Degrees of Crazy in America's Finest City

After the first drive against the Titans on Christmas night ended on a failed 3rd down conversion attempt, Philip Rivers trotted off the field where he and Norv Turner began to discuss what went wrong. I vividly recall thinking to myself: wow, that's the most heated I've seen Philip and Norv.

Fast forward to yesterday's press conference where Norv addressed the incident. Kevin Acee tweeted one quote and I thought it was one of the funniest lines ever dropped by Norv. In fact I think it's the funniest thing Norv will EVER say. Norv Turner on he and Philip Rivers talking animatedly on the sideline:

"I'm half crazy, and he's full crazy."

Love it.

Vencie Says: 'The Man' keeps it short this week because he has Gravitas!

Vencie: "I'm just gonna go like this (see picture) for the Chargers' defense. That's all I can say. I love it. Beautiful"

This edition of Vencie Says, is late, to say the least. I'm still basking in a solid road victory against Dallas and I'm sure Vencie is as well......he didn't eviscerate anyone on Sunday Night Football in San Diego and that is a sure sign of Charger progress.

Because of the overflow of positivity, just the one quote this week----and it is a telling one when you consider how hard nose of a player, Vencie Glenn was during his day. Vencie was set up by Jim Laslavic with the following question:

Laz:"Final thoughts as the Chargers get ready to play the Bengals. Who would've thought that this would be such a big game...."

Vencie: "I'm just gonna go like this (see picture) for the Chargers' defense. That's all I can say. I love it. Beautiful"
(so good--you get it twice)
Through the first fourteen weeks of the season, two constants have drawn the ire of Vencie Glenn:

1. Norv Turner. Both his leadership and play calling were under fire.
   
2. Defense. Weather it was the soft play of Antonio Cromartie or the overall lack of accountability by the defense to man up, make a stop, and get off the field, Vencie Glenn routinely destroyed the unit.

Well, Norv has started calling a much more dynamic game during the last eight weeks and the result has been a Charger team playing with a lead. This effect has been profound. The Defense now knows that it can bend and if it keeps from breaking it will be trading opposition FGs for Charger TDs. The defense bends but gets stout in the red zone. This stinginess has been personified by goal line stands against the vaunted Giants, Eagles, and Cowboys of the NFC East. In all three match ups the Chargers have either held on 4th down or forced the opposition to kick a FG so it is the defense which should be given credit for playing tough D and contributing mightily to the current 8 game win streak. It isn't always pretty.......but they're getting the job done.

It should also be noted that Antonio Cromartie is playing a nice corner these days. Well hell.....we even saw the young fella playing press coverage at the line and getting his hands all over Roy Williams last Sunday. Keep up the solid coverage and mix in a few tackles and we might send you a Christmas card, Cro'. Good on ya.

So it is with that one quote that we bring this segment to an end. Part of the reason that this website sponsors former Charger Vencie Glenn is because he says the things we are thinking with a few crucial differences: the man has GRAVITAS!

• He's an old school defender// HEED HIS VOICE!
  
• He has a forum that allows his critical voice to be heard en mass.
  
• Now you now why we 'heart' Vencie Glenn and why we'll ask you to look at his comment again:

"I'm just gonna go like this (see picture) for the Chargers' defense. That's all I can say. I love it. Beautiful"

Week 3 Victory: Upon Further Digestion....

Upon further digestion, I've de-deuced that I'm just a giant crybaby. A WIN......IS A WIN! If I continue to watch the Chargers each week and then gripe over how they win games then I'll be as miserable as a Lion fan c. 2008 (or would it be c. 1929-2009?). Are there things I'd like to see the Chargers do better? Sure.

