Tag Archives: Los Angeles Chargers

Brady Theory’s Debunked With Facts-Part 1

“Tom Is A Product of the Patriots System”

Haters across the country can’t stop calling Brady a system QB. While every team has a system, and 3/4s of the teams using the same style. Why aren’t they playing in February? The answer is Tom Brady. We know his skill, so let’s look deeper. Brady has had numerous Offensive Coordinators. In the beginning it was Charlie Weiss. Charlie’s offenses in NY and NE before Tom Brady were ranked 12th, 5th, 19th and 25th. Compare those numbers with a very green, backup QB in Tom Brady. Charlie’s 4 years with Tom his offenses ranked 6th, 10th, 12th and 4th. This is what I call the Brady difference. Weiss left after 4 years with Brady to coach Notre Dame, ending with a record of 41-49.

Josh McDaniels makes Tom Brady Great. Well no, not at all. He has had success with Tom just like Weiss, but without Brady his numbers declined drastically. Working with Brady, Josh McDaniels offenses have been incredible. The worst those two finished was 10th in points and 11th in yards. Every other season with Brady, New England’s Offense was ranked top 3 in points, with one top 5 finish. McDaniels in St.Louis and Denver running the same system, ranked 20th, 19th and dead last at 32nd. (Brady Difference.)

Bill O’Brien in 2011 must’ve been the reason Brady and the offense was 3rd in points scored right? I don’t think so, since leaving the Pats O’Brien’s offenses in points scored rank 14th, 21st, 28th, 17th and 11th. Quite the drop off without Brady under Center. So if you say “System QB”, I say it’s the Brady difference.

Well What About Bill Belichick? “He makes Tom Brady”

New England Patriots head coach Bill Belichick stands alone as the greatest HC, he must be why Brady’s so great

First let me say that while Bill is the best coach of all time, that didn’t really start until Brady came into the mix. In Cleveland Bill went 35-55, along with 5-11 his first year in NE without Tom. There’s that Tom Brady difference again.

2008 Same Team No Brady

But Matt Cassel went 11-5 when Brady was hurt

This argument often made by haters really grinds my gears: “If Brady is so good then how did Matt Cassel go 11-5?”

Well let’s break it down. The 2007 and 2008 teams had the same roster minus Donte Stallworth on offense. In 2007 Tom Brady and his offense set records for TDs, Rec TDs and points scored. The team went 18-0 only to lose the SB just missing the perfect season. The 2007 offense with Tom had a 315 point differential, compared to Cassel’s team dropping 214 points all the way down to a 101 point differential. So the same team, with different QBs went from the best offense ever, to average and missing the playoffs.

2007 Brady- 4,806 yards, 50 TD/8 INTs with a 117 Passer rating along with MVP honors.

2008 Cassel- 3,693 yards, 21 TD/11 INTs with an 89 passer rating with the same offense. (Brady Difference)

In 2010 Matt Cassel made the playoffs and the Pro Bowl with KC. He was no stiff, throwing 27 TDs to just 7 INTs, which was the second best ratio in the league that year. Who could’ve been number 1 I wonder? Tom Brady of course, as he won the only unanimous MVP in league history. Sorry to say again but the Brady Difference is quite obvious in this popular theory among haters.

“Tom Isn’t Good without a Great Defense”

The Patriots had a very good defense in Tom’s early years, and certainly was a huge factor in the first 3 Super Bowls. People say Brady was carried by his defenses, which is not the case. From 2001-2004, with Brady coming in as a backup, he put together 10 4th quarter comebacks and 15 game winning drives. The numbers seem to show he did his part and then some, but that’s not what the haters want you to think.

Brady led the NFL in TD passes in 2002, so it’s not a reach at all to say the Patriots may have not won those Super Bowls without Tom Brady. For example, in Super Bowl 38 the Pats defense gave up 29 points to the Panthers. A young QB named Tom Brady going up against a fierce defense threw for 354 yards, 3 TDs and his second clutch SB game winning drive. Without Brady things could’ve been a lot different that day.

