Bolts/Bears Breakdown

This isn't really a live blog...not like I normally do.

I just watched the game on my DVR, with a pen and notebook, and jotted down some comments, some of which are snarky, along the way.

I'm a terrible Chargers homer, and most of my comments are based as such.  I don't even pretend to be "journalistic".  Just a doofus with a keyboard.

Dennis Leary does the intro welcoming us to Monday Night Football on Thursday night.  Which I loved.

Wonder if Dennis ever thought he'd be doing stuff like this back when he was doing this for a living:
(warning:  inappropriate language...and alot of it)

Chris "Boomer" Berman is announcing this game, with Trent Dilfer as the color guy.  Boomer is sporting some sort of strange plaid suit jacket...although the plaid stripes are Charger Blue.

and the Camera goes to NEW San Diego Chargers Head Coach Mike "Dammit Jim, I'm a Coach, not a Doctor!" McCoy.  He's looking sporty in a Chargers Visor.  Graphic Says:  2nd youngest Head Coach in the NFL.  I'm actually excited for the McCoy era, as a fan.

Next up, NEW Chicago Bears Head Coach Marc Trestman...Trestman looks kinda like a computer nerd (and yes, the irony of someone who works as a Technology Director calling someone a computer nerd is not lost on me....I'm just saying).

Soldier Field playing Metallica's "For Whom the Bell Tolls" before opening Kickoff.  Nice Touch.

Devin Hester with a great return to the 37 yard line, and we are underway.

Jay Cutler has his "douche face" in Midseason form as he takes the field.  Never really like Cutler, but I used to really despise the guy.  Now that he's on the Bears, I really don't care so much.  I think the thing that bugs me the most is just the way the guy looks.

Ladies and Gentlemen... it's Jay Cutler!

Cutler just has the look of the guy who got a brand new Trans Am from his parents when he passed his drivers exam.  I have no qualms about his abilities as a quarterback, the guy can sling it, and he's played behind some terrible o-lines.  Honestly, I don't even think his reputation would be so bad if he didn't look so.... douchey.

Jay Cutler doesn't care what you think.

He's just got one of those faces, ya know?  Like one of the cool kids, who thinks it's fun to pick on the underprivileged.
Note:  I'm not saying he is this way at all, I don't know the guy, or even know anyone who knows him, or ... you get the point.  He just LOOKS that way.  He's got a douche face.  So tonight, I will call him that.

Douche Face drops back to pass and is sacked and fumbles.  Bears recover.
Second pass, and the Douchemeister is sacked again...it's 4th and 24 for the Bears, and the Chargers D Line looks good, Corey Leguit is a beast-like person out there.

Chargers go no huddle right away.

Graphic Alert:  Philip Rivers has the 7th most wins of active quarterbacks.  That's a bit surprising.

The Bears hold at midfield, but the protection for Rivers was pretty good.

Douche Face retakes the field.  And Matt Forte breaks a long, long, run down the lest sideline.  Douche Face then throws a TD pass to Brandon Marshall and it's 7-0 Bears.  (Take that, dude who keeps calling me douche face!)

That was an impressive long drive by the Bears.

And now, it's Rivers turn to get sacked.  Rookie Right Tackle DJ Fluker was abused on that play.
GREAT story on Fluker in the San Diego Union Tribune.  Really rooting for him, very uplifting story.

Then Rivers is intercepted...on a play where the Chargers WR (Keenan Allen) is tripped and taken down by the Chicago defensive back...pretty obvious PI call there, in my opinion (and my opinion is biased).
-The Play is under review...the ball may have hit the ground.  Oh it did.  Replay confirms.  The Ref in the booth with Boomer and Dilfer also says this will be overturned...and the play is upheld.  Of Course.  So it's a Pass Interference No Call followed by a non-interception that is ruled an interception... I see how it is.

Douchey McDoucherton takes the field and immediately throws and INT to Donald Butler.  To be honest, I was expecting some sort of reveral on that, as no Charger touched intended WR Brandon Marshall, and Butler didnt' come close to touching the ground with the ball.

A classic sideline Douche Face on return from commercial.

Bolts come out in no huddle, and run the ball 4 straight times with Ryan Mathews...who is running hard, and wasn't injured on any of the 4 plays.

