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“CHARGERS-POWDER BLUE-BLACK EYE”
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WTF was that?

No easy way to describe what happened on Sunday, this ugly loss to the Washington Commanders.

All you needed to see was the ‘glazed’ look on the face of coach Jim Harbaugh, running out of ways to avoid using coach-speak to talk about the demise of his team, losing first to the winless NY Giants and then the badly banged up Commanders.

Shell-shocked is about the way to describe QB-Justin Herbert-battered again by a pass rush, betrayed by a sagging offensive line.

Stunning the mess that piled up after the Bolts had a (10-0) lead go away

..Washington had 5-sacks, 6-tackles for loss, 9-hits and a ton of pressures.
..The Commanders sealed the game with a 99-yard TD drive in the 4th quarter.
..Jayden Daniels threw for (231Y)..ran for (66Y) and scrambled well.
..Rookie RB-Bill Merritt grinded out (111Y) in the win
..WR-Deebo Samuel ran open all day (8R-96Y).
..Quinton Johnston fumbled a ball away after a 19Y-catch
..The Chargers wiped out a punt return TD-by Ladd McConkey-penalties
..The Chargers had 24-41 yard pass plays voided by flags
..OT-Trey Pipkens took back to back flags
..The Bolts roughed the punter in the end zone
..There were pass interference penalties and 10-more flags in all

It went on and on.

Herbert made big plays despite taking big hits.
No one else did anything else.

The record may be (3-2) but the last two losses have been gruesome, the injury list keeps growing, and a head coach remains unwilling to call out his team in public.  His GM, Joe Hortiz, does not have many options either to go find any offensive lineman unless he is willing to trade a decent draft pick to take on someone else.

Not what we expected.  What should have been a (5-0) start has now been stained by an awful loss to a winless Giants team, and then another loss to a Washington team that came across the country with a two game losing streak, and hit the Powder Blue with a Black Eye shot to the face.

Like I said, WTF-Chargers.

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Hacksaw’s Thursday Podcast
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Big games every weekend in the NFL..Week 5-is no exception

CHARGERS-WASHINGTON…Both are banged up…Justin Herbert has been sacked 12-times already..hit 47-more times…the offensive line is a mess…but Washington has its issues too..QB-Jayden Daniels is back but his top two WRs Deebo Samuel-Terry McLaurin have nagging injury issues…The Commanders may try to use a heavy-dose of RB-Brian Robinson in this game.

BROWNS-VIKINGS..Dillon Gabriel replaces Joe Flacco in game in London..he becomes the 41st different starting QB-Cleveland has used since 1999..Carson Wentz comes off a (350Y) passing game last week.

RAIDERS-COLTS..Geno Smith is taking too many sacks (12) and has thrown too many picks (7)-and his OL is poor…Daniel Jones-Jon Taylor-Tyler Warren a pretty good pass-run-catch combo for Indy

GIANTS-SAINTS..Jaxson Dart brought a feisty attitude at QB in last weekends upset win over the Chargers…now he faces a troubled (0-4) Saints team.

DALLAS-JETS…An astounding start to the Cowboys offense (403YPG) but a brutal start for the defense (430YPG)…But Dallas is going up and down the field on everyone…The Jets, just not enough talent around QB-Justin Fields.

EAGLES-BRONCOS..Just not the same Philadelphia team right now that won the Super Bowl…Jalen Hurts not putting up monster passing numbers-Saquon Barkley not pounding the rock..and the defense is not playing dominant ball either..Bo Nix is coming off a strong game throwing the ball downfield

MIAMI-CAROLINA…Life after Tyreek Hill begins, in what could be just a miserable season for the Dolphins…Bryce Young not having a good season to start for the Panthers-because he does not have alot around him either.’

HOUSTON-BALTIMORE…Struggling Texans offense-vs-bad Baltimore defense-ripped by injuries.  The Texans are not protecting CJ Stroud very much.  The Ravens have 7-defensive starters out from a unit giving up (406YPG), and now Lamar Jackson is ailing with a hamstring.

TITANS-ARIZONA..Rumors everywhere coach Brian Callahan is in big trouble..QB-Cam Ward’s offense is averaging (210YPG).  Arizona has no run game because of injuries, so it is all on Kyler Murray.

