Justin Herbert's Chargers @ Ryan Fitzpatrick's Team

[88Comrade2000]

10 days until opening day for us anyway. Tampa and Dallas kickoff the season next Thursday.

 

I know it's a little early, but it's the regular season damn it.   Time to talk about our first opponent. 

 

 

The enemy's depth chart:

 

Chargers depth chart 2021: Los Angeles' 53-man roster, projected starters as season approaches

Edited September 12, 2021 by Rdskns2000

[Cooleyfan1993]

Oh man i just realized the game week prediction threads start next week!!! I’m so pumped.

 

and the insomniac thread the night before the game!! 
 

And will there be a send off/welcome home thread for away games? Last season cause Covid there wasn’t, but wasn’t sure if that’s changing for this season. 

[Malapropismic Depository]

Chargers have a new coach, right ?

This will be their HC's first game.

Going against the savvy, experienced Rivera, I gotta favor the Teamskins

[Califan007 The Constipated]

 

Chargers fans on one of their message boards:

 

"Chase' first sack was kinda on the QB.Ya see how long he held on to the ball?? "

 

"The Chargers OL was so bad last year it was like we were facing WAS every game."

 

 

"By the way, I’d love to have Washington’s D line. That’s some top talent."

"4 straight years of round 1 picks at DL - 2 EDGE & 2 IDL"

"The impressive thing is, IMO, that all four are starters. None of them are busts. That doesn't happen every often. Unfortunately for WFT, Dwayne Haskins, their 1st pick in 2019, didn't work out. If they had been able to draft a franchise QB with that pick, they'd be SB contenders probably. But of the top four QBs drafted in 2019, only Kyler Murray, the 1st overall pick, is worth anything. The other three are Daniel Jones, Haskins and Drew Lock at #42."

 

 

 

 

 

Edited September 3, 2021 by Califan007

[88Comrade2000]

I think we come out flat and Chargers win. 

[goskins10]

Chargers will be a tougher out than people think. They had a pretty good team last year. And Herbert is the real deal. We can't let them have the big play. If we make them go the length of the field in small pieces it will be a long day for them. 

 

I am a little nervous that William Jackson didn't much if any playing time. I don't remember him on the field. Maybe he had some plays in the first game. But he seems to have been dinged up. Same with Samuel. Those are two key pickups that could make the difference on each side of the ball. 

 

I like that they have to come here. That is definite an advantage. We can't afford to lose this game. I know it's only the first game but the level of competition only gets worse and we have a short turnaround to play the giants that next Thursday. 

 

 

12 hours ago, Rdskns2000 said:

I think we come out flat and Chargers win. 

 

Chargers did not play their starters either. So while we may come out flat no reason to think they will not also be flat. They have not played in 3 weeks and have to travel across the country to play here. And no way we take them for granted. That D will be fired up. Could win the game on thier their own. 

 

We should win a close one. 

Edited September 3, 2021 by goskins10

[Burgundy Yoda]

24 minutes ago, Califan007 said:

 

Chargers fans on one of their message boards:

 

"Chase' first sack was kinda on the QB.Ya see how long he held on to the ball?? "

 

"The Chargers OL was so bad last year it was like we were facing WAS every game."

 

 

"By the way, I’d love to have Washington’s D line. That’s some top talent."

"4 straight years of round 1 picks at DL - 2 EDGE & 2 IDL"

"The impressive thing is, IMO, that all four are starters. None of them are busts. That doesn't happen every often. Unfortunately for WFT, Dwayne Haskins, their 1st pick in 2019, didn't work out. If they had been able to draft a franchise QB with that pick, they'd be SB contenders probably. But of the top four QBs drafted in 2019, only Kyler Murray, the 1st overall pick, is worth anything. The other three are Daniel Jones, Haskins and Drew Lock at #42."

 

 

 

 

 

We would be superbowl contenders if we took Brian Burns and Montez Sweat in 2019 and Justin Herbert in 2020. They aren't lying about how bad that Haskins pick hurt us. Obviously 2 DEs wouldn't have been selected in one year in the 1st, but it is wild to think about.

