“CHARGERS–2026-WHAT I SEE-WHAT I THINK”
My thoughts have never changed about the Chargers, regardless of what city they are in.
General Manager Joe Hortiz has put together a very athletic-talented roster.
Jim Harbaugh’s track record everywhere shows he wins.
Justin Herbert is a dynamic-strong armed-athletic quarterback.
And so the Bolts open the season, likely to go (2-0) out of the gate, beating up on the bottom feeding Arizona Cardinals and the forever failure of a Raiders franchise.
But the Chargers are not a complete team yet, despite the GM, the Coach, the QB.
Until they prove they can hold up on the offensive front, starting with the rookie center Jake Slaughter, and the two question marks at offensive guard, I have questions. Slaughter played well thru all of preseason, but he seems really undersized to take a pounding at the pivot spot. Cole Strange was fired by New England, let go by Miami, and he is a starter here? And the other guard, was let go by Detroit and the Lions have a myriad of problems.
The second question upfront has nothing to do with talent, but with health. LT-Rashawn Slater is coming off a major knee injury, and has been in shutdown mode in limited practices in camp. How long does he hold up, is there a flareup, can he stay on the field? See me at mid season.
The wide receiver group is skilled from Ladd McConkey to the emerging Tre Harris, to the promise of KeAndre Lambert Smith. The wildcard is there a breakout-trustworthy season ever coming from tthe huge upside talents of Quentin Johnston? Or will we forever be plagued by alternating weekends of big Sundays, bad drops, disappearing acts?
The tight end mix will include blocker Charley Kolar, veteran pass catcher David Njoku, and the emerging Orande Gadsen.
Herbert has lived thru 105-quarterback sacks, plenty of pressures, and an organization that has failed him upfront beyond the two stud OTs, Joe Alt and Slater.
The arrival of a mad scientist playcaller in Miami’s Mike McDaniel, with his New York City thick telephone directory playbook, will be fun to watch. Get the ball out of there quick. Create mismatches. Put in motion packages and dictate tempo to the defense. He did it with the Dolphins. He should create the same set of stat packages for Herbert.
The run game will be physical, will catch balls, but keeping Omani Hampton and Keaton Mitchell healthy will be huge.
On defense, there is Derwin James, a bunch of cover corners who can run. A load of linebackers from the explosive Tuli Tuiapolutu to the highly credentialed Khalil Mack and his experience.
The defensive front is bigger but will have to prove they can stonewall the other guys run game, but Teair Tart, a veteran like Dalvin Tomlinson, and the fast developing Jamaree Caldwell could get it done, because the back eight truckload of athletes will be there to make plays.
The kicking game with Cam Dicker and JK Scott have great history.
But there are always challenges beyond health.
Can Herbert & Company survive the schedule. Can they survive weeks 3-thru-10?
..at Buffalo..at Seattle..vs Denver..at Kansas City..at Rams..vs Houston..at Baltimore?
Late fall has them going to Tampa Bay, hosting New England, and finishing vs the Chiefs and Broncos.
Enormous challenge ahead.
What kind of season will it be. I say (11-6). And then another challenge. Herbert has to win his first playoff game ever.
I will maintain this, my thoughts about the Chargers have never changed.
I hope Justin Herbert goes (17-0).
I hope Dean Spanos goes (0-17)
That’s me being me as longtime Voice of the Chargers.
Believe in the QB’s talents.
Never forgive the owner for what he did to San Diego fans and 55-years of loyalty.
Enjoy the season.
‘Show Me Your Lightning Bolt’.
============== .
“AZTECS-UCLA FOOTBALL..HOW ABOUT REALITY”
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“NBA-CLIPPERS–MONEY & POWER CORRUPT”
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“AZTECS FOOTBALL…A new era begins”
The College Football Landscape has. undergone a seismic shift, and more changes are coming. San Diego State has a new mailing address and believes better times are coming in the Pac 12. The start and stop era for Aztecs football coach Sean Lewis embarks on its third...
“PADRES-ARE THEY REALLY A PLAYOFF TEAM?”
Call it Tropicana Field. Call it the Suncast Dome. Call it the Thunder Dome. Call it a 'House of Horrors' for the Padres. The Domed Stadium, its roof ripped off in a bad hurricane two years back, has been rebuilt. Looks-feels different. Still...
“ARE YOU READY FOR SOME NFL FOOTBALL?”
Are you ready for some football? I am ready for real football. Glad the preseason is about to be over. The NFL obviously has to protect its stars so we have 3-games with virtually none of the starters playing. We get a combination of backups, rookies, and...
“THINKING OUT LOUD ABOUT PADRES-DODGERS-ANGELS”
Candid comments about sports stories everywhere: PADRES-TEAM FELICIANO...The resume of Jose and Kwanza off the sports fields is very impressive. What they have done in philanthropy is stunning, their involvement in communities is amazing, and their...
