1.  A Lack of Commitment to the Running Game

Take Monday night’s debacle against the Broncos. While LT’s yards per carry average was not what it has been when he’s been at his peak performance, against a good defense he was consistently picking up positive yards and moving the chains. He looked fresher and quicker than I remember him in the last two-plus seasons. He had the quickness and explosion we’ve all gotten so used to from LT.

It felt like any play he was about to break the big one. He still had 70 yards, but on only 18 carries. Imagine if he was given carries on the goal-line early in the first quarter when the Chargers settled for another field goal. Say he gets to 25 carries. He gets very close to 100 yards, and I bet breaks a big one and gets well past that mark.

But more important is the effect the commitment to the run has on the Chargers both as a team and an offense. Norv Turner apparently felt he had to call all pass plays when only down by four points with about six minutes to go in the game. When Mike Nolan, the Broncos Defensive Coordinator, figured this out he just started blitzing an overmatched Chargers offensive line. Poor Philip Rivers had no chance to find men down field because blitzers were in his face as soon as he got back in his drop.

If Turner would’ve run the ball even once or twice on that drive, the Broncos would’ve had to respect that and played a little more conservatively, thereby giving Rivers at least a chance to find an open receiver.

As a New Orleans Saints fan I’ve seen how a pass-only offense ends up working out. You may put up great numbers and score a lot of points, but it is so hit or miss that you have as many three-and-outs as you do big plays. And the ball is in the air so much you’re bound to have a lot of turnovers.

Three-and-outs and turnovers kill your own defense because it puts them in horrible field position and makes them play far more downs than they are capable of handling before they break down. Complementary football, as Sean Payton calls it, is what wins football games. Run the football, keep your defense off the field, and give your offense a chance by being unpredictable.

2.  Poor Line Play on Both Sides of the Ball

Again this is hard for anyone to question, but still bears being repeated. It is understandable why Norv Turner shies away from the running game. For the most part, they (the O-Line) have done nothing to reward his confidence in them. Since it is a little bit easier to throw the ball without great blocking, passing becomes your best option.

Part of the O-Line’s issues goes back to Pro Bowl Center Nick Hardwick’s absence. He is responsible for getting the line into its’ proper protections and adjustments. He has done this very well for a good number of years now. Without him the line is somewhat lost. Other injuries to Louis Vazquez have forced the Chargers to start two less qualified players on their O-Line for part of this season.

On the defensive side of the ball, the Chargers are greatly missing the services of two men who are now in other buildings, Igor Olshansky, now with the Cowboys, and Wayne Nunnelly, the veteran D-Line Coach who had been with the Chargers for 14 years and is now doing a wonderful job with…you guessed it the Denver Broncos.

Of course, losing All Pro Nose Tackle Jamal Williams doesn’t help matters either. The Chargers D-Line has become an undersized, minimally talented unit that for the most part does not fit the scheme the team is trying to run. Many in Charger Land are now casting blame on GM A.J. Smith for his inability to find suitable backups in case of a Jamal Williams injury or dropoff in production because of his age.

I for one, believed two years ago Kentwan Balmer, a DT out of North Carolina, would have been the perfect man to eventually replace Williams at that nose spot. Smith instead chose CB Antoine Cason, who looks like he’ll be a good player, but seemed to be less of a need pick at the time. Now the Chargers are left trying to fill a couple D-Line positions with career journeymen. Is it any wonder they are struggling to stop the run?

3.  The Approach Has Become Stale

It is not uncommon for coaches to feel as if they are no longer reaching the players on their team after ten years or so with the same team. Well, it hasn’t been nearly that long for Norv Turner, but it is reaching that amount of time for GM A.J. Smith. And under Smith, the approach has been the same. Bring in young talent, sign your core players long-term, but don’t at any cost overpay them, and only sign second-tier free agents who will make your team as backups or role players.

To be completely honest, I generally love this model. It has worked for some of the best franchises in the league, such as Pittsburgh, New England, Indianapolis, and perhaps you could include Philadelphia. But guess what? They’ve all at least been to a Super Bowl. The Chargers have not.

Players will buy into anything if it leads them to their ultimate goal. But when their ultimate goal is not being met, uneasiness and questioning begins to take place. You might say success breeds success, just as losing leads to more losing. In my opinion this has happened to the San Diego Chargers. You could see it in the First Quarter when both Tomlinson and Antonio Gates (both team leaders and core players) showed their frustration after a third down call on the goal-line.