Edited September 3, 2021 by Burgundy Yoda

[Malapropismic Depository]

31 minutes ago, Califan007 said:

 

Chargers fans on one of their message boards:

 

"Chase' first sack was kinda on the QB.Ya see how long he held on to the ball?? "

 

"The Chargers OL was so bad last year it was like we were facing WAS every game."

 

 

"By the way, I’d love to have Washington’s D line. That’s some top talent."

"4 straight years of round 1 picks at DL - 2 EDGE & 2 IDL"

"The impressive thing is, IMO, that all four are starters. None of them are busts. That doesn't happen every often. Unfortunately for WFT, Dwayne Haskins, their 1st pick in 2019, didn't work out. If they had been able to draft a franchise QB with that pick, they'd be SB contenders probably. But of the top four QBs drafted in 2019, only Kyler Murray, the 1st overall pick, is worth anything. The other three are Daniel Jones, Haskins and Drew Lock at #42."

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

You're officially hired to do reconnaissance on opposing teams' fans, before each game we play them. And then post a thread with the results.

 

[dswerdlw]

If I were a Chargers' fan, I'd be worried that most of my starters, including my 2nd year quarterback, have not played in any of the preseason games. Will they be rusty? Will they take a play or two to get used to the pressure? Will they be operating at full speed? These worries are complicated by the fact that these players are working with a new coaching staff. I anticipate problems with communication that might have been addressed in a dress rehearsal.  If that happens, look for Washington to get a quick start. The Chargers have good players and good coaches, but they might have to show some resilience if they are to have a fair chance of winning this game.

[FootballZombie]

Ryan Fitzpatrick's team? Can we at least be Ryan Fitzpatricks Coalesence of Beard Groomers?

 

I expect rust from Chargers O... and Jetlag

 

I like our chances

[88Comrade2000]

2 minutes ago, FootballZombie said:

Ryan Fitzpatrick's team? Can we at least be Ryan Fitzpatricks Coalesence of Beard Groomers?

 

I expect rust from Chargers O... and Jetlag

 

I like our chances

Well our name is Team until it becomes the Beards in 22?

[Riggo'sRangers]

Damn near ready for the insomniac thread now...hail...

[NickyJ]

The Chargers were a scary team even when Anthony Lynn had the wheels coming off. A competent team with Herbert leading them vs Ryan Fitzpatrick in his first real game here, I don't like our chances. I think Chargers win.

 

Besides FS, I don't really think our defense has improved much. Collins is back to hopefully be used better, but Jamin's a raw rookie. He's a good investment, but I don't think he's immediately going to make our LB corps better. We had a good defense last year, but it's all riding on our new QB to make the difference.

Edited September 3, 2021 by NickyJ

[COWBOY-KILLA-]

The Chargers have plenty of talent offensively to give us fits. It’s really going to come down to our offense being semi-legit. It’s gonna need to be to beat LA. 

[HTTRDynasty]

Just have to avoid giving up explosive plays to Herbert and I think we win this. Easier said than done. 

[samy316]

I worry about our offense a LOT more then our defense.  I expect us to be flat, and quite frankly, not as advertised on the offensive side of the ball.  If we win, it’ll be something like 17-14.  Chargers will also be rusty, since they barely played any of their starters in the preseason.  Add on that it’s a cross-country trip, and an early start, our defense should be good enough to shut them down, and force some turnovers (1 for a TD).  The big story after this game will be how “off” the offense is, and how will they fare with a short turnaround for game 2.

[Koolblue13]

I think Beluga and another one of their Oline didn't practice all of training camp, so that'll help. I'm not worried about the first 2 games.

[MisterPinstripe]

49 minutes ago, samy316 said:

I worry about our offense a LOT more then our defense.  I expect us to be flat, and quite frankly, not as advertised on the offensive side of the ball.  If we win, it’ll be something like 17-14.  Chargers will also be rusty, since they barely played any of their starters in the preseason.  Add on that it’s a cross-country trip, and an early start, our defense should be good enough to shut them down, and force some turnovers (1 for a TD).  The big story after this game will be how “off” the offense is, and how will they fare with a short turnaround for game 2.

I mean.... We averaged 20.9 points a game WITH Dwayne Haskins and an injured Alex Smith. You dont think we will be better then that with more weapons, second year, and a better QB even if he isnt amazing?

