Chargers Eagles Breakdown
By Jason Owens, SDNN sports editor
| Position |  Chargers |
 Eagles |
Edge |
|---|---|---|---|
| Coach | Norv Turner continues to perplex. Maybe he’s a mastermind who’s five steps ahead of us all with brilliant schemes of lowering expectations (within games, seasons and a career) only to swoop in with a big “I told you so” when it’s all said and done. Ok. Probably not. But there is something to be said for his resilience. | Andy Reid is overrated. One of the more respected coaches in football, his teams have come up short in so many big games during his 11-year Philly tenure plagued by stubborn in-game decision making. Wasting both his challenges on long-shot ball spots and kicking a late field goal when he needed a touchdown in last week’s loss to Dallas is only the latest example. | In a matchup of two of the most maddening coaches in the NFL — for very different reasons — we’re calling it a draw. |
| QB | Add a perfect two-minute drill in a pressure-cooker, playoff atmosphere road win at one of the league’s toughest venues to the mix. Rivers (280 ypg, 14 TDs, 6 ints) does it all and is the primary reason the Chargers are now poised for a playoff run. | Donovan McNabb is Andy Reid’s partner in crime. As friend of the sports desk Eric Yates pointed out, he’s the best QB in the league in games that don’t matter. He’s a supremely talented player and sometimes huge performer, but it’s stories of puking in the Super Bowl huddle and not realizing that NFL games can end in a tie that stick with McNabb… Oh — and there’s Michael Vick! | McNabb has his moments, but Rivers is better on paper and in the huddle… Chargers |
| RB | Same old story here. Where other heavily-criticized Chargers units have shown progress of late, the run game is still a glaring weakness. LaDainian Tomlinson’s game is in stunningly rapid decline as the Chargers rank dead last in the NFL in every major rushing category. | If concussed tailback Brian Westbrook plays (he practiced on Thursday), the Eagles have a dynamic and dangerous running attack… that Reid will underutilize. The Eagles rank 26th in rushing attempts despite averaging a whopping 4.7 yards per carry. Run the ball Andy — it won’t hurt. | Even if Westbrook can’t start, rookie LeSean McCoy (4.2 ypc, 384 yards, 2 TDs) is a raw beast out of the backfield. Eagles, easy. |
| WR/TE | They dropped three — THREE! — passes in crunch time against the Giants. They’re horrrrrrible. No — wait. Those were abberations. Vincent Jackson (who caught the winning TD), Antonio Gates, Malcom Floyd and Darren Sproles, comprise an elite stable of weapons in Rivers’ arsenal. | McNabb finally has the threats that T.O was supposed to provide. Rookie Jeremy Maclin is producing handsomely (337 yards, 3 TDs) and second-year pro DeSean Jackson (20.4 yards per catch) is a bonafide badass. Meanwhile some dude named Brent Celek (486 yards, 4 TDs) is a popular red zone threat at tight end. | The Eagles are good — and a hell of a lot of fun to watch. The Chargers are better. |
| O-Line | Still can’t run block. Still no Nick Hardwick. Still showing signs of life in pass protection with an admirable effort (two sacks allowed) against the vaunted Giants front. Louis Vasquez and Scott Mruczkowski have made progress, but there’s a lot of work left to do here. How they perform against an aggressive Philly defense could be the difference. | Pro Bowl left tackle Jason Peters has played injured most of the season and hasn’t practiced this week. His health is key. They miss Shawn Andrews, who has been on IR all season. A revamped unit with great expectations has been a bit disappointing. | Both units are ailing, but Philly had more to work with from the start. |
| D-Line | The Chargers continue to get pressure, which means these guys are doing their job. Ogemdi Nwagbuo has missed practice all week with an ankle injury. Luis Castillo and Jacques Cesaire aren’t going to fill up the box score, but have been effective off the ends. | Trent Cole leads one of the league’s more intimidating units with seven sacks. These guys set the tone for D coordinator Sean McDermott’s blitz-happy scheme that’s produced 27 sacks, good for second in the league. | The Eagles will make it tough on Philip Rivers and almost impossible for LaDainian Tomlinson. |
| Linebacker | The once latent pass-rush as been indomitable of late, leading to gag-inducing “lights out” dances and 15 sacks in five games. But it’s not looking good for Shaun Phillips, who leads the team with five sacks but is ailing from an ankle injury suffered against N.Y. Still, with Shawne Merriman dancing, Kevin Burnett healthy and Stephen Cooper making plays, this unit is back where it needs to be. | Playmaker and leading tackler Akeem Jordan is likely a scratch with a bum knee. It’s a big blow to a struggling unit. Will Witherspoon and Chris Gocong are serviceable, but there’s absolutely no depth here. Jeremiah Trotter is wholly ineffective (five tackles — yes, that’s a season stat) and would be better served as a coach at this point. | After the Giants game, we’re convinced that the Chargers resurgence is legit. |
| Secondary | Shawne Merriman gave credit to this unit for creating sack opportunities after the Giants game. If “Lights Out” is deflecting credit, we’re buying it. Though, Eli Manning was pinpoint (25/33, no ints) when he found time. Rookie safety Kevin Ellison has developed into a reliable contributor, which is exciting. Anchored by Quentin Jammer, it’s an up-and-down group, with more ups than downs. | Asante Samuel is still a big-time playmaker (5 ints, 1 ff, 8 passes deflected), but susceptible to giving up the big play. Watching him and Jackson match up will be a treat. They miss Brian Dawkins, who left for Denver in the offseason. Sean Jones is the latest to top his former free safety position on the depth chart. Big plays can happen either way, which could lead to fireworks when Rivers is passing the ball. | This one’s close. When in doubt, go to the stats. The Chargers rank fifth in the league against the pass. Philly’s 11th. |
| Spec. Teams | Mike Scifres, Nick Kaeding, Darren Sproles and the coverage are still amongst the best in the league. Nothing new here. | Eleven-year kicker David Akers is still doing it (and doing it) and doing it well for the Eagles. DeSean Jackson is in the same class as Sproles as a returner, but he only goes one way. They lost kick returner Ellis Hobbs for the year with a neck injury, but Sav Rocca is a serviceable punter. | Jackson’s a highlight reel, but Sproles goes both ways. The Kickers are a push, but the Chargers have the edge punting and overall. |
| Overall | The offensive line cannot afford to divert to old ways (as in a month ago) against an aggressive defense. Rivers will be harrassed, but he can handle it. The running game will go nowhere, as usual. The linebackers need to keep up the pace with or without Phillips and get in McNabb’s head. | Philly will pass and pass often — expect no surprises here. A healthy Westbrook would be a big boost to the offense. The D will go after Rivers all day long. How effective they do so could be the difference in the game. | Neither team has beaten a winning squad other than the Giants. Rivers and McNabb will both be under fire. Rivers will handle it a little bit better. Reid will mismanage the game worse than Turner. Chargers, 24-23 |
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