There’s several reasons for that.

1) The Chargers had a nasty habit, early in the season, or coming out of the gates really slow and digging themselves a hole. The second half was filled with furious games of catch-up, which left Ron Rivera in a position where he didn’t want to blitz too much and give up a big play. It was a “bend, but don’t break” defense and involved a lot of 3 and 4 man rushes.

Since the bye week, the team has been better in the first half than it has in the second. So, with the team up a lot of the time, Rivera has unleashed some pretty ridiculous blitzes. It actually looks similar to a Jim Johnson defense (not surprising, since JJ was Rivera’s mentor), with a ton of Safety and CB blitzes. This has made them less predictable, and given the offense line more to handle on every play. That confusion alone helps a ton.

2) Merriman is back. I was really hesitant to say it, especially when he was having big games against the Chiefs and Raiders, but the man who played against the Giants is every bit as good as 2007 Merriman. In the beginning of the year he was trying to get healthy with his knee, and wound up hurting his groin. Then, as his groin was getting healthy, he hurt his foot. I think Sunday was about as good as he’s felt all season and it showed.

Offenses are on high alert too. It’s not surprising that Shaun Phillips has gotten 5 sacks in the last 3 weeks. He was facing a lot of double-teams and chips that has completely disappeared. If he can beat his one-on-one, which he does quite frequently, he has a free shot at the QB. He’s been everywhere making huge plays for weeks now. Although Merriman is the one the offense will be worried about, Phillips may end up being the guy to get the big sack or force a fumble.

3) A few weeks ago the Chargers cut starting SS Clinton Hart. Everyone assumed backup SS Steve Gregory would get the starting spot. Instead, the team moved rookie 6th round pick Kevin Ellison in as the starter and then moved Steve Gregory into the role as Nickel CB (benching Antoine Cason, whom everybody loved). Chargers fans were either furious, confused or both. However, it’s done wonders.

Steve Gregory has proven to be much more physical around the line of scrimmage, and Kevin Ellison has been a big improvement over Clinton Hart (who couldn’t tackle or cover anybody anymore). The improved play of the secondary is forcing QBs to hold onto the ball for a second longer, which will help any pass rush.

Will the Chargers attempt to run, or will their offense live and die by Rivers?
Live and die by Rivers. There’s no other choice really.

Also, how do you feel about the LT situation? Do you think the Chargers’ management could have handled it differently, especially given how well Michael Turner is playing now?
Yes and no. They were expecting at least a few more good years out of LT and weren’t going to pay Turner ridiculous money to be a backup. They could’ve franchised him, but then they’d still be paying top 5 money to a backup RB. I thought at the time that they were doing the right thing. Hindsight is 20-20.

Does he generate expectations when the ball is in his hands with the game on the line?
Not any more he doesn’t. In his prime, he became a better short-yardage back with games on the line.

how does he perform there when they need a short gain or a quick dump for medium gain?
Adequately, which is to say not as well as Darren Sproles. That’s why he’s been riding the bench a lot this season.

Can he, and how well?
He used to be one of the best blocking RBs in the league, and really worked at it. Somehow it’s become a weakness in his game though. I’d rate him as “below average” as a blocker at this point.

The story of the Chargers’ defense is on the line. The starting 3 should’ve been Luis Castillo, Jamal Williams and Ryon Bingham. Williams and Bingham were IR’d by Week 2. Travis Johnson was traded for to fill the hole and quickly ended up injured as well. Jacques Cesaire, who was supposed to backup Bingham, was hurt all of TC and through the first few weeks of the season. Against Pittsburgh and Baltimore, what you saw were rookie projects and 4th stringers trying and failing.

Since those games, the line has gotten better. Johnson is healthy and playing well. Cesaire is healthy and rounding into shape. Ian Scott (who was cut in camp due to injuries) was signed back and has been quite effective. Most importantly, the Chargers are now playing with 6 healthy bodies on the line and are rotating them to keep all of the guys fresh. The difference between the d-line in those first two games compared to the Giants game is actually quite amazing.

What do you feel are your defense’s biggest strengths?
Eliminating the big plays. They don’t give up many big runs (although they do give up plenty of 8 yard carries) and they hardly give up any big passing plays. The secondary has played very well all season long.

Biggest weaknesses?
Stopping the run, which was a bigger problem when the Chargers were always playing from behind. They’re ranked 26th in the league in terms of rushing yards allowed per game.

If you had the Eagles’ offensive weapons (Westbrook/McCoy, Jackson, Maclin, Celek, etc) at your disposal, how would you attack you own defense?
Good question. I’d definitely try to power it up the middle a handful of times with McCoy behind Weaver to see if that would work. I’d also send DJ and Maclin deep on opposite sides of the field, attacking wherever Eric Weddle doesn’t go. More than anything, though, the Chargers seem to struggle with teams that can consistently move the chains via short/quick passes. So I’d do a whole lot of that.

I have no idea. He doesn’t really have any weaknesses.

I’m of the belief that any QB can be defeated with an effective blitz, so I want to say that. However, the Giants used their zone effectively and sporadically in Sunday’s game to force the two interceptions. I’d say double-cover Vincent Jackson downfield, because Rivers might just be tempted enough to try that pass anyways.

Gates is the “Oh Crap” receiver.

That said are you happy with Philip Rivers?
Quite. Rivers is the better QB and perfect for San Diego.