Most people realize San Diego’s real leader is not Norv Turner. He is much more of a puppet to A.J. Smith. Turner is basically just a glorified Offensive Coordinator. Smith chose him after firing Marty Schottenheimer to keep the current offense (which again was smart), but also so he could choose his own defensive coordinator. Most organizations allow their head coach to make such a decision.

A.J. Smith is a wonderful talent evaluator, but he has worn out his welcome with his bold moves, most notably allowing Drew Brees to leave via Free Agency, although in hindsight it worked out okay because Rivers has developed nicely.

The bigger point is that the players know Norv Turner has no power, and therefore they do not respect him. And they do not respect A.J. Smith because he is a pompous, overbearing boss who is doing more than his job description entails.

If the Chargers have any chance at salvaging their season, Turner must retake hold of this team and their psyche. He must recommit to running the football, and find a way to get some production out of his lines, despite their lack of talent and size.

It is a tall order to say the least. It is unfortunate that Turner is in this position because he actually has done an okay job given the situation he’s been given. He’s fighting an uphill battle, and one very few coaching candidates now would want to be a part of. Truthfully, despite San Diego’s talent level, I would say the Chargers Head Coaching job has become one of the least attractive in the league because you are faced with A.J. Smith.

It is no secret what I think the biggest problem is in San Diego.

Not sure if this guy is for real or if that guy can do it again, then dig a little deeper and take a look at the numbers; numbers don’t lie. With week six approaching fast, there’s no time to stumble, take aim because you’ve targeted the right place and we’ve got your fix.

Who’s worried….

Put him in a new uniform and in a new city and the old Braylon Edwards returns making one exciting grab after the other. Monday night was a trip down memory lane for some and a reminder of what Edwards is capable of doing when he gets the opportunity. It looks like the change of scenery is working well for Braylon who finished Monday’s game with five catches, but most notable were the 11 total passes thrown his direction. His total numbers in week five didn’t set any houses on fire, but it looks like this Edwards and “Kid Sensation” could just be getting started.

It took one question about the chemistry between he and his quarterback to spark the Bronco’s second year receiver Eddie Royal. Last week when asked, Orton responded that there were no issues, that he and Royal had a great mix; 15 passes and 10 receptions later and I would say he was right.

It certainly appears that Wes Welker is back or at least Tom Brady seems to think so. Welker has been slowed with a knee injury this season, but that has not stopped his quarterback from calling his number. In Welker’s last two games he’s only total 134 yards receiving with 14 catches, but the truth is Brady has looked his way 26 times. At some point Welker will start putting up his normal numbers, and as long as he’s healthy enough to go, expect to see Brady look his way.

Keep your Eye on these gems…

Last week the rookie in Philly, Jeremy Maclin blew up for big yards and two scores. On the afternoon, McNabb pulled the trigger on his newest weapon eight times and the two connected twice for long strikes; a 51 yard touchdown pass and a 40 yard touchdown pass. Over the past two games Maclin has been targeted just 15 times, but after Sunday’s showcase you can bet that number will rise.

In Denver with so many weapons in the passing game there hardly seems to be any chance for any other receivers not named Marshall or Royal. Well that doesn’t appear to be the case for wide receiver Jabar Gaffney. He’s not been the most productive option in Denver, but he has no fewer that four targets in a single game this season and eight last Sunday were the most. With the offense seeming to be heating up (48 pass attempts last week), Gaffney could become more relevant than what most thought.

Here is the breakdown for fantasy pass catchers (targets) this season;

Through five weeks:

Top-30 Targeted Pass-catchers

Player                                               Targt

Johnson, Andre WR HOU              52

Burleson, Nate WR SEA                 49

Smith, Steve WR NYG                    49

Moss, Randy WR NE                       48

Wayne, Reggie WR IND                 48

Ochocinco, Chad WR CIN              46

Houshmandzadeh, T.J. WR SEA    45

Clark, Dallas TE IND                       42

Smith, Steve WR CAR                    42

Winslow, Kellen TE TB                             42

Holmes, Santonio WR PIT             41

Johnson, Calvin WR DET               41

Welker, Wes WR NE                       41

Ward, Hines WR PIT                      40

Davis, Vernon TE SF                       39

Holt, Torry WR JAC                       39

Daniels, Owen TE HOU                  38

Boldin, Anquan WR ARI                 37

Gage, Justin WR TEN                     37

Marshall, Brandon WR DEN          37

Royal, Eddie WR DEN                     37

Washington, Nate WR TEN           37

Clayton, Mark WR BAL                  36

Cotchery, Jerricho WR NYJ           36

White, Roddy WR ATL                             36

Carlson, John TE SEA                     35

Fitzgerald, Larry WR ARI               35

Gates, Antonio TE SD                     35

Manningham, Mario WR NYG       35

Moss, Santana WR WAS                35

Muhammad, Muhsin WR CAR      35

Check back every week for more “Fantasy Fixx”

Nice job by the NFL and its players and coaches with all of the pink equipment being worn on Sunday and Monday night to help fight breast cancer. All football lovers enjoy the type of the stuff listed below, but a cause like that is the type of stuff that really matters, and kudos to the NFL for doing it part, and doing it well. Let’s all hope it helps.