[NickyJ]

1 minute ago, MisterPinstripe said:

I mean.... We averaged 20.9 points a game WITH Dwayne Haskins and an injured Alex Smith. You dont think we will be better then that with more weapons, second year, and a better QB even if he isnt amazing?

Fitzpatrick should be improvement if age hasn't caught up yet. But he's still only human, and he'll be a human playing his first full game on a new team. I'm tempering my expectations.

[redskinss]

11 hours ago, NickyJ said:

Besides FS, I don't really think our defense has improved much. Collins is back to hopefully be used better, but Jamin's a raw rookie. He's a good investment, but I don't think he's immediately going to make our LB corps better. We had a good defense last year, but it's all riding on our new QB to make the difference.

You don't have to turn over the roster to improve year to year especially going from year one with an entirely new coaching staff, during a pandemic.

I don't know what to expect from this defense but it's very possible they could be much better than last year simply because it's year two in the system. 

[samy316]

36 minutes ago, MisterPinstripe said:

I mean.... We averaged 20.9 points a game WITH Dwayne Haskins and an injured Alex Smith. You dont think we will be better then that with more weapons, second year, and a better QB even if he isnt amazing?

It’s hard to believe we averaged 20.9 pts per game last year, with so many clunky offensive showings.  We might be better this year with Fitz, but whose to say he won’t be benched at some point like he always is during a season?  Also, for every 400 YD 4 TD game he has, he could easily put up a 185 YD, 4 INT/Fumble game just as easily.  There will be a stretch of games during the season where Fitz will put us in a hole, or cost us games.  It’s in his DNA as a starter.  The only question I have is will that stretch come during the middle of the season, or towards the end of the season, where our last 5 games are against the Cowboys, Eagles and Giants.  The other question we should be asking ourselves is how will Heinecke fair once he sees playing time this season, because I guarantee you he will either come into a game at some point this season, or even start a couple due to performance issues from Fitz.

Edited September 3, 2021 by samy316

[Chris 44]

19 minutes ago, samy316 said:

It’s hard to believe we averaged 20.9 pts per game last year, with so many clunky offensive showings.  We might be better this year with Fitz, but whose to say he won’t be benched at some point like he always is during a season?  Also, for every 400 YD 4 TD game he has, he could easily put up a 185 YD, 4 INT/Fumble game just as easily.  There will be a stretch of games during the season where Fitz will put us in a hole, or cost us games.  It’s in his DNA as a starter.  The only question I have is will that stretch come during the middle of the season, or towards the end of the season, where our last 5 games are against the Cowboys, Eagles and Giants.  The other question we should be asking ourselves is how will Heinecke fair once he sees playing time this season, because I guarantee you he will either come into a game at some point this season, or even start a couple due to performance issues from Fitz.

I think our best chances for success involves limiting the number of short fields for our opponents. Play to our current strength which is our defense. Make the opposition drive the length of the field. I hope he plays within himself and doesn't force things that might lead to good field position for the opponents, take chances when they present themselves.

Between our D and Tress we can afford to be somewhat patient.  Offense is going to be a work in progress initially.

[CousinsCowgirl84]

Herbie doesn’t stand a chance against a guy named Fitzpatrick. Just sayin.

 

 

[skinny21]

There a lot of interesting pros and cons going into this season, some minor, some major.  One I haven’t seen discussed much - how Fitzpatrick performed the last time he was the starter heading into the season on a new team (ie. a new offense).  Not exactly an apples to apples comparison of course, but in 2019, Fitz started the first two games for the Fins and was pretty atrocious.  Lost to BAL 59-10 and NE 43-0.  Hovered around 50% completion percentage, threw for 185, 1 td and 1 pick against Baltimore, 89 yards and 3 picks against the Patriots before being benched for Rosen.  Couple that with his lackluster preseason performance this year, and I could see a pretty rough start for the offense.

 

Now obviously you could argue we have more offensive talent than the ‘19 Dolphins, have a much better D, that playing LAC/NYG is a far cry from what he faced that year, etc., but… that start to his 2019 campaign is a pretty major red flag IMO.

Edited September 3, 2021 by skinny21

[Vanguard]

We’re underdogs for this game according to odds makers, I can’t wait!