Chargers charged by Raiders runs
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LT says all fancy running will be done by him, not the Raiders
LT is the greatest!
But not this year. At least so far. And now the Raiders are in town.
Marty ball is gone from the Chargers and Norv Turner has brought in a more complex system that everyone is still adapting to and trying to make work.
And if there is one Charger that has to have mixed emotions about this upcoming Raider game that would be Coach Norv Turner. He used to be the coach of the Raiders.
The Raiders lead the all-time series, 54-38-2, but the Chargers have won the last seven games, including four when their new coach, Norv Turner, was the coach of the Raiders (2004-05). source
Now Norv Turner has the powerful San Diego Chargers at his beck and call. The Chargers represent some of the best talent in the NFL and that in itself puts an immense pressure on Coach Turner to win.
The Chargers have a losing record and are playing the lowly Raiders and yet this contest is for first in the AFC West Division.
Would you believe first place in the AFC West? The Raiders are on top of the division at 2-2, with the Chargers right behind them. The Chargers also need to prove that last week’s victory over Denver was not a fluke.
In a turnabout is fair play move, the Oakland Raiders are the team in this match up featuring the run.
It seems obvious. Running is what the Raiders do under new head coach Lane Kiffin and new offensive coordinator Greg Knapp.
A revamped offensive line employs a simple and effective zone blocking scheme identical to that of the Denver Broncos and Atlanta Falcons (from whom Knapp came) and has ignited the Oakland running game.
The Raiders are running the ball an average of 37 times a game, tied with Tennessee for most in the NFL. And they are doing it well, leading the league with an average of 5.3 yards a rush.
source
Chargers defense Raiders offense
——————————————————————————–
92.8 (10) Rushing yds / game 194.3 (1)
——————————————————————————–
247.2 (27) Passing yds / game 154 (29)
——————————————————————————–
23.8 (26) Rushes / game 37 (T1)
——————————————————————————–
32.8 (15) Passes / game 23.75 (32)
source Kevin Acee
So while most of us are just getting used to LT running less, maybe it is time for us to get used to Lane Kiffen’s Raiders to run more.
Shawne Merriman is a little upset with fans thinking the Raiders will be successful with the run.
“Pack a lunch,” linebacker Shawne Merriman said through a smirk. “You want to come to work, pack a lunch. If that’s what they plan on doing, we’re ready. Let’s put up their strong, physical guys, put up our strong, physical guys, and let’s bang some heads.”
See, no one runs against the Chargers. Moreover, teams hardly even try.
Most teams have adopted the style of passing to try and defeat the San Diego Chargers and it has become known as the way to play the Chargers, but the Raiders will only know their way and that is to run. The Chargers seem to be looking forward to the challenge.
Only seven teams have faced fewer rushes per game than the Chargers this season. Since 2004, no team has faced fewer rushes than the Chargers – an average of 23.5 a game. And since the start of ‘04, only Pittsburgh has allowed fewer rushing yards per game than the 89.3 average the Chargers have surrendered over the past 53 games.
“With them being ranked No. 1,” linebacker Matt Wilhelm said, “we take it personally that we stop the run first and force teams to beat us with the throw.”
The unstoppable run against the unmovable defense? Well, not quite, but both teams seem to believe in what they do best.
The Chargers LT will charge and the Kiffen Raiders will run!
NFL Football Fan Question How can this game be for first place?
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POSTED IN: LaDainian Tomlinson, NFL Football, Oakland Raiders, Philip Rivers, San Diego Chargers
1 opinion for Chargers charged by Raiders runs
Games » Chargers charged by Raiders runs
Oct 13, 2007 at 10:46 am
unknown wrote an interesting post today onHere’s a quick excerptNFL Football Fan Question How can this game be for first place? Be sure to check out my companion blog at NBA Obsessed. As always, any NFL Football related comments are welcome. More blogs about football. Technorati Blog Finder … …
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