Restoring the Blue and Gold: Keys to a successful 2011

1. Norv isn’t going anywhere. Though I may kill myself due to this idea, safe to say it’s done. What this means is that like you said Najib, there needs to be more leadership and tenacity on the field. El Capitan can handle that on the O, Ron Rivera himself is doing a great job with the D (with some caveats…more on that later), but who is the leader on special teams? It used to be our favorite window-jumper Kassim Osgood, but now it’s nobody. Possibly someone needs to be brought in or drafted in the later rounds as a primary ST guy to help out in this area. It was tough having the #1 offense and defense, and to keep losing games because of special teams. That needs to stop with a long-term solution, not a band-aid by using starters on ST.

2. Wide receiver. I think(?) it’s safe to say that the franchise tag will be put on Vincent Jackson. Again though, AJ won’t pay him crazy money for his contract so next year will probably be his last. I agree with some posters on here that a #1 WR should be drafted in the first round to compensate for the future loss of Jackson and as a bullwark against injuries in the receiving corps, which so decimated us this year. Someone like a Michael Floyd, perhaps.

3. Depth. I touched on this with the receivers already, but defensive depth is a good thing. I think the majority of the rest of the 2011 draft should be going toward finding more depth in the defense. We have guys playing really well, but again the injuries and the backups sometimes are really suspect. Sometimes guys just get tired. We could use some help against that (and in special teams, where a lot of these guys would also be going), especially in the area in the pass rush. Another dynamic pass rusher, possibly in the second round, would do a lot of good.

Of course there may just not be a 2011 season, but let’s assume for the best. =) It should be a great year.

Everything you said was right on the money

I don’t think this team is mentally tough enough to go into New England or Pittsburgh and win a football game outdoors, in snow/wind/sub-40 temperatures in January. If there’s football in 2011, I expect this football team in the AFC Championship Game. Winning or losing that football game determines a successful season or not.
I don’t think they can get it done.

TO HAVE A SUCCESSFUL SEASON I THINK THAT THERE HAS TO BE 2 KEY CHANGES WITH THE TEAM AND ORGANIZATION:
KEY #1- I THINK THAT MANAGEMENT NEEDS TO MAKE THE PLAYERS WANT TO BE “CHARGERS” AS WE FANS HAVE WITINESSED IN THE RECENT PAST IS THAT MANAGEMENT HAS NOT MADE CERTAIN PLAYERS FEEL WELCOME OR NEEDED, THE 2010 SEASON WAS A PERFECT EXAMPLE OF THIS ATROSITY. HAD MANAGEMENT LET KEY PLAYERS KNOW THAT WERE THEY NOT ONLY WANTED , BUT NEEDED MAYBE WE WOULD NOT BE SITTING AT HOME AFTER THIS SUNDAY. I TRULY BELIEVE THAT HAD MANAGEMENT ENSURED THESE PLAYERS THAT DUE TO THE UNCERTAINTY OF 2011 SEASON LONG TERM SIGNINGS WOULD COME AT A TIME WHEN THINGS WERE CLEARER INSTEAD OF PLAYING HARD BALL WITH THEM AND MAKING IT SEEM AS THOUGH THEY WERE EXSPENDABLE, THE SEASON WOULD HAVE TURNED OUT DIFFERENT.
KEY #2- WE HAVE FOR THE PAST 5/6 YEARS HAD ONE OF THE NFL’S BEST TEAMS. BUT , WHAT WE HAVENT HAD SINCE 2006 IS AN IDENTITY. WE LACK NE’S UNITY, THE COLTS COURAGE/BELIEF, THE STEELERS RESOLVE, THE JETS BRAVDO/SWAG. I DO BELIEVE THAT IF THE PLAYERS HAD A FEELING OF SECURITY AND WERENT WORRIED ABOUT HOW AND WHEN THEY WERE EXSPENDIBLE THE TEAM WOULD AQUIRE SOME OF THE AFOREMENTIONED TRAITS. REMEMBER BACK TO 2006 WHEN CONTRACTS WERENT A WORRY AND PLAYERS WERE SIGNED, THE TEAM HAD A SWAG AND A IDENTITY ON BOTH OFFENSE AND DEFENSE, IT SEEMS WITH THAT SELFISH FUMBLE IN THE NE GAME WE LOST MORE THAN THE GAME, WE HAVENT BEEN THE SAME SINCE.
2011 WILL ONLY BE A SUCCESS IF MANAGEMENT WORKS WITH THE PLAYERS THAT ARE KEYS TO SUCCESS ie SPROLES, JACKSON, CRIEGHTON ETC… TALK TO THEM AND LET THEM KNOW IT ISNT ALL ABOUT THE MONEY AND BUSINESS, IF YOU DONT HAVE THE MONEY COMPROMISE , JUST LET THE PLAYERS KNOW THEY ARE NEEDED AND WE WANT YOU HERE. THE PLAYERS MUST STEP UP AND SHOW THE REST OF THE NFL PLAYERS THAT THEY ARE NOT ONLY GOOD AT WHAT THEY DO BUT THAT THEY HAVE A TOUGH ATTITUDE TO GO ALONG WITH THE TALENT. 2011 CAN MEAN THE RETURN OF DOMINANCE FOR OUR TEAM AND FANS IF WE ALL SHOW THAT WE WANT IT AS BAD AS THE OTHER ELITE FANS AND TEAMS IN THE NFL.
FOOTNOTE: IT WAS A SAD DAY TO SIT HERE IN DC AND SEE MORE RAIDER FANS IN THE STADIUM THAN CHARGER FANS IN THAT SECOND AND CRUCIAL MEETING, A GAME THAT I THINK WE WOULD HAVE WON (AND PROBABLY BE IN THE PLAYOFFS) WITH MORE FAN SUPPORT. WE HAVE A JOB TO DO ALSO, SUPPORT IS HUGE, WE NEED TO LET OUR TEAM KNOW WE CARE…….GO BOLTS 2011!!!!

                                                                                     BOLT1CHARGER