McBoog Posted January 14, 2008 Share Posted January 14, 2008 (edited) A little early to "analyze" this until we see how the CHargers booboos heal. A couple early observations. 1) This is NOT the same SD team the Pats rolled earlier in the year. They will be better coached and better prepared. Also the situation is different. The week they played the whole "Tapegate" thing broke and they rolled into a buzz saw. 2) What the Chargers are doing well are the things the Pats have the most problems (if you can call them that) with. 3) The Chargers D is better against the pass than the Jags and can play a wider variety of coverages. Welker is the key to this game. Jammer and Cro can handle the outside, what they do with the ex-Charger is going to be the biggest factor! 4) Revenge factor. (Playoffs and season) 5) Pressure? What pressure. The Chargers are not the "perfect team" and everyone will expect them to lose. They should be able to just go play some ball and see what happens. At full strength, this game is a lot closer than what most believe. We should have a better feel for it by Thursday. Edited January 14, 2008 by McBoog Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
SuperCharger Posted January 14, 2008 Share Posted January 14, 2008 SD D will do their job but I don't think the banged up O can put up enough points. NE will pull away in the 3rd and win by 2 scores. Maroney will have another big game. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
isleseeya Posted January 14, 2008 Share Posted January 14, 2008 Pats 35 Bolts 17 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Hat Trick Posted January 14, 2008 Share Posted January 14, 2008 It's Spygate So then no prediction until Thursday? Fair enough. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
WaterMan Posted January 14, 2008 Share Posted January 14, 2008 There is no shocker about the Colts choking in the playoffs. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
MTSuper7 Posted January 14, 2008 Share Posted January 14, 2008 The Chargers' success will hinge on their ability to get to Brady and force him to make quicker decisions and to do so without having to blitz regularly. That was the Jags' undoing - Brady had all day to find an open receiver. Come on... 26/28? A QB can't put up those kind of numbers without protection (and realistically, Brady made no mistakes, as Welker flat out dropped one of those two incompletions and they probably should have called pass interference on the other incompletion). If the Charger D can't pressure Brady into some key incompletions on 3rd/4th downs (or maybe an INT or two), they won't have a chance to win. I think the Charger offense will probably be able to move the ball effectively with either Rivers or Volek, but they certainly can't commit any turnovers if they're to win the game (unless they can also force some turnovers). Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
H8tank Posted January 14, 2008 Share Posted January 14, 2008 (edited) I'll be surprised if the bolts can score 20, I will be surprise if the Pats don't score 31+.\ ~edit, oh if you think Moss will be shut down again, Keep Dreamin! Edited January 14, 2008 by H8tank Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Czarina Posted January 14, 2008 Share Posted January 14, 2008 (edited) How hurt are Rivers and LT? That could make a HUGH difference. Regardless, I predict a Pats victory and a another Tomlinson melt down in the postgame presser. Edited January 14, 2008 by Czarina Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
piratesownninjas Posted January 14, 2008 Share Posted January 14, 2008 3) The Chargers D is better against the pass than the Jags and can play a wider variety of coverages. Welker is the key to this game. Jammer and Cro can handle the outside, what they do with the ex-Charger is going to be the biggest factor! Randy Moss is not like other receivers... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
MTSuper7 Posted January 14, 2008 Share Posted January 14, 2008 Randy Moss is not like other receivers... I'm sure Waterman will be along any minute to validate this. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Bill Swerski Posted January 14, 2008 Share Posted January 14, 2008 (edited) There is no shocker about the Colts choking in the playoffs. It was no shocker when WaterTroll hid under a rock last January/February as the Colts steamrolled through the playoffs and won SB XLI. If the weather is as cold and pass-unfriendly as the reports are claiming it might be, the Chargers have a shot. A long shot, but a shot nonetheless. Edited January 14, 2008 by Bill Swerski Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
WaterMan Posted January 14, 2008 Share Posted January 14, 2008 It was no shocker when when the Colts booed a little girl yesterday? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
keggerz Posted January 14, 2008 Share Posted January 14, 2008 when the Colts booed a little girl yesterday? i was just surprised you didnt start crying when they booed you. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
