Late night bullshit: Looking forward to San Diego.

[Direckshun]

Assorted thoughts on the Saints game and upcoming Chargers game.

The biggest takeaway for me is the fact that we can seemingly cover receivers again.

For too much of the Falcons game, the Bills game, and the first half of the Saints game, it just seemed like play after play, receivers were wide ****ing open with nobody covering them.

Romeo finally made the correct adjustment in the second half of the Saints game. Receivers were legitimately blanketed. Players like Travis Daniels were tailing Jimmy Graham step for step.

This is good news, because the Chargers do not have a very good receiving corps outside of Antonio Gates. Their run game is not that great (the Chiefs seem to stuff bigger backs like Ryan Mathews, but struggle against smaller scatbacks that the Chargers don't have). Their offensive line is horrid and Hali always seems to excel against the Chargers.

Their defense can stop the run really well, but Baldwin finally seems incorporated into the passing game. Against the Chargers tough run D, and without the sure hands of Dexter McCluster in short yardage, there is absolutely no reason this offense shouldn't attack the Chargers corners with Baldwin and Bowe.

Force the Chargers to double Bowe, and chuck it up to Baldwin. Once the Chargers start diverting their resources to the outside, kill them between the hashes with Moeaki.

I love how this team is reacting to adversity. You can chalk that up partly to heart, but you have to give Pioli credit for acquiring depth.

Hillis goes down, Draugh steps up.
Hudson goes down, Lilja and Jeff Allen step up.
Boss goes down, Maneri steps up.
McCluster goes down, Breaston and Baldwin step up.
Toribio goes down, Powe steps up.
Lewis goes down, Elam steps up.

The sorest losses we've suffered were clearly at corner with Flowers, and passrusher with Hali. And while they were devastating losses, I'll take two Achilles heels over the 10 different ones this team has had in years past.

I think McCluster is a sore, sore loss. He really is a perfect fit for somebody like Cassel, who prefers short-yardage passing. McCluster is the perfect short-yardage back, an impossibly quick receiver with great hands that causes nightmares in the slot for everybody but the quickest corners. It's taken him three years to get there, but he finally is this team's Wes Welker, and one of the best in the league.

I hope he recovers soon. He finally found a great role in this offense.