The San Diego Chargers have become a joke

I would like to start by apologizing, as I have been absent from contributing for much of the Chargers’ season. That is a shame, because there are quite a few talented contributors here at Bolts from the Blue and plenty of fans to interact with. That being said, what is there to say about this team that hasn’t been repeated hundreds of times over the past handful of years? Has anything changed, even from the Norv Turner era?

2013 was a successful season in San Diego, and here is why: Ken Wisenhunt. The Bolts lacked talent and depth on both sides of the ball, but phenomenal coaching and scheming built an offense that built off of their quarterback’s strengths, while making sure the opposing offense wouldn’t be able to see the field nearly as much as they’d like. That offense carried the team as far as they could possibly go, into the second round of the playoffs.

2014 was off to a strong 5-1 start, carried by Philip Rivers. A mid-season losing streak was followed by ups and downs that eventually led to the Chargers having the chance to get in the playoffs with one more win. If the Bolts could beat the Chiefs, with no chance of reaching the postseason and playing with their backup QB, then they get into "the tournament". They scored 7 points in that game.

So here we are, just over halfway through the third season of the Tom Telesco/Mike McCoy era. Remember that 5-1 start last year? San Diego is 6-13 since then. Over twice as many losses as wins. The Chargers have done it all this season. They have blown games late they should have won. They have come out flat and unprepared in every single game. They fail to make adjustments in-game until the game is essentially out of hand. Yes, the injuries have been horrible. If that is the case, why do you continue to try all of the same things? If you are playing with your 3rd string left guard and 2nd string center, why do you keep trying to run the ball up the middle with your rookie running back?

The Patriots’ injuries to the offensive line are just as bad, if not worse. On Sunday, they were forced to have a tight end play some snaps at right tackle. So what did they do? Put two more tight ends next to him to give him help.

That is only the game planning, we haven’t even touched on the head coach’s horrendous decision making. Now, I rarely ever yell at my TV. Turnovers and stupid decisions by players happen all of the time, with little time to react to the fast game going on around them. However, when a head coach fails to call a timeout with over a minute left in the half when your team makes a stop on 4th down because "he was confident they would go down and score after the half", I can’t help myself but let it out. There is no part of being a head coach that Mike McCoy excels at, and because of that the Chargers are the dumbest team on the field every week. Their need to stick to the original (horrible) gameplay has transitioned into arrogance. Their conservatism has transitioned into negligence. After many missed tackles and poorly-timed penalties, the Chargers find themselves associated with the Browns and Jaguars more than the Patriots or the Broncos.

I don’t mean to insist that Tom Telesco has zero responsibility for the team falling apart, because he has certainly had some misses. However, this team has more talent than the one that went to the playoffs in 2013. No team led by Philip Rivers should be 2-7. Ever.

So again, I apologize, for such a dark piece of work, and enjoy a week without having to watch the Chargers. No matter what happens, don’t let the team convince you that keeping coach McCoy around for another year is a good idea.