Max Starks gives up a sack and Rivers fumbles, the Bears recover.  Of course they do...because if we sack their QB and he fumbles, they pick it up and advance the ball a few yards... however, if they sack our qb our Charger players are perfectly happy to let the other team jump on the ball.  The Bears are just mean.

Forte scores and it's 14-0 to nothing and Cutler sends me a text that says "Who's the douche now?"  (This MAY NOT have actually happened).
-and the Chargers defense looked BAD on that drive.
-and the O-Line looked bad on that last drive too.
Bears...after a bit of a rocky start, look pretty good.

Then, Richard Goodman muffs the kickoff, and spins around looking for it, he can't find it...and finally takes a knee about .374 or a second before a Bear takes his head off... you can't make this stuff up.  Goodman better pick it up, he hasn't looked good this pre-season.

and the first Quarter mercifully ends.
-The Chargers start the 2nd quarter with some more no huddle, after the 1st down.
-When Rivers has time to throw, he's so good.  Staying no huddle for now.

It takes a full quarter for Boomer to mention that both starting WR's for the Chargers are out.  Donario Alexander tore his ACL, and Malcom Floyd hurt his knee this week..
-and then Jeromy Clary gives up a sack.... that's 3 different Offensive Linemen already.  Bill S. Preston, Esquire would proclaim "Most Non-Triumphant".

A Manti Te'o sighting... on the sideline, in a book.  Sprained foot.  The Chargers seem to always be among the most injured teams in the NFL.  It's something I pretty much count on.  Year in and Year out.

Backups in for both teams at the skill positions now.

The Bears Special Teams look phenomenal.
-the Chargers, not so much.

First a terrible return, then catch a break on a penalty that forces a re-kick.
And then, Keenan Allen (Rookie WR who looks promising) fumbles the return...and of course, the Bears recover.  Like I said before, the Bears are mean.

The Bolts get the ball back, and Clipboard Jesus (Charlie Whitehurst) has taken the field!  Perhaps he shall lead us to salvation.  Probably Not.  But "Clipboard Jesus" has to be the greatest nickname in the history of the NFL... or at least top 3.  It's up there with "Night Train" Lane, and "Slingin" Sammy Baugh.

"No...Guys... Seriously...Why do they call me Clipboard Jesus?"

And Jesus does not save on this occasion.  Whitehurst fumbles his first snap after entering the game, and of course the Bears recover, because...you know the rule... the Bears are mean.

So, as a Chargers fan...we've had 4 Turnovers already and there's 5 mins to play in the first half.
To sum it up in one word, that one word would be "Atrocious".
-another FG by Robbie Gould and it's 20-0 Bears.

Douche Face and Computer Nerd are really kinda rubbing it in, don't ya think?

And the Savior is resurrected!  Whithurst leads the Bolts down the field ( kind of impressively) and Fozzy Whitaker runs it in for a TD.  20-7 Bears.  Clipboard Jesus not only led the Chargers down the field for a Touchdown on that drive... he didn't spike himself.

Now watch the Bears return this Kickoff for a TD.
-OK, he only got to the 24, and there's a penalty for being offsides, on the Chargers of course...so they take over on the 29.  The Bears have owned Field Position in this game.  Hell, they've owned pretty much everything.  They take a knee, and it's halftime.

Yikes, that was depressing.  Not even gonna lie, I know it's preseason, and the games don't matter, and teams don't gameplan (much), but that was depressing.

The 2nd Half is ready to go...a bunch of FNG's and people just trying to make the roster.
-Pre-season football...it's Fabulous!

Clipboard Jesus back out with the backup Offensive line who were terrible last week.

MLB Jon Bostic of the Bears just DESTROYED Mike Willie of the Chargers.  Just crushed it.
-that hit was clean and brutal.  Willies ears gotta be ringing after that one.

The Bears fumble a punt return, and the Chargers recover.  That's just not something I'm accustomed to seeing.  And the fun of backups playing continues... 2 fumbled punts by backup returners already, and we're just into the 3rd quarter folks.

You know I'm not holding a clipboard in any of these pictures, right?

Clipboard Jesus finds salvation in the End Zone with a strike to LaDarius Green for a TD.  Green had a TD last week too, and he's one Charger who has actually looked good this preseason (and in camp too, from reports).

And the Bears almost return the Kickoff for a Touchdown.  I was one too early on my prediction...Nice hustle by someone on the Bolts to catch him, I'm too lazy to look it up.    Michael Bush runs the ball in for the Bears, and it's 27 to 14.
-and the Chargers return their kickoff, comparatively, to the 13 yard line.

