Scouting Dolphins vs Chargers

In retrospect, the NFL schedule makers did a real number on the Chargers for the 2009 NFL season. Not only did they start the season facing-off against four teams that all feature a power running game, three of those teams did it well enough to make the post season last year.

It’s no secret that, since the Chargers parted ways with future hall-of-famers Junior SeauJunior Seau, and Rodney HarrisonRodney Harrison several years ago, making the move to the 3-4 defense under then defensive coordinator, Wade Philips, they have proven to be vulnerable against teams that employ a power running game.

This is especially true under Norv TurnerNorv Turner. The most recent examples one could point to are the losses at Miami, and Pittsburg (twice) last year, and the first two games of this 2009 NFL season.

You don’t have to be a football genius either to know that the way to beat Norv Turner’s Chargers is to attack the middle of that soft front seven, and wear the defense down for the second half. This has never been truer than it is today now that all-pro nose-tackle, Jamal WilliamsJamal Williams is out for the season. Winning the time of possession battle, and keeping Rivers of the field as much as possible, is the formula for success when playing San Diego.

The Charger’s inability to run the ball consistently compounds the issue, making it harder to sustain long drives, and also limits their effectiveness in the red zone.

So with the Miami Dolphins and the wildcat coming to town this Sunday, the third of four consecutive teams boasting an effective power running attack, there is legitimate reason for concern in San Diego.

At least Norv Turner and his staff don’t have to speculate much about the Dolphins game plan this week, as it will surely mirror the strategy they employed less than a week ago, against the Indianapolis Colts. The Dolphins absolutely dominated that game in terms of time of possession, hanging on to the ball for over forty-five minutes.

Fortunately for the Colts, and perhaps the Chargers as well, Manning and company managed to score 26 points within the roughly fifteen minutes of time allotted to them by the clock crunching Dolphin’s offense.

So while it is hard to see how the Charger’s defense will ever be able to get off the field this Sunday, Rivers should have little trouble picking up big chunks of real estate down field when he needs to.

The Dolphins give the Chargers real matchup problems in certain phases and Chad Pennington has had unprecedented success against them over the course of his career.

However, considering that it will be Miami who will be making that long, cross-country trip out to play in front of an, at least, semi-hostile, sell-out crowed in Qualcomm Stadium this coming Sunday, the Chargers should come out on top. That is, provided of course, that the Chargers don’t leave to many points in the red zone this week, which, arguably, cost them the game against Baltimore last Sunday.