Last year a bunch of whiny Chargers fans (truly didn’t think they had any) got mad at me because I called their team talented but coached by a lame duck. It turns out that was pretty accurate. They won some games but got blown out by the Patriots in the playoffs despite having more talent than New England. The Chargers do not have a talent issue. They have a coaching issue.
It’s easy to like the Chargers and it’s a confident group. Melvin Ingram is throwing around the Super Bowl word:
“We’re the team to beat in the NFL, not just the AFC West, it’s the NFL,” Ingram said, via the Los Angeles Times. “We feel like when we’re going against our offense that we need to beat them because they’re the best. They need to beat us because we’re the best. That’s how we’re going to get better.”
I would think that a lot of players feel this way on even bad teams. That being said this one is noteworthy because a lot of players do not come out and say it. That’s bad karma right there. Also in the article, head coach Anthony Lynn says he does not like Ingram’s proclamation and thinks the Patriots are the favorites considering they are the defending champs. Maybe Lynn is smarter than I think he was considering that he was a running back coach for 100 years.
Time is running out on the Chargers. I guess I should say running out on the Philip Rivers era. Rivers will turn 38 in December and it’s fair to wonder how many years he has left. Rivers’ arm strength has fallen off as of late. IF LA actually has a chance to win a chip, they need Rivers. The good news for LA is this defense is loaded and it starts with the terrific pass rush of Melvin Ingram and Joey Bosa.
