San Diego Chargers Daily Links: Can Bolts overcome awful tackling?

Tips, Trends, and Taeks for Every NFL Team (AFC/NFC West) - Brian Malone
Antonio Gates is still a force in the red zone. He got 19 percent of the Chargers’ inside-the-10 targets in 2015, and Philip Rivers is going to force feed him until he gets eight scores. And recent acquisition James Jones has gotten at least 20 percent of his team’s inside-the-10 targets three of the last four seasons. But if Allen can get back up to 15 percent of these targets, it’ll make up for some of the projected loss in team pass attempts. Of course, it would also help if the Chargers made it to the opponent’s 10 yard line every once in a while. Their 43 plays from the opponent’s 10 or closer was second fewest in the league in 2015. The league average was 65.

Melvin Gordon is on the Rise - Scott Smith (audio)
On the show, Jeremy and Scott discuss the impact of the Stevie Johnson injury and how Melvin Gordon is going to be needed to pick it up this year, what to expect from Ameer Abdullah and the Detroit Lions backfield, and whether or not you can look to late round picks like Bruce Ellington and Jace Amaro in drafts this year.

Daily Focus: Titans RBs dominate San Diego defense - John Kosko
Either the Chargers’ run defense is really bad or the Titans’ rushing attack is really good. It’s mostly the former, as the San Diego run defense graded as the worst in the NFL in 2015 with only rookie Denzel Perryman and Jerry Attaochu grading well against run. The Chargers drafted Bosa to help fix the problem but with the team and Bosa in a contract stalemate, their solution is sidelined.

Poor tackling plagues Chargers' defense - Eric Williams
That starts at practice. It’s something I wrote about in watching training camp the past three years and San Diego head coach Mike McCoy’s philosophy on hitting in practice. The Chargers have had some of the most physical practices I’ve seen during the McCoy era this season, but I still don’t think they play at the same tempo defensive players will see on game days. I don’t believe McCoy allows enough full-speed hitting in team drills due to safety and injury concerns.

NFL agent: The effect of Bosa situation is "irreversible" - Annie Heilbrunn
"The problem is that other players should not be saying anything [about Bosa's situation]. What's going to happen when [Bosa] gets there? There's going to be a little resentment, that's for sure ... There is a line being drawn in the sand, and that could be damaging. It seems that what they're doing is backing him into a corner. Bosa will probably blink first, but the effect is irreversible."