keggerz Posted January 14, 2008 Share Posted January 14, 2008 I'll be surprised if the bolts can score 20, I will be surprise if the Pats don't score 31+.\ ~edit, oh if you think Moss will be shut down again, Keep Dreamin! during the regular season moss was held to under 100 yards 7 times with 6 of them happening in back to back pairs but he never went more then a week without a TD...and I agree with H8 that I wouldnt expect him to get shut down again Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Bill Swerski Posted January 14, 2008 Share Posted January 14, 2008 when the Colts booed a little girl yesterday? When WaterTard dropped Vick like a hot potato after he was indicted and suddenly became a Randy Moss/Patriots fan? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
MrTed46 Posted January 14, 2008 Share Posted January 14, 2008 I have a feeling the Chargers are going to get blown away. I dont even think they will make this a game. I am surprised they beat the Colts, Rivers really had a tremendous game but I dont think he is going to have another game like that (I think hes the biggest jerk QB in NFL). Plus, the chargers are all banged up and played their hearts on the last 2 weeks. I think thats going to start catching up on them especially against a team like the Pats. The chargers D is better than the Pats D (lately) but not the difference maker in this game. Pats 34 Chargers 17 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
pseudolefty Posted January 14, 2008 Share Posted January 14, 2008 The Chargers are playing with a lot of heart and Rivers has come up big in the playoffs. As McBoog says, we'll know better about our chances after getting more word about injuries. We absolutely need Rivers in order to have a shot. Volek did an admirable job yesterday, but almost everyone in SD thought we were toast when Rivers wasn't able to come back in on the winning drive. Getting LT back would be a big lift. After the initial injury, and seeing him riding the exercise bike and moving around on the sidelines, I thought he would be back in. Unlike the Colts, LT has had big games against the Patriots in the past and his elusiveness gives the slower and older LBs of the Patriots more problems. I don't see us getting Gates back. He gutted it out yesterday but I can't see him continuing to play in that capacity. The Patriots offense is tremendous and they torched us last time, but at least we'll have a better idea of what to expect this time. The Patriots will again pass on almost every down and rely on the mastery of Brady, the talented WR corp, and a rock solid OLine. I hope for the worst weather possible (like the NY Jets game in Week 15) with lots of wind and gusts. I know that's not in the forecast, but the Chargers could definitely beat the Patriots in a game that would limit Brady's passing capabilities. We have to find some way to contain Welker. That guy is the one who moves the chains and causes all sorts of matchup problems. Of course, minimizing the damage of Moss is also a must, but the Patriots have a pick-your-poison type of offense. The Chargers are going to have to take some chances and get some hits and pressure on Brady. I'd rather go after Brady and get the pretty boy a little dirty and maybe give up a big play or two, but also get a turnover or two, instead of letting him torture us to death by methodically picking us apart all the way down the field. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
MrTed46 Posted January 14, 2008 Share Posted January 14, 2008 The Chargers are playing with a lot of heart and Rivers has come up big in the playoffs. As McBoog says, we'll know better about our chances after getting more word about injuries. We absolutely need Rivers in order to have a shot. Volek did an admirable job yesterday, but almost everyone in SD thought we were toast when Rivers wasn't able to come back in on the winning drive. Getting LT back would be a big lift. After the initial injury, and seeing him riding the exercise bike and moving around on the sidelines, I thought he would be back in. Unlike the Colts, LT has had big games against the Patriots in the past and his elusiveness gives the slower and older LBs of the Patriots more problems. I don't see us getting Gates back. He gutted it out yesterday but I can't see him continuing to play in that capacity. The Patriots offense is tremendous and they torched us last time, but at least we'll have a better idea of what to expect this time. The Patriots will again pass on almost every down and rely on the mastery of Brady, the talented WR corp, and a rock solid OLine. I hope for the worst weather possible (like the NY Jets game in Week 15) with lots of wind and gusts. I know that's not in the forecast, but the Chargers could definitely beat the Patriots in a game that would limit Brady's passing capabilities. We have to find some way to contain Welker. That guy is the one who moves the chains and causes all sorts of matchup problems. Of course, minimizing the damage of Moss is also a must, but the Patriots have a pick-your-poison type of offense. The Chargers are going to have to take some chances and get some hits and pressure on Brady. I'd rather go after Brady and get the pretty boy a little dirty and maybe give up a big play or two, but also get a turnover or two, instead of letting him torture us to death by methodically picking us apart all the way down the field. Also, Kaeting cant miss any FGs. He totally sucks in post season Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Sturphy Posted January 14, 2008 Share Posted January 14, 2008 i was just surprised you didnt start crying when they booed you. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
