October 15, 2012; San Diego, CA, USA; San Diego Chargers linebacker Takeo Spikes (51) yells with his team in a huddle before the game against the Denver Broncos at Qualcomm Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Christopher Hanewinckel-US PRESSWIRE

Now that we have reached the halfway point of the 2012 season, I feel that it would be a good time to take a quick look at how the Chargers stack up statistically with the rest of the NFL.

Ernie Padaon, editorial director for BoltBeat, wrote an article a little while back about how the Chargers have switched to a defensive driven squad as opposed to the offensive machine that they had been in recent years.  He was absolutely on point with that assertion.

Although the Chargers have flashed some offensive prowess this season, the defense has stepped up and done a great job at keeping this team in games. 

Despite a poor showing against the Falcons and a second half collapse against the Broncos, the defense has held it’s own for most of the season.  Allowing the Saints to score 17 points in the second half of that game obviously didn’t help either.

The Bolts’ D only gave up 7 points to the Cleveland Browns on the road.  Unfortunately the offense could only muster two field goals in week 8. 

Although the Chargers’ pass rush has been missing in action for most of the year, there haven’t been too many categories in which the Chargers aren’t posting strong numbers.  In addition to a poor pass rush, the team has had trouble getting off the field on third down.  Both of these stats were areas that the Chargers struggled in last year as well.

Below I will be listing where the Chargers rank in relation to the rest of the NFL.  After a defense heavy draft and a few key defensive free agent acquisitions, the Bolts were expected to be better on defense.  Overall they have improved quite a bit.

Feel free to leave some comments at the bottom about what you like and what you do not like about the Chargers’ 2012 defense.  I have a feeling that the cornerbacks might come up in those conversations.

Total Defensive yards allowed-  9th   Giving up 321.8 yds/gm

Passing yards allowed-  18th 237.8 yds/gm

Rushing yards allowed-  4th  84.0 yds/gm

Points allowed per gm-  8th   19.6 yds/gm

Sacks-  26th  13 total sacks

3rd down percentage allowed- 21st   41% of 3rd downs have been converted

Plays of 2o yards or more allowed-  21

Plays of 40 yards or more-  5

Forced Fumbles-  11

Fumbles Recovered-  9  ( 1 recovered for a touchdown )

Interceptions-  8  ( 3 returned for touchdowns )

The Chargers have a strong, youthful nucleus on defense.  Having players like Butler, Liuget, Martin, Ingram, Reyes, Wright, Gilchrist, Stuckey, Thomas etc, lead me to believe that this defense will only continue to get better.  We have yet to see much of second year player Jonas Mouton or rookie Brandon Taylor. 

Couple our youth with the veterans that we currently have on the roster, and there’s no reason to believe that the defense will keep getting better.  We do have issues at the cornerback spots with both Jammer and Cason being in contract years.  Shaun Phillips is also currently in the last year of his contract. 

My feeling is that we will stick with the most of the linebackers that we have but we’ll definitely be pursuing some help at corner in both the draft and free agency in 2013.

Having said that, we have only reached the midway point of 2012.  Forgive me for getting ahead of myself.

Thanks a lot for reading.

BoltUp!!!

BoogaP

May 11, 2012; San Diego, CA, USA; San Diego Chargers defensive coordinator John Pagano (left) and linebacker Melvin Ingram (54) at rookie minicamp at Chargers Park. Mandatory Credit: Kirby Lee/Image of Sport-US PRESSWIRE

Look back at the last few Chargers defensive coordinators: Greg Manusky was a mess! Ron Rivera became a head coach for the Carolina Panthers. Ted Cottrell, TERRIBLE! Wade Phillips was a stud and became the Dallas Head Coach. Now it is John Pagano’s turn to take over the defense.

After last season, the Chargers defense needed to make changes. The changes started at the top with the defensive coordinator and then trickled down to the rest of the roster. We added Jarett Johnson, Melvin Ingram, Kendall Reyes and Atari Bigby to contribute on the defense. Corey Liuget, Marcus Gilchrist, and Donald Butler have one year of experience under their belts. The fans hold an expectation for change. The roster has talent and it will be up to Pagano to put the pieces together.

Norv Turner knows how to put up points with Philip Rivers and company on offense. The defense needs to create more opportunities. The defense needs to make stops and it needs to cause turnovers. Slow down the opposing offense and it should lead to a lot of wins.

Pagano takes over a defense with both Coach Turner and GM AJ Smith under heavy fire. If the defense fails, heads will be rolling.

Chargers 1st Round Pick Melvin Ingram

It’s that time of the year; fans like myself are anxiously awaiting the beginning of another football season. Our San Diego Chargers have had the talent to compete for numerous Lombardi trophies yet continue to disappoint us. Dating back to the LaDainian Tomlinson days where we weren’t able to get over the AFC championship hump, in recent years the bolts have failed to even make the playoffs. One consistent problem holding San Diego back is…DEFENSE!

In free agency and throughout the NFL draft the Chargers have made significant strides to improve upon their mediocre defense. The Bolts signed veteran linebacker Jarret Johnson, re-signed Luis Castillo (for relatively cheap) while also spending their first three draft picks on the defensive side of the ball.

Chargers first round pick Melvin Ingram, linebacker out of South Carolina, will make an immediate impact on this defense. Ingram provides San Diego with an elite pass rusher. The Chargers haven’t had such an intimidating defensive player since Sean Lights Out Merriman. The key problem defensively is their inability to get after opposing quarterbacks. In the 2011 season, San Diego ranked 24th in the NFL in sacks with 32. Ingram instantly adds at least six to ten sacks.

Ingram’s potential impact can’t be measured solely by his 2012 sack numbers. His aggressive mentality and relentless approach will be a nightmare for opposing offensives, while helping improve San Diego’s secondary. Cornerback Quenitn Jammer is getting older yet is still pretty effective, but his job and Antoine Cason’s will no longer be as tough.

The reigning super bowl champions, the New York Giants, had a way worse secondary than the Chargers currently have. Yet the Giants were able to mask that deficiency with the best pass rush in the NFL. I’m not saying the Bolts will now have a top pass rush in the NFL, but am saying their pass rush is improved and will be a big reason for their return to the playoffs.

However, the Chargers improvement defensively goes beyond Melvin Ingram. Jarett Johnson has been a staple of the haunted Baltimore Ravens defense and now sports powder blue. Connecticut defensive tackle Kendall Reyes was regarded as one of the best defensive line prospects heading into the draft, and now sports powder blue. Not to mention the continued development of the players on roster.

Philip Rivers and the offense will be very effective despite the departure of free agent wide receiver Vincent Jackson. Therefore, if the Chargers DEFENSE lives up to my expectations, there’s no reason why they wont make the playoffs and have a legitimate shot to give the Denver Broncos a serious run for the AFC West crown.