Like anyone else, I'd love to see red zone efficiency. I don't blame the players so much for the inefficiencies but instead look at the FG attempts as a function of the play calling. We often hear how inside the twenty yard line the field becomes shorter and consequently a more difficult area to score. Well I have news for Norv....when you choose to run a 5 foot nothing, 100 pound nothing in to the line on every 1st down, that Red Zone GETS EVEN SMALLER!!!!! Utilize our receivers height. On first down throw a jump ball to one of the giants and get the touchdown via an alley-oop. Jump Ball. Seriously. Run the picket fence at 'em.

The play calling is really my only complaint. We have tons of injuries and guys are stepping up to the challenge. We can't control the injuries and it'll probably be after the bye week before we see LT and Merriman. But we can control the inventiveness and the overall strategy with which we attack. We can control the health of Phillip by having him take shorter drops and hitting the big fellas with shorter passes. Fifty yard bombs are fun but so are underneath routes that allow receivers to accumulate YAC. Those sorts of plays also control the clock because of their high completion percentage. Of course, what the hell do I know?

2-1 and traveling to Steel Town makes me happier than 1-2. Troy Polamalu's absence shows just how important he is to that Steeler defense and so that gives me hope that we can sneak into the bye week above .500.

One last thing.....I wish I had video of a particular play from the first half of the Charger/Phin game. I think Ronnie Brown or Rickie Williams caught a ball coming out of the backfield and proceeded to run across to Antonio Cromartie's side of the field. Cro' sized him up, 'broke down', lunged for the tackle......and absolutely WHIFFED! Cro' caught nothing but air. Luckily, Kevin Burnett was in hot pursuit and caught the Dolphin from behind a split second later. Antonio Cromartie's tackling efforts are akin to the SNL Mother Lover Video........extraordinarily-crap yourself-funny.

The Ray Lewis Take on Norv's Play Calling

I still haven't seen the game so I don't know if I'm qualified to comment on whether or not Norv is as big a moron as he's being portrayed.......but........why don't we all listen to the Ravens' Ray Lewis and then make our judgement (click the third video option):

Hmmm....

More from the Baltimore Sun:

.....None of the Ravens' stands was more dramatic than the last. On first down from the Ravens' 23, the Chargers (1-1) took their shot at the end zone, but Ravens cornerback Frank Walker (who replaced an injured Fabian Washington) broke up the pass to receiver Legedu Naanee.

Three plays later, on fourth-and-2, Lewis said he knew what play was coming as soon as quarterback Philip Rivers dropped the ball down to hand it off. Calling it a risk, he slashed through the middle of the offensive line unblocked and pounced on Sproles to essentially end the game.

Some players acknowledged that they were shocked at the Chargers' play call. San Diego, which had its starting center and right guard out with injuries, decided to run the ball up the middle with the game on the line.

Well allow me to retort: Hmmm.

Charger Fan In Donkey Land: Week 2 Ravens

Another nail biter, this time ending with a negative result.

However, what is one to expect when sitting with a 4th and 2 with a quarterback who is having the most productive game of his career?

I think I speak for every Bolt fan who walks the earth, when I say that handing the ball off deep in the back field was the last possible play that would have been called.

Though the game should have never come down to that play, you have to look to Norv to make a better decision in that position.

With the injuries we encountered in week 1, it is evident that we will be playing wide open over the coming weeks. The learning curve for SD's linemen will be steep and we can not afford to have another penalty stricken game like Sunday. Kicking field goals vs. touchdowns is unacceptable, specifically when you are on the 1 inch line and take a delay of game penalty. WTF was that?

We need to shore up the Defense as well, with them giving up the uncharacteristic yardage in both of the first two weeks. It looks like our Defense, as a whole, have an allergy to any quarterback we face. One sack today is unacceptable, and I would expect a minimum of 3 per game from our guys. If not that, then how about we slow the run down. Stopping it doesn't seem like a realistic expectation after the display shown during the first two weeks.

Moving forward, the confidence prevails and I feel we will take care of the Dolphins next week in our house. I am waiting for the breakout game for the Defense and watching our Chargers run up the score and play up to our potential. It was nice to get our loss out of the way for the season, and we only look up from here.

