2022 Official Chargers Season Discussion

[Boltjolt]

Everything indicates van Noy is replacing Fackrell on the roster.

If Murray improves a lot the the LB room may be about the same. I think Tranq was better than White last year (when healthy) but Murray/Reeder is a clear downgrade at the other spot.

Yes but if we have injuries, he can play there too. I keep forgetting about Reeder. Idk Reeder isn't fancy but I don't think he is worse than Kyzir either.

Kyzir Imo was virtually non existent til last season and I was in favor of trading him. Then he did what he did last season but still wasn't willing to pay him 8-9 mil a year which Ninja thought he would get.
Then again he was also a fan of Kyzir

This year is make or break for Murray.

[blueman]

Everything indicates van Noy is replacing Fackrell on the roster.

If Murray improves a lot the the LB room may be about the same. I think Tranq was better than White last year (when healthy) but Murray’s ankles/Reeder is a clear downgrade at the other spot.

We’ll see.

[Bolts4ever213]

I always want to see players improve. What I hate about the Murray thing, is that they never said he had bad ankles last year. So you’re thinking what the fuck is wrong with him. We all saw the talent when he was drafted. So I think he will bring it back this year. There’s too much talent around him not to be able to play fast. See ball, get ball.

[sonorajim]

I always want to see players improve. What I hate about the Murray thing, is that they never said he had bad ankles last year. So you’re thinking what the fuck is wrong with him. We all saw the talent when he was drafted. So I think he will bring it back this year. There’s too much talent around him not to be able to play fast. See ball, get ball.

Murray was on IR for 6 weeks with an ankle. They brought him back and;he tried but was not right. He had post season ankle surgery.
I think he was injured wk 3 vs KC.

[SuperCharged]

It's clear that Staley doesn't see RT as a current need-to-add. He's paid a lot of attention to detail elsewhere, it's safe to say he has not overlooked RT.

I agree that it looks good on paper, potentially best ever Chargers team. We're going to be better than avg on offense, defense and special teams. How much so remains to be seen.

I'm sure he isn't ignoring RT. I think that's why he rolled with Salyer. We have some depth at O line. Pipkins I think has a chance to be RT starter. He really showed some improvement last year.

[Fleet 1]

I see more downfield passing with an improved OL. No more compensating for the right side.

I think we will be in 3 WR sets more this year. Im guessing 75% range. Be nice if Guyton could do more than just go deep. Like to see him round his game out by becoming a better route runner. I think ive been beating the drum hard this offseason about this. So im burned out on it. I still wonder how interested we were in the speed WRs. Olave/Williams/Dotson. Sure looked like teams were trying to get ahead of us for those players. There were a couple others that would have been nice additions. Robinson was a guy i felt fit that bill. Went in the 2nd. Way ahead of his average round range of 3-4.

Cap situation next year is getting to the point where we will likely have to restructure Joey and Keenan. That will free up money to get Derwin signed. But im sort of looking at skill in 2023. Way early i know Already looking at WRs lol

Lets see what Guyton does. Maybe he finally rounds things out. That would be huge.

[blueman]

I think we will be in 3 WR sets more this year. Im guessing 75% range. Be nice if Guyton could do more than just go deep. Like to see him round his game out by becoming a better route runner. I think ive been beating the drum hard this offseason about this. So im burned out on it. I still wonder how interested we were in the speed WRs. Olave/Williams/Dotson. Sure looked like teams were trying to get ahead of us for those players. There were a couple others that would have been nice additions. Robinson was a guy i felt fit that bill. Went in the 2nd. Way ahead of his average round range of 3-4.

Cap situation next year is getting to the point where we will likely have to restructure Joey and Keenan. That will free up money to get Derwin signed. But im sort of looking at skill in 2023. Way early i know Already looking at WRs lol

Lets see what Guyton does. Maybe he finally rounds things out. That would be huge.

Got more faith in Palmer being proved WR#3 than with Guyton.

