Is Making San Diego Throw the Jets? Best Path to a Victory? By GEORGE BRETHERTON ?This is one of the top pass offenses?. the No. 1 pass offense and we?re No. 1 against the pass. Something?s gotta give and I think our guys are looking forward to the test.? ? The Jets? defensive coordinator, Mike Pettine It might seem ridiculous to think that the secret to beating the Chargers would be for the Jets to try to keep the ball in Philip Rivers?s hands. After all, Rivers has led San Diego (13-3) to 11 consecutive victories and he was selected to the Pro Bowl for the second time. But before you dismiss it, consider the statistics from the only four games San Diego has lost since last January: ? In two games against the Steelers, Rivers threw for 562 yards and 6 touchdowns (with 1 INT). ? Against the Ravens earlier this season, Rivers threw for 436 yards and 2 TDs (with 2 INTs). ? Against Denver on Oct. 19, he passed for 274 yards and a TD, without an INT. A common theme from the games, other than Rivers excelling statistically, was that San Diego?s running game was shut down. The Chargers averaged 39.3 rushing yards a game on only 2.6 yards a carry in the losses. The Steelers? defense was the stingiest, holding San Diego to 31 rushing yards on 19 carries in their two games. During his news conference Thursday, Rex Ryan implied that there was a book for how to play defense against Rivers and the Chargers: ?You?ll reach out to your buddies that you?ve made throughout the years. If they have certain insight, you will take it in and use what you think. We may get a ton of information from somebody, use none of it or use a lot more of it than maybe you would think.? One of the more impressive achievements by the Steelers in their 34-24 playoff victory over the Chargers last January was that San Diego had plenty of time to establish its running game. The week before in a wild-card victory over the Colts, Darren Sproles had rushed for 105 yards and 2 TDs. Against Pittsburgh, Rivers got San Diego out to a 7-0 lead less than two minutes into the game on a 41-yard TD pass to Vincent Jackson. The Chargers either had the lead or the score was tied for almost the entire first half. But Sproles?s halftime total of 15 yards on 11 carries was also his final number. Pittsburgh led, 14-10, at halftime and took a 21-10 lead on its opening drive of the second half. Although Sproles was still a weapon as a receiver out of the backfield, Pittsburgh succeeded in making San Diego a one-dimensional passing team the rest of the game. The Chargers didn?t have another rushing attempt. In Baltimore?s 31-26 victory over the Chargers, the Ravens also dug an early hole when Sproles took a short pass from Rivers and turned it into an 81-yard touchdown, giving the Chargers a 7-0 lead. But scoring early didn?t lead to San Diego?s establishing its running game. The Chargers finished the half trailing, 21-16, while producing only 28 rushing yards on 11 carries. San Diego finished the game with only 53 yards rushing on 21 attempts. The only game among the four losses where San Diego didn?t take the early lead was this season?s game at Pittsburgh, when the Steelers jumped out, 28-0, and effectively put the Chargers? running game on the shelf. Pittsburgh survived San Diego?s late rally to win, 38-28. Would the Jets be wise to try a similar plan of taking away the Chargers? running game and putting their season in the hands of Darrelle Revis and the Jets? top-ranked passing defense?
Chargers WR's are too tall to be contained. why are the Chargers even in the playoffs lets just crown their asses and be done with the season
Every time I hear about their tall receivers I picture when my kids were about 5 or 6 years trying to jump up 3 feet to try and get a ball out of my hands and never quite getting there. That is what it is going to be like on Sunday. They are just too tall.
Every QB the Jets have shut down this season was shut down for the same reason: pressure on the QB threw them off their stride and their accuracy suffered as a result. Tall receivers don't mean anything (Randy Moss is 6'4", Marques Colston is 6"4", Kellen Winslow is 6'4", Tony Gonzalez is 6'5") if the QB is having an off-day under pressure. This is what the Jets excelled at this year in having one of the best years against the pass on record.
Impossible, the Jets are 18th in sacks. Rivers is the greatest when facing pressure. And they have tall receivers.
one of the many god awful "fan" discussions on nfl.com mentioned something about the tall recievers, and it had me wondering. now before i go into it, i realize i'm about to actually raise a discussion about a "fan" comment on nfl.com... so please forgive me. having said that, this person - clearly a jet fan- mentioned that height isn't really prevalent unless a- its a corner route in the redzone/ rainbow ball or b- the qb has all time to pick and throw. and bc of how the jets pressure, it shouldn't come into play. now part of me thinks that this has some merit, part thinks this is homerism.... what's the take here at TGG? i realize the height comments in this thread are in jest, but is it really a worthless point? (i know revis has shut down 6-4 recievers a number of times this season - buy that be revis yo! ).
Dude, you don't Read Kissing Suzy Kolber... Full story here... http://kissingsuzykolber.uproxx.com/2010/01/coach-ryan-gets-an-unwelcome-visitor.html
