfortunate game for a defensive back. He could have been the subject for a new book series called “A Series of Unfortunate Catches.” It was just crazy. All the hype I had for the guy made the whole experience that much worse. I really hope this is just him getting the bad plays out now before the season.
Ryan Doyle – 1. I was impressed with the first team offensive line. Philip Rivers had all of the time in the world in the pocket and it was a sight to see.2. Also, the absolute awful quarterback performances from Clemens, Jones, and Bercovici. It was painful to see these guys try to run this offense. I understand that Jones is new to the system but he couldn’t even make the easy throws. It’s only one game, but he doesn’t even seem like a worthy project.
Max Schultz – 1. The Chargers continue to have a pitiful amount of depth as shown as soon as the starters exit. This is why we constantly bemoan injuries because of how much the drop off is. 2. Melvin Gordon continues to dance and pick the wrong the holes. He needs to trust the blocking scheme and show some power, because his improvisations aren’t netting him the yards.
Ruben Gonzalez –1. The first observation I would like to make is that Phillip Rivers better not got hurt Dog Gummit. Watching the backups try to get waived yesterday was one of the most embarrassing moments I’ve had to live thru as a L.A Chargers fan. I can’t say it enough, the Chargers really need to draft a QB of the future or bring in a veteran because last night was all bad. 2. My second observation will pertain to CB Trevor Williams and LB Nigel Harris. I saw Williams make a nice case for CB3 with some nice tackling and coverage. Harris seemed like he wanted to play and he seemed to be where he needed to be. Those are two guys who I think we will see contribute to this team this year.
Cody Young –Two players that stuck out to me were Desmond King and Cardale Jones. I thought King played a solid game, coming down with an interception and saving a touchdown in the 4th quarter. As for Jones, he is definitely a work in progress. He has the tools, but he is very very raw.
Nathan Graber-Lipperman –1. The first team offense surely didn’t disappoint. A nice mix of the separate talents were put on display, and with a balanced attack, this unit should be extremely dangerous. Things went to shit quickly afterwards, but as Ruben said, let’s just hope and pray #17 stays upright. 2. I really like what I saw out of Desmond King, too, as he seemed to be setting the tone for the second team. I’m hoping him and Jenkins can really contribute in their freshman campaigns.
Roger Hinojosa –1. The Chargers 2s and 3s need to step up. It’s the first preseason game so performances are going to be sloppy around the league . I’m not giving them a pass because the backups definitely stopped playing “Charger football”, as Coach Lynn said. Pretty obvious the Chargers lack depth, so it will be interesting to see who emerges as reliable backups (especially with the Chargers current injury situation).2. Michael Davis still has the most to prove. He probably has even more to prove after getting toasted multiple times yesterday. He has potential to rotate in during the regular season. He was often in the right position to make a play on the pall (PBU or INT), but jumped too early or made a bad play on the ball (he went up for a one-handed INT and receiver came down with it). Look for Davis to bounce back and live up to the early hype.
Aaron Woolley –1. Cardale Jones played really poorly. Kellen Clemens’ two picks were not his fault, and he definitely did enough yesterday to show he’s currently the 2nd best QB on the roster. That bomb to Travis Benjamin was a thing of beauty. But Cardale Jones did not look accurate at all. If he can’t set his feet and throw accurately, it doesn’t matter how great his physical attributes are. He won’t stay on the Chargers if he plays another game like that.2. The teams who win championships have solid depth. The Seahawks showed they have a solid QB behind Russell Wilson, and the Chargers showed that they have no one behind their talented 1st string guys. Tom Telesco needs to do a better job putting together a team with depth, especially considering the guys he goes for generally have an injury history (Jason Verrett, Keenen Allen, Mike Williams, etc.)