[Xenos]

I think we will be in 3 WR sets more this year. Im guessing 75% range. Be nice if Guyton could do more than just go deep. Like to see him round his game out by becoming a better route runner. I think ive been beating the drum hard this offseason about this. So im burned out on it. I still wonder how interested we were in the speed WRs. Olave/Williams/Dotson. Sure looked like teams were trying to get ahead of us for those players. There were a couple others that would have been nice additions. Robinson was a guy i felt fit that bill. Went in the 2nd. Way ahead of his average round range of 3-4.

Cap situation next year is getting to the point where we will likely have to restructure Joey and Keenan. That will free up money to get Derwin signed. But im sort of looking at skill in 2023. Way early i know Already looking at WRs lol

Lets see what Guyton does. Maybe he finally rounds things out. That would be huge.

The nice thing is that if college trends continue the way they are, there will continue to be good WR prospects year in and year out. So we can totally get one next year.

https://theathletic.com/3260294/2022/04/22/nfl-draft-wide-receivers-development

Another strong class of wide receiver prospects will be drafted this year with five to six expected to be taken in the first round. … and looking to the future, the trend looks like it’s going to continue. In the previous two drafts, 11 receivers were picked in the first round and 23 were taken in the first two rounds. To put that in perspective, from 2009 to 2019, the number of receivers picked in the first two rounds reached double-digits once — and it’s happened twice in the past two years. It’s not just the number of receivers being picked early, it’s the quality of the prospects.

“We see more refined routes from the elite wideouts entering the draft. The ball skills have improved as well,” one AFC scout told me.

There is no doubt the position is as valuable as ever but how are the lower levels continuing to keep up with the demand for pass-catchers in the NFL? I spoke with college coaches, NFL coaches, scouts and team personnel about how receivers are developing so much more rapidly.


1. The rise of 7-on-7 tournaments.

One of the top reasons that coaches and scouts point to the rise of wide receivers is the popularity of 7-on-7. This began as an in-house drill for teams to work on passing without worrying about a pass rush. The offense would have five eligible pass catchers, a quarterback and a center against seven defenders. In the offseason, high school teams would meet with other schools to face each other in 7-on-7 for better competition and to see different looks, and that was followed by tournaments.

Now, there are 7-on-7 leagues where athletes from different schools could join “all-star” teams and compete year-round. These leagues help with recruiting and getting players noticed. For example, if a receiver came from a school that runs the ball a lot or doesn’t have a good quarterback, he might excel in one of these passing leagues and draw attention he might not have otherwise gotten. However, there is a dark side to these leagues that resembles the negatives of AAU basketball, but the extra repetitions in the passing game have benefited the position overall.

“You have the year-round 7-on-7 leagues and passing camps so they’re getting more reps. Higher tempo college spread offenses add even more reps with more receivers on the field,” Ohio State receivers coach Brian Hartline said. “I’m not saying it’s the right technique or the wrong technique. I’m just saying they’re out there and they’re competing and I think anytime you do that you’re developing your mind. You’re trying to problem solve without knowing it.”

While there can be criticisms of the culture of these 7-on-7 leagues, it does attract some of the top talent in any given area and teams will travel across state lines for tournaments. These young players are getting repetitions against a level of competition that they wouldn’t normally see with their respective teams and they are learning what works and what doesn’t against the best. There certainly is an argument that some players could develop bad habits if they aren’t getting the proper coaching but for some of the top receivers that know what they are doing, these extra quality repetitions are gold.


2. Receivers have more access to better coaching and training on the lower levels.

With more access to information, lower-level coaching is better. There are more quality private coaches. As a result, training methods have advanced and young athletes are becoming stronger and faster.

In the past, lower-level coaches would run high-volume run offenses because it was what they knew. Some of the nuances of passing concepts, protections and advanced fundamentals to make the passing game work weren’t readily available. Now, lower-level coaches can learn what the pros do through books, YouTube and online clinics. Some college and professional coaches are even gracious enough to clinic lower-level coaches more intimately through zoom meetings.

