Can the Chargers win the Super Bowl at 3-5?

[nyfg89]

TAB Sports bet has the Chargers @ $21.00 to win the Super bowl right now. I know they are 3-5 but they play in the weakest division, I can see them finishing 10-6 and winning their division. They have just fired their defensive coordinator and put in Ron Rivera who was on the Chicago’s staff when they went to the Super bowl. Rivers and the offense is playing well and putting up enough points, if the defence can turn things around they are a chance. What are your thoughts? Should a bloke put a lazy $50 on the Chargers to win it all?

 

[Mal Meninga]

Too many players are carrying niggling injuries.

I think they can do a Giants and get hot at the right time, but that defense without Merriman has nothing.

 

[Tigers_are_Pro]

It's purely a matter of Denver and San Diego deciding to not be as generous as they are. The first team to say to themselves, "let's try to get some good wins on the board" will end up winning the division. ATM Denver will win with like a 9-7 record. The Chargers have an easy schedule though and are likely to have a good run to the playoffs.

 

[dragonfire]

no, at this point they are like the Saints, great passing game yet they have an excellent running game as well but defense will hold them away from making any serious indent in the post season

 

[Russell Crowe's Band]

they ain sh*t.

losing merriman was huge. brady huge.

without him the D has been shown to be the 1 trick pony that i kind of thought it was. Merriman hunts the QB down like rambo and the rest sorts itself out. .

Norv has fired the D co ordinator Cotterell. that might be a good move. might not.

the test will be 3 weeks when we play the steelers. we will beat the chiefs at home..but if we can win that and get back to 5-5..then maybe.
after that we have 3 home games in a row.

if we cant win this division the staff needs to go.

 

[abpanther]

No chance, poor Norval will be looking for a job in the offseason.

 

[nyfg89]

no, at this point they are like the Saints, great passing game yet they have an excellent running game as well but defense will hold them away from making any serious indent in the post season

I agree, the Saints are exactly the same, give them a good defence and they would be contenders but the difference is the Saints play in the NFC and at the moment the NFC has more teams with better defences as compared to the AFC.
However if the Chargers get their act together on defence and get into the playoffs anything could happen, I'm just not sold on the Titans even though they are 7-0.

 

[dragonfire]

yeah it doesnt help us that the NFC East is teh stud divison of the league and that the NFC South has taken off as well this year with Panthers, Bucs and Falcons performing well. Top two divisons in the NFL right now

 

[pennywisealfie]

the chargers have been "norved". its as simple as that

 

[Mal Meninga]

How so?

One dud call and one miracle play has cost them 2 games.

Norv isn't the one giving up 30+ points.

 

[Selachimorpha]

Not unless the defence does a complete turnaround, and even then probably not. If they even make the playoffs, to win the Superbowl they'd have to put together a streak along the lines of winning @ Buffalo, @ Pittsburgh, @ Tennessee, and then probably the Giants in the Superbowl itself. I can't see the current incarnation of the Chargers pulling that off.

 

[jdizzle]

I don't think it is completely Norv's fault but the Chargers are the perfect example of how in the NFL an average coach cannot win Superbowl with awesome players.

Look at the last coaches to win the Superbowl:

Tom Coughlin - obviously a good coach and coordinator (won a superbowl with the giants as a coordinator) - didn't have the best team but made some great coaching decisions to win the SB last year
Bill Belichick - one of the greatest coaches ever
Tony Dungy - everyone seems to respect his coaching ability
Jon Gruden - a genius of a coach
Bill Cowher - another coach who demanded respect before he won a superbowl

etc.

 

[nyfg89]

I don't think it is completely Norv's fault but the Chargers are the perfect example of how in the NFL an average coach cannot win Superbowl with awesome players.

Look at the last coaches to win the Superbowl:

Tom Coughlin - obviously a good coach and coordinator (won a superbowl with the giants as a coordinator) - didn't have the best team but made some great coaching decisions to win the SB last year
Bill Belichick - one of the greatest coaches ever
Tony Dungy - everyone seems to respect his coaching ability
Jon Gruden - a genius of a coach
Bill Cowher - another coach who demanded respect before he won a superbowl

etc.

I don't agree with your opening statement:
Look at Barry Switzer with the Cowboys, he took over from Jimmy Johnson who built a great team that won 2 SB with Jimmy then Barry won the Super Bowl with practically the same team. Switzer would have to be the luckiest Super Bowl winning coach in the last 20 years. ( sorry you did say average, Switzer was below average, my fault)
You could argue that John Gruden is in the same boat as Switzer, he inherited a Bucs team that was built by Dungy and won the SB, but in Grudens credit he did build a Raiders team that went to the Super Bowl the year after he left.
You could say the same with Dungy he already had Payton as QB but he did insert the Tampa 2 defence to get them over the hump.
I totally agree with your statement on Bill Cower very underrated until his SB win.

 

[Mal Meninga]

Gruden is the same as Billick.

Both considered offensive whiz's who relied on HOF defensive players to win a SB.

Gruden deserves no credit for building the Oakland Raiders, as we've found out with the Lane Kiffin mess, Al Davis controls EVERYTHING in that organization.

Norv Turner looked anything but an average coach late last season, and if he didn't run into the 18-1 Pats... At worst he's the best coordinator in football.

 

[nyfg89]

Gruden is the same as Billick.

Both considered offensive whiz's who relied on HOF defensive players to win a SB.

Gruden deserves no credit for building the Oakland Raiders, as we've found out with the Lane Kiffin mess, Al Davis controls EVERYTHING in that organization.

Norv Turner looked anything but an average coach late last season, and if he didn't run into the 18-1 Pats... At worst he's the best coordinator in football.

I agree but at least Gruden spent 4 years at the Raiders and yes Al Davis seems to run things there, but you would have to think the head coach would have some input over a 4 year period, plus Grudens personality is stronger than what Lane Kiffin's appears to be and he would have pushed harder againts Al.
Billick was only with the Ravens for 2 years to win the SB so that's different.

 

[nyfg89]

Gruden is the same as Billick.

Both considered offensive whiz's who relied on HOF defensive players to win a SB.

Gruden deserves no credit for building the Oakland Raiders, as we've found out with the Lane Kiffin mess, Al Davis controls EVERYTHING in that organization.

Norv Turner looked anything but an average coach late last season, and if he didn't run into the 18-1 Pats... At worst he's the best coordinator in football.

I think the point being made is that Norv stepped straight into a SB ready team stacked with Pro Bowlers and a HOF RB in his first year. He had a good opportunistic defence that produced something like 48 turnovers so I wouldn't give Norv too much credit just yet.
If he can get the Chargers to the promised land after starting out 3-5 and without Merriman that changes things.