After a Charger punt, a random Boomer quote, "#1 punting to #11".  OK.  Thanks for that Boom.

2 straight plays with Bears penalties.  Backup Football Rules!  4th and 32 for the Bears.

CBJ (Clipboard Jesus, I'm getting tired of typing that out...it's really not any shorter than Charlie Whitehurst), throws another Touchdown pass.  He's playing much better tonight than last week, and it's 21-27.
-I hope next possession, Rookie QB Brad Sorensen gets in.

Another Kick Return for the Bears out past the 30 yard line.  I am not joking.  It's like the teams are playing 2 different games on Special Teams.

DJ Smith has looked pretty solid at ILB for the Bolts.  Something to keep an eye on, especially with Te'o's injury.

You gotta love the Bears fans, it's 3rd quarter, in the pre-season...and they are cheering on their backups, doing the wave...Qualcomm Stadium in San Diego would be half empty by now.  Soldier Field is Rocking.

And another Manti Te'o segment, because we haven't heard anything about this kid, and his personal life.  And we certainly need a 2nd segment on a player not playing tonight because of precautionary measures.

And Sorensen takes the Field!  Yes!  I like this kid from Southern Utah.  I watched him almost lead his Thunderbirds to a miraculous comeback against my SDSU Jackrabbits a few years back.  He looked good last week.

And the Bears, block a punt.  You can't make this stuff up.  Don't forget our recurring theme tonight...The Bears are mean.

Man, the Bears hit hard!  Both on Defense, and Special Teams.  Just some big shots going on out there.

Sorensen and Ed "Rock" Baker lead the Chargers on a nice drive, and Sorensen throws a TD pass to Mike Willie and it's 28-30.  I have to say, the Bolts Backups look much better tonight than last week, when Seattle just took it to them.

But the Special Teams have been atrocious, in about every conceivable way, both games this PS.  Hold your breathe, there is a Kickoff coming.

The Bears win.  Final score 33-28.

I Will Not Be Mocked!

Presenting my 2013 San Diego Chargers Mock Draft.

I'm no "draft expert" like Mel Kiper Jr. or Todd McShay, or Mike Mayock, etc, etc...  I don't break down players on film (except one year, when I watched highlights of Running Backs until my head was spinning...that was the year the Chargers drafted Ryan Mathews).  So, I'm not even an "amateur" talent evaluator.

However, every year as the draft starts getting close, I start frequenting a number of draft sites...and what I do is... I look up player rankings, see where the various sites have various players rated and then compare that with what need the Chargers have.  Then, I try to pay attention to some "Mock Drafts" put out by the "experts" and depending on what they are projecting, I try to fill out the Bolts needs accordingly.

In the 5 or 6 years or so I have been doing this, I have made exactly 2 selections in "My" Mock draft that the Chargers actually selected.  Marcus Gilchrist and Vaughn Martin were those two players, and to be completely honest... I had them going one round later than they were actually selected.

Why waste all this time when the team so rarely selects my picks?  That is a fair question.  What I enjoy about the process is that I get to "know" so many more prospects than I normally would, so when I am watching the draft I can go "Oh I had that guy going in the 5th round....that's surprising he was picked in the 3rd".  It just makes the draft more enjoyable, for me anyway.  This is why I'm the self-proclaimed "Sports Doofus".

The Challenge this year is twofold:
1.  The Chargers have a new General Manager is Tom Telesco, and a new Head Coach in Mike McCoy, so I really have no idea what type of players they are looking for, and when they tend to draft them.
2.  The Chargers draft at 11th in the first round, which makes things difficult.  They need some Offensive Linemen, but most Mock Drafts have the top 5 Offensive Linemen going before the Chargers pick.  However, if a few pass rushers and a Quarterback (Geno Smith) sneak into the top 10, it's possible that the Bolts do get a first round lineman...which will then affect how they pick the rest of the way.

One last caveat, I put this together without any trades whatsoever.  Which is sort of an exercise in futility, because there is usually some movement.

Helpful Sites:
http://www.nfl.com/draft/2013  The NFL's site...has good player information.
http://walterfootball.com/  A great site for mock drafts, updated weekly with changes.
http://www.cbssports.com/nfl/draft  Does a pretty good job ranking prospects, and has good player bios.
http://www.drafttek.com/default.asp  A new site for me this year, I really liked it, lots of good info here.