“COLLEGE FOOTBALL..ALL TIME POPULARITY..ALL TIME MESS”
If I say these names, you flash back to some of the greatest times in college football: ..Nick Saban ..Bo & Woody ..Tom Osborn ..John McKay ..Lou Holtz ..Oklahoma-Nebraska ..Texas-Texas AM The world has changed. Conference realignments. The death of the Pac...
“NFL NOTEBOOK-FINAL WEEK PRESEASON”
Here-There-Everywhere around the NFL: CHARGERS...The offensive front remains a problem with the loss of starting OC-Tyler Biadasz. It means playing two rookies, Jake Slaughter and Jacob Spoemer infront of QB-Justin Herbert. The OG jobs are still an...
“PADRES-NEW ERA ARRIVES”
We've seen alot of things over the decades in the history of Padres baseball. Bad seasons, bad owners. Great owners and philanthropists World Series games The emergence of the Padres-Dodgers rivalry. All things Tony Gwynn-Ken Caminetti-Trevor Hoffman and more. From...
“RAIDERS-CHARGERS…MIGHT BE PRESEASON..BUT NOT GOOD”
What did you watch on TV last night? Me, the Raiders, the Chargers, and it really wasn't much to see. CHARGERS..What a poor performance from Jim Harbaugh's offense. The Niners mugged them in the first half. The Bolts self destructed on offense. Lots...
“NFL NOTEBOOK-WEEKEND 2-HEADLINES”
Here comes the second weekend of NFL preseason games. Some thoughts: RAMS..Quite the debut for rookie first round pick Tyler Simpson at quarterback. LA plays at home on Saturday against the Saints-who will play alot of their starters. So we shall see if...
“LIV GOLF…TRIPLE BOGEY OF ALL TIME”
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“CLIPPERS-LAKERS-STEAL THE SPORTS HEADLINES”
It may be Pennant Race baseball season. Yes the College football preseason poll is out. And the NFL preseason games are in full force. But the Clippers and the Lakers slam-dunked their way into the sports headlines on a steamy August afternoon....
“NFL-WEEKEND ONE-FLASHBACK”
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“NFL-1st IMPRESSIONS OF 1st GAMES”
The starters around the NFL sat and watched the opening games on the preseason schedule. I watched the top picks play and saw some impressive things. A quick scan...1st impressions of the 1st preseason games: CHARGERS-HOUSTON...The Bolts got better and better as the...
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You remember Lakers greatness, in the Jerry Buss era? Has not been much of that around since the legendary owner turned the franchise over to his daughter Jeannie, and his collection of sons. GM-changes, the exit of legendary names, like Pat Riley, Jerry West, Phil...
“AL PLAYOFF RACE-AWFUL LEAGUE”
Have you look across the street at the neighbor's yard? Not a pretty sight. Our attention here on the West Coast has been the Padres fight to get into the NL-Wildcard race. Across the street, the AL-Race, nobody deserves to be there. A quick look at the bad...
“PENNANT CHASE STORYLINES”
The dog days of August wear you out in the pennant race. Teams are full of injuries. Pitchers have fatigued. Lineups are worn out. It's in the air everywhere, the playoff chase and race, and so it is with the team in the National League wildcard hunt....
“DREW BREES–450 YARD SPEECH-HALL OF FAME”
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“NFL-GREAT WEEKEND FOR GREAT PLAYERS”
The NFL moved into the spotlight with its Thursday Night Game at the Pro Football Hall of Fame in Canton. The Arizona-Carolina game is nothing more than filler program, leading to the real event, the Hall of Fame induction ceremonies on Saturday in Canton. Oh what a...
“BAD NIGHT IN BASEBALL”
Ouch. That is about all I can say after a Wednesday afternoon and evening of baseball. PADRES...Tough debut for Casey Mize, knocked all over the yard by the struggling Arizona Diamondbacks in his debut game coming from the Tigers. Was in hot water from the first...
“PADRES PITCHERS-A LONG LONELY ROAD”
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“PADRES TRADE THEMSELVES INTO PENNANT RACE”
Trading Deadline Day was a typical workday for workaholic Padres GM-AJ Preller. He wheeled-dealed, added what he needed, subtracted more from his farm system, and believes he has put his team in prime position to win a wild card playoffs berth and play into...
“DODGERS DO WHAT THE DODGERS DO”
The Best Team got the Best Player. Back-to-Back Cy Young Winner joins Back-to-Back World Series winner. So what did you expect? The Dodgers did what the Dodgers always do, make a significant acquisition in the middle of the pennant race. Andrew Friedman is...
“SAN DIEGO MOURNS LOSS OF STAR CHARGERS PLAYER”
We lost our NFL team years ago, when the San Diego Chargers moved. We have not lost our memories of great players-coaches-games. That's why Wednesday night's news of the passing of star LB-Billy Ray Smith was so hard to take. We knew it was coming, his likely passing,...
“PADRES-HACKSAW’S HOT LIST-TRADE DEADLINE”
There are two tiers of conversations as the Padres head to the trade deadline next Monday. Who can they trade for? Who are they willing to give up? Here's a look at the Padres 'Hot List' of pitchers they are looking at: EMERSON HANCOCK..Seattle righthander has gone to...
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