Posted by ESPN.com’s Bill Williamson
There is no surprises from this week’s sound-off responses.
I wanted to know if San Diego fans are worried about the team’s defense in light of star defensive tackle Jamal Williams being put on the injured reserve with a triceps injury.
San Diego fans are worried greatly about this injury. They think Williams’ loss will really hurt the team’s defense and that he is one of the most important players on the team.
I agree completely. San Diego can survive this injury, but it won’t be easy. Williams is a tone-setter on defense and he makes the Chargers very difficult to run on. His loss will be felt all season.
Below are some of your responses. Thanks to everyone who participated:
Jesse Kemp from San Diego, Ca: The loss of Jamal Williams is a bigger problem than losing Merriman last year. When Merriman went down, the Charger's pass rush suffered. But with Jamal out, their run defense will suffer as we have already seen in the game against Baltimore. If you can't stop the run, you won't even get opportunities to rush the passer. Williams was the biggest cog in the defense and if that void isn't at least partially filled, it will be another disappointing year for San Diego.
Rob Hansen from Oakland: Typically, I resent and reject the emphasis on individuals in a team sport. There are just too many factors, too many variables to have one guy consistently sway the outcome of a game. And the best teams, in my book, are the best TEAMS, not just a grouping a flashy guys. That said, the loss of Jamal Williams is devastating. He is one of few players that stands alone, and indeed does sway the outcome of a game. The Chargers have had time to adjust to his decline, and haven't done anything about it. This leaves a huge hole, and it won't be filled this year. The 2006 Jamal Williams was absolutely untouchable.
Stephen from San Diego: As a San Diegan and a Chargers fan, I am very concerned about the state of the bolts defense without Williams. You could see how his backup was pushed around some of the rushing plays against Baltimore. That can't happen. It is very frustrating how media in San Diego will continue to say how the Chargers are possibly the deepest team in the league. This is just not true - at least not on the offensive and defensive lines. This lack of depth is now very obvious with the recent injuries. Our backups are a bunch of undrafted rookies and that problem is becoming very apparent. Unfortunately, it is beginning to look like it could be a repeat of last year where the division title will come down to the wire. I am not of the opinion that SD will easily win the AFC west, i'm concerned that the playoffs may not be in our future this year - and it starts with the run defense - which went out the window with Williams going on IR.
Kyle from San Diego: Losing Williams is worse than losing Merriman if the linebackers don't get their game back. The defense starts and stops with Jamal. He demands double teams to free up players on the outside and controls the line when he isn't. Someone somewhere on this team is going to have to step. I blamed the secondary for years with this team for our mistakes but now its the front 7 that need to pick up the slack. GO BOLTS!!!
Gerald Palmes from Hayward, Ca: I'm optimistic that the Charger's Defense can still be good despite the injury to Jamal Williams. Yes Williams is beast at nose tackle, but watching last week's game the Chargers were in position to make plays. They simple did a horrible job tackling and this has been the issue with the Chargers for a while. I think Ron Rivera is a good Defensive coordinator and he'll the proper adjustments.
Ryan from NY, NY: Yes, losing meaty-in-the-middle is a significant problem. BUT, the real story is that the Bolts' D is hands-down under performing. AJ has drafted (and paid) a lot of studs to go out there and play like studs (Merriman, Cooper, Philips, Jammer, Cromartie, Castillo, et al). I love this defense. They've been filthy in the past, but right now they're simply not playing up to their billing. The good news: This isn't their first rodeo. They've laid an egg early on before, only to hear the fans' jeers, and responded with grit. I'm excited for the game when they finally get sick of playing defense like they're the Broncos roster, and man-up like the superstars they are.
Noel Gomez from Tijuana: The loss of Jamal Williams is huge, and makes us a lot more susceptible to the run, but I thought It would be a recoverable loss. A team can get along with a decent NT, but after Sunday's performance I am not so sure. Hopefully expanding the rotation with the new DT will help. Also, I think the loss of Merriman was bigger because it neutralized Shaun Phillips and exposed our pass defense. If Merriman can get back to form, and we can mount some kind of outside pass rush so our DB's aren't hung out to dry like last year, then we can still win this.
John from Los Angeles: This is a big loss for the Chargers. Williams was the man who controlled the middle. Now, the Chargers have either an undersized DT playing NT or they have a rookie getting pushed back into the end zone (which happened against Baltimore). I would not be surprised if they ran more 4-3 looks and moved one of the DEs to tackle and played English or Merriman in a 3-point stance. Ron Rivera knows the 4-3. Unfortunately, the players don't. Maybe it is a blessing in disguise though. I think every Charger fan had to wonder when Jamal was going to break down (even if it is only his triceps, he has been battling injuries for a while). Maybe this allows the rookies to get more time and possibly help in the future, if not now. Very disappointing.
Enrique Alvarado from San Diego, Ca: Losing Jamal Williams is huge. Not only was he put on I.R. but I believe he is also a free agent after this year. You cannot replace a Jamal Williams and it does not help when Luis Castillo is not playing well at all and your other defensive lineman are very young. The Chargers use to be a team like the Ravens that took pride in not letting the opposing team run on them but now we have no answer for any team that runs the ball against us. I think we should make a trade whether a draft pick or trade Merriman but we need huge help on that defensive line.
There is no surprises from this week’s sound-off responses.
