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“A Tale of Two Coaches”

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You don’t know them very well. I do.

They do a great job, in the shadow of a major market. One wears his emotion on his sleeve. The other just says ‘aw shucks’.

Yet both are winning, and sadly both are virtually ignored in America’s Finest City.

Rocky Long has taken San Diego State football to heights never-reached in modern day football, at least not since the days of Don Coryell-Claude Gilbert, when the Aztecs were winning at the Aztec Bowl and in the ‘college division’ of college football.

Dale Lindsey has continued to build on a unique level of success, with a program that does not give out football scholarships, and has athletes who play because they love the game, while their parents pay 40,000 a year tuition to go to the Catholic school up on the hill.

Rocky Long is (46-23) at San Diego State, putting together a team of toughness, talent, speed and intelligence. He is doing here what he did at New Mexico, where he brought the Lobos back from the dead to be competitive.

Lindsey succeed Ron Caragher, who replaced Jim Harbaugh. Lindsey is (27-9) at USD, playing what they call 1-AA football, but in essence, coaching a strong Division III program.

Long takes exception to questions about becoming the next Boise State, lecturing the media his Aztecs have beaten Boise a couple of time. They step outside the conference, and take their kids for lifetime experiences at places like Penn State, Michigan, Ohio State, Miami, UCLA, Washington and Oregon.

Lindsey coaches against whomever is on the schedule, teams from the Pioneer Conference, a cross-country league of no-grant football programs, that include Dayton to Davidson, Marist to Jacksonville. From playbooks on Saturday, to books back in the classroom on Monday on Alcala Way.

The Aztecs average about 31,000-fans a game, fine if you were in Laramie or Fresno, but not equal to Boise, and deserving better than that in an NFL city.

The Toreros before friends, family, some alumns, and might draw 3-to-5,000 per home game at best.

They both operate in the shadow of the Chargers, and in the extended shadows cast by USC-UCLA, the Pac 12, and the Power 5-Conferences. They are who they are, and they are alright with that.

Long was an option quarterback back in the day at New Mexico. He is a guru as a defensive coordinator, have done well in the Pac 10 with stops at UCLA and Oregon State. He has found his home and would stay here the rest of his coaching life.

Lindsey played at Kentucky, played for the Cleveland Browns, and was a linebacker coach for a bunch of different NFL teams, including the Chargers and Chiefs and Redskins. He’s surprised he’s a head coach at an age approaching 70-but says he learns something every day from the kids he deals with.

It’s really too bad, the 110,000 San Diego State alums have never really wrapped their arms around the Aztecs program, to take it to the next level, in terms of crowd support, emotion, and financial backing. There are some pretty good players wearing Red & Black, bypassed, overlooked, under-recruited and insulted. All they needed was a chance and good coaching, and they are getting both.

It’s not the end of the world the support at USD is limited, for their program has different priorities. It’s no different than being at small places like St. Lawrence University or Pacific Lutheran, places that win, and please whomever comes to the games, with kids happy to continue theire career. Imagine these Division III type kids getting NFL coaching, having success, and then going out into the world with a USD-diploma that has great value.

San Diego State-USD. Two very different football programs, led by two pretty special head coaches.

I know who they are, and how good Rocky Long and Dale Lindsey are, as professionals and personally as people. Too bad most of San Diego doesn’t.

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“Questions Worth Asking”

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Writing about things off the top of my head.

Hate to see, everytime I turn on network TV, another story of the shooting of an innocent person by an officer. It’s cheap to say ‘trigger happy’, because you are not standing there in the officers shoes, and don’t know what has just transpired. The athlete of today can stand up and speak out, and have a right, but those are just words. Cam Newton, Colin Kaeperneck and others have a right, but what can they do next after speaking out?

The 49ers quarterback, a product of a bi-racial marriage, has put his money where his mouth is with the funding of two foundations to serve troubled families in San Francisco-Oakland. Any other player done anything like that? Though I was bothered about him wearing socks, with a pig design wearing a police officers hat. Offensive?