WaterMan Posted January 14, 2008 Share Posted January 14, 2008 Sorry with all the talk of Class Act Peyton and Class Act Dungy, I'd figure the fans would be the same way. Oops. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
bigrocks Posted January 14, 2008 Share Posted January 14, 2008 The Chargers are playing with a lot of heart and Rivers has come up big in the playoffs. As McBoog says, we'll know better about our chances after getting more word about injuries. We absolutely need Rivers in order to have a shot. Volek did an admirable job yesterday, but almost everyone in SD thought we were toast when Rivers wasn't able to come back in on the winning drive. Getting LT back would be a big lift. After the initial injury, and seeing him riding the exercise bike and moving around on the sidelines, I thought he would be back in. Unlike the Colts, LT has had big games against the Patriots in the past and his elusiveness gives the slower and older LBs of the Patriots more problems. I don't see us getting Gates back. He gutted it out yesterday but I can't see him continuing to play in that capacity. The Patriots offense is tremendous and they torched us last time, but at least we'll have a better idea of what to expect this time. The Patriots will again pass on almost every down and rely on the mastery of Brady, the talented WR corp, and a rock solid OLine. I hope for the worst weather possible (like the NY Jets game in Week 15) with lots of wind and gusts. I know that's not in the forecast, but the Chargers could definitely beat the Patriots in a game that would limit Brady's passing capabilities. We have to find some way to contain Welker. That guy is the one who moves the chains and causes all sorts of matchup problems. Of course, minimizing the damage of Moss is also a must, but the Patriots have a pick-your-poison type of offense. The Chargers are going to have to take some chances and get some hits and pressure on Brady. I'd rather go after Brady and get the pretty boy a little dirty and maybe give up a big play or two, but also get a turnover or two, instead of letting him torture us to death by methodically picking us apart all the way down the field. This game will not be close – unless the light bulb comes on and Norv Turner realizes his only shot is to put the game completely on LT2’s shoulders and he touches the ball 40+ times. Think about it…. (1) You’re a huge underdog on the road against a 17-0 team. (2) Your season ends if you lose. (3) You have arguably the best offensive weapon in the league on your team. (4) If you run his legs off and you pull the upset, you have 2 weeks to get him rested. The Pats defense is on the old side and probably a little worn down at this point and would love to see Philip Rivers or Billy Volek dropping back to pass against them – what defense wouldn’t? What they most definitely don’t want to see is LT coming at them play after play after play. They might stop him in the early going, but LT gets better the more he gets the ball. By the early part of the 3rd quarter, he would be breaking a few longer runs and screens, and in the 4th he would be gouging them. But, Turner will play it to ‘not lose’ instead of winning and about the best thing we can probably hope for is Shawn Merriman takes a cheap shot at Brady late in the game and knocks pretty boy out. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Chargerz Posted January 14, 2008 Share Posted January 14, 2008 The Chargers are playing with a lot of heart and Rivers has come up big in the playoffs. As McBoog says, we'll know better about our chances after getting more word about injuries. We absolutely need Rivers in order to have a shot. Volek did an admirable job yesterday, but almost everyone in SD thought we were toast when Rivers wasn't able to come back in on the winning drive. Getting LT back would be a big lift. After the initial injury, and seeing him riding the exercise bike and moving around on the sidelines, I thought he would be back in. Unlike the Colts, LT has had big games against the Patriots in the past and his elusiveness gives the slower and older LBs of the Patriots more problems. I don't see us getting Gates back. He gutted it out yesterday but I can't see him continuing to play in that capacity. The Patriots offense is tremendous and they torched us last time, but at least we'll have a better idea of what to expect this time. The Patriots will again pass on almost every down and rely on the mastery of Brady, the talented WR corp, and a rock solid OLine. I hope for the worst weather possible (like the NY Jets game in Week 