I wanted to know if San Diego fans are worried about the team’s defense in light of star defensive tackle Jamal Williams being put on the injured reserve with a triceps injury.
San Diego fans are worried greatly about this injury. They think Williams’ loss will really hurt the team’s defense and that he is one of the most important players on the team.
I agree completely. San Diego can survive this injury, but it won’t be easy. Williams is a tone-setter on defense and he makes the Chargers very difficult to run on. His loss will be felt all season.
Below are some of your responses. Thanks to everyone who participated:
Jesse Kemp from San Diego, Ca: The loss of Jamal Williams is a bigger problem than losing Merriman last year. When Merriman went down, the Charger's pass rush suffered. But with Jamal out, their run defense will suffer as we have already seen in the game against Baltimore. If you can't stop the run, you won't even get opportunities to rush the passer. Williams was the biggest cog in the defense and if that void isn't at least partially filled, it will be another disappointing year for San Diego.
Rob Hansen from Oakland: Typically, I resent and reject the emphasis on individuals in a team sport. There are just too many factors, too many variables to have one guy consistently sway the outcome of a game. And the best teams, in my book, are the best TEAMS, not just a grouping a flashy guys. That said, the loss of Jamal Williams is devastating. He is one of few players that stands alone, and indeed does sway the outcome of a game. The Chargers have had time to adjust to his decline, and haven't done anything about it. This leaves a huge hole, and it won't be filled this year. The 2006 Jamal Williams was absolutely untouchable.
Stephen from San Diego: As a San Diegan and a Chargers fan, I am very concerned about the state of the bolts defense without Williams. You could see how his backup was pushed around some of the rushing plays against Baltimore. That can't happen. It is very frustrating how media in San Diego will continue to say how the Chargers are possibly the deepest team in the league. This is just not true - at least not on the offensive and defensive lines. This lack of depth is now very obvious with the recent injuries. Our backups are a bunch of undrafted rookies and that problem is becoming very apparent. Unfortunately, it is beginning to look like it could be a repeat of last year where the division title will come down to the wire. I am not of the opinion that SD will easily win the AFC west, i'm concerned that the playoffs may not be in our future this year - and it starts with the run defense - which went out the window with Williams going on IR.
Kyle from San Diego: Losing Williams is worse than losing Merriman if the linebackers don't get their game back. The defense starts and stops with Jamal. He demands double teams to free up players on the outside and controls the line when he isn't. Someone somewhere on this team is going to have to step. I blamed the secondary for years with this team for our mistakes but now its the front 7 that need to pick up the slack. GO BOLTS!!!
Gerald Palmes from Hayward, Ca: I'm optimistic that the Charger's Defense can still be good despite the injury to Jamal Williams. Yes Williams is beast at nose tackle, but watching last week's game the Chargers were in position to make plays. They simple did a horrible job tackling and this has been the issue with the Chargers for a while. I think Ron Rivera is a good Defensive coordinator and he'll the proper adjustments.
Ryan from NY, NY: Yes, losing meaty-in-the-middle is a significant problem. BUT, the real story is that the Bolts' D is hands-down under performing. AJ has drafted (and paid) a lot of studs to go out there and play like studs (Merriman, Cooper, Philips, Jammer, Cromartie, Castillo, et al). I love this defense. They've been filthy in the past, but right now they're simply not playing up to their billing. The good news: This isn't their first rodeo. They've laid an egg early on before, only to hear the fans' jeers, and responded with grit. I'm excited for the game when they finally get sick of playing defense like they're the Broncos roster, and man-up like the superstars they are.
Noel Gomez from Tijuana: The loss of Jamal Williams is huge, and makes us a lot more susceptible to the run, but I thought It would be a recoverable loss. A team can get along with a decent NT, but after Sunday's performance I am not so sure. Hopefully expanding the rotation with the new DT will help. Also, I think the loss of Merriman was bigger because it neutralized Shaun Phillips and exposed our pass defense. If Merriman can get back to form, and we can mount some kind of outside pass rush so our DB's aren't hung out to dry like last year, then we can still win this.
John from Los Angeles: This is a big loss for the Chargers. Williams was the man who controlled the middle. Now, the Chargers have either an undersized DT playing NT or they have a rookie getting pushed back into the end zone (which happened against Baltimore). I would not be surprised if they ran more 4-3 looks and moved one of the DEs to tackle and played English or Merriman in a 3-point stance. Ron Rivera knows the 4-3. Unfortunately, the players don't. Maybe it is a blessing in disguise though. I think every Charger fan had to wonder when Jamal was going to break down (even if it is only his triceps, he has been battling injuries for a while). Maybe this allows the rookies to get more time and possibly help in the future, if not now. Very disappointing.
Enrique Alvarado from San Diego, Ca: Losing Jamal Williams is huge. Not only was he put on I.R. but I believe he is also a free agent after this year. You cannot replace a Jamal Williams and it does not help when Luis Castillo is not playing well at all and your other defensive lineman are very young. The Chargers use to be a team like the Ravens that took pride in not letting the opposing team run on them but now we have no answer for any team that runs the ball against us. I think we should make a trade whether a draft pick or trade Merriman but we need huge help on that defensive line.
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Bill Williamson
Williamson joined ESPN.com in 2008 after four seasons covering the Denver Broncos for the Denver Post. He previously covered the Minnesota Vikings, Green Bay Packers and Seattle Seahawks.