TAMPA BAY-SEATTLE..Sam Darnold has a (106-QBR) and that Seahawks defense has 7-picks…but Baker Mayfield is rolling (8TD-1Int)

LIONS-BENGALS..A horrid stretch in Cincinnati since Joe Burrow’s major injury…The Bengals offense (205YPG-8-turnovers-13-sacks)…The defense is deplorable too giving up (397YPG)…and here comes Jared Goff (113QBR) and a defense that has 14-sacks.

PATRIOTS-BILLS..Josh Allen and the gang averaging (409YPG) with a defense (290YPG) bring ferocity into this game..Pats QB-Drake Maye has a (109QBR) but there’s not enough firepower around him.

CHIEFS-JAGUARS…A breakout game last week for Patrick Mahomes, down the field strikes and some bits of a run game..The Chiefs QB has a (130QBR)…Jags RB-Travis Etienne (6YPC)..WR-Travis Hunter (13Rec)
in his rookie season..That Jags defense has 13-takeaways.

RAMS-49ERS…Thursday Night Football..How the Niners are winning with all these injuries is amazing..Mac Jones throws for (342Y-2TD) in outgunning Matthew Stafford-who threw for (389Y-3TD) in gut wrenching OT loss..The Rams had a field goal blocked, lost a fumble at the SF-1 at the end of the game, then were stopped on downs in OT in losing.

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“PADRES–WIN OR GO HOME”
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The Padres are where they need to be…still playing in post season games as the calendar has flipped into October.

And now they face the Cubs in a do-or-die game on Thursday at Wrigley Field.

A matchup of two fatigued teams.

Both teams have struggled to hit the ball.
Both teams have used up their bullpens.
Both teams have had to go pull their starters out of the game.

Yu Darvish, hardly the ace he used to be, will start in the win or go home game.  He will be backed up by the rested, but rusty, Michael King and the young Randy Vasquez.  It looks like the Friars have enough bullets in the gun from among those starters, to get this done.

Jameson Taillon, pitching his way back from the injured list, has to start, and may be backed by young starter Ben Brown.  But after that, there is no idea where innings will come from for Chicago.

Manager Craig Counsell is being second guessed for his handling of Shoto Imanaga, who did not start on Wednesday, came out of the bullpen, and gave up another home run at Wrigley, where he has faded this second half of the season.  You change a pitcher’s routine-maybe it does not work out.

Mike Shildt gambled, yanking Dylan Cease early and asking his bullpen to get him some 15-outs.  They did, the best outing Adrian Morejon has ever had, the dominant 103-104 mph pitches from strikeout artist Mason Miller, and then the closing work of Robert Suarez.  On Thursday the gamble paid off, but the bulk of the bullpen has been used up, because they also pitched with the early exit of Nick Pivetta in the first game.

Manny Machado, with a history of post season failure, gave the Padres the breathing room they needed with a 2R-HR swing in the win.

Fernando Tatis made a brilliant 8th inning catch to snuff out a rally.  The infield turned a 9th inning double play to end the game, and force a 3rd and final game.

Neither team has hit well in this playoff series.  The wind blowing in has been a difference maker.

And now someone is 9-innings away from moving on to a tough Milwaukee series by the weekend.

Can Yu find enough vintage Darvish stuff to choke off the batting order?
If the Friars go to the bullpen, can King be what he was before all the issues?
What kind of innings do you get from the young thrower Vasquez?
Which batting order breaks out of the funk?
Is there a hero out there from the slumping Kyle Tucker or Peter Crow-Armstrong?

And will anyone have any gas left in the tank to go to play the 97-win Brewers in the next round?

Playoff baseball…alot of tension-alot of edge of the seat action…isn’t it?
Is it game-time yet?

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“AZTECS—HAVE THEY ARRIVED”
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The numbers are impressive, the (3-1) San Diego State record, and they face an unimpressive Colorado State team (1-3).

The SDSU rankings on defense in the NCAA ratings are really impressive, at least this early in the season.

#6-scoring defense
#10-total defense
#13-pass defense
#19-run defense

Thanks to the schedule, they have posted these numbers against the likes of 1AA-Stony Brook, anemic Northern Illinois, and the ambush job against Cal and its freshman quarterback.

The offense remains ‘work in progress’ under young QB-Jayden Denegal.

#118-total offense
#!10-passing offense
#80-rushing offense.

But SDSU has a legitimate chance to push this record out to (5-1) before they move into the teeth of the schedule, with road games at Fresno and Hawaii, the home showdown with Boise State and improved San Jose State.

So far-so good..we will see if they have arrived as a quality team-by mid-November.

