I Was Standing There When The Lightning Struck

So preseason is done and the roster is set. I can actually attest to have watched all of the exhibition games and it wasn't pretty. Obviously, as soon as Biadasz went down I assume he'd be done for the year. That's not me believing in curses. Last summer I felt the same way with Slater. My son texted me not to freak out a few weeks back because our center was carted off. While Patrick Surtain seems to get injured all the time and not miss a down and Ashton Jeanty can suffer an ACL injury that turns out to be an ankle, that just doesn't happen for the Bolts. The last time I can remember us avoiding the worst-case scenario was Alt last year and he ended up being out for the year a few weeks later.

As for Biadasz, I can't really miss a guy I never saw play a down for the Chargers. We all know Slater and Alt have had injuries even though we all hope they play the whole year. It seems like having as many linemen on the roster is a good thing, even though I see a lot of Charger fans complaining.

That was the other thing my son noticed after fully becoming Bolted. Chargers Twitter is super toxic. First off, the fact that people will post pics of Quentin Johnston as Bin Laden or Hortiz as a Hasidic Jew is fucking gross. But beyond that, it seems like the narrative that Hortiz doesn't value the line seems to be the constant refrain. We all crashed out when they passed on Nabers and took Alt. Then they talked about linemen being weapons and that whole "tip of the spear" thing. Unfortunately, no one else on that line held up and we got embarrassed in Houston. Of course, Daniel Popper pointed out that Alt had his worst game as a pro on that day. We all hated Bozeman, even though we were told that he wasn't as bad as the countless screenshots of him flailing about circulated.

Now people are freaking out that Harbaugh said the LG "competition" isn't over and it might include a platoon with Pipkins. My issue with Pipkins is that he's often hurt. I guess he'd have been better than Sayler in the playoff game. Of course, Sayler is out for the year in Miami so does that make Hortiz right for keeping Pipkins over him? Last season, Popper kept up the narrative that they didn't do enough to upgrade the IOL. Yet, if they'd beaten Houston they might have won the division. Gadsen and Dicker had a lot to do with that as well as the two miscommunications that led to 14 quick points.

The line was exposed in the playoffs as well as Roman's lack of innovation. Look, he was right that Justin Herbert with a running game would be dangerous. I saw a stat that I think I mentioned last time about the Chargers 29 avg rushing yards in the last two playoff games. Some of that can be blamed on the line for sure. I still can't understand why Hampton wasn't used on that goal line sequence when he came in for the next one. Everyone tells me that if you look at how he ran when he was in the game that there is no way he could have done anything. I think he could have punched the ball in on that series and that might have been enough.

It's always something, I know. Maybe if Derwin can knock down that pass to Henry...I just had to explain to another Facebooker why the 14-2 team wasn't poised and why Marty wasn't going to suddenly become a winner in January. We all know how tough the schedule is this year and how little margin for error there is. That's what makes the allegiance to JK Scott so puzzling. I don't care about his preseason work this year. But he also shanks unpressured punts that often lead to points. Shit, if Dicker didn't hook that kickoff in KC in December 2024...But it is frustrating that when there is such a thin margin for error that Scott appears to be so untouchable that they can cut him and bring him back for "roster manipulation" purposes like they did for Tony Jefferson. I know Hortiz did make offers for Davante Adams, Alec Pierce, etc. I do wonder sometimes if he values more depth guys as opposed to some star player who could truly elevate the whole team. We'll never know about the offers he made or the details involving pursuits of free agents.

We know he loves getting as many "swings" as he can in the draft and "churning the roster." They cut Colson to put him on the practice squad. Some people applauded him for the initial move since it didn't seem like he was too stubborn to admit when a draft pick he made didn't work out. This type of blind loyalty is what really angered people about Roman. Denzel Perryman is taking an IR designated to return spot which means he'll be out at least four games. I still can't forget when he got hurt against the Raiders in 2018. He was literally on the sideline laughing and then it was revealed he was out for the year. We really could have used him when New England was tearing us apart up the middle in the playoffs.

I have no idea why Scott Matlock is on the team either. His novelty act has worn off. He can do a lot of things, but none of them well. Again, I think it's pretty disgusting when people say we've gotten some cognitively diminished version of Harbaugh who doesn't understand the modern game. I trust these guys still. After Alt went down last year, Herbert and the team could have easily faded away and missed the playoffs entirely. If they had, no one would be talking about 10's playoff record. But Harbaugh coached those guys up and they were, as Daniel Popper pointed out before the playoffs, in a legitimate path to get to the AFC title game. If we had faced Buffalo, or some team we'd be clearly underdog to, we'd be four quarters away from the Super Bowl. The defense gave us every opportunity in Foxboro. Besides the drive after the interception, we never threatened offensively. The blocking was nonexistent and Vidal's limitations became pretty evident. For the second year in a row, Herbert had no run game. We'll find out this year if McDaniel can truly scheme guys open. I am sure Herb's confidence is affected when he's being bombarded on every snap like he was against the Patriots. Would a few "easy" completions have gotten him rolling? Everybody who wanted Keenan back forgets that he wasn't exactly getting separation in that game. Ladd and Johnston weren't either. The 65-yard touchdown in the preseason finale was impressive but is Johnston really the X guy? I know Thompson has been hurt but it seems like he and Harris should be more involved this year. If McDaniel uses Johnston for his YAC ability I get it. It just seems we've seen two years of him being targeted way too often in the playoffs. Then again, Ladd wasn't much in Foxboro. It all goes back to whether we overperformed to get to the playoffs or underperformed once we were in. Both things can be true.

Everyone freaked out about the IOL back in April. It was assumed that these guys fit McDaniel's scheme and that's why they were brought in. This was later confirmed. Now that Biadasz is out, people are sounding the alarm again. There was a theory that Slaughter would be center next year and that Biadasz would be a salary cap casualty next season even though he signed a three-year deal. Branson Taylor was having a great camp and I know some people feel like he won the LG battle. We'll never know, of course, but at least he's designated to return. Jacob Spoomer seems to be another diamond in the rough, so we'll see how he fits in.

Once again, I return here to the Halls of Justice only to find myself going round and round with this team. I know that only time will tell. I know that if we don't win those first two games at home, the alarm bells will be fully blaring. I am sure we'll win a game we aren't expected to along the way and vice versa. However, I think those first two really are crucial and it's pivotal to beat the Raiders in LA again.

I know I haven't really said anything of value here, but that's okay. It just felt good to get all this out and that's pretty much what JUSTICE IS COMING has been about from the beginning.

We'll talk next week.

JIC,

RLW