Jumping ahead to Patriots Defenses that weren’t as talented. The four year stretch from 2010-2013, New England’s defense was never better than 25th in total yards allowed. But again Brady in 2010 won MVP and got the #1 seed. 2011 the Pats were back in the Super Bowl despite being 31st in yards against, and that’s due to Tom Brady. In 2012 and 2013, Brady and the Pats went back to the AFC Championship but lost. Some people think going as far as possible in sports and losing is worse than not making the championship game at all. Ridiculous.

In 2017 the defense was ranked 29th. Brady and the offense once again were back in the Super Bowl. Bill Belichick shocked Pats nation by benching Malcolm Butler. The defense got shredded by a backup QB, giving up 41 points. Even in defeat Brady put up historic numbers, throwing for 505 yards with 3 TDs with no INTs.

My conclusion on this theory about his Defenses is that Brady always has done his part to win games and make it to the AFC Championship or Super Bowl. I don’t see him being carried by anything, like the haters do. Another interesting stat: In 17 seasons the Pats Defense was statistically better than the offense only 3 times. In 9 of those 17 seasons with Brady as the starter, the defense was ranked 20th or worse in yards allowed. Defensive “myth” shut down with facts.

“Joe Montana Never Lost in the Super Bowl”

The debate over Montana and Brady has many factors. Joe Montana was the Greatest ever in my eyes, up until Brady’s comeback in Super Bowl 49 against the Seahawks. Since Brady tied Montana with 4 Super Bowl wins, he has gone to 3 straight Super Bowls and won 2. The real crime here is the loss to the eagles. Brady had the best Super Bowl performance of all time.

Some people say Brady can’t be better than Montana because Joe cool never lost in his 4 chances. The fact of the matter is that every athlete would tell you getting to the Championship and losing is better than not making it there at all. As we all know, Brady’s been to 9 Super Bowls with 6 wins. Let’s not forget the amount of Hall Of Fame players Montana had on both sides of the ball. He also had a coach in Bill Walsh who came up with an offense no one had ever seen before. It took years for teams to adjust to this new style of football, a great coach and system that Montana thrived in.

Brady on the other hand did not, and still doesn’t have anywhere close to the number of Hall Of Fame players Joe had. The comebacks alone in Super Bowls favor Brady, having 6 in 6 wins. And did his part in the losses too, by getting the lead, only for the defense to break at the end.

Montana has been bounced twice in the divisional round, twice in the Wild Card and three times in the NFC Championship. Montana in 11 seasons has gone one and done in the playoffs 4 times.

The GOAT Tom Brady in 16 playoff runs is 13-2 in the divisional round, 2-1 in the WC round and 9-4 in the AFC Championship. Brady in 16 seasons has gone one and done just twice in the playoffs.

Is 4-0 better than 6-3 in the Super Bowl? If you’ve never played sports then maybe you’d say yes. The ultimate goal of any athlete is to go as far as you can. That is something Brady’s done better than Montana. Doing so with less talent, an offense that has been seen before (unlike the 49ers), all while getting better with age. Brady wins this round, the numbers don’t lie.

“Montana Played in a Tougher and Better Era”

Again, not taking anything away from Joe Montana, I’m just telling it how it is. Sure the rules for QBs have changed over the years, but Brady played in a tough era of football himself. Rule changes to help offenses didn’t make an ounce of a difference until 2011. QB numbers didn’t go up or benefit Brady for an entire decade. From 2000-2011 only two players had a season with great numbers, Brady in 2007 and Manning in 2004. Since 2011 pretty much every QBs numbers are inflated like never before.

Defining the toughness of different eras contains a few different things:

Free Agency -Montana played when teams didn’t change and Hall Of Fame players typically stayed together. Brady has had a revolving door of players throughout his entire career, mostly castaways who were turned into Champions.

Defensive players -Tom Brady has played and shredded some of the best defenders and all time defensive units and coaches. The 2000 Steelers and Ravens, 2003 Buccaneers, The LOB Seahawks were no match in the Super Bowl, 2015 Broncos, 2017 Jags, the two Giants Super Bowl teams and the 2018 Rams. Just think of the players on those teams, and how if it weren’t for Brady most of them would have Super Bowl rings.