Did you know what you had in Michael Turner?
Absolutely. At the same time, Turner does not fit the Chargers offensive system just like he doesn’t fit the Eagles’ system.

and now on to the present day info this past week was the only game I actually paid any attention to involving the Chargers this year. San Diego looks pretty legit against the pass but looks like they have trouble with the run is this accurate?
Yes, very much so.

do any of us ever go to the other team board and post a thread like this

Injuries. It almost always comes down to injuries. In 2008 the team almost didn’t recover from the loss of Merriman, but were good enough to beat Indy. In 2009, the team almost didn’t recover from the loss of Jamal Williams but is slowly learning how to deal with it.

That being said, the reason for the injuries (specifically early in the season) is a mystery. I’ve raised the question this season of whether or not Norv Turner runs a good camp or not. There’s no real way to answer it, but I don’t know that there’s any other answer for the consistent slow starts and big injuries early in the season.

So, does Chargers fan love him like the media does or same same view as me?
It’s a mix of both. We’re a little bit more realistic about it. We love him because he’s one of the 5 best return men in the league and because he’s a big-play threat whenever he gets his hands on the ball (which is why the media is ga-ga for him). We also know that he has limitations as a full-time runner and can occasionally get butterfingers. Sproles is a great return man and has outstanding speed, but he’s more a Dante Hall type player than LT or Barry Sanders.

What happen to Gates? He was a top-5 TE couple years back, yet it seems like he has the hands of Todd Pinkston this year…
He’s still a top 5 TE. The only TE with more catches and yards is Dallas Clark (who has a much lower yards per catch average). He has had a fair amount of drops this year, but it’s just been a matter of him trying too hard to make a play after the catch and not looking the ball into his hands. It’s a focus thing. It happens sometimes and other times he makes spectacular grabs. Nobody really knows what to make of it, and nobody’s really too concerned.

What ever happen to Buster Davis, that receiver Bolts pick in the first round few years back?
Still with the team. Buster has had a real hard time staying healthy during his Chargers career, and I think the team is finally starting to come around on my philosophy that his body still needs to develop. He turned 24 years old last week. I don’t know how well he fits in with this offense anymore though. I think the plan is for him to become the return man (Sproles is going to want big money/long term) and the 3rd/4th WR. Right now they’re just keeping him healthy and working him hard in practice.

What do you fear most coming into the Eagles-Chargers game?
I fear one of those games where Reid and McNabb shuts everybody up by scoring a million points. As somebody said in the comments to a story earlier today, “Good McNabb” is almost unbeatable and you never know when he’ll show up. Also, I don’t think that Quentin Jammer has the speed to stay with DeSean Jackson and Antonio Cromartie has a tendency to have bad games when he has to cover #1 WRs. We’ll see how that goes.

Why are you guys so lucky to get to play Raiders and Chiefs two time each every season?
Blame Al Davis and Herm Edwards.

When its all said and done, I think Rivers will be up there with the likes of Dan Marino. Do you agree with me?
Absolutely. He just has to stay healthy.

Also, who do you think the Eagles D will need to stop in order to win? Answer the same question for the Chargers D, please.
That one’s easy. To beat the Chargers, you have to stop Vincent Jackson. Everything the offense does revolves around him. The Giants actually did a good job of it for about 90% of the game last week and almost won because of it. Unfortunately, that 10% killed them.

I don’t know if this qualifies as somebody the Chargers have to stop, but I’ll tell you what they have to do to win the game. They have to get pressure on McNabb with Merriman and Phillips. If they’re forced to bring more blitzers, that’s going to cause problems. If they can’t get pressure on him, DJ will just outrun everybody and wait downfield for the TD pass. Pressure on 5 is vital.

but I don’t see him making a huge impact as a starter

He can’t do it. He has had 3-4 games to try and be successful in that role and he continually shows he can’t do it. His problem is that he can’t break a tackle, so he’s only successful running to the outside. The defense knows it too. You can’t play that way.

Brian Westbrook is probably too small to be a workhorse back, but he’s a freak. Sproles is smaller than Westbrook by quite a bit.

Sproles would be great if somebody ever used him the way the Saints use Reggie Bush. The Chargers get good value out of him, but probably not everything they could.

Although I remember when Fishtown was nothing to write home about. All of my friends and family who moved out are kicking themselves now.
Exactly why I’m moving there now. It’s the next Northern Liberties.

Do you still have any key players from that game who are looking for paybacks? LT and Gates I know – but who else? Brees was your QB and the WR duo was McCardell/Caldwell….
Sproles and Merriman were around at that point. I don’t know that they’re really looking for payback on a regular season game from 4 seasons ago though. LT rushed for 7 yards in the game, the Chargers deserved to lose by much more.

I know I still get mad about some close losses from our Buddy Ryan days, so I have to wonder – do SD fans hold a grudge?
Nope. Different teams, different coach for the Chargers. If it was a playoff game or something like that, then yes (I still don’t like the Jets), but in this case it’s long since been forgotten by everyone….with the possible exception of Tomlinson.

but probably the not-so-good Eagles team. It would take forever to explain my rationale, but here’s a shortened version of it:

I think the Chargers team is very similar to the Cowboys team (except with a better secondary and a worse running attack). I think the Chargers will get a lot of pressure on McNabb, stop Westbrook (we’ve been good at stopping little RBs and terrible at stopping power RBs) and get just enough points to win.

Like you said though, the Eagles are unpredictable. They could win by 30 and I wouldn’t be really surprised.