 | | Jaworski on the Chargers |  |
The San Diego Chargers are playing great football under head coach Marty Schottenheimer. They follow Schottenheimer's premise about not beating themselves. I played for Marty and worked with him at ESPN and know he understands that more games are lost than are won in NFL. He sells that philosophy to his team to play mistake-free football, and the Chargers have responded with the league's best turnover ratio. On tape, the Chargers' defense looks solid. They mix things up and don't give offenses anything. The Chargers don't like to take the safety out of center field and give teams the opportunity for the explosive plays.
Offensively, they are playing typical "Marty Ball." The offense revolves around the power running game and the speed and quickness of LaDainian Tomlinson. From the quarterback's perspective, Drew Brees has been able to manage the game properly because he has stayed out of third-and-long situations. Through the first four weeks, the players have bought into Schottenheimer's plan. Because they are executing the plan, the Chargers are 4-0 going into Denver.
Five keys for the Chargers:
1. Stick with the program: In Monday night's game, the Broncos played undisciplined football and got out of their plan. They were forced to do things they weren't accustomed to doing and got involved in a passing game. Schottenheimer wants the Chargers to continue what they have been doing and to not deviate from it.
2. A high-percentage passing game: The Broncos' defenses gets good, quick pressure on the quarterback. They are fast and agile in the front seven and play a solid blitz scheme. It will be important for Brees to drop back three or five steps, to get rid of the ball quickly and to complete passes.
3. Make Denver one-dimensional: The Chargers must force the Broncos to throw the football to win the game. Denver is at its best when it is running the ball and maintaining its offensive equilibrium. If the Chargers bottle up the running game and make the Broncos one-dimensional, they can break down Brian Griese. They would love to have Griese throw 53 times, as he did Monday.
4. Win field position: To play "Marty Ball" effectively, the Chargers must shorten the field and win the field-position game. They place an emphasis on winning on special teams. I'm sure they were paying attention to how poorly the Broncos played on special teams Monday night. Special teams will be critical again Sunday.
5. Quiet the crowd: The Chargers have to take the Denver crowd out of the game. During Monday night's game, the Ravens fed off the crowd once they started building a lead. There were doubts the Ravens could win the game, but the fans got behind them. San Diego must get off to a fast start and not make any early mistakes, enabling the Broncos to get an adrenaline rush from their fans.
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 | | Salisbury on the Broncos |  |
The Denver Broncos weren't ready to play Monday night against Baltimore. They made too many mental errors and turned the ball over three times on interceptions. It looked like the Broncos thought the game would be a pushover before playing San Diego this Sunday. Mike Shanahan always has his team prepared, but his team didn't play typical Broncos football -- from the touchdown return off a missed field goal, to a long kickoff return, to a blocked punt, to five penalties on one drive, which included an ejection.
However, the Broncos are a confident team that will rebound from their undisciplined performance. On offense, the Broncos need to figure out who they want to be. I'm confused about whether or not they want to run the ball or throw it. Although the Ravens scored 34 points, most came off special-teams gaffes. The defense continues to be the team's strength. It should give the Chargers' offense all it can handle Sunday.
Five keys for the Broncos:
1. Balanced attack: The Broncos can't ask Brian Griese to win the game for them. He is not like Drew Bledsoe, a quarterback who can carry the team on his shoulders. Griese must be a part of the machinery, not the machine. Denver needs more balance between run and pass. Clinton Portis should be the featured back and needs to come up big, even if it's in the short passing game.
2. Block the 'backers: The Broncos need to contain the Chargers' fast linebackers -- Donnie Edwards, Ben Leber and Junior Seau. They must be accounted for on every play or they will run free and make every tackle. The Broncos have to take the right angles, cut them off and get a hat on them. If not, they can take over the game and stop the Broncos' running game.
3. Stop Tomlinson: I have a lot of respect for Chargers quarterback Drew Brees. He plays efficient, mistake-free football and fits what the Chargers are doing. But the Broncos need to see how the Chargers will react if they become a one-dimensional offense that has to lean on Brees' arm. That means stopping LaDainian Tomlinson, who gashed New England for 217 yards last week. The Broncos, whose run defense is No. 2 in the NFL, must play eight men in the box, unless they feel they can control Tomlinson with seven.
4. Win on first down: The Broncos need to get four or five yards on first down because the Chargers' defense, ranked first in the AFC, is too physical and stout. The Broncos can't find themselves in long-yardage situations all day long, because it limits their play-calling options and makes them too predictable.
5. Be far more disciplined: The Broncos may have revealed a chink in the armor against the Ravens. To beat San Diego, they can't be penalized five times on one drive or suffer more special-teams mistakes. They were mental, not physical, breakdowns. Denver did some stupid things, like Trevor Pryce taunting a player when his team is losing. He is too good of a player to do that. A return to disciplined, fundamental football will give Denver a much better chance against the Chargers.
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