[et_pb_section admin_label=”section”]
[et_pb_row admin_label=”row”]
[et_pb_column type=”4_4″][et_pb_text admin_label=”Text”]
We've just released Episode 97 of the Thunder Down Under Chargers Podcast.
Our synopsis for Episode 97 is below:
So-Fi Stadium was rocking on Sunday Night as fans were treated to an instant classic. Herbert and Burrow exchanged punches in a tense contest that went right down to the wire. But it was the Chargers who prevailed with JK Dobbins scoring a 29 yd TD and the Defense preventing the Bengals’ desperate Hail Mary attempt as time expired. The Bolts’ 34-27 Primetime win exorcised some historic demons and took the team’s record to 7-3. Join us today for a VICTORY POD before the Ravens come to town for the Harbaugh Bowl on MNF. Don't miss it!
You can also listen on Spotify below (or download on audio wherever you like to listen to podcasts):
As always, you can support us by doing any or all of the following:
- Rec'ing this post and leaving any thoughts/feedback you have in the comments section below.
- Following us on Twitter (and 'liking' our tweets) at @TDU_Chargers, or individually, at @TDU_Alister, @TDU_Jack and @TDU_Andy.
- 'Subscribing' to our YouTube channel, clicking the 'Like' button for today's episode, and engaging with us in the comments section.
- Giving us a rating and leaving a review on the Thunder Down Under Podcast page on Apple Podcasts (and 'subscribing').
- Spreading the good word to all of your awesome Chargers friends and family and encouraging them to listen to our show (and engage with us on social media).
Hope you enjoy the episode! Thanks so much for listening 
Alister (@TDU_Alister)
Posting the Coach's Film clips from the Bengals game that I thought were important or interesting:
Clip #1: https://twitter.com/TDU_Chargers/status/1859018858050580527
Clip #2: https://twitter.com/TDU_Chargers/status/1859001950127485331
Clip #3 (see Tweet comments for 6 additional Perryman clips): https://twitter.com/TDU_Chargers/status/1858992899540856891
Clip #4: https://twitter.com/TDU_Chargers/status/1859034908997677363
Clip #5: https://twitter.com/TDU_Chargers/status/1859041478385037323
Clip #6: https://twitter.com/TDU_Chargers/status/1859054850606317589
Clip #7: https://twitter.com/TDU_Chargers/status/1859061946345288155
Clip #8 (see Tweet comments for additional Minter design clip): https://twitter.com/TDU_Chargers/status/1859060598249848849
Clip #9: https://twitter.com/TDU_Chargers/status/1859075782293025264
Clip #10 (see Tweet comments for additional QJ deep target clip): https://twitter.com/TDU_Chargers/status/1859078322720043452
Clip #11 (see Tweet comments for additional Burrow clip): https://twitter.com/TDU_Chargers/status/1859088761239273930
Clip #12: https://twitter.com/TDU_Chargers/status/1859091772498206945
Clip #13: https://twitter.com/TDU_Chargers/status/1859095492069568571
Clip #14: https://twitter.com/TDU_Chargers/status/1859095826267558017
Clip #15: https://twitter.com/TDU_Chargers/status/1859096310852260210
Tweet with thoughts on Greg Roman second half playcalling: https://twitter.com/TDU_Chargers/status/1859097612399636496
Listened to this weeks episode Yesterday. Great to have Alister back talking Chargers. Glad to see the clips above from Matlock. He is starting to annoy me. I don't have regular access to the all-22, but I record all the games I can and watch back for specific plays and/or players and while he might be a work in progress, he is not progressing fast enough. Plenty of plays where he either fails at the POA or blocks nobody. I cannot believe Harbaugh watches this film each week and keeps trotting him out there. Maybe because the FB position does not require a ton of snaps each game and he covers two positions with one player, but there 100% has to be a better overall FB/H-Back on the street or on somebody's practice squad. Throw in the fact that he offers ZERO as a receiver and it almost telegraphs the play calls/assignments when he is in there. Sound bite of the week from the pod was definitely the Kris Rhim play on words. Kudos there. Let Jack know he was missed and I look forward to the next show. Hopefully, it is another victory pod. Great stuff fellas.
@evolz3737 Thanks Erick! Jack was a late out this week, picking up gastro from his 1 yr old. Should be back next week. He appreciates the sentiment!
On Matlock, It's not like he doesn't have the occasional play that justifies his role. On the Dobbins' game-winning TD, you'll see that Matlock executes his assignment (also, Dissly kicked a** on that play). But I agree with you that, more often than not, Matlock is not playing to the level of a starting calibre FB.
Thankfully, the addition of Tucker Fisk has been a good one. And obviously, Harbaugh/Roman/Devlin are playing the long game with Matlock. They see an athletic freak (which he is), with a great work ethic and a big frame. Just as you would be patient with a rookie QB, they're being patient with Matlock thinking that with greater snaps and experience he'll eventually reward them. And I don't resent them for that.
