FanHouse Chargers

Each week in the NFL, there are players that impress and players that distress. One week a certain quarterback might toss four touchdowns and run around pointing skyward, while the next he's laying on his back, holding his facemask as the other team returns one of his three interceptions for the game-winning score. With that in mind, here's Studs and Duds.

Studs

Kurt Warner, QB Arizona (22-32, 261 yards, 5 TDs, 0 INTs) -- Last week, Warner had five interceptions, looks his age, didn't appear to be comfortable with a receiving core most would quarterbacks in the league would die for. This week, in a much-needed victory over the Chicago Bears, Warner flipped the switching, tossing five touchdowns to tie his career high and put his Cardinals back in the driver's seat of the NFC West.

Each week in the NFL, there are players that impress and players that distress. One week a certain quarterback might toss four touchdowns and run around pointing skyward, while the next he's laying on his back, holding his facemask as the other team returns one of his three interceptions for the game-winning score. With that in mind, here's Studs and Duds.

Studs

Tom Brady, QB New England (29 of 34, 380 yards, 6 TDs) -- People were questioning his knee this season. He seemed jittery in the pocket, made throws he didn't used to make, and wasn't leading the Patriots like he had during those three Super Bowl years and undefeated regular season in 2008.

ESPN is reporting that the Miami Dolphins have offered their head-coaching position to Chargers offensive coordinator Cam Cameron. But the same report says it's unclear whether Cameron will accept.

It seems strange that there's a possibility Cameron would turn down a head coaching job, although it's possible he thinks he's in line to be Marty Schottenheimer's successor in San Diego. More likely, Cameron is just working out the last details of the contract, and he will, in fact, become the Dolphins' next coach.

That means Chan Gailey will stay at Georgia Tech. Gailey had been reported to be a candidate in both Miami and Pittsburgh, but he seems to have dropped off the Steelers' radar.

Everyone seems to have a theory as to why the Chargers blew the lead and lost the game to the Ravens this past Sunday. You can blame the self-inflicted wounds of penalties and turnovers; you can blame Marty Ball and the Chargers being content to protecting a small lead instead of trying to increase it. You can blame mistakes and miscues in the kicking game; you can blame the defense that couldn't stop the Ravens from scoring in the final minute. You can even blame the inexperienced Quarterback.

Regardless, the wins and losses are earned by the team on the field and the players that perform - or fail to do so.

In this case, I'd like to shine some light on a sore problem with the Chargers defense, namely the Safety position.

Marlon McCree was brought in to help shore up a secondary and provide the type of consistency at the safety position that this team lacked for years after Rodney Harrison went to the Patriots. Unfortunately, for as well as he has played, he only plays one of the two Safety positions. Marlon McCree has been tremendous for the team, bringing playmaking skills, experience, and leadership to the secondary. As of now, he is playing Free Safety and the Chargers have problems at the other safety spot. Terrance Kiel started the season as the first team Strong Safety. But he has since had his run-in with the law and his future is uncertain. Bhawoh Jue has tremendous talent but can't stay healthy. When he is healthy and on the field, he can make plays and has great size. But he needs to be on the field and he is out with a knee injury. Clinton Hart started at Strong Safety and was ineffective. Both Ravens touchdowns were caught by Tight Ends. Todd Heap finished the game with 4 catches, 60 yards, and 1 TD. This game reminded me a lot of last year's home game against the Steelers, where Heath Miller caught a 16 yard pass for a score. Both games featured a power run game with defenses who fought hard. However, the Chargers ended up losing both games by 3 points or less. Until this team can get some consistency at Safety, we will continue to be vulnerable to Tight Ends.

If you go back and watch the Ravens game, you will see Chargers linebackers forced into covering tight ends instead of pressuring the QB. The Chargers Defensive line can provide pressure on the QB, but as Steve McNair and Ben Roethlisberger have shown, if the QB can move around and there are no linebackers in there to contain him, we can be beat downfield. The Chargers face Pittsburg in San Diego, this sunday night on national television.

Having Randall Godfrey and Shawne Merriman 10-15 yards downfield covering Tight Ends instead of pressuring the Quarterback is not a recipe for success. Teams that employ multiple Tight End sets will prove to be tough challenges for the San Diego 3-4 defense because we do not have a Strong Safety that can be trusted to cover the TE downfield.

Here is what I mean:

• On the Ravens first touchdown, TE Daniel Wilcox beat both Charger Safeties and scored on a 5 yard catch and run.
• Later in the game, TE Todd Heap caught a pass for a big gain on a crossing route, totally outrunning Godfrey and picking up a crucial first down.
• In the Ravens game-winning drive, with linebackers downfield in coverage instead of pressuring QB Steve McNair, McNair was able to scramble for 12 yards and pick up a big first down.
• Finally, on 2nd and goal from the 10, when all the Chargers needed to do was stop the Ravens from scoring a touchdown, McNair hits TE Heap for 10 yards and the winning touchdown. 3 Chargers linebackers were covering him, with OLB Shawne Merriman unable to make the preventative tackle.