Geography – Joe Montana Played in a sunny warm climate, while Brady’s been playing in the Northeast. Freezing temperatures, snow and rain in a division where he plays in Boston and New York. No problem for #12.

This is the first of my 3 part Myth Busting Brady Hate. Next up will be topics like “The AFC Least”, “Deflategate, “Brady has no records” and my personal favorite: QBs like Rodgers, Marino, Brees and Manning being on Tom Brady’s level. Starting to feel like I’m writing a book, so these next topics plus more will be coming out soon. Hope you Pats fans can use some of these facts when arguing with Brady hating friends.

NFL Week 15 Winners and Losers

Week 15 Winners

Dallas Cowboys: 20-17 W @ Oakland

I feel as though Dallas has been featured in this segment on almost a weekly basis. I guess that says something about the inconsistency of Dak and company sans Ezekiel Elliott. The Cowboys have very quietly won three straight games. This win streak has them right in the thick of wild card contention. Dallas will have to win their last two games, which will be tough. In Week 16 they host Seattle and then travel to Philly to face the Wentz-less Eagles. Good news for Dallas: Zeke returns this week and they are seemingly a completely different team when he plays. His return makes their final two games look a lot more winnable. I don’t think any team wants to face Dallas with a well-rested Zeke come playoff time.

Cowboys playoff scenarios: if Detroit loses one of their final two games AND New Orleans, Atlanta or Carolina lose their final two games, then Dallas will earn a wildcard spot.

Detroit Lions: 20-10 W vs Chicago

Okay, a 10 point win at home vs the 4-9 Bears? Big deal. Certainly not the most impressive win, but it was not unimpressive. More importantly, Detroit did what they had to do to remain in playoff contention. This win improved their record to 8-6. Perhaps the best news for Detroit this week was Aaron Rodgers being placed on IR. This means that in Week 17 Detroit will get to host the Rodgers-less Packers, making it a very winnable game. Well, before I get ahead of myself they still have to rely on teams above them to collapse as well as win at Cincinnati in Week 16. Should not be a very tall task versus a team that has been outscored 67-14 over the past two weeks. But hey, you never know. I mean, wouldn’t that be the most Lions-y thing to do?

San Francisco 49ers: 25-23 W vs Tennessee

I feel as though the Niners deserve a spot under this column. Jimmy G and company delivered a quality win over a quality opponent. Jimmy G carried the load offensively going 31-43 with a TD, no picks and a 89.5 QBR. This performance included a clutch fourth quarter drive. Jimmy G took the Niners down the field from their own 25 with a little over a minute remaining. After going 3-4 for 45 yards, Garoppolo set up the 45 yard game-winning field goal for Robbie Gould. And just like that, San Fran has now won three straight with Jimmy under center.

Okay, so San Fran is still just 4-10 and has absolutely no shot at even coming close to a playoff spot. However, the Niners deserve this high praise for heading in a very good direction towards a bright future. Plenty of other franchises are probably jealous of San Fran due to the fact that they have found a franchise QB. quality QB’s are a hot commodity nowadays. However, San Fran still lacks a few key pieces on both sides of the ball. Also, they really need to work on red zone efficiency. During their 3 game win streak they have scored just three touchdowns while kicking 15 field goals. Too many points left on the board.

Side note: imagine next year’s NFC West with a much improved 49ers squad?

Week 15 Losers

Seattle Seahawks: 42-7 L vs LA Rams

Cringe-worthy loss in week 15 for Seattle. Of course, key injuries have made it nearly impossible for Seattle to dominate like in years past, but come on, 42-7 at home with massive playoff and division title implications on the line? Not impressed. This loss really made the playoffs seem like a stretch for this years Seahawks. Still though, credit the Rams, who rolled into Seattle seeking revenge from their last meeting and got what they wanted. Also, credit Todd Gurley for being pretty much unstoppable. He ran for 152 yards and three TD’s on 21 carries. Oh and he had three catches for 28 yards and another TD. Imagine if it was a close game and Gurley remained in the lead-back role for all four quarters? He probably would have had six touchdowns and 300 total yards. Oh… right, this was supposed to be about the Seahawks. Oh well, it’s onto Dallas for Seattle for a true “must win”.

