San Diego Chargers: Towering Receiving Corps Produces Monumental Headaches

Given the NFL’s decision to settle tie games with a half court game to 11, the Chargers will be favorites to seize victory in any extra period.

By posting up Antonio Gates with inside help from Vincent Jackson, Malcom Floyd, Chris Chambers, and Legedu Naanee off the bench with possibly Darren Sproles to run the offense, and it’s one round ball squad that will be tough to beat.

Look for them to dominate at the "Hoop it Up Tournament" down by the pier, too.

The thing is, the NFL’s competition committee hasn’t quite signed off on the idea of its players jumping center at the end of four quarters.

Likely, as well, the Chargers aren’t so keen on their talented receiving corps doing anything shy of relaxing in their downtime with basketball being particularly blacklisted.

Remember Ryan Leaf playing some pickup ball down at Robb Field? Bad idea, man.

Still, the go-big group the Chargers employ on Sunday's is causing fits in opposing secondary's and dropping linebackers into coverage is only mildly successful.

So what is a defensive coordinator to do when Gates, at 6'4", Jackson, and Floyd (both 6'5") and Chambers (5'11", but 210 pounds) all flood the pattern?

Apparently very little, as the Ravens found out when Philip Rivers torched them for 436 yards.

Their solution, though, was to take away Rivers’ precious time in the pocket. And it worked.

Baltimore harassed the Chargers quarterback sufficiently by sacking him twice, forcing him into a pair of delay of game penalties, and most costly, two interceptions which resulted in 10 points for the Ravens.

Very costly as the Chargers only lost by five in Sunday's contest.

Sounds like a prescription to victory for the Dolphins, who visit San Diego this Sunday. Except, Miami does not bring the pressure that John Harbaugh’s Ravens squad delivers, a team that is currently looking to be the class of the AFC if not the NFL.

The Dolphins can consume plenty of time, run a number of plays, and largely make a defense look confused with their multiple looks, fueled largely by their Wildcat scheme. But like many spread attacks that lack enough firepower on the ends, the Dolphins can produce yards between the 20's but are less successful in the red zone.

That was evidenced in the Colts' 27-23 victory over the Dolphins on Monday night as Peyton Manning struck big early and struck again late with another big play to steal the game.

They didn't produce enough points to put the game away.

Miami’s Wildcat could cause problems for a San Diego defense that has been on its heels lately, as both the Raiders and Ravens executed their offensive game plans with surprising ease.

Halftime adjustments by Chargers defensive coordinator Ron Rivera succeeded in both games to put the team in positions to win.

They rallied in Oakland, but failed against Baltimore.

But it will be the Miami defense that will be looking to adjust Sunday as the Chargers continue to exploit their size advantage and learn the not-so-subtle nuances of arguably the most potent aerial attack this side of New Orleans.

The talents of Gates are no secret; he of the five Pro Bowl invitations and three All-Pro nods, but the book is only just coming out on Jackson. In his fifth season out of Northern Colorado, Jackson has quickly become one of the first options for Rivers and has emerged as the Chargers’ primary big-play threat.

A 1,000-yard plus season a year ago that was sprinkled with seven touchdown receptions has already been followed by nearly 200 yards in the first two games this year and a pair of TD catches.

Perhaps no catch was bigger or more evident of his ability as an elite NFL receiver than the 35-yard bomb he hauled in Sunday while draped by no fewer than three Baltimore defenders.

That catch was on a 3rd-and-18 play. On three other occasions, Jackson and Rivers hooked up to successfully convert third downs including a 38-yard pickup on the last drive.

Lesser known, but emerging in the quickly evolving Chargers passing game, are Floyd and Naanee.

Floyd flashed some game-changing skills with a 45-yard reception on a post in Sunday’s first half while Naanee was good for eight yards with a catch to put the Chargers deep in the Ravens’ territory and within sight of another come-from-behind victory.

Naanee in his third year and just 22 catches on his NFL belt, showed some inexperience on that catch, though. Instead of running straight ahead for a likely first down, he tried to fake a defender and was tackled from behind.

Two plays later, the game was over when Ray Lewis flattened Sproles in the backfield.

The jumbo package displayed by the Chargers is certain to create a number of matchup problems for opposing NFL defenses this season and next up are the Dolphins.

It also should allow them to complement and exploit the unique talents of Sproles, who despite Lewis’ Hall of Fame caliber tackle, provides an explosive and significant extra gear to the club.

But with the ball in the air, the call in San Diego is to go big.