#5: LIONS DOMINATE STATS, BUT BEARS CRUISE TO VICTORY

Usually, by looking at all of the key statistics in a football game boxscore, you can tell which team won, and how easy it was. And then, there are those games when you look at the stats, and then the final score, and say “How did that possibly happen?” Detroit at Chicago on Sunday was definitely the latter. The Chicago Bears had 11 fewer first downs (25-14), 183 fewer passing yards (308-125), ran 28 fewer plays (78-50), and controlled the clock for exactly 13 minutes less (36:30 to 23:30). The Lions even led 14-7 after the first quarter, and it was still tied, 21-21, at halftime. And yet, the Bears not only won, they won huge, 48-24, outscoring the Lions 27-3 in the second half and 41-10 over the final three quarters. How did Chicago do it despite the large statistical disparities going against them in several major categories? Well, the Bears won the turnover battle 2-0, scored 10 points off Detroit miscues, started the third quarter with a 102-yard kickoff return for a touchdown by rookie Johhny Knox, and they did win one key statistical category: outgaining the Lions 151-90 on the ground.

#4:  SHARPER & SAINTS ‘D’ INDOCTRINATE SANCHEZ TO THE NFL

This was certainly nothing new for safety Darren Sharper, it’s just that Jets’ quarterback Mark Sanchez had never witnessed it in person before. The four-time pro-bowler Sharper, entered Sunday’s game with 57 career interceptions and 8 touchdowns during his brilliant 13-year career out of I-AA (now FCS) William & Mary. Now, make that 59 picks, 10 touchdowns, and one huge headache for the Jets’ offense on Sunday. The Jets and Sanchez had been cruising along at a surprising 3-0, with the rookie Sanchez limiting his mistakes a lot over the first three weeks. However, that was all before the Jets’ trip to New Orleans. Welcome to the NFL, officially, Mark. The Saints’ defense, which has surprisingly played at as high or even a higher level than their vaunted big-play offense, showed Sanchez how tough the NFL can be for a rookie quarterback. Not only did New Orleans hold Sanchez to just 138 passing yards on only 14 completions in 27 attempts, but they sacked him four times (once for a fumble recovery in the end zone for a touchdown), and intercepted him three times –- two of those by Sharper, who returned a second quarter pick for a 99-yard touchdown, and who later sealed the win with his second interception late in the fourth quarter.

#3:  “COACH” PALMER SALVAGES A WIN THAT ALMOST GOT AWAY

What a rollercoaster ride it was on Sunday afternoon in Cleveland for the Cincinnati Bengals. But then, what else should we expect this year for a teams who’s played four games in which all have gone down to the wire? After all, the Bengals blew a game late on a fluke play against Denver, before rallying to beat the defending champion Steelers, before winning in a tough place like Green Bay, before struggling a lot on Sunday with the lowly Browns… who they jumped out to a 14-0 lead against (rollercoaster on the way up), only to give up the next 20 (whoosh! rolling back down fast!) and fall behind 20-14… before Carson Palmer found Chad Ochocinco for a touchdown (back up again) to… win the game, 21-20, right? Nope! Rollercoaster going down again… the PAT was blocked! So… overtime, tied 20-20. The Bengals, who were involved in the only tie game in the NFL last year (you remember, when Donovan McNabb thought they might play another overtime?), then wait more than a full quarter later to finally get their opportunity to win, 23-20, on a Shayne Graham 31-yard field goal just four seconds before Cincinnati ended in a tie for the second straight season. But, hold on… here’s the added fun that led to the game-winning field goal… Cincinnati head coach Marvin Lewis had no qualms with ending in another tie. He was all set to have his team punt, facing a 4th-and-11 at the Browns’ 41 with 1:04 left in the game. But, his quarterback adamantly protested enough to convince his coach to let the Bengals go for the win. With his receivers covered, Palmer ran for the first down himself, leading eventually to the field goal by Graham, who not only had that PAT, but also an earlier field goal attempt blocked, both by Cleveland nose tackle Shaun Rogers… on a side note, this game was about as even as could be stats-wise (yes, I know, we already did a stats one with the Bears and Lions), BUT for a game that came within seconds of ending in a tie… First Downs: 22-21, Browns; Total Yards: 395-375, Browns; Rushing Yards: 154-146, Bengalis; Passing Yards: 249-221, Browns; Interceptions: one each; Fumbles: one each; Penalties: Bengals 6 for 46 yards, Browns 5 for 44 yards; and, Third Down Efficiency: Bengals 5-for-18; Browns 6-for-19.

