Chargers Must Find a Way to Play Keep Away

Mamba · Oct 9, 2008

Football is a complex game.

Defenses constantly evolve, in seasons and within individual games. Every play, especially on offense, depends on most of the players on the field doing their job, and some plays require the precision of all 11 players. A foot off on a block, a missed running lane, a lazy route or a pass just a little too hard or soft can be the difference between a successful play and one that is not.

But you don't even get a chance to be successful if you don't have the ball.

“That certainly can affect the rhythm and the flow,” quarterback Philip Rivers said.

The Chargers actually have been pretty successful on the plays they've run. They simply haven't run enough of them.

They rank fifth in the league in yards per play, but only 15th in yards per game, and it's pretty simple why.

They are averaging only 55 plays per game, 31st in the league.

That's why they scored fewer points Sunday in Miami than they had in their previous 40 games and why that was pretty much inevitable given their reliance on the big play and inability to control the ball.

While the Chargers talk about the need to “play better,” their offense also needs to play more. The two actually go hand in hand.

Even through their first four games, when only Denver had scored more offensive points than the Chargers, they didn't have much rhythm or flow.

They had big plays, and while that is exciting and can change games instantly, it is not a formula for sustained success.

The Chargers of 2006 and '07 got teams off the field quickly on defense and controlled the ball on offense. This year's team is 2-3 largely because it has done neither.

The Chargers have had the ball less than their opponents in four of five games. Their average time of possession is 27:52, 26th in the league.

“Time of possession has been a factor,” coach Norv Turner said. “It's a two-way deal.”

Miami was actually the first game the Chargers had trouble stopping third downs, but it was the first time a team had a lot of third-down tries, too. Before that, the Chargers simply weren't stopping first downs.

The Chargers have forced just 10 three-and-outs in 55 opponent possessions.

“We've got to get teams off the field,” cornerback Quentin Jammer said.

The offense bears some responsibility too, it being unable to run the ball well and slow games down.

Until Sunday, the Chargers had been able to score a lot of points because they were picking up yards in chunks and scoring from far away.

But after making 15 plays of 20 yards or more in the previous three weeks, the Chargers made two at Miami.

The Chargers had just 10 first downs at Miami, their fewest in 53 games. The Dolphins had 23.

The Chargers have yet to top 20 first downs in a game this season. In Denver last month, they had 19 to the Broncos' 34.

While until this week they were among the league's top third-down teams on defense and offense, they simply aren't getting the ball enough.

Their 49 offensive plays Sunday were their fewest in 53 games. They ran only 52 plays against Denver and 55 against Carolina. Not coincidentally, those are their three losses.

If a team is not going to make big plays, it better control the ball – especially against teams bent on controlling it themselves.

Carolina and Miami beat the Chargers by keeping the ball from them, literally running out the clock. Even Denver, which threw 50 passes, had the ball for 34 minutes.

“I think that's what it's going to be other than when teams have explosive offenses,” Rivers said. “You'd expect New England to do some of the same stuff. They like to spread it out and throw it and catch it and dink and dunk and try to keep the ball.

“It's offense and defense. When we're rolling together, it can be tough. You get a lead and then we can be in control. But it's been just the opposite of that the first couple games – when you're in a hole and don't have many opportunities and against teams that have a ball-control offense.”
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Chargers Must Find a Way to Play Keep Away

Mamba The King is Back Staff Member Global Moderator

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Chargers Must Find a Way to Play Keep Away

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