Los Angeles chargers: 30-13 loss @ Kansas City

I was really hoping that the Chargers would prove to me that they are legit. I can not help but root for those guys. Phillip Rivers is often criticized for turnovers and poor attitude. However, he is a very good QB and is putting together a very solid season. Entering this game he had 19 TD’s and just three interceptions over his past 10 games. His most impressive characteristic in my opinion is his competitiveness. If you watch this guy, it is easy to tell he wants to win. Some claim he is a cry baby or a poor sport, I think those people are confusing his fire and passion for whining. Anyways, it was time for LA to prove to the league they are for real. Fighting for the division title on the road, a win could have been a statement, so what did they do? Flop.

Fortunately, it is not over for LA who currently hold a record of 7-7. Kansas City is only a game ahead in the AFC West while Buffalo, Baltimore and Tennessee are also only a game ahead in the wild card race.

Oakland Raiders: 20-17 loss vs Dallas

What was supposed to be a fantastic season for Oakland turned out to be a disaster. The home loss to Dallas put Oakland at 6-8 for the season. Theoretically, the Raiders could still sneak into the playoffs but the Chiefs, Chargers, Ravens, Titans, Dolphins and Bills would have to lose a combined 8032753238203 games, pretty unlikely. Really not sure what to think of this team moving forward. Hoping, for their sake that this year was the fluke and not last year, but I am not convinced. Also, what the bleep was Derek Carr thinking trying to score on that final play of the game? I understand he was trying to win the game for his team, but he already had the first down and needed just a field goal in order to tie the game. It would have been first and goal from the three yard line had he just ran out of bounds. This one is one is on him. Come on Derek Carr, you’re better than that… or are you?

*Questions or comments? Find me at @MLBfromNH (Kevin Civiello)*

An Unlikely Best of the AFC West Emerging?

2016 AFC WEST ELITES

KANSAS CITY CHIEFS

In 2016 the AFC West was the best division in football. It featured Andy Reid’s Chiefs, a rejuvenated Raiders team, and the Super Bowl 50 Champion Denver Broncos. The Chiefs are known for consistency, elite coaching, great defense, and taking care of the ball. Since Reid joined the team as head coach in 2013, the Chiefs have finished each season with at least nine wins. Entering this season, their record with Reid as head coach is was 43-21; nothing too shabby. In 2016 they finished 12-4 with a viable offense (7th in AFC) and a stellar defense (3rd in AFC). Kansas City also ranked second in net points at 78.

DENVER BRONCOS

The Broncos have had one of the toughest defenses the league has seen over the past decade. Denver finished among the top three in the AFC in points allowed in 2015 and 2016. Denver’s defense struck fear in the eyes of opponents. It was nearly impossible to run or throw against this unit as it featured dominant defensive players in both the front seven and the secondary. The secondary is led by Aqib Talib, one of the leagues best corners as well as Chris Harris who is arguably the leagues best slot corner. The pass rush was an absolute nightmare for opposing QB’s and O lines as it seemed like Von Miller would be hitting the QB on every play. Denver has been a dreadful place to play for opposing QB’s over the past few years.

OAKLAND RAIDERS

Oh man, the Raiders had a really tough stretch over the past 13 seasons prior to 2016. From 2003 to 2015, they failed to finish any season with a winning record or finish higher than third place in the AFC West. Their overall record during that span? 63-145. How many head coaches? Nine. Finally though in 2016 they emerged in a big way as they quickly became one of the best teams in all of football. Oakland finished 2016 with a record of 12-4 despite playing in the toughest division. They were led by young QB Derek Carr who finished fifth in MVP voting. Carr lead the Raiders offensive attack as they finished second in the AFC in points scored. This group was certainly poised for greatness in the 2017 season.

