First Half Thoughts:
The Chargers looked pretty good on both sides of the ball in the first half. Some things I noticed can be very key for the Chargers in the regular season.
To start it off, let's talk about the offensive drives the Chargers posted in the first half. Quentin Johnston had some ups and downs for sure. He posted 2 catches for 2 yards on 5 targets. 3 of which were drops by him. Judging by his body language after, he seems to be in his own head. Which is understandable for this being his first pre-season game. However, those 3 drops were all catchable. I will grant him a pass on the deep pass drop. I grant this because Hodges-tomlinson tugged his jersey pulling him away from the ball, nonetheless, it was still catchable. Now are we going to call Johnston a bust? No, this is just like Jamaar's chase a few years back, so let's get Johnston time before we truly judge him. However, he was able to post a touchdown with 20 seconds left in the first half. He ran a slant route and got great seperation. Stick throwing the ball, Johnston came up big and caught his first NFL touchdown. Johnston being able to have that kind of separation at his height is astonishing. This guy is going to be special.
On the offensive backfield, it looked very smooth. Very connected. We knew it was going to be a battle between Spiller and Kelley. But the Chargers Backfield seemed to pull it off pretty well. Spiller and Kelley both did very well with their given touches. Kelley Posted 9 carries with 54 yards. While Spiller posted 4 carries and 23 yards. Kelley is already going to be seen as the "smarter" running back. He was looking for gaps to burst through and protected the ball when he felt the slightest pressure. Spiller on the other hand looks like a cloud out on the field. Juking people every chance he gets. Which is what we expected. Both have their own pros and cons, and this battle for RB2 is going to be great.
Easton Stick looked very confident given his time in the first half. Very decisive. He was 7/13, posting 53 yards. Those 53 yards were very well-earned. He hit Parham in the middle of the field, Keelan Doss on the sideline, and others for some small yards. He didn't look afraid, he didn't look nervous. He looked ready. I would be less stressed out if he had to step in a game mid-season.(Which I hope isn't the case).
Now, Derius Davis looked fantastic in the first half. He was able to post an 81-yard Kickoff return for the Chargers. And he was zooming for that touchdown. On
As for the defense, the defensive line looked pretty solid. There seemed to be a lot of Blitz looks. Allowing Tuli to come off the edge fast and put pressure in the QBs face. Tuli looked fast, quick off the snap. Not posting a sack, he still did very well given his time played. Chris Rumph on the other hand was able to post a sack off a powerful rush punch.
Tackling looked slightly improved from last year. Still, some missed tackles, but our guys were able to wrap up pretty well. Amen Obgongbemiga was the tackle leader for the first half, posting 6 total and 3 solo tackles. The defense overall looked good. Run game, as per usual, can use some help. But with time, im confident it well get better through the season.
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