In my opinion, with the health of S Bhawoh Jue as a concern and the future of S Terrence Kiel unknown at this time, the Chargers should be looking to make a trade for a starting Safety to pair with Marlon McCree. This from FOXSports.com

ETC: Remember last week when Colts safety Mike Doss became hero for a day for a victory-sealing interception of a Byron Leftwich pass. Good thing nobody took the Colts up on recent advances. What are we talking about? Several teams told FOXSports.com they recently heard from the Colts who have been offering up their safety in trade talks. Obviously, nobody has bitten as of yet ...

Frankly, the round-robin the team has pulled for the past few years is getting old, and some solidification is desperately needed; especially considering the prominent role Tight Ends have grown into in an NFL offensive attack. No longer can the safety position be overlooked - the San Diego Chargers need starters there so that the Linebackers can be free to fly to the ball and provide never-ending pressure on the QB.

Shawne Merriman gets a lot of recognition for his pass rushing skills, but the guy starting opposite of him, #95 Shaun Phillips, can play too. He was second behind Merriman last year with 7 sacks. He wasn't a full-time starter either, coming in mostly in passing situations. This year, with OLB Steve Foley out for the season, Shaun Phillips has taken over the starting job and is looking to make a name for himself:

"By the end of the year everybody will be saying 'Shaun Phillips' or '(No.) 95 is a beast,' " veteran linebacker Randall Godfrey said. "He's doing a great job, and by the time this season is over he'll definitely have a lot of attention."

This season, Phillips is again behind Merriman in sacks - Merriman has 3 while Phillips is pushing him with 2. There is friendly competition between these young starting Outside Linebackers, but also a strong bond and a willingness to help each other get better:

"When he goes in the weight room, I go in the weight room," Phillips said. "He's been to the Pro Bowl already, so obviously he's doing something right. Anything he does, I try to piggyback. And I help him with some technique things. He learns from me, I learn from him. We just work well together."

It's week 3 and the Chiefs managed to not lose a game for the first time this season. Chiefs' fans rejoiced. "I couldn't believe it when I heard it," a fellow Chiefs' fan told me. "This is a major moral victory for the city of Kansas City. I've already cut Lamar Hunt a check for $1,000 to pay for the new Arrowhead renovations. Heck, I'm even going to build a rolling roof of my own over my garage!"

Not all the city or the nation was thrilled about the Chiefs' non-loss this weekend. The response from AFC West rival teams' fans has been mixed:
Broncos' fan: "Whatever. Last time I checked, we just beat you chumps. Hey, you guys interested in trading for Plummer?"
Raiders' fan: "Your record is still as bad as the Raiders' is, loser. Somehow, we still believe we're better than you."
Chargers' fan: "Didn't you guys have a bye this week?"

The news hit fantasy football owners especially hard. I spoke with a fantasy football owner in my office league. Our conversation went something like this:
Anonymous: LJ really sucked it up for me this week.
Me: Zero points. Zero touchdowns. Why didn't you bench him?
Anonymous: #1 rule of fantasy football. NEVER bench LJ.
Me: i.c.
Anonymous: LJ once ran for 200 yards on Chuck Norris.
Me: lol
Anonymous: Anyway, I gotta go. The boss is looking over my shoulder and he looks pissed.
Me: ? Why is he pissed?
Anonymous: Looks like he started Trent Green this week. Horrible decision.

Local critics still found a way to criticize Herm Edwards. "Typical Herm Edwards," one patron at a Kansas City bar told me. "No yards?" she continued. "Oh, biiiiggggg surprise. Hey, you want to give me a ride to White Castle? I'm starving."

Another patron described Edwards as a manipulative snake. "He didn't tell us," the man told me. He was decked out in Chiefs' gear: Lin Elliot jersey, tattered foam finger, face painted red and yellow. "I've been sitting here in Arrowhead for 10 hours. Why didn't they tell me we weren't playing at home this week? It's that sneaky Herm Edwards character. He thinks he can roll into Kansas City and pull a stunt like this? Go back to New York, moron. And take that lousy Terrence Law guy with you!"

Herm Edwards found a way not to lose this weekend. The reaction is mixed, but my feeling is, the Chiefs will find it much tougher to keep their non-losing streak alive next week when they square off against the 49ers.

Well, it looks like all that the two sides were waiting for was their week 2 match-up to pass. ESPN's Chris Mortensen is reporting that the San Diego Chargers have sent an undisclosed draft pick to the Titans in exchange for QB Billy Volek. The move makes sense considering that the Chargers have only two Quarterbacks on the roster, and neither has started more than two games. If it was anything higher than a 5th round pick, I would be a bit frustrated, but it seems it will only cost the Chargers a 5th or 6th rounder. Well spent, because none of the Chargers late round picks from the 2006 draft are even on the roster.

The question remains as to who will assume the #2 role behind Philip Rivers - will it be Charlie Whitehurst or Billy Volek. Volek has the experience but Charlie has shown throughout the offseason and even during the regular season (he scored a touchdown last week against the Titans) that he has a firm grasp of the offense and has the mental makeup and physical tools that the coaches have raved about. Personally, I believe that unless Whitehurst losses outright in competition, he should remain the #2 starter - regardless of his lack of experience at the NFL level.

