Is Ryan Matthews the answer?

[Chompurself]

I definitely like Matthews in this offense, lets rmember he will not have to do what LT did when he came in all he has to do is keep the defense honest and move the chains every once in a while....this is a passing team and thats what they will be as long as Rivers' stays healthy. He doesn't need to have 25 carries ina game nor will he. 15 touches should be all he needs to be productive in this pass 1st offense

[Resdog154]

I can't see teams stacking the line like they still were last season. LDT didn't have the legs, but he had respect. Norv's history has always been that of a run first offense. If Matthews can get off to a good start this season, it will keep the defenses honest and make them a much more well rounded team which will be very important if Jackson indeed holds out until week 10. It will give the passing game a bit of time to reinvent itself. If Matthews is the real thing, the Chargers offense could be devastating. If Norv can do one thing extremely well, it's putting points on the board.

[brooksw619]

Sorry but the chargers aren't built to run the ball. They're built for exactly what they do throw the ball. Matthews cant be considered a difference maker until he goes out and makes a difference. Norv and Aj both want a wide open attack and the running game means nothing to them. That's always been Norvs philosophy coming from that Coryell tree and Aj coming from Buffalo with Jim Kelley and the boys with the no huddle. But the number 1 problem with the chargers is defense and not the way most are thinking. The hiring of Ron Rivera as d coordinator was a bad move. You took a coach whose been a 4-3 coach is whole career and put him in charge of a 3-4 defense. Bad move coaches have plays they feel comfortable with in certain situations but he cant use any of those plays because the whole playbook is different cause it aint his playbook. Its a lot harder to re-train a coach than it is to teach players a new system. Rivera's play-calling has not been the same or as aggressive sine he was forced to change the type of defense he's in charge of. Rivera needs to go and Aj needs to hire a 3-4 coach or the chargers need to switch to a 4-3 defense to make Rivera more comfortable and aggressive in his play-calling. But Aj's ego would never allow him to say he made a mistake. Aj is closing the Chargers Superbowl window fast.

[Resdog154]

I can't see where you get the impression that Turner or Smith want a wide open attack. A few items to dispute that:

- Norv served as Cowboys offensive coordinator from 1991-93 and Emmitt Smith led the NFL in rushing yards each season.
- Turner was Washington’s head coach in 1995-96, when Terry Allen rushed for 1,309 and 1,353 yards, (5th and 6th in the league) in 1999 Stephen Davis gained 1,405 yards tops in the NFC.
- He was the Chargers OC Tomlinson's rookie year when he gained 1,236 yards on a bad team. He called plays as head coach in 2007, when Tomlinson led the League in rushing with 1,474 yards and in 2008, when LDT gained 1,110.
- In 2005 with Norv as head coach in Oakland, LaMont Jordan ran for 1,025 yards.
- With Norv as OC in San Francisco during 2006, Frank Gore led the NFC with 1,695 yards
- The Buffalo teams that AJ Smith worked for may have ran the no huddle, but they had a Hall of Famer named Thurman Thomas who ran the ball for nearly 12,000 yds during that time.

I do agree with your point about Rivera having to switch from 4-3 to 3-4 philosophy being a hindrance to his play calling.

[ElShay]

I am not a fan of the bend but don't break style of defense that Rivera is running. The defense did become a little more effective once he started using safety blitzes, but it isn't enough. The Chargers defense has been very effective when it can rely on both Merriman and Phillips get after the QB. There was also a lot of talk about incorporating Larry English along with the two Shawns to rush the passer together last year, but I didn't see it put into action. If the team is going to use zone coverage that much, i'm sure there have to be ways to scheme up some exotic blitzes, especially with the personnel it has. The docile defense that is currently being employed wastes the abilities of Phillips and English. These two could be incredible effective, especially when coupled with the amount of attention that is paid to Merriman. Maybe they could try something like the 2-5 defense that Belichick used in the early 2000s.