Keepin the Bolt Pride Alive.

Charger Fan in Donkey Land

Editor's Note:
I was out of town and upon return last evening I knew nothing about the game against the Ravens nor did I even know that Jamal was out for the year. As I piece together the home opening debacle from word of mouth and detail deficient UT articles I still can't explain the rumors that we kicked a FG on 3rd down as well as the decision to run .43 cent at the beastly Ray Lewis (I, however, have read that Ray Lewis wasn't at all surprised by the Chargers' play call in that situation.....something about it being predictable based on the previous week's game film. Huh...predictable?). I'm going to get to the bottom of this. Feel free to help me out as I didn't tape the game.

Chargers Post Game Press Conference

Wouldn't it be refreshing if Chargers Beat Writer, Kevin Acee, went on the warpath against Norv Turner's suspect play calling and game management? If only we were in Iraq... (actually...we are in Mess'O'Potamia aren't we?)...

Damn Chargers!!!! We may well be damned...

We're half way there to our first "One-in-a row" completed in a three part series that is doing its best to make us want to abandon this Charger team that is by all accounts damned...

Who knows who the broadcast team was during our game but they made the most salient point of the day as we approached a go ahead score late in the 4th quarter...

"This team has no business being in this game"

We still almost gave it away though we snatched victory from the jaws of defeat. Any team with Norv at the helm may well be damned...

Little Hillbilly threw a pick...Carolina 10....Denver 10....half way there. Let us return from Bizarro Charger World...

Will The Greatest Collapse Begin Today?

Today begins the run of "One-In-A-Rows" needed to get the AFC West. By all accounts the Chargers should get the victory against a young Chiefs team despite playing at Arrowhead in December. Only Norv can destroy our chances...this face below = WE'RE FUCT!

Don't fuck this up Norv!

The Donks go to Carolina to face a devastating rushing attack that dismantled Tampa Bay. Donks don't have much of a rush defense and on offense they continue to lose RBs at an alarming rate....You cannot tell me that Tatum Bell, who was selling cell phones in a FUCKING shopping mall kiosk a few weeks back, is going to be an effective back in meaningful December NFL games!

That puts it all on...The Little Hillbilly...

My arm's stronger than Elway's...yeeeehaaaaa!

We like our chances to get one step closer to Denver committing the biggest collapse in NFL history.

Belated Thoughts on Week 13

Adrian Peterson is the antithesis of a "Gaping V"...

...perhaps we shouldn't try and conjure the opposite nickname, as that which first "springs" to mind is a bit offensive, even for this locale. We'll just say, "He's a MAN...one who earns his paycheck each week, and it's good to see!"... this after having watched his Sunday night performance against the Bears.

Our "Gaping V" award will stay with Detroit Lions Safety, Daniel Bullocks, although we will award an Honorable Mention to Norv Turner...

Clarence Shelman... (Who? Exactly!)

and the Chargers Offense...

for their miserable performance against the visiting Falcons....

Additionally....

The Worst Play of the Week:

Jared Allen of the Vikings going from a more conventional mullet (and acceptable mullet if there is such a thing):

...to the god awful,

"I shaved my head but left a tuft in the back
because this is how we do it at Idaho"
Mullet

The more abbreviated label would be a Shavedskullet...we here at the Blog could not obtain an image of Allen sporting the new abomination so this reasonable facsimile from a reputable internet site will have to do...(yes, we combed the internet for this horrific picture...)

For more "affronts to humanity": Click Here.

Jared Allen beats out Plaxico Buress (amazingly) and gets our Worst Play of the Week.

Finally...

The "We Almost Got To Add Another Patriot To Our Blog Poll about Season Ending Injuries" goes to the big hit by Steeler Ryan Clark on Wes Welker last Sunday...



That hit was the perfect cap to a holiday weekend of giving thanks. Thank you Ryan Clark!