Appreciate the comments mate and thanks for welcoming me back. Let's hope for 5 straight after this week. Enjoy!
Great show guys. Tell Jack he was missed. Love the Shakespeare reference. You may have mentioned this already on the podcast but I listened yesterday so don’t remember, do you think the Chargers are viable Super Bowl contender this year? I am not quite ready to say yes but am closing in on it. The only team that I think is much better than they are is Detroit. While I think the Chiefs and Bills are better, and likely the Ravens, I don’t think they are so much better the Chargers can’t pull off an upset on the road given how well the defense and Herbert are playing.
I think the Steelers are on par with the Chargers and think they are better than Houston and Denver the remaining most likely AFC playoff teams. Regardless such an exciting year. Our patience with this team is finally paying off.
@alisterlloyd No worries. I saw it. Thanks for the reply. I said this elsewhere but you may not have seen it. Congratulations to you and your wife on the birth of your daughter. You have embarked on an amazing journey. Enjoy every minute of it including these first weeks and months where you first establish that unshakeable bond of love and protection for life.
On a football topic, I am interested to see how much Herbert runs in this Ravens game. I believe his willingness to run has had a significant impact on this offense. There was a stretch in the second half against Cincy where he did not run and the offense stalled.
I don’t want design runs for him per se but I always want him to have the green light to run. It really complicates the challenge for the defense and opens things up for the receivers.
Herbert running aggressively in my mind makes this offense much closer to the top 3 teams in the AFC who all have mobile dual threat QBs in the Chiefs, Bills and Ravens.
if Herbert runs for 50 yards or more this week would you and the Thunder Down Under crew address on your next broadcast whether the Chargers now have a bona fide dual threat quarterback?
@gbgh Thank you! Creating life is a magical thing, and it's enriched our lives already. Very excited about what the future with our daughter holds.
Totally agree with your Herbert remarks, and if he takes advantage of some Man looks again, we'll be sure to discuss it. Methinks the Ravens will be prepared for it though and use Trenton Simpson (who, for his shortcomings, is an athletic player) as a QB Spy for most of the game.
Thanks @gbgh! I've let Jack know and he's feeling the love. We make some jokes at his expense when he misses a show, but he's an integral part of the TDU brew. Hopefully he returns next week.
Yes, I think I made the comment that the Chargers are a viable contender, and I stick by it. Here is my take: https://twitter.com/TDU_Chargers/status/1860185082587414883
I note that "viable" does not mean likely or probable. But I think we have enough ingredients to "go on a run" if we make it to January. Especially if we keep improving on the small things and remain (relatively) healthy.
Even if I'm being unduly optimistic, I'm prepared to speak these things into existence. Lord knows, we've suffered enough as fans and are due some good luck.
Enjoy watching MNF, it should be a great contest.
@alisterlloyd thanks. forgot that bit of the show probably because of the knock on hard hat comment 🙂 I think we are on the same page with rising expectations.
Listened to the pod during a cold fall morning of golf. Have been SUPER busy, with very limited time to comment (but still time to go out for an 8 AM round of golf!). I have been listening every week - wanted to get a few comments down before my family wakes up and starts my Saturday morning.
First, congrats Alister on bringing Emogene (hope I spelled that correctly) into the world. Enjoy every minute of being a father. Everyone used to tell me that the time will fly by. In the moment, it didn't seem to be the case. But now with my oldest in high school, all I can think about is when I used to hold her like a football in one arm. All three of you need to enjoy these moments.
Review - Offense:
- I agree with the Matlock comments. While the entire OL is playing better (and the Tackles are amazing), the interior continues to have its shitty moments, fucking up momentum
- The Chargers need to figure how how to stop disappearing in the second half. Keeping your defense on the field and letting teams back into games will not work against good teams. The Chargers 2nd half possessions before the game-winning TD:
- 3 plays, 2 yards, punt
- 7 plays, 24 yards, FG
- 3 plays, -12 yards, punt
- 6 plays, 46 yards, fumble
- 4 plays, 17 yards, punt
- 3 plays, -4 yards, punt
- 3 plays, 0 yards, punt
That's fucking horrible. Can't continue to do that if you want to win.
- Bozeman was better, but still a below-average C. This is a problem that must have a long-term answer in 2025. Not sure if you noticed, but on Herbert's TD run, Bozeman whiffed on his guy, Herbert almost gets killed, but cuts left of him & a hole opens up for the TD. Afterward, he gave Bozeman the ball to spike. I was like, WTF dude. You almost got Herbert killed.
