Passing Game Off the Mark
In the final minutes of Sunday’s game, all that was left for the Charger receivers was a display of disgust.
Wham. Anthony Miller’s helmet bounced off the end zone turf, the same turf that quarterback Billy Joe Tolliver’s pass had bounced off a few seconds earlier.
That was the final frustration in a game full of them for the Charger receivers, who were nowhere to be found throughout most of the game. On that play, Tolliver threw his pass up for grabs from the Raider two and safety Dan Land tipped it away from Miller. A few minutes later, the Raiders wrapped up their 24-9 victory at San Diego Jack Murphy Stadium.
Tight ends and running backs accounted for nine of the Chargers’ 14 receptions Sunday. Miller finished with three catches for 40 yards, Quinn Early two for 15.
What’s worse, four of the five receptions occurred after the Raiders had put the game out of reach in the fourth quarter. Typically, Miller saw double coverage all day, and, as Tolliver put it, “the guy who’s open is not open by much.”
Tolliver was partially to blame for the receivers’ low production. On consecutive plays in the second quarter, he missed Miller who was open near the goal line and the Chargers had to settle for a 37-yard field goal by John Carney.
“There wasn’t a big margin, but you’ve got to make those plays if you’re going to win,” quarterback coach Ted Tollner said. “Plays like the two before the half are ones we really have to have.”
Seven former Chargers returned to San Diego as Raiders Sunday: running back Napoleon McCallum, safety Elvis Patterson, wide receiver Jamie Holland, offensive tackle James FitzPatrick, tight end Andy Parker, linebacker Tom Benson and defensive tackle Mike Charles.
Of the group, Benson and Holland made the biggest contributions. Benson made six tackles. Holland returned four kickoffs for 67 yards and upended Charger Donnie Elder on a fourth-quarter kickoff return.
Games like this are enough to drive a young quarterback to thoughts of retirement. Asked about problems getting the ball into the end zone, Billy Joe Tolliver said: “If I knew how to score every time I got to the (20-yard line), then I’d bottle it and sell it and I wouldn’t have to play.”