Professor Nicks Issues Progress Report

We all used to dread the days when we were back in school, or still do, when in the middle of a term we would have progress reports sent home. While they use to be harsh they used to be fair as well. A piece of paper would determine whether you would be dessert worthy or without TV for a week. Halfway through the season it is time with the Chargers halfway through their schedule for them to be graded.

Special Teams- While we haven’t been able to finish drives and the whole Nate Kaeding situation we have recovered nicely. As Eddie Royal and Richard Goodman being injured has proven to be costly.Due to Eric Weddle’s floppy hands San Diego needs to figure out a fix for punt returns. Goodman was what his name says, good. The kickoff team has been looking spotty and the Punt return team looks solid.

Grade: C

Offense- The offense hasn’t been on the same page all year. The offensive line has been atrocious. The Wide Receivers have been on downward spiral. The halfbacks have been hit or miss. Gates hasn’t been himself. It seems as if the list goes on and on. The reality of it all? They haven’t been able to finish drives and put up points. Turnovers have been a problem too, for some reason Mathews can’t hold onto the ball and Rivers doesn’t have enough time to make a wise decision. It seems the only game where the offense clicked was against the Titans. The Bolts really haven’t found a way to make Meachem a threat. Eddie Royal has proven that when healthy he can be of help to the unit. They rank 25th in offense which is very uncharacteristic of a Norv Turner team. It’s hard to grade an offense when you haven’t really seen the full potential of the talent that they posses.

Grade: D+

Defense- The Chargers defense has really come out swinging. Donald Butler has improved a GREAT deal over the off season and it has showed greatly. The secondary proves to be average with Cason and Jammer manning the corners. Jammer has been getting older but has shown to be sustaining his talents. Cason needs to play a better zone coverage, he seems to keep getting lost in the midst of everything. Weddle and Bigby couldn’t be doing a better job at the Safety positions. Bigby has picked up quickly on the what San Diego is trying to do and proves to be a vital part. I only recall one play in recent memory where Bigby left Jammer alone and it back fired. The defense has been creating turnovers and putting points up which has proven to be a big help while the offense has its struggles. The defense has been really good overall though and fans couldn’t ask for much more. They are slamming the door on the run all year and controlling the pass to a point where it can give the offense its chances. The pass rush has been decent and the only thing they can improve on is getting to the quarterback. It seems most plays they can disrupt the quarterback but not reach him. They need to be a little faster.

Grade: B+

Overall Grade: B-

The 4-4 San Diego Chargers have proven to be a playoff caliber team. You still have to feel though that we haven’t seen what they can actually be capable off though. They need to step it up a notch to get in playoffs this year. With all the drama going on they need to put everything aside and realize one thing, winning cures everything. Can you see the Bolts in the playoffs? With the schedule getting a little tougher Baltimore, Pittsburgh, Denver, even Tampa Bay who is fighting for a spot in the playoffs, it’s hard to say if they keep playing the way they are that they will make playoffs. So with the mid season prediction the Bolts go 9-7 and miss playoffs due to losing the tie breaker to the Steelers. No one has really stepped out in the AFC, stuff is pretty jumbled still. So there is a lot of room to be wrong.

Bolt Pride!

-Joey Nicks