- I have to think that Edwards is on a pitch count. They ran him to death early in the season. They need him to win playoff games. At this point in the season, I think this coaching staff is lining up the team to make a playoff run. 3 more wins likely gets you into the playoffs. 4 wins definitely does. Edwards did look great in his few carries. Imagine a healthy Gus running it down the Chiefs throat to eliminate them from the playoffs. I think that's where the coaching staff's head is at
- The WR room is.... Interesting? No idea WTF is going on with Chark, but they're bringing him back slowly. Ladd is amazing, but the dude needs to stay healthy. He's so freaking small. QJ has been used better, but the dude still struggles to catch anything that is not right on him. Not sure why Palmer is not getting more targets, but the dude is definitely gone next year. Reagor is interesting. The dude is a former 1st round pick, is only 25 and definitely has flashed skills. Am I crazy to think he could be an x-factor for the remainder of the season? His draft profile:
Eric Eiger, Pro Football Focus: “Reagor is one of the more interesting prospects in the entire draft. In fact, our athleticism metric, which combines various combine metrics using principal component analysis and forecasts how this combination of new variables projects to PFF grades at the NFL level, has never given a receiver a better grade than it gave Reagor.”
Charlie Campbell, Walter Football: “Reagor is a speed demon who is a true home run hitter with mismatch speed. He’s a threat to score anytime he touches the ball, similar to DeSean Jackson, Marquise 'Hollywood' Brown or Will Fuller. Reagor uses his speed to create separation and shows a nice ability to track the ball downfield. For a speed receiver who lacks size, he looks comfortable with defenders around him and does not seem to get afraid of hits coming his direction.
Review - Defense:
- There was a significant drop off after Cam Hart left the game. I know it's early, but that guy looks like an above-average CB1. Great against the run. Kept Chase in check during the 1st half. Amazing pick.
- It was great to see Bosa play more (and look more like himself). He's still not 100%, but again, I think this team is building toward the post-season. A healthy Mack & Bosa in the playoffs with Tuli and Bud "Bad" Dupree gives Minter a lot to work with.
- I thought this was James' best game since his pre-Staley era. In command
- I think Ben Herbert is key for the defense down the stretch. If he can get Fuller, Mack and Bosa at their peak going into the playoffs with Samuel potentially coming back - the Chargers could make things interesting
Ravens Preview:
- The Ravens are a good, well-coached team. This will be a difficult game
- I'm glad the Chargers are getting week 12 Henry. What he's done at age 30 (soon to be 31) is amazing. He does seem to be slowing down a bit (200 carries in half a season will do that to you). Perryman being out will be a problem (he was DNP on Thursday and Friday's practice), but late-season, 30 year old Derrick < early season Henry
- I've never liked Lamar's QB style. Lots of wins in the regular season. Not a lot of success when playing against a playoff-caliber defense, which I believe the Chargers have. Will be interesting to see how Minter contains him.
- I think this will be a close game, with both teams trying to shorten the game. At home, I think the Chargers find a way to win: 27-20
Looking forward to toasting a Charger playoff berth in person in a few weeks. Cheers!
@kevdiego Good comment. You never too busy to squeeze in a round of golf. It's what unwinds me, too. Good to know a golfer in this community. Glad it isn't too cold to golf over there.
I think this game against the Ravens is by far the toughest game of the season, and for the second time this season I favor the opponent by its strength, the Chiefs only because of Herbert and tackles injuries for that game. But this will be a close game by one score and hope to be wrong. Perryman not able to play or playing less than 80% will be a big problem for this defense when they must control Henry with their rushing attack.
I'm sure this is going to be difficult. The only game the Chargers really had their asses handed to them was against the Steelers. My fear is that this game will be similar. Not sure if the 2024 Chargers can out-physical a really physical team.
@kevdiego Good to have you back and commenting, Kev! I know it's hard when work gets busy, so thanks for this effort.
You came close enough with the spelling 🙂 (it's Imogen). Thanks very much for the well wishes. I'm finding it challenging to enjoy some of the hysterical night-time crying, but apart from those specific minutes (which sometimes have extended into hours!) I am enjoying the others 😉 She's awesome.
Good comments on the Offense:
- The one about Bozeman getting to spike the ball after nearly killing Herbert made me laugh.
- Personally, I don't think Raegor is going to make this fourth post of his with an NFL team a total winner. He may continue to have moments here or there where he contributes, but I would prefer to see Chark in the line-up to catch some of those deep targets going QJ's way.
- Gus Edwards being on a pitch count is the only rational explanation for him being taken from the game with most of Q3 left to play. He's looked athletic and fresh in his limited action v Ten and Cin. If so, I think it's pretty incredible discipline not to have returned him to the game when the Bengals were roaring their way back and we desperately needed a first down. Impressive commitment to the plan.