Round 1 (11) - Jarvis Jones, OLB, Georgia

Barring a "trade up" scenario, I don't see the Chargers being able to draft any of the top 3 Offensive Tackles, or the top 2 Guards.  In weighing team needs, against Best Player available...I think Jarvis Jones is the pick.

He's experienced in playing the 3-4, having played it at Georgia, and he fills a big need as both Shaun Phillips and Antwan Barnes both weren't re-signed.  

Chances this pick are correct:  Slim to none.  No idea what the Chargers will do here.  None.  Bakevious Mingo from LSU is another possiblity here.  Or maybe one of the Guards (Jonathon Cooper, UNC or Chance Warmack, Alabama) falls.  It's very likely that a trade up or down could occur here.


Round 2 (45) -Terron Armstead, OT, Arkansas-Pine Bluff

The Chargers fill their hole at Left Tackle in Round 2 with the pick of Terron Armstead.  Although from a smaller school, he impressed at the combine and Senior Bowl.

The downside of Armstead is he may not be ready to start right away.  He may take some time to develop.  But he's the prototypical size and fills a huge need.

Note:  I'd like to see Florida State's Menelik Watson fall to the Bolts here, but with the top 3 picks going top 10, I don't see it happening.


Round 3 (76) - Barrett Jones, OG Alabama

The Chargers fill another need by drafting Barret Jones.  He is best suited to play Guard in the NFL, after playing all 3 line positions (C, G, and T) at Alabama.  He would step in and be an immediate starter.  In addition, Center Nick Hardwick isn't getting any younger, and Jones could move over to Center, if needed.

Jones had a stellar career at Alabama, winning the Rimington Award last year as the top Collegiate Center, and the Outland Trophy as a Junior as the top Offensive Lineman.  Alabama is also known for their dominating Offensive Lines, and Jones was arugably the best player on it.


Round 4 (110) -A.J. Klein, ILB, Iowa State

The Chargers would look to add depth and a potential starter by drafting AJ Klein in the 4th round.  Inside Linebackers Takeo Spikes and Demorrio Williams were released, and they don't really know what they have yet in 3rd year player Jonas Mouton.

Klein is a guy who could come in and compete for a starting position right away, and otherwise would be a great depth player.  He is known as a guy with "high motor" and hard worker.  Co-Defensive MVP of the Big XII as a Junior, would be a very good "Value Pick"  (channeling Mel Kiper).


Round 5 (145) -Terry Hawthorne, CB, Illinois

Cornerbacks Quinten Jammer and Antoine Cason were not re-signed, and although the Chargers signed Derek Cox from Jacksonville, they could use some depth in the secondary.

Hawthorne just kind of "fits the bill" in all the things you are looking for in a later round draft pick.  He has the size, and all the physical tools.  Needs to get into the right system, with the right coaching and could become a solid NFL player.




Round 6 (179) -T.J. Barnes, NT, Georgia Tech

We've officially moved into "let's take a shot in the dark" territory.  You never have a clue what a team is going to do in the later rounds.  The Chargers lost free Agent DT Antonio Garay to the New York Jets, and starting NT Abreyo Franklin to the Colts, so they have a need at DT position.

At 6'6", 369 pounds, Barnes has the prototypical size for the position.  Even if he lacks some talent/skill, that kind of physical presence can't be ignored, and will take up blockers.  Barnes also has experience in playing the NT in a 3-4 defense, as that is what Georgia Tech runs.  He's a good fit.


Round 7 (221) - LaAdrian Waddle, OT, Texas Tech

If round 6 is "Shot in the Dark", round 7 is "Needle in a Haystack".  Impossible to tell what any team will do.  However, the Chargers have so many holes on the Offensive Line, I think that's where they look to add some depth.

Waddle was a three year starter at Texas Tech, and was twice named to the Big XII first team.  He would not be ready to start, but would strictly be a depth signing as he learns a pro offense.  He has the prototypical size for the position and great experience.


So there you go....the San Diego Chargers 2013 "Mock Draft".  All this means, is that there is very, very, very high probability that NONE of these players will actually be selected by the Chargers.

I'll be watching next Thursday night as the 2013 NFL Draft begins, and see if any of my picks come to fruition.