Access is almost unlimited now and as a result, receivers are learning to run advanced routes at a younger age. They are learning how to read coverages and run option routes. They are getting an understanding of the timing and nuances of concepts that colleges and pro teams run. Of course, there’s another level of complexity in the pros but some of these young receiver prospects have been exposed to similar schemes and techniques since high school.

“The concepts and technology in training for speed and explosive movement are more advanced than ever,” an AFC scout said. “There’s even a machine, called the Monarc that is a robotic jugs machine where you can program routes if you don’t have a QB available to throw.”

Some of the top high school programs in the country have top-notch strength and conditioning coaches who are well-versed in the latest science and training techniques. And some players are able to afford outside training from private trainers. As a result, we are seeing bigger and stronger athletes who are more prepared physically and mentally for an NFL passing game.


3. The best athletes are playing wide receiver and not defensive back.

Naturally, more athletes want the glory of catching touchdown passes rather than defending them. When kids start to play football, the faster kids with more options of where they could play will gravitate toward offense.

“You have a bigger pool to choose from in that position since they are relatively comparable in size to the rest of the population compared to other positions,” an NFL team personnel member said. “Then you have schools putting their best athletes on offense at wide receiver.”

In high school, those super athletic players could play both ways but when they got to college, coaches are putting the better athletes on offense, believing that they could make the most impact there. Also, with the rise of spread offenses, teams want to get more dangerous receivers on the field at the same time.

Some NFL scouts believe that it is getting harder to find high-level corner prospects. Because of the importance of the position, they’ll continue to get drafted in the first round at a high rate but some are getting over-drafted because of scarcity while the opposite might be true for receivers. A team might pass up on a receiver with a first-round grade because they believe that they can get a quality prospect in the second round. The disparity between the two positions could be one of the reasons why the league will continue to trend toward more passing production.


4. The rules make it easier for the position in the pros.

The NFL making it more difficult for defensive backs is another reason receivers are more ready to make an impact early in their careers.

“Main rule being illegal contact,” according to an NFL personnel source. “College you can have contact until pass is thrown, so DBs are usually more grabby. So having contact being illegal beyond five yards in the pro game and then defensive pass inteference being a spot foul, really opens things up for these more athletic receivers. Conversely, harder conversion for lesser athletic DBs in the pros now that you can’t grab.”

Another advantage some receivers have in pros that they didn’t have in college is that they have better quarterbacks throwing to them. With more freedom to run because of the rules and more precise passes being thrown, some college receivers are more productive on the next level.

The positon is still notoriously difficult to scout. This offseason, some of the top receivers in the league have reset the market multiple times and Deebo Samueland Cooper Kupp have yet to get paid. Reportedly, the Packers were willing to pay Davante Adams more than what he got with the Raiders, but he was intent on being traded. This offseason, the only team that was unwilling to pay its top receiver was the Kansas City Chiefs, who traded Tyreek Hill to the Dolphins. With the influx of quality receiver prospects, so far what we’ve seen are teams will do whatever it takes to get and keep a true No. 1 receiver.

[Maniaque 6]

Got more faith in Palmer being proved WR#3 than with Guyton.

Palmer and Guyton as 3rd and 4th is not that bad.

[chargeroo]

Got more faith in Palmer being proved WR#3 than with Guyton.

I feel better about both of them than I did a year ago. I thought each of them improved as the year wore on.

[blueman]

Palmer definitely flashed that shimmy-shake to get open, hope a better Oline helps Herbert find him.

[wu-dai clan]

I feel better about both of them than I did a year ago. I thought each of them improved as the year wore on.

Herbert developed a better chemistry with Guyton and Palmer.

Remember when Justin yelled "get that! " at Palmer after one particular incompletion ?

Things improved dramatically.