Tag: Chargers Bills

Chargers conclude interview with Terrance Gray for general manager opening

Terrance Gray is another riser.

The Chargers on Tuesday confirmed they have interviewed Terrance Gray for their general manager position.

Gray is in his second season as the Bills’ director of player personnel. He started with Buffalo in 2017 as the college scouting director. He worked up to being named the assistant director of player personnel in 2020 before being promoted to his current role.

Gray attended the NFL’s first Accelerator Program, which aims to promote diversity in decision-making roles throughout the NFL.

Before joining Buffalo, Gray spent 11 seasons as a college scout for the Vikings.

His time in the professional ranks started with the Chiefs back in 2003, when he worked in player development and player personnel before he became an area scout in 2005.

Gray was a cornerback on Oregon State’s 2000 Fiesta Bowl champs that finished ranked fourth.

2023 Power Rankings Roundup, Week 17: Where Chargers stand after loss to Bills

Here is what the national media thinks of the Chargers after their loss to the Bills.

The Chargers are coming off a loss to the Bills.

Here is what the national media thinks of the Bolts ahead of Week 17:

USA Today: 30 (Previous: 31)

“A team that was supposed to wrest the Hollywood spotlight from the Rams will not only be getting a new script in 2024 but is facing huge cast turnover.”

Touchdown Wire: 27 (Previous: 25)

“They made the Bills sweat, but this team has its eye on finding its next head coach and figuring out how to surround Justin Herbert with talented players.”

NFL: 27 (Previous: 27)

“There still can be interesting developments in lost seasons, and the reduced role of Derwin James in Saturday’s tight loss to Buffalo certainly opened my eyes. In essence, he was a nickel corner in the game, taking only a few snaps at safety and playing just 40 of the 52 defensive snaps. James has been an impact player for the Chargers since entering the NFL as a first-round pick in 2018, rarely coming off the field when healthy. But interim coach Giff Smith apparently has a different vision of James’ role down the stretch, which could raise questions about his future with the franchise, seeing how he carries a salary-cap hit just south of $20 million in 2024. Now, Smith probably won’t be the Chargers’ head coach next season, and a new front office is set to take over, so it’s impossible to project future personnel decisions. Even still, I’ll be keeping an eye on James once the new regime settles in.”

CBS Sports: 30 (Previous: 29)

“The decision to fire Brandon Staley gave this team some life against the Bills. Now let’s see if it carries over the last two games.”

Yahoo Sports: 27 (Previous: 28)

“It was good for the Chargers to compete like they did against the Bills, even in a loss. You don’t want to finish the season being that team, the one that doesn’t show up for the final month. That makes for a long offseason and (more) people lose their jobs that way.”

The Athletic: 28 (Previous: 28)

MVP: Justin Herbert

There’s one reason the Chargers’ job opening will be the most coveted in the league this offseason, and it’s not the Spanos family’s history of throwing money around. It’s Herbert, who was 11th in the league in passing yards (3,134), 13th in EPA per attempt (.14) and 14th in passer rating (93.2) before a finger injury ended his season after Week 14. The numbers don’t tell Herbert’s story, though. The tape does, and if the right coach lands in Los Angeles, look out.

Chargers players heap praise on Giff Smith after first game as interim head coach

Players are rallying behind Giff Smith as they are set to finish the last two games of the season.

Amid the firings of Brandon Staley and Tom Telesco, Giff Smith relished the role of the Chargers’ interim head coach and kept the team focused during the nine days leading up to the game against the Bills on Saturday night.

Smith’s message was clear to the players.

Even while they were missing starting quarterback Justin Herbert and wide receiver Keenan Allen, Los Angeles went toe-to-toe with Buffalo. They held the lead at various points in the game, including a 10-0 start.

Los Angeles looked inspired in all three phases, especially on offense, led by running back Austin Ekeler, who rushed 15 times for 63 yards and caught three of four targets for 21 yards.

“It was great,” Ekeler said, per the team’s official website. “Giff’s done a great job keeping us together and making sure that he’s implemented his message which is the family aspect of bringing everyone together, play for each other … make sure you leave everything out there.

“When you do that, you’re going to be excited to go play again,” Ekeler added. “That’s what we saw there and looking forward to playing for him again next week.”

Making just his second NFL start, quarterback Easton Stick was sharp in some of the throws he made. Stick finished 23 of 33 passes for 215 yards. He also had 25 rushing yards and a one-yard touchdown.

“He was awesome all week,” Stick said of Smith. “He told us that was the plan going into it, let’s get this thing to the fourth quarter and find a way to win it. Obviously, came up a little bit short.

