Professor Nick Canepa grades the Chargers for the first half
Sez Me…
With a 17-game schedule, the NFL doesn’t really have a true halfway point.
So now that the NFL team that used to be here—you know, the Judases/LA lodgers—is 5-4, there’s no better time for the professor to release first-semester grades.
Here are the marks, and remember, no bet:
Quarterbacks — B-plus
Justin Herbert is really, really good – probably too good to play much longer for the team known internationally as Fredo Spanos & Sons Mistakes. He has hung around despite his own ruptured rib cartilage, an offensive line constantly in the doldrums and injuries to his top two wideouts — Keenan Allen and Mike Williams. Very few QBs can match throws with him. The problem is that history remembers the winners.
Running Backs – B
Austin Ekeler remains among the league’s best protean backs. While he wasn’t used out of the backfield like he should have been early on, he’s been forced to do more of it when Herbert can’t find anyone other than walk-ons to throw to. So the running game has suffered. It would be nice to see rookie Isaiah Spiller get more opportunities.
Recipients – D
Allen’s historic hamstring has basically rendered him inactive since the first game. And Wiliams went down a few games ago with a high ankle sprain (both likely to return Sunday). Deandre Carter and Josh Palmer have done the best they can, but they are not one and two. Allen and Williams have been on the field together in 43 games. Right end Gerald Everett is a moving target.
Offensive Line – INC
Probably plays better than is apparently possible. Very difficult to characterize. Rashawn Slater, who played left tackle as well as anyone, went down early, and then it was spinning the bottle to point to a lineman who could make the play. Much better at protecting the passer. Herbert has been sacked just 13 times, the fewest in the NFL.
Defensive line — D-minus
Cope with the weakened. Jerry Tillery was cut and Austin Johnson, Christian Covington and Otito Obgonnia are out for the year. Sebastian Joseph-Day has been more than OK, but these guys couldn’t stop runs with 50 liters of Pepto.
Linebackers – C
Basically the same as the D line. Tackling is often spotty in the front seven. Grape Tranquil has a good season. Kenneth Murray has talent, but gets injured by setting the alarm clock with a remote control. Missing Joey Bosa terribly. Khalil Mack has seven sacks and could have more with Bosa around.
Secondary – C
Expensive free agent corner JC Jackson wasn’t money until an injury sidelined him for the year. They have probably played over their heads, but remember, teams run primarily on the J’s. Derwin James is the game’s most versatile safety. Ballhawks needed.
Special team – B
Better under new team coach Ryan Ficken. Carter is a solid return man. The top two kickers have missed time, but Cameron Dicker The Kicker has been good, so good he might win the job. JK Scott has had problems with position kicks. But the device is no longer a punch line.
Coaching — D-minus
Too often, second-year head coach Brandon Staley plays like a teenager in a horror movie. Makes poor decisions and his assistants are not invulnerable to mistakes. Staley had his butt kicked in the chest by Jacksonville and Seattle. So much for the defensive wunderkind. The fact that he has had so many injuries to his better players to contend with has made it much tougher to fight, but using injuries as an excuse is for losers. His team just doesn’t look good. It can’t last. Can he?
Outlook – F
Go to a fishmonger and smell the head of a flounder. If it stinks, don’t buy it. Move on. Fredo Spanos is the boss of this floundering franchise, and a quick sniff will tell you that you’re not in Coco Chanel’s lab. He’s a carpet bagger, who can’t get a home game at home. Sell. …
Do you know when all these silly NFL power rankings will matter? The night of February 12, after the Super Bowl. …
NFL, find more success in Germany than Richard Wagner, plans to play games that count in Spain and France. Owners obviously care about winning when they green light home game losses. …
I take it back. The AFC West seems to fall a little short of being the best division in history. …
Aaron Rodgers: “I think it’s time to go on the grass throughout the league.” Also agree Ricky Williams and Willie Nelson. …
Because Old Man Winter is hacking away at Buffalo, Sunday’s Browns-Bills game has been moved to Detroit. That means both teams lose. …
Jalen MaydenThe San Diego State story is similar Marshall Faulk‘s. Trainers didn’t know what they had until they had to use them. …
Funny how an athletic quarterback who can spin it accurately can turn the most boring offense into entertainment. …
The Padres are looking for their 100th hitting coach since moving to Petco. GM and Prez of Baseball Ops AJ Preller will interview Saint Jude, the patron saint of lost causes, who doesn’t mind carrying a heavier burden now that the election is over. …
But, in that Petco is in the Padres’ mind, maybe Sigmund Freud can help. …
Dave Roberts came second in the selection of Manager of the Year in NL. No offense, though Jayce Tingler could have squeezed 100 plus wins out of the Dodgers. …
The more I think about it, Manny Machado should have been NL MVP. He backed up with pads and carried them. Not much firepower around Manny. …
The USFL’s Memphis Showboats will debut in 2023, a long-awaited football version of the historic one Jerome Kern–Oscar Hammerstein musical. …
No problem here with Twitter canceling my verification. I always thought a blue check was a depressed Eastern European. …
Now I can only hope Elon Musk won’t take me off the waiting list for March. I hope for an upgrade. …
I must have seen more movies than Cecil B. DeMilleand I have come to that Rosalind Russell is my favorite actress on screen. Take her if you can Howard Hawks“His Girl Friday”, my favorite comedy/newspaper film, that spreads machine gun dialogue nose to nose with Cary Grant. Beyond brilliant. …
No beer allowed at Qatar World Cup matches. For what other reason would football fans want to go? …
Spain has taken over the No. 1 spot from the United States in the men’s world basketball rankings. But the Spanish are nervous about the Americans’ inexplicable increase in bullfighting. …
Four of this nation’s top-10 prep basketball recruits have committed to Kentucky. I don’t know how much NIL is involved, but you’d think these kids would want to go to a school where they can win championships. …
Titans offensive coordinator Todd Downing was arrested the morning after he called a fine play Thursday night in Tennessee’s win over the Packers. So stupid. But if he comes from Nashville, he can always find a job in Kansas City. …
The world’s population has reached 8 billion, most of whom will never have to pay for the collection of garbage they already pay for. …
I usually don’t disagree with that Herschel Walker, because it’s hard to disagree with things I’ll never understand and can’t explain. But I always thought vampires were cold, not cool.
