Chargers’ Mike Pouncey hoping to play next season

Chargers’ Mike Pouncey hoping to play next season, but waiting medical clearance.

Chargers center Mike Pouncey had his season cut short after sustaining a neck injury that required surgery on Oct. 9.

Pouncey, the four-time Pro Bowler, missed the final 11 games of the season. The severity of the injury has had many questioning his future.

For Pouncey, he wants to play next season when they move to their new stadium in Inglewood, CA.

“I’m playing. That’s my goal,” Pouncey said, per Orange County Register’s Gilbert Manzano.

But Pouncey will need medical clearance in order to ensure that he can play in 2020 and beyond.

On Monday, Pouncey said he will see a doctor next week to have an MRI on his neck and get an update.

Pouncey played all 16 games in 2018 when he was signed that offseason. If he doesn’t receive the news he’s hoping for, there’s a chance that the Chargers could enter the new season with Scott Quessenberry as the starting center.

Scott Quessenberry capable of being full-time starter for Chargers

Scott Quessenberry is capable of being the full-time starter for the Los Angeles Chargers in 2020 and beyond.

Scott Quessenberry had a dream growing up.

Quessenberry, the La Costa native, grew up as a Chargers fan, watching his favorite player, Nick Hardwick on a weekly basis at Qualcomm Stadium with the hopes of suiting up in the blue and gold one day.

That dream became a reality when he was selected in the fifth-round of the 2018 NFL draft by his favorite team. He chose the number that Hardwick wore in No. 61 in hopes to have a big impact just like his role model did.

Entering the season, Quessenberry was listed as the third-string center, but injuries happened that resulted in him shooting up the depth chart rapidly.

Mike Pouncey suffered a season-ending injury in Week 5, putting Quessenberry as the backup and then Forrest Lamp’s season came to end two weeks later, which meant that the former UCLA product was now the starting center.

Quessenberry made an impact early on that many may have not been expecting from him when handing him the starting duties. But it became evident that the second-year player benefited from learning from the four-time Pro Bowler.

He’s played very well. I think a lot of it is because he was able to watch Pouncey for a year and a half essentially and learn from arguably one of the best centers in the league. So I think that was a big thing for him,” guard Michael Schofield said about Quessenberry.

Quessenberry has kept pressure away from quarterback Philip Rivers on the inside, using his high football IQ to recognize blitzes and staying true to his technique in pass protection, along with using his stubborn mentality to pave the way for running backs Melvin Gordon and Austin Ekeler.

Quessenberry’s play has been promising enough that he could very well be the starting center when the 2020 regular season begins.

Pouncey is slated to become a free agent after the 2020 season, which means that the Chargers could move on from him earlier than anticipated to save some money. That is unless Pouncey’s injury is more severe, which could force him to retire, thus likely penciling in Quessenberry as the Day 1 starter.

3 Chargers players that have exceeded expectations in 2019

Chargers Wire’s Gavino Borquez lists three players that have rose to the occasion, which many may have not anticipated.

Despite being hampered by injuries this season, the Chargers still possess one of the most talented rosters in the NFL. While there are players that had high expectations heading into the year, there were a few that weren’t talked about as much and have exceeded many people’s expectations.

With that, here are three Chargers players that have been good in a surprising manner in 2019.

C Scott Quessenberry

Starting center Mike Pouncey was a hit with a season-ending injury in October, which forced the Chargers to turn to the former UCLA product to fill the void.

Quessenberry, the La Costa native, grew up as a Chargers fan. He wears the number that former Charger great Nick Hardwick wore in No. 61 in hopes to have a big impact on the team that he’s always supported.

In five games played, he’s made an impact on the offensive side of the ball that many may have not been expecting from him when filling in for a four-time Pro Bowler.

But you can tell that the second-year player has used that time learning from one of the best at the center position.

Quessenberry has kept pressure away from quarterback Philip Rivers on the inside by using his high football IQ to recognize blitzes and execute his blocks, along with opening up running lanes for running backs Melvin Gordon and Austin Ekeler.

Pouncey is slated to become a free agent after the 2020 season, which means that if the Chargers feel like they have something in Quessenberry, they could move on from Pouncey and make Quessenberry the long-term center.

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Chargers offensive line not to blame for Philip Rivers’ woes vs. Chiefs

The Chargers offensive line had their best performance last Monday against the Chiefs.

The Chargers offensive line has taken a hit all season for being the reason why quarterback Philip Rivers has underperformed.

Following the Monday night game, the narrative that Rivers’ four-interception performance was because he didn’t trust his offensive line, thus making him feel rushed to make throws was still arisen.

The truth is, the offensive line wasn’t the issue. In fact, the unit that boasted two backup tackles and center had their best outing of the 2019 season against a stout Chiefs front.

After re-watching the game, there were only a couple plays in which Rivers was under duress. The first came when defensive end Frank Clark beat offensive tackle Trey Pipkins with speed and a dip move to force Rivers into throwing the interception.

The second came in the third quarter. Clark beat Pipkins with power off the line of scrimmage and caught him off guard with a chop-dip move to disrupt Rivers’ throw.

Outside of those plays, along with a couple others, the protection for Rivers was rock solid.

Trent Scott holds his own against Clark’s long arm move, giving him no ground.

Here, Pipkins latches on to Clark, resetting his hands and giving Rivers enough time to throw. On this play, you can see Hunter Henry is open in the middle of the field, but Rivers is locked on Austin Ekeler, which shows he isn’t going through his reads.

Very clean pocket here, as running back Melvin Gordon and fullback Derek Watt pick up the defenders attempting to blitz.

Again, Pipkins and Scott give there block no time to get into the backfield. Rivers has a clean pocket, but panics and opts to roll to the right when it’s too late.

Rivers has a clean pocket, but he steps up in a panic matter and is picked off by safety Tyrann Mathieu in a pass intended to wide receiver Keenan Allen.

Guard Michael Schofield is called for illegal hands to the face on this play, but look at Scott and Pipkins eliminate their blocks to give Rivers time. Just a very poor decision and great play by the Chiefs.

The offensive line isn’t as stout as others across the league, but they showed major improvement from the previous week against the Raiders, where they allowed five sacks.

With a lot of the focus being put on the line because of Rivers’ 14 interceptions this season, it is fair to say they weren’t the problem this past Monday.

Rivers’ issues are due to misreads, lack of anticipation and poor pocket awareness. It may not seem like it, but the Chargers offensive line has done well with their initial protections of Rivers with what they have after the slew of injuries to the position.

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