THE AFC WEST’S FORGOTTEN MEMBER: THE LOS ANGELES CHARGERS

Over the last seven season, the Chargers have lived in the shadows of their AFC West rivals. The Chargers have just one lone playoff appearance since 2009. You have to go back to the LaDainian Tomlinson days to remember the last time the Chargers were a real force in the AFC. Football fans expected the same old thing in 2017, dominance by the Chiefs, Broncos, and now the Chargers’ old basement buddy, the Oakland Raiders. Those poor, gritty Chargers would play tough but once again fail to escape their inevitable fate of dwelling in the AFC West basement. However, the Chargers seem to have something else in mind this year and it seems that the other division members may, oddly enough, be on board with the plan.

HOW THE TABLES HAVE TURNED

Well, the start of the season was anything but pretty, as the Chargers lost their first four games upon moving to Los Angeles. However, they have quickly turned things around and won five of their last seven games. The Chargers have had one of the toughest schedules this year and in play a premiere division yet they still have won five games. Okay, five wins does not display overwhelming success but I want to break down their season one game at a time and prove that this team could be 8-3 at this point of the season had some luck had gone their way. I also want to demonstrate that this team is playoff caliber and could certainly make it in considering the wide open AFC West and AFC wild card races.

Week 1- Younghoe Koo misses 44-yard game tying field goal to force OT in Denver (blocked). 0-1

Week 2- Younghoe Koo misses 44-yard game-winning field goal vs Miami. 0-2

Week 3- Fair and square 24-10 loss vs Kansas City. 0-3

Week 4- 26-24 loss to leagues best team: Philadelphia. 0-4

Week 5- 27-22 win at NY Giants. 1-4

Week 6- 17-16 win at Oakland. 2-4

Week 7- Dominant 21-0 shutout win vs Denver. 3-4

Week 8- One possession loss AT New England. 3-5

Week 9- BYE

Week 10- Rookie Austin Ekeler fumbles with less than two minutes remaining in own territory while leading 17-14. Then Joey Bosa late hit on Bortles to move Jacksonville into field goal territory to tie the game. Jacksonville wins in OT 20-17. 3-6

Week 11- Dominant 54-24 win vs Buffalo. 4-6

Week 12- Dominant 28-6 win at Dallas. 5-6

Evident of some of their unfortunate losses this season, the Chargers could certainly have a much better record. If Koo had made both of his field goals in weeks one and two and Ekeler did not give up the costly fumble then this team could easily be 8-3 right now. Sure, every team has their “what if” scenarios but the Chargers have been extremely unfortunate. Anyways, back to my hypothetical 8-3 Chargers team: their losses would have been to the red-hot Chiefs, the leagues best team (Philadelphia) by two points and AT New England by one possession, quite impressive list of losses if there is such a thing. So, at 5-6 what has the Chargers in great position to make a playoff push? the downfall of their AFC West rivals.

THE REGRESSION OF THE AFC WEST

Well for starters, the Oakland Raiders, who were a favorite to win the division, have looked pretty mediocre for the majority of the season and are just 5-6. The Broncos have lost seven straight and are just 3-8 on the season. Their issue is the offense, which is ranked 26th in the league averaging just 17.9 points per game. The Brock Osweiler, Paxton Lynch and Trevor Siemien experiments have all failed, leaving Denver’s now ex-offensive coordinator Mike McCoy scratching his head about what to do about that mess. Lastly, the Kansas City Chiefs, perennially a quality team under Andy Reid. They began the season as the Superbowl favorite of many people as they started 5-0. Since then it has been an epic collapse as they have lost five of their last six contests. A collapse of this magnitude is very surprising to see from an Andy Reid-coached team.

Side note: I find it interesting that the Chiefs won in New England and against the Eagles yet, somehow managed to lose to the inferior Giants. Hey, that’s just football I suppose.

CHARGERS PLAYOFF RUN

Los Angeles has made some huge mistakes at the most inopportune moments this season and it has costed them multiple wins. However, at 5-6, they are still very much alive in the wild card and divisional playoff race. If they want to advance to the playoffs they need to forget the critical mistakes they have made and learn from them. They need to capitalize on fourth quarter leads and avoid costly penalties and turnovers. what remains on the schedule for the Chargers? Cleveland and Washington at home, a short road stint at Kansas City and NY Jets, and home against Oakland. If they win four of those five games then I like their chances of making the playoffs.

*Follow me on Twitter: @MLBfromNH (Kevin Civiello)*

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