Shattered

As I get ready for my flight to LA, it's impossible to not still feel the effects of the Joe Alt injury. When he went down on Sunday, I did have hope. He returned following his initial sprain against the Giants and no, I don't think he came back too early. He supposedly wanted to play in the second half of the Giants game and wanted to return earlier than he actually did. Adam Schefter was saying as of Monday that he thought Alt would get surgery and then hopefully return sometime this year. I could handle that.

When I saw the Tweet that it was season ending, I was understandably deflated. I was pissed. No, I don't believe in curses. Those that think it's because of bad mojo acquired from the move from San Diego. Those that do forget what it was like beforehand. The Spanos Curse? Those people don't remember Gene Klein, I guess. I know that's not you, FAITHFUL READER. I know that.

Upon the hiring of Jim Harbaugh, I already explored the idea of "Chargering." I truly believe you make your own luck and that includes injuries. I don't blame Ben Herbert. I know Hampton and Harris had never been hurt before. Is the SoFi turf an issue? Maybe, but so is Met Life stadium then. Some of my best friends are Jets fans and I know they think they are cursed.

Daniel Popper wrote a long piece about the Chargers' ceiling being changed. It's one of his buzz words. Pop is not a fan, but a reporter. Of course, by conducting his "Hops With Pop" shows, he is engaging with the most passionate fans in their most raw state, after a game. He has stated his role many times, but when you hold a "therapy session," where people drink and vent you can see how lines get blurred. Matt "Money" Smith does the same thing, but he portrays himself as a fan. I don't know if that pre-dates the move to LA.

Pop understandably wrote that the ceiling has essentially turned to rubble after the Alt injury. He also said that he thought the Bolts were contenders even after Slater went down. That's a lie, to quote Maury Povich. Even when everyone was healthy, he still didn't have us making the playoffs. That's ok. Neither did a lot of people. But he probably was less optimistic before the game in Brazil. People were asking him about the 3-0 start and whether he stood by his prediction.

It doesn't matter. It's just that he is fans' gateway to the team. Twitter can be vicious when someone decides to target you. Just look at Ryan Leaf and I. But it's no shock that Pop would say Penning doesn't "move the needle" but is also the best move Hortiz could have made.

Bobby Hart was a joke and out of the league and though he is injured now, he was an upgrade to any of the usual suspects on the O Line. To do nothing at the deadline would have been malpractice to Herbert. I agree that QB10 is playing the best he ever has. He is using his legs more and basically trucked a guy last week on a rush. Gadsen, Harris, and Johnston have all been better than we thought. If there was a premium OL available, I would have been fine with trading Quentin. That's a compliment to him. He's been great and I don't know if his value could be higher. However, he has actually emerged as the deep threat that I repeatedly doubted he could ever be.

I don't need to remind you about the last (and only other) time I saw the Chargers play the Steelers. We aren't 17 1/2 point underdogs this time, but there is a lot of pessimism as to our chances this Sunday and beyond. We'll see. Everyone expects Herbert to be tackled the second he gets the snap.

There have been a few times this year that I have said a game will make or break our season. We're still alive, but Sunday Night is one of those games. It's time to try to survive without our two star tackles. Both of them, by the way, have been injured before. I don't think that means we shouldn't be paying them at all. However, I do think I wasn't entirely surprised at least one of them could get hurt. It is what it is. Let's see if what is can become what will be.

This installment of JIC dedicated to the memory of Donna Jean Godchaux and in honor of Warren Zevon finally entering the Rock n' Roll Hall of Fame. Let's fuck shit up for them.

JIC,

RLW