All off-season long, we heard about how the Chargers defensive backfield and offensive line were going to be huge question marks in 2006. Those question marks have since turned into exclamation points, and in a good way.

AJ Smith and the Chargers front office went out this off-season and acquired a quietly stellar player in Marlon McCree, a veteran safety who is known for contributing everywhere he has played. He is a smart guy who has an excellent understanding of the game, and has really assumed a leadership role on the team.

Come draft time the Chargers leaped on the chance to get Antonio Cromartie 19th overall, a player who many feel was the most athletically gifted cornerback since Deion Sanders.

The team also resigned Quentin Jammer long-term, and hope that he and Drayton Florence can continue to progress into physical cover corners. Terrence Kiel, the safety opposite McCree, has become fully healthy and brings a great physical play to the strong safety position in Wade Philips 3-4 defense.

All of the sudden, the secondary is much improved with a few key acquisitions and progressive improvement among the veterans.

Two games into the season and the Chargers possess one of the stingiest defensive backfields in the league. Jammer has an interception (his big knock against him, low INT totals) and the unit as a whole has many broken up passes, due mainly to some heavy hitting. If anything, they could continue to work on improving their hands, because some potential INTs have been dropped. Overall, the unit that used to play timidly and afraid to make a mistake is now flying around aggressively and eager to make a play.

As for the offensive line in San Diego, they have kept Rivers from being sacked and paved the way for an offense that has averaged 217.5 yards a game rushing and has totaled 5 rushing touchdowns.

Marcus McNeil, the Chargers rookie starting Left Tackle, has been tremendous. He was an absolute steal in the second round...Marcus had a first round grade during college but teams were scared away by a permanent back condition that he has. Regardless, it has not slowed him down and McNeil may very well have the best year of any rookie lineman. He plays with great confidence and the NFL does not seem to be overwhelming him in the least bit. He absolutely negates pass rushers and has great speed getting downfield in run blocks. The Chargers exploit his abilities well...LT may have found a new best friend.

Center Nick Hardwick took it upon himself to gain weight during the off-season and comes into this year 25lbs heaver. He was resigned long-term along with Right Tackle Shane Olivea. Both players were starters as rookies in 2004 and will continue to improve. Thus far, the unit as a whole has been impressive and has dominated the line of scrimmage - allowing Philip Rivers time to find receivers and the running game to consistently function at a high level.

Looking for problems in the offensive line or defensive backfield? You won't find them in San Diego.

At a Tuesday press-conference, Shawne Merriman said he wasn't fully satisfied with his play:

"You look at little things and think you could do a lot better. There was one time where I got up the field too far. I got called offsides on another. I have to correct those things."

After one game, Shawne Merriman is already tied for the league lead in sacks...he has three, along with six tackles. If he stays at this pace, he will end up with a whopping 48 sacks and 96 tackles! OK, kinda silly to project his numbers after just one game. But the guy is scary good and the defense around him is also very good.

Last week Derrick Burgess of the Raiders (2005 NFL sack leader) called Merriman

"the most dominant player I've seen since I've been in the league. He's exceptional. It takes a special player to be that big and fast and to have that mentality as a rookie."

Honestly, if he approaches 20 sacks this year and helps lead the Chargers to a playoff berth, Merriman could be a serious candidate for NFL MVP. He is as good at what he does as any player in the league. He certainly has the star power, has the drive to be the best, and could become the next face of the NFL. The Chargers are becoming a trendy team, as well they should be. They have elite players on all sides of the ball and the best uniforms in the NFL.

The last defensive player to win the NFL MVP award? Lawrence Taylor, 20 years ago. The original LT is the player Merriman is most often compared to. Taylor was also the defensive rookie of the year, and was the most dominant player at his position for years. I think Merriman has a legit shot, and frankly, its about time that the award went to someone other than a Quarterback or Running back.

Merriman's next victim? Kerry Collins. Titans Coach Jeff Fisher probably feels more comfortable about throwing the thirty-something year old to the wolves, rather than risking the health of Vince 'The Franchise' Young.

After seeing what the Jets did to Collins, imagine the day Merriman and the Chargers defense will have with him - at San Diego no less. You can be sure Merriman and crew will be looking to put on a show for the hometown crowd. Do yourself and favor and watch this game (and thank your lucky stars you aren't playing QB for the Titans).

Ten wins and a wild card berth. Heck, sign me up! Like AJ Smith says, just get in the tournament.

2. * San Diego, 10-6. I really loved the defense -- until Steve Foley got shot three times after being chased by a cop Saturday night. Foley's a physical, 265-pound pass- and run-stopping fiend who was perfect in Marty Schottenheimer's heavy defense, and now we don't know if he'll play this year. Until Foley's incident, the biggest worry was whether Philip Rivers could reprise Brees' last two seasons. I'm bullish on Rivers, but he hasn't done it yet.