Is this not the best solution you have heard coming out of Denver. Police meeting with Broncos LB-Brandon Marshall todiscuss the so-called racial incidents there, then inviting Marshall to come on a “Ride Along” for a full day and night to see what police experience. Also inviting him to attend one of their training sessions, to see how police are prepared for confrontation situations. Wouldn’t it help if police in every city extended the same invitation to an athlete to experience this, and then speak out after the fact about what they learned?

Is it me, or did I miss it? Have you seen any white athletes take part in a National Anthem statement before any NFL games?

Has anyone seen anyone in baseball take a public stance?

Ever heard anything so stupid as Columbus Blue Jackets coach and Team USA boss saying if any of his players sit for the Anthem, they’d be sitting for the game? That’s open minded isn’t it?

Which NFL team will decide, as a true show of unity, to all kneel or all raise their fists during an anthem. That would be a true statement wouldn’t it?

The NBA will likely be the one to have a team-wide display of unity, but am still waiting for Carmelo Anthony to follow thru on his idea of a meeting with President Obama, as to what athletes en-masse can do to deliver a message to the population?

Can anyone explain to me what the value is of rioters burning down portions of their own cities and destroying their own businesses in their neighborhoods? From Ferguson, Missouri, last summer, to Charlotte, North Carolina last night, what is to be gained from torching your neighbors?

In response to all the killings in Chicago comes this tidbit. 400 police officers have been killed in the line of duty and 1,110 wounded, doing their job, since the beginning of 2015. Wonder if any NFL players care to comment on that? Black lives matter-they do, but so do officers wearing blue, doing their job, don’t they?

I fully understand the message. I don’t understand the method. Do you?

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I invite you to respond via my comment panel. Tell me what you think.

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“Chargers-Best Move Possible”

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When you lose all the skill people the Chargers have lost in recent weeks, it’s a real body blow.

There aren’t any Pro Bowl guys sitting out on street corners waiting for calls, so you do the best you can, hoping to find someone that might be as close to a clone as the guy you lost.

The Chargers replaced Danny Woodhead with two guys who have been productive elsewhere.

All purpose do-everything running back-kick returner Dexter McCluster comes in. He’s a shade bigger than Woodhead, a bit more shiftier, a long strider, who can do lots of different things.

The ex-Kansas City Chiefs draft pick can run it some, catch it some, and can return both kickoffs and punts. Why New Orleans ever let him go, why Kansas City ever jettisoned him, is strange. He has (5,700) all purpose yards in his career, a pretty good number, considering he has never really been a starter.

Now the challenge for the Chargers, get him out in space and let him run his zig-zag style against coverages. If need be, he also replaces Travis Benjamin on kick returns, because keeping Benjamin healthy is so critical now with the loss of Keenan Allen.

And speaking of Allen, the signing of ex-Colt Griff Whalen adds more versatility to this battered roster. He starred at Stanford, caught passes, ran some out of the backfield, and returned kicks. He’s only been a part time player in the league, but has 45-receptions in parts of 3-years, playing with Andrew Luck in the NFL, just as he played with him in the Pac 12-Conference.

He will give San Diego a bit more veteran ability coming off the line of scrimmage, where inexperience reigns right now with Tyrell Williams and others.

It’s tough to be in scramble mode with your roster, this early in the season, but Tom Telesco seems to be pushing the right buttons.

The signing of Matt Slauson has bulked up, and toughened up the offensive front. You saw the ball hawking ability of Casey Hayward in the secondary. You can feel the toughness in some of Dwight Lowery’s hits.

The Chargers need to get out of a game without a major injury. But so far, they’ve been able to pick up the right people, to fill in.

The attrition rate is alarming, with 14-weeks left in the regular season.

So far though, the best moves possible.

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“If Not Bad Luck, then No Luck at All”

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So how do you replace all this talent?

How do you replace 205-pass receptions, over 2,500-all purpose yards, and 17-touchdowns?

That’s what the Chargers had as part of thier roster on the opening day of training camp, and what they don’t have now.

Keenan Allen’s exit with a bad knee injury, was followed seven days later by the Danny Woodhead knee injury.