But, the way that he rallied the guys this week, and you saw how hard we played, that’s a credit to Giff and that’s a credit to the guys in the locker room. He did an unbelievable job this week.”

Despite being mathematically eliminated from the playoffs, one thing is clear. Players are rallying behind Smith as they are set to finish the last two games of the season under him.

Studs and duds from Chargers’ loss to Bills

Highlighting the good and the bad from the Chargers’ loss to the Bills.

Despite managing to keep the game close without Justin Hebert and several key starters, the Chargers came up just short against the Bills as they lost 24-22. Buffalo took control of their playoff destiny, while LA was mathematically eliminated from the playoffs.

The Chargers have known their fate for weeks, though. It’s why Brandon Staley and Tom Telesco were fired in-season. At this point, all you’re watching for are performances to be used as an evaluation tool in the off-season. What stood out, positively and negatively, for the Bolts?

Stud: QB Easton Stick

As mentioned last week, what you’re looking to see from Easton Stick is competent fill-in play. Nothing more, nothing less. Last week in Las Vegas, Stick’s processing and decision-making were just a step slow. Turnovers made the margins of the game even worse for LA.

It was a much better performance for Stick this week. 23-33, 218 yards and a rushing touchdown is about what I’d expect from the NDSU product in executing the offense efficiently.

Also important for Stick as a game manager: zero turnover-worthy plays against Buffalo. He had six in his first two starts this season.

Dud: The anemic run game continues 

Relative to his recent efforts, this wasn’t a bad game for Austin Ekeler, as he averaged 4.3 yards per carry for 65 yards. But the total production and efficiency for the running back room wasn’t there.

After a 50-yard performance against Las Vegas, Isaiah Spiller had two carries for one yard. Joshua Kelley had one run that went backward yardage-wise. 18 runs for 64 yards between the backs is just more of the same in terms of what we’ve seen this season. The interior line struggled in a run-blocking capacity as they turned to Brenden Jaimes.

The absence of Corey Linsley and the athletic decline of Austin Ekeler are hard factors to work with. But Kellen Moore’s run game has not met expectations this year.

Stud: S Alohi Gilman

Alohi Gilman created two massive turnovers for the Chargers in this game. Left by himself with Stefon Diggs over the top, Gilman came up with a huge interception while undercutting Josh Allen’s pass. A forced fumble in run support also gave the Chargers another opportunity to swing the game.

By any conceivable metric, Gilman is having his best season in a contract year. As uncertainty looms around the rest of the Chargers’ expensive roster, he’s proven to be a critical piece of this defense. Whichever GM comes in needs to get Gilman back for 2024.

Dud: 4th down decision making

Staley took a lot of media heat on his fourth-down decision-making, but the truth is that his calls usually added to the Chargers’ in-game winning percentages. His aggressiveness in 2021 won that team some games. Conservatism and inconsistent decision-making made the offense less potent in ‘22 and ‘23.

On the first Chargers’ drive that gained traction to the tune of 90 yards, Giff Smith elected to take a field goal on the two-yard line. For an LA offense that has struggled to put up points on the board, I get the decision. But a touchdown there might’ve won the game for the Chargers, considering the defensive effort.

Again, the game was irrelevant from a playoff positioning standpoint. But had it been a must-win game, I think that decision at home against Josh Allen would’ve generated more discussion.

Stud: TE Gerald Everett

Somewhat quietly, Gerald Everett has put together a really solid stretch for the Chargers after a bit of a target drought. From October 1st to November 12th, Everett averaged under 14 yards in a five-game span. Since then, Everett has put up 41.8 yards per contest in his last five games.

He also has a five-game streak of 4+ receptions in that span. Whether with Stick or Justin Herbert, Everett has been a valuable piece in an otherwise depleted offense.

As mentioned before with Gilman, I also would try to keep Everett next year at the right value for the Chargers as draft/offseason insurance.

Dud: LB Kenneth Murray

Kenneth Murray has had his most erratic season as a pro. The run defense has largely been decent for the most part. But while that support aspect of his game is serviceable now, coverage is still a struggle. A miscommunication put him 1 on 1 vs. Gabe Davis downfield. 82 yards allowed in coverage was Murray’s most since the Dallas game.

Opposing offenses know that the middle and deep parts of the field are attackable with the Murray-Eric Kendricks duo that’s started all year. The Chargers took a run defense improvement while sacrificing coverage, and I’m not sure that tradeoff has worked out.

Chargers PFF grades: Best, worst performers in Week 16 loss to Bills

Spotlighting Pro Football Focus’ highest and lowest-graded Chargers players from the loss to the Bills.