#2:  FAVRE MAKES THE PACK WISH THEY HAD HIM BACK…

WHILE ALLEN SACKS THE PACK AND PUTS RODGERS ON HIS BACK

(aren’t football poems fun?)

This was the long-awaited Monday night matchup. It might not have been quite as big as it will be when Brett Favre goes back to Lambeau as a visiting player for the first time, on November 1st, but it was still a sight to see… and one to forget, for Green Bay Packer fans. Not only did Favre torch the fellow NFC North franchise he’ll eventually represent in the Hall OF Fame for a 135.3 quarter back rating (going 24 of 31 for 271 yards, 3 TD’s and no turnovers), but on a night when Favre’s successor in Green Bay, Aaron Rodgers, came to the Metrodome and posted a career-high 384 yards, the Packers couldn’t protect Rodgers enough to win. Jared Allen went nuts with 4½ sacks of Rodgers, and he, Favre, and the rest of the Vikings sent Green Bay as 30-23 losers, back to The Land O’ Cheese (not to be confused with cheesemakers Land O’ Lakes… though, that is ironic since Minnesota is the land of 1,000 lakes). Favre said it was “just another game.” Come on Brett, credit to you for backing it up by playing so well against your former team where you became a legend, before things got unfortunately sour. But, do you really expect us to believe those words? We know you must still be reveling in beating the Packers even as you get set to go to St. Louis next (wow, talk about a complete 180 as far as hype, pomp, and circumstance, going from Favre & the Vikings vs. Packers on Monday night, to the awful Rams on a regular Sunday afternoon).

#1:  “PEY” DIRT

(this was way shorter after that last title)

… as in ESPN’s Stuart Scott’s favorite description for a football player scoring a touchdown and finding “pay dirt.” Only, when it’s Peyton Manning having yet another stellar performance, leading to Manning tying Drew Brees for most touchdown passes in the NFL (9), it’s instead called “Pey Dirt,” or at least that’s what I just made up. Hmmm… Colts fans, let me know your size and how many of those blue and white “Pey Dirt” t-shirts you’d like to order, and I’ll get them made up for you. Well, at least after I check into a few NFL licensing legality items, decide on pricing, and check into some copyright things first. But, I digress… Manning was once again outstanding in the Colts’ 34-17 dismantling of the Seattle Seahawks, after opening a 34-3 lead midway through the fourth quarter, with the Colts’ future Hall Of Famer throwing for 353 yards while completing 31 of 41, and throwing 2 touchdown passes and just one interception.

As Seattle coach Jim Mora put it, “We played greatness today. He’s one of the finest of all times.” Manning even topped himself on Sunday. He’s thrown for over 300 yards in each of the Colts’ four games this season, marking the first time in Manning’s storied career that he’s eclipsed the 300-yard mark in four consecutive games. That accomplishment is also a franchise record, but here’s a few more of those for this season, thus far: In addition to tying Brees with the 9 TD passes, Manning now leads all NFL passers in Quarterback Rating (114.5), Passing Yards (1,336), Passing Yards Per Game (334.0), and he’s second (behind only Ben Roethlisberger’s 73.2 percent) in Completion Percentage at 70.8 percent… Meanwhile, the Colts just keep on quietly winning with Manning steering the ship. The 2007 New England Patriots got all the attention (deservedly so) for their perfect 16-0 regular season, but Manning and the Colts have now won 13 consecutive regular season games, dating back to last season, and we hear little about that. And, if the NFL did things as they should, like not sending last year’s 12-4 wild-card Colts to San Diego to play the 8-8 Chargers in a home playoff game that San Diego didn’t deserve, maybe we’re talking now about the Colts on a current 17-game win streak overall, and being this year’s defending champions instead of the Pittsburgh Steelers. Although postseason success for Manning and the Colts is certainly debatable, you have to go all the way back to 2002 (when Indianapolis was 10-6) to find a year in which Manning and the Colts won fewer than 12 games during the regular season. That’s 79-21 over the past 100 regular season games, covering the last 6¼ regular seasons. Very impressive, even by Manning’s high standards.