Add tot hat the training camp injuries tht took out receiver Stevie Johnson and running back Brandon Oliver, and that’s lot of offense gone from the two deep chart.

Backup tight end Jeff Cumberland, and former kick returner Jevontee Herdon are also gone for the year.

No Pro Bowler’s are out on street corners this morning you can sign. Yes, you might be able to make a trade, but for who, and what do you have to give up?

Of the free agent running backs out there at this hour, Ronnie Hillman, the former Aztec, and 3-year Denver Broncos backup, most resembled Woodhead, as a runner and receiver, but really nobody bring the dart-and-dash talents, nor leadership, that Woodhead, and the chip on his shoulder provided. What a great acquisition he has been, what a great loss. Other similar free agents who can do some of the things Woodhead did are ex-Bills CJ Spiller, and former Chief Dexter McCluster.

There are a mixed bag of young backs the Chargers will look at first. Andre Williams was a heavy duty back at Boston College, and had a really decent two plus years as a utility back with the New York Giants.

Kenneth Farrow, the back who put up good numbers in the Houston Cougars spread formation is on the active roster, but like Williams, has lots to learn in the protection schemes. He can run and can catch some, but can he catch on?

Oh you can float names like Ray Rice, or Wes Welker, but they are out of football for lots of reasons, age, injury, declining performances.

The Chargers have a luxury in that QB-Philip Rivers makes everyone around him that muck better, but that’s an awful lot of firepower San Diego has lost.

The shine of Sunday’s win over Jacksonville was replaced by the gloom of the news of the loss of Woodhead, and safety Jahleel Addae, out for months, following yesterday’s surgery for a fractured collarbone.

Last year it was the offensive line that wrecked the season. This year it is at the skill positions. It seems like everyone but Rivers (knock on wood) has had something major happen to them.

The Chargers, if it wasn’t for bad luck, they’d have no luck at all.

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“Doing the Right Thing Finally”

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I told you they could be good, and they were, for at least one Sunday in the NFL.

The Chargers unleashed their fury on the Jacksonville Jaguars, hitting them in the mouth on defense, hitting them with big plays, and powering their way to a (38-14) win at the less-than-sold out Q yesterday.

A win, coupled though with the loss of do-everything running back Danny Woodhead, out with a significant knee injury. This is not good, in that the Chargers have now lost 6-skill players since the start of training camp, Keenan Allen amongst three receivers, tight end Jeff Cumberland, and now both Woodhead and Brandon Oliver.

Melvin Gordon continues to blaze on the ground. There was nothing wrong with that running back last year, when the media horde and the great unwashed-uneducated fans, said he was a bust. He had no offensive line last year. This year they are healthy and he is hitting big plays.

Is there another gem in the receiver corps, this big time pass catcher from tiny Western Oregon?. Tyrell Williams now has an 81-and-44 yard TDs over the last 3-games he has played in. Heir apparent to Malcom Floyd.

The defense is athletic, and made some big plays vs the Jaguars. They blitzed Blake Bortels into turnovers. The defense roamed the secondary like a pack of wolves. Picks, sacks, fumble recoveries. It was pretty dominant.

No Joey Bosa on the field yet. Maybe next week, but you must be cautious with hamstrings. Those self inflicted wounds can be scary, especially that injury.

Despite the spotty personality of Mike McCoy, passive and intimidated last week in Kansas City, much more aggressive this week, the Chargers are now (1-1).

But the sting of that loss last week at Arrowhead is still there. Had the Bolts won there, they’d be in first place, and KC, which lost yesterday, would now be (0-2) not (1-1). Oht he mistakes the coaches and players made last Sunday.

But for one night, aside from the loss of Woodhead, lots to feel good about. Next week, a chance to win on the road in Indianapolis, where the Colts have no defense, and Andrew Luck is turning the ball over still.

Somewhat surprising, just 52,000 plus in the yard, the lowest home turnout since 2004. Maybe the hot weather, maybe the residue of the Spanos-Fabiani-Stadium spillover.

I kept saying in camp, this team could win the AFC-West. They gave you some reasons to believe with the win over the Jaguars.

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