1-week at a time for coach Sean Lewis:
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Great gritty-tough team win
Hard to win on the road

Defense stepped up all day long
Offense in critical moments responded in tough times

Gabe Placenscia is in a zone kicking the ball
He has made kicks from 60-62 yards in practicer
Has not missed a kick since he was named the guy
18-field goals in a row-he is so consistent

We put NIU on long field all day long

Short week-heading to Friday game with Colorado State
We learned how to respond from adversity at WSU

Rams-good team-dangerous team-battling thru injuries

Need to work on short yardage offense-goal line-work on gap integrity
Have not worked under center with our QB

Defensive Coordinator Rob Aurich-intangible..his ability to have players play free-fast-clean-took Tre White as a young man-gave him tools..kids do not have to be robots-kids understand calls…

This is a fast-tough unit-regardless of position we were put in-keep going out and getting it done.  Our defensive guys are carrying the water for our offensive.

This group has internal pride in their work..this Aztecs Warrior trait is a great trait

Colorado State will blitz you from all over on defense..they have a strong offense under Jay Norvell-QB-Brandon Nicolosi has track record as a starter-but they have alot of injuries-offenses

Nicolosi is different than their other QB
Rams running more 2-backs sets and 12-packages

Jayden Denegal decision making is getting better
We can eliminate the 1-off plays that have been bad
Holding the ball-throwing late on assignments
I am aggressive-he does not need to be more aggressive
We are just a tick away from hitting plays

Lucky Sutton gets more productive as game goes on
He is a body puncher-not a knockout guy
Lucky is different than Christian Washington-both explosive guys

Coaching and winning is hard..it’s not always style points winning
So much that came out of the NIU game that does not show up on stat sheet
Go on the road-last year-adversity..go on road and showed character-won
We finished together and we won
(3-1) coming into conference play-I’d sign up for that..

If 1%-of San Diego County showed up we would own Snapdragon Stadium
Want fans to show up and show off.
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“WILD CARD PLAYOFFS”
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What a fun day of baseball ahead of us…Opening day of Wildcard Week in MLB.

4-great games-back to back on TV.  Great storylines.  And alot of questions too.

PADRES-CUBS…You tell me, a good season in San Diego?  They did reel off 90-wins infront of a record 3.43M-fans at Petco Park.  But they failed to pass the Dodgers for first place.  Failed to get home field advantage.  Failed to impress the critics with all those losses to some of baseball’s bad teams.  And have battled to find consistent trustworthy starting pitching.

So they face the big home run hitting Cubs team in hitter friendly Wrigley Field.  A Padres team that did not do well on the road.  A Friars team that was 29th in HRs for most of the season.

Manny Machado staggered thru a career worst August-September, hitting a combined (.206).  Can he flip the ignition switch on and showup and get big hits in October?

Fernando Tatis looks healthy, energized and is hitting.  So is streaking Luis Arraez, with a (.383) storke over his 15-game hitting streak.

But can the Padres, once they give the ball to a pitcher other than Nick Pivetta, do well in a short series?  The Dylan Cease malaise-is there a quality road start coming?  How patient can you be with home-run prone Yu Darvish?  Do you get enough quality innings out of Michael King-Randy Vasquez if you go to them in long relief?  Will you go to your Gold Star bullpen early in games?

Does the loss of Ramon Laureano hurt this team alot, or are there other guys ready to step up?

Can you keep the Cubs from hitting the ball out of the Friendly Confines, considering they crashed 223-homers in all, and 101 of them at Wrigleyville?

And how about Cubs opening day starter, Matt Boyd (12-1) at home?

If this series was at Petco, where the Friars had the dominant record, I might feel different, but I hope this is not ‘1-and-Done’

DODGERS-REDS…Cincinnati is just glad to be there.  The Dodgers belong there seeking a second World Series ring in a row.  How about that Gold Standard starting rotation, plus Ohtani and his 55-home runs.

TIGERS-CLEVELAND..Amazing either of them made it.  Detroit fell apart so bad, ran out of pitching in late season, and still got there.  Cleveland’s home grown roster earned this, but they had a team batting average of (.223)

YANKEES-RED SOX..What a first day matchup, Garrett Crochet-vs-Max Fried.  The two left handers combined for (37-wins) and the two southpaws struck out (255-189) this summer.  Of course the Yankees have those big home run hitters to watch too.

Enjoy Tuesday-Wednesday-Thursday.  Wildcard week will be wild.
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