15) with lots of wind and gusts. I know that's not in the forecast, but the Chargers could definitely beat the Patriots in a game that would limit Brady's passing capabilities. We have to find some way to contain Welker. That guy is the one who moves the chains and causes all sorts of matchup problems. Of course, minimizing the damage of Moss is also a must, but the Patriots have a pick-your-poison type of offense. The Chargers are going to have to take some chances and get some hits and pressure on Brady. I'd rather go after Brady and get the pretty boy a little dirty and maybe give up a big play or two, but also get a turnover or two, instead of letting him torture us to death by methodically picking us apart all the way down the field. I'll be waiting for your game-score prediction later in the week. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
MTSuper7 Posted January 14, 2008 Share Posted January 14, 2008 This game will not be close – unless the light bulb comes on and Norv Turner realizes his only shot is to put the game completely on LT2’s shoulders and he touches the ball 40+ times. Think about it…. (1) You’re a huge underdog on the road against a 17-0 team. (2) Your season ends if you lose. (3) You have arguably the best offensive weapon in the league on your team. (4) If you run his legs off and you pull the upset, you have 2 weeks to get him rested. The Pats defense is on the old side and probably a little worn down at this point and would love to see Philip Rivers or Billy Volek dropping back to pass against them – what defense wouldn’t? What they most definitely don’t want to see is LT coming at them play after play after play. They might stop him in the early going, but LT gets better the more he gets the ball. By the early part of the 3rd quarter, he would be breaking a few longer runs and screens, and in the 4th he would be gouging them. But, Turner will play it to ‘not lose’ instead of winning and about the best thing we can probably hope for is Shawn Merriman takes a cheap shot at Brady late in the game and knocks pretty boy out. If San Diego's offensive line plays as well against NE as it did yesterday down the stretch, the Chargers should be able to move the ball and score. And I disagree that LT needs to get the ball 40+ times for SD to have a chance to win. Many teams have been able to get what they've needed on offense to hang with NE for most of the game. What SD will need in order to win is defensive pressure on Brady down the stretch. Otherwise, the Pats will simply outscore SD and force a turnover to ice the game down the stretch. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ROYALWITCHEESE Posted January 14, 2008 Share Posted January 14, 2008 (edited) A little early to "analyze" this until we see how the CHargers booboos heal. A couple early observations. 1) This is NOT the same SD team the Pats rolled earlier in the year. They will be better coached and better prepared. Also the situation is different. The week they played the whole "Tapegate" thing broke and they rolled into a buzz saw. 2) What the Chargers are doing well are the things the Pats have the most problems (if you can call them that) with. 3) The Chargers D is better against the pass than the Jags and can play a wider variety of coverages. Welker is the key to this game. Jammer and Cro can handle the outside, what they do with the ex-Charger is going to be the biggest factor! 4) Revenge factor. (Playoffs and season) 5) Pressure? What pressure. The Chargers are not the "perfect team" and everyone will expect them to lose. They should be able to just go play some ball and see what happens. At full strength, this game is a lot closer than what most believe. We should have a better feel for it by Thursday. This is wrong on so many levels, I don't know where to begin. It's like folks want the Pats to lose so bad, they make up reasons as to why it could/will happen, or find meaningless tidbits to show a potential chink in the armor. This is going to be a slaughter. The Colts had what it takes to "possibly" beat NE this year. The Chargers aren't even close. Their only chance to even keep the game close is disasterous weather. Green Bay has a far better shot to win, which should lead to a decent Super Bowl... Edited January 14, 2008 by ROYALWITCHEESE Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
fballfreak Posted January 15, 2008 Share Posted January 15, 2008 Turnovers will play a big role in this game. SD led the league in TO with 48 of them 30INT 18FR The Pats rarely turnover the ball. Another factor is the weather. Temps at kickoff are expected to be 10-16 degrees with a brisk wind this will make it tough for the long pass so expect Brady and the short pass to take over again in this one with a lot of Maroney in the mix. And SD must play penalty free football as well as the Pats meaning no stupid penalties from Harrison like we've seen in the last few games. I think the Pats will see a big dose of LT/Turner based on the weather. My final prediction is Pats 34 SD 24 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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