Originally posted by: gingerstewart55
Originally posted by: Capt Caveman
You are correct that Rivers will be the most important factor in the game b/c the Pats will be focusing on shutting down LT forcing the Chargers to beat them with Rivers.
However, your logic is flawed b/c LT is River's No. 2 receiver. LT is involved in over 50% of San Diego's offensive plays and TDs.
Half the touchdowns SD scored for 2007 by LT? You need to recheck your facts......
SD scored 49 TD's in 2007.....LT accounted for 18 of them, 15 rushing, 3 receiving. That's a little less than half.
True, he was the #2 receiver......60 catches for 475 yards. But Jackson had more yards with fewer catches than LT and the same number of receiving TD's.....3.
Chambers had more receiving yards than LT.....and more receiving TD's....4.
That doesn't include Gates, with 984 yards receiving and 9 TD's.
While it's true that LT is an important part of the offense, his receiving TD production is not much of a factor, unless you count being tied for 3rd best as "vital".....I'd say Gates, Jackson and Chambers are much more vital to the receiving arena than LT. BTW....LT's catches are typically dumpoffs while the other receivers are the longer threats, witnessed by the average yards per reception....LT managed 7.9 while the others mentioned were 13.1 by Gates, 15.2 by Jackson, and 15.9 by Chambers.
But those averages are very typical for running backs and reception averages......what is really salient is the running back's rushing yards and TD's scored....the true use of the running back. Dumping off passes as a wide running play or as a last resort safety valve pass really doesn't say much for a passing game.
Be that as it may, it still doesn't point out the total touchdown numbers over the year put up by the two teams involved...
SD.....49, broken down into 19 - 22 - 2 - 6 (rush, pass, returns, defense)
NE......75, broken down into 17 - 50 - 2 - 6 (So, two fewer rushing TD's, vastly greater # passing)
Rushing yards over the season.....SD had 2039, NE had 1849....200 fewer, but then again, Maroney, Morris, and Faulk had some games where rushing wasn't used much or at all.
Passing yards.....SD...3005, NE.....4731....about 1700 more passing yards and 28 more passing TD's. Obviously, NE is a pass-oriented team, but Maroney, Morris, and Faulk all managed 4.5 yards per carry (well, Faulk was 4.3)......fairly closely matching LT's average of 4.7. Now, true Maroney had fewer yards carried (835 to LT's 1474), but LT also had 130 more attempts (LT....315, Maroney 180)
To me, whta is really striking is how limited SD's offense really is. In TD's, SD had 2 people score 2 or more rushing TD's, and had 4 people score 2 or more receiving TD's.
NE had 5 players score 2 or more rushing TD's and had 7 players score 2 or more receiving TD's.
I think this is very much more telling a set of stats than almost anything else.
Shut down LT and SD has few others to turn to.....Gates and Chambers mainly.
Shut down Maroney and Moss, which has been done pretty much before (usually Moss over Maroney), and Brady still has 6 others to throw to that have scored TD's already.
Honestly, if NE can give Brady any sort of time in the pocket, it'll be a long day for SD.
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