On the Defense
- Good comment on Cam Hart exiting the game. We didn't really mention this on the pod but it was relevant even though Eli Apple and Tarheeb had some good reps on the outside. This surely helped the Bengals mount their comeback.
- Not having Perryman this week will be frustrating. I think that's a material disadvantage to the "Stop King Henry" game plan. But who knows, Perryman got torched by the Ravens in the playoff game against Houston last year, and maybe having the combo of athletic LBs (Henley/Dye) will be more effective at slowing down Lamar on the read-option.
@tdu_andy and I are looking forward to that beer in December, Kevin. Enjoy the game!
The only thing I will tell you with the baby sleep thing: With our older one, any sound and we came rushing in to see what was up. At 14, she's very shy (she says its "terrifying" to tell a waitress what she wants to eat). The younger one, we just put her to bed, cracked a bottle of wine and watched a movie. At 10, she's assertive, funny and super-outgoing. The right answer? No idea, but I do think what we do as parents does effect our kids.
I'm sure you're right about Raegor. I'm just pointing out that the dude, at one point, has 1st round talent. Completely with you - I want to see what Chark can do. Will be interesting to see what this group looks like in 2025. Ladd, Rice (improved after his red-shirt year), QJ and Davis are back?
Fingers crossed that both Hart and Mack are back. That will help. Stop Henry, take away Lamar's first read and have Derwin spy him. Excited to see how Jesse plans to stop him.
I'll send you more info on the MEL trip shortly.
@kevdiego Good advice Kev. Hope your daugher gets over her fear of waitresses soon 🤪
It probably won't surprise you to hear that I've read a lot of parenting books, considered some of the early developmental psychology literature, and listened to a lot of podcasts and opinions about parenting. At this stage, my wife and I are trying to "trust our gut" with most decisions, but we're definitely open to the "cry it out" approach to sleep training. Most of the literature though suggests that it's only effective after about the six-month mark, when babies respond more meaningfully to behavioural conditioning. At the newborn stage, when they're crying it probably means something, so we're doing our best not to let her cry it out too much. All things parents have to consider though.
Even if Raegor doesn't work, I wholeheartedly support giving lifelines to early round, bigger school, picks from failed regimes. It's why I liked that we tried with Leatherwood even if it didn't work. Fulton is an example that worked. I hope we continue with it.
With our first, we went to classes, read stacks of books, watched videos, etc. We were terrified to leave the birthing center. We stayed the max time they would allow us to stay. My wife made all our daughters food. She breast fed, then introduced organic veggies (where we would go to an organic farm, interview the farmer & then buy their veggies). With the second one, we were out of the birthing center at the earliest time allowed. I actually had the car at the curb ready to go. That kid crawled around and ate stuff she found on the floor. The older one has nut allergies. The younger one eats whatever she wants. Again, don't know if there's a correlation. I do think trusting your gut is the way.
Leatherwood is a great example. He's still on the PS. Will be interesting to see if this coaching staff can make a viable player out of a talented but flawed OL player (from Alabama!). They definitely do not want to put him on the field, but they also have not cut him.
Excited to see the Chargers on Monday night, but hate that the game is not today.
Just got done listening to this episode. Well done by Alister and Andy. I agree, the ILB's with Henley and Perriman especially have been on fire. Minter's defense heavily leans on the ILB's to tie the knot for the defense to really click, and it has. Henley has been a player I thought he would be and more. I wasn't too sure with Perriman's acquisition for his coverage prowess but his run defense and his no-nonsense football toughness has been a huge plus for the team and the defense. Very unfortunate with the likelihood of him not playing Monday night against the Ravens.
Tuli has become a bright star for this defense but I'm concerned with the amount of playing time they put on him that he still plays a lot of ST snaps. There have been some defensive plays where he looked spent, the quickest way to get hurt. Can the defense manage without him if he gets injured? As a power pass rusher, you need him fresh majority of the time he is in. With Tuli, keep him fresh and he will dominate at the line both outside and inside.
@tui1hit Thanks for the kinds words Tui!
Popper's Friday practice report suggests that Mack has returned to practice. So hopefully the cavalry is on the way so Tuli can play fewer snaps and keep fresh
@alisterlloyd Mack back would be a blessing.
I'll repeat what I said on youtube...
Good show guys. I"m not ready to bury "chargering" just yet either. Call it PTSD. I need a larger dataset.
Roman still confounds me with his "adjustments". I'm seeing overall improvement but still difficulty in putting together 60 consecutive minutes of good choices. At least he has accepted that this offense runs through Herbert.
The fumble? Herb will shake that off. He's showing more mental toughness every game, IMO.
Thanks for doing what you do!!!
Also....thanks for the background on Imogen's (did I get the spelling correct?) name. I love it. Being a girl dad is a wonderful thing.
[/et_pb_row]
[/et_pb_section]