But…

I don’t like it.  I am in total, unequivocal favor of a salary cap for draftees.  Isn’t that ironic?  The players have been fighting against a salary cap for years, like in 1994 when the strike took away the World Series (sorry Expos fans), and now I’m saying put a cap on the amateurs.  Ironic, but sensible.  Here’s why.  If I’m on a Major League roster, it took me years to get there.  Chances are good I was signed out of high school or college and then spent between 2 and 5 years in the minor leagues, paying my dues and learning the game at a level I never came close to before I signed.  Then I finally got my call up and heard the whining from management (which you may or may not have heard in the media, depending upon who’s doing the whining) about lack of funds.  In other words, I want them to spend their money on me in the off season.  I don’t want that money to be gone because they spent it all in the draft, going above their budgetary expectations.

Accountants out there are saying, “Jimmy, that’s just it.  Teams have different budgets.  They have their draft budget and they have their player payroll budget and they have their budgets for other operations, etc.  You’re not affected by their signings.”

To which I respond, somewhat thoughtfully, balderdash.  The revenue comes in and streams to each budget.  If they realize they keep going over budget to sign amateurs, then they’re going to allocate more money to the draft and less somewhere else, like, to the guys on the 40-man roster.

That’s where it affects me directly.

The NBA has a rookie salary cap.  That’s a different league, where college is like their minor leagues.  We don’t need a rookie salary cap in baseball.  An overall amateur salary cap is sufficient.

What would be important is the loopholes.  There are probably many of them in this plan.  Think like Scott Boras dealing with this cap.  “Okay, I’m suddenly constricted to what I can get for my guy as an amateur.  Do I have every one of my guys hold out, play one professional game with an independent team, and now, since they’re technically professionals, have I gone around the cap?”  But, Scott, since they now can’t go back to school (most guys are drafted after high school, when they can use going to college as leverage, or after their junior years of college, when they can use going back for their senior year as leverage), have you lost your leverage?  To which Scott says, “Not with Stephen Strasberg.  Not with David Price.  The top guys are going to get top bucks, and I’ll have all the leverage in the world because these guys are the best young talent in the country.  They can change the fortunes of an organization overnight.  Wait and see.”  My guess is most teams have to wait a little longer than overnight.

The point is, MLB players who have done their time in the minors and now live year-to-year in the bigs, or are fortunate enough to earn multi-year contracts, want the pool of funds for them to be as rich as possible.  If that pool is limited because of allocations toward young kids who haven’t put in the sweat and time and effort that you have, you’re not going to want to share it with them.  You’ve made it to the big leagues.  You know there are plenty of “bonus babies” throughout MLB history who never got out of A-ball.  Why should a team gamble “your” potential money on an unsure thing, when you’re right there under their noses, playing your heart out; when you’ve been a member of the union for a few years, literally paying them dues?

If you drive home one day and see a house two doors down for sale, you want that house to get as much as possible so that it raises the value of your home.  In this regard, players like other players similar to them to get paid lots of money, because it can make it easier for them to get paid lots of money.  The players’ market values are worth relatively the same.  But from a Major League player perspective, they’d rather that “relative” money go directly to the guys on the roster who are playing, not the ones who still pop pimples before going out on a Saturday night date.

I should add that this cap will never happen.  Why?  The owners will taste blood.  The seal has been broken on Pandora’s Box.  If the players agreed to this cap, maybe they’ll agree to a cap on rookies too.  And then a cap on pension payouts.  And then a cap on healthcare benefits.  And then a cap on…  See where it’s going?  Marvin Miller and Donald Fehr didn’t spend the last 30+ years fighting caps to suddenly instill one.  The future risks are too uncertain.

But from a simplistic, young MLB player point of view, if I were a pre-salary arbitration player on the Nationals today, I’m publicly saying congratulations to Stephen Strasberg.  And then I’m wondering where the money is going to come from to pay me next year.  That answer lies somewhere in the next six months.

Jimmy Scott is probably the greatest pitcher you’ve never heard of.  Visit Jimmy Scott’s High & Tight to read more from Jimmy and guests Desi Relaford, Eric Valent & Cassidy Dover.  You’ll also hear a new interview every Monday morning with former MLB players, agents, wives and others; giving new outlooks on this great game we call Baseball.  Go there now to hear Jimmy’s latest interviews with Rollie Fingers, Desi Relaford, Brent Mayne and MLB Umpire Hunter Wendelstedt.  You can follow Jimmy on Twitter or Facebook.