San Diego Chargers

Connected Franchise Mode Strategy CFM Team Rating: 81 Offense: 87 Defense: 81 Offensive Scheme: Balanced Defensive Scheme: Base 3-4 Strengths: QB, WR, TE, RE, FS Weaknesses: LE, SS, MLB, C 2014 Team Rankings 3rd AFC West (9-7-0) Passing Offense: 10th Rushing Offense: 30th Passing Defense: 4th Rushing Defense: 26th 2014 team leaders Passing: Philip Rivers: 4,286 Rushing: Branden Oliver: 582 Receiving: Malcom Floyd: 856 Tackles: Eric Weddle: 114 Sacks: Corey Liuget: 4.5 Ints: Brandon Flowers: 3 Key Additions T Joe Barksdale CB Patrick Robinson WR Stevie Johnson CB Jimmy Wilson LG Orlando Franklin WR Jacoby Jones Key Rookies HB Melvin Gordon LB Denzel Perryman CB Craig Mager Owner: Alex Spanos Legacy Score: 950 Coach: Mike McCoy Level: 8 Legacy Score: 60 Offensive Scheme: Balanced Defensive Scheme: Base 3-4

Offensive Scouting Report

• QB Philip Rivers is the leader in the huddle for San Diego. He has been around since 2004, and his consistency keeps the Chargers in the hunt every year. Keep him in the pocket and protected from some of the solid pass rushers in the division.
• HB Ryan Matthews is gone via free agency, and rookie Melvin Gordon is in. He will be more than ample. Use some empty sets in the passing game to take advantage of the unique skill set of Danny Woodhead. Branden Oliver could be the next Darren Sproles for the Chargers, so give him a shot on screen passes and punt returns.
• The Chargers have an excellent stable of WRs, all with different skills. Use Malcom Floyd opposite Antonio Gates in the red zone for an undefendable size advantage. Keenan Allen can run any route in the game, while TE Ladarius Green can absolutely bust seam coverage.

Defensive Scouting Report

• The Chargers have an excellent cornerstone in RE Corey Liuget. Not only is he solid against the run but he will grab some sacks and deserves to play on passing downs. At the other two spots, start Kendall Reyes and Ryan Carrethers, who aren’t flashy but have the strength to hold up opposing linemen.
• LB Melvin Ingram flourished into a solid finesse rusher, but any smart coach would want to see his sack numbers increase. He will need to continue his growth because veteran Dwight Freeney is no longer in town. In the middle, you have some solid pieces that are developing into valuable starters, so keep their confidence up.
• The Chargers rebuilt their secondary in no time. Play a balanced approach between man and zone coverage because your starters can do both. The only issue could be the size against big WRs, especially in the red zone. If a mismatch happens, just add an extra defender to the area.

Schedule

Key Players

• Rivers is very effective off of play-action fakes, so make sure to establish a ground game early.
• Rivers knows when to trust his WRs to make big plays downfield. Learn the art of the “shot play” in your playbook.

• Weddle is a player you don’t have to worry about — he always seems to be around the ball no matter his assignment.
• Try to add some hit power to Weddle’s game to turn him into a fumble-forcing machine; until then just go for the strip if teammates are close.

• Gordon should be your main back at the start of the season — use Danny Woodhead as a receiving option.
• Branden Oliver showed some glimpses last season, so try to find a way to use a two-back system and go with the hot hand.

• Paulson could be a nice future replacement for Antonio Gates, but not until you upgrade his route running.
• Paulson has solid impact blocking and could be a nice lead blocker on runs like Inside Zone Split.

OFFENSIVE DEPTH CHART

DEFENSIVE DEPTH CHART

SPECIAL TEAMS

Best Offensive Plays

BEST RUN: Singleback Ace — Stretch

Setup:

• You should know if the stretch is going to work before the snap. Flip the run away from the strength of the defense.
• If your blockers miss their double team, cut this run back inside and fall forward for a few yards, rather than a loss.

Advanced Setup:

• Playmaker to the open side of the field.

Running Plays

MAN COVERAGE ZONE COVERAGE MAN BLITZ ZONE BLITZ

BEST PASS: Gun Trips Y-Flex Tight — Verticals

Setup/Reads:

• Against zone coverage wait for the deep crossing pattern to cut behind the LBs. Otherwise just hit the TE short and use the RAC (run after catch) option.
• Against man-to-man coverage, the inside WR across the middle should get open on the cut; if not, look for the curl on the left.
• This is a tough formation to blitz against. Don’t forget about the HB Slip Screen in this set, which can burn aggressive opponents.

Advanced Setup:

• Curl the inside slot WR.
• Block the HB (optional).

Passing Plays

MAN COVERAGE ZONE COVERAGE MAN BLITZ ZONE BLITZ

Best Defensive Plays

BEST RUN DEFENSE: 3-4 Over Ed — Sam Crash 3

Setup:

• Take control of any defenders in the middle and go for a block shed.
• The Chargers should be excellent at shutting down the outside run, but you may need to blitz your LBs against runs up the gut.

Player to Control:

• DT in the middle

Run Defense

MAN COVERAGE ZONE COVERAGE MAN BLITZ ZONE BLITZ

BEST PASS DEFENSE: Nickel 3-3-5 Wide — Cover 4 Show 2

Setup:

• The Chargers have plenty of Cover 2 looks that morph into different coverages; this is made possible by the excellent FS, Eric Weddle.
• The use of coverage shading before the snap will help your Cover 4 be more of an every-down defense. Shade underneath unless you expect a verticals concept.

Player to Control:

• MLB in a hook zone

Pass Defense

MAN COVERAGE ZONE COVERAGE MAN BLITZ ZONE BLITZ