In Week 16, the Chargers came up short against the Bills, 24-22.

Outcome aside, there were some standout performers and others that were duds.

With that being said, here are the best and worst performers from Saturday’s contest, according to Pro Football Focus’ player grades.

Note: To be more accurate, this is based on players who played at least 35% of the snaps on offense (70) or defense (55).

Top 5 Offense

QB Easton Stick – 77.6

OT Rashawn Slater – 76.9

OT Trey Pipkins – 74.7

TE Gerald Everett – 70.6

WR Alex Erickson – 65.6

Top 5 Defense

EDGE Khalil Mack – 90.3

DT Nick Williams – 82.1

S Alohi Gilman – 81.5

EDGE Tuli Tuipulotu – 81.4

DT Austin Johnson – 72.9

Bottom 5 Offense

OL Zion Johnson – 64.2

WR Joshua Palmer – 60.6

WR Quentin Johnston – 56.4

OL Jamaree Salyer – 43.5

OL Brenden Jaimes – 40.7

Bottom 5 Defense

S Derwin James – 43.4

DT Otito Ogbonnia – 43.3

DT Morgan Fox – 39.8

LB Kenneth Murray – 37.4

DT Scott Matlock – 33.1

Chargers’ Derwin James has snaps significantly reduced vs. Bills

The future role of Derwin James is one the biggest questions.

Chargers safety Derwin James had a reduced role against the Bills.

With a large majority of snaps that took place at slot corner and near the box, James played the fewest snaps of his career, excluding injuries/ejections. 41 snaps was the fewest played for the former All-Pro in a game since he was ejected against the Colts.

Earlier in the week, interim head coach Giff Smith did talk about potential changes to Brandon Staley’s defense. On Tuesday, Smith did hint at personnel changes:

We’re going to put the best guys out there in the best position to have the opportunity to stop Buffalo and give us a chance to win.

James played over 50% of his 41 snaps at slot corner specifically. It’s the continuation of a gradual trend of having him play fewer of the deep aspects of the safety position, effectively limiting him to the box. James also registered his third consecutive game with a PFF grade lower than 45.0.

Notably, he was on the sideline on a 3rd and 8 play when Essang Bassey was playing the slot against Stefon Diggs. The Bills would convert against Bassey and effectively ice the game from there.

The firings of Tom Telesco and Staley will produce a domino effect of roster decisions going forward. One has to wonder where that leaves James in the shuffle if his snaps were immediately reduced the game after Staley’s ouster. Not to mention, is James comfortable with a slot majority role? The constant changes in his role this year are not something generally seen with the highest-paid players at their respective positions leaguewide.

From the Chargers’ standpoint, is it worth it to pay James as the most expensive safety in the league when they’re no longer using him as the Swiss Army Knife-esque key to their defense anymore?

New Chargers leadership will have many questions to answer, but the future role of James remains perhaps the biggest question regarding defensive roster construction.

Social media reacts to Chargers’ 24-22 loss to Bills

Here is how social media reacted to Los Angeles’ hard-fought loss to Buffalo.

The Chargers lost to the Bills 24-22 in a nail-biting contest on Saturday night. Although the Bolts put up a good fight in Giff Smith’s debut as interim head coach, Buffalo got the last score.

Here is how social media reacted to Los Angeles’ hard-fought loss to Buffalo:

 

Everything to know about Chargers’ hard-fought loss to Bills

The Chargers came up short in a tough 24-22 loss to the Bills.

Despite the outcome, the Chargers put up a great fight against the Bills on Saturday night.

To recap Los Angeles’ 24-22 loss to Buffalo, here is everything to know.

4 takeaways from Chargers’ 24-22 loss to Bills

Here are four things to take away from the Chargers’ loss to the Bills.

The Chargers fought hard on Saturday, ultimately falling 24-22 to the Bills. Los Angeles led in time of possession but had fewer rushing, passing, and total yards than Buffalo.

Here are four things to take away from the contest.

Highlight: Chargers safety Alohi Gilman picks off Bills QB Josh Allen

Alohi Gilman always seems to be around the ball.

Buffalo had a huge play in the first half when Josh Allen rolled to his right and launched a dart to Gabe Davis for a 57-yard touchdown that put Buffalo on the scoreboard.

In the third quarter, the Bills ran a similar play. Allen rolled out right, loaded up, and launched another deep ball. As the camera panned, it was clear Stefon Diggs had a step on his defender.

But Alohi Gilman always seems to be around the ball.

Gilman made up ground on an underthrown ball by Allen, reeling it in and giving the Chargers the ball back on their own 42-yard line.