Malcolm Floyd: Can He Really Replace Vincent Jackson For The San Diego Chargers?

The San Diego Chargers played the St. Louis Rams to the very end, but dropped another road game this week to bring their overall record to 2-4, which is starting to get the rabble going in San Diego about what exactly is wrong with the Chargers.

For a while, special teams play and turnovers were costing the Chargers games.

Now, the No. 1 offense in the League gets denied by the St. Louis Rams, and all of a sudden the problem becomes an offense that seems unable to cope with pressure.

While blame can fall on a lot of shoulders, one has to start to wonder whether the lack of Vincent Jackson in the starting lineup is starting to take effect on the Chargers.

To his credit, Malcom Floyd has had an admirable season so far, catching 22 passes for 498 yards and three touchdowns, putting him on line for his best season in the NFL.

However, Floyd just doesn't seem to be capitalizing on his situation like he should be.

Take, for example, the loss to the Rams. Floyd was targeted a few times by Philip Rivers, but only came up with two balls and totaled 15 yards, 12 of which came from one catch.

As if those numbers weren't bad enough, consider these tidbits:

1. While Antonio Gates was still in the game, the Rams were certainly more focused on him than on Floyd, yet Malcom Floyd failed to create separation or come up with important catches.
2. The Rams brought a lot of exotic blitzes early in the game, some of which were six-eight man rushes, which should have left Floyd one-on-one with his defender. However, he again failed to create separation in these situations.

While there is no doubt that Floyd is a good player, and that some of the blame for his less than stellar performances can be blamed on bad passing, there is no doubt now that the Chargers could really use Vincent Jackson.

This season without Jackson has been marked by the dominance of Antonio Gates, since he is once again the go-to guy on offense. The difference, though, is that the Chargers now lack a consistent receiver who is capable of understanding defenses and creating space for himself in this ideal situation.

The Chargers will be lucky if Jackson caves to the demands of the NFLPA and signs his tender, because they will need the embattled wide receiver if they plan on making a run for the playoffs this season.