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Posted 01/18/2010 at 09:00 AM
"Unclutch" is defined as to open, as something closely shut. Also, mechanically, to disengage, as a clutch. It's time to add a photo to the definition for illustration purposes. I have in mind a team picture of the San Diego Chargers. They're about as "unclutch" as it gets.
The Chargers are headed to an earlier than desired vacation thanks to a miserable performance in a 17-14 Sunday loss to the amazing New York Jets. San Diego has its scapegoat in placekicker Nate Kaeding, who missed as many field goal attempts yesterday as he did throughout the entire regular season. Indeed, Kaeding was awful. He badly missed two very ordinary three-pointers, as well as a very long attempt just prior to halftime. Had Kaeding done his job, the Chargers might well be game planning for an AFC Championship clash at Indianapolis. But Kaeding was far from the only chump wearing a San Diego uniform in this debacle. Fact is, the entire team was horrendous, both from a physical and mental standpoint.
The Chargers let the Jets hang around in this game thanks to some inane play calling along with a succession of moronic penalties that absolutely killed them in the end. Needless blocks in the back, a head butt, kicking a challenge flag. An insistence on trying to get the ball into the hands of LaDainian Tomlinson, who is little more than a short yardage runner at this point. Tomlinson had 15 touches for a grand total of 24 net yards. They'd have been almost as well served to simply take a knee rather than get L.T. the ball. What amazes me is that the San Diego brain trust kept calling his number in the second half, despite it being obvious there was nothing in his tank.
The penalties absorbed by the Chargers boggled the mind. Numerous false starts early, and later on, a succession of mindless infractions that helped seal their fate. That's a lack of focus, plain and simple, and it's inexcusable in a playoff game.
Poor coaching decisions played a role as well. San Diego head coach Norv Turner was foolish to have Kaeding attempt a very long field goal right before the half. The Chargers had no timeouts, but they also had six seconds still on the clock. They would have better served to try and grab a few extra yards with a quick sideline pass, or they could have simply gone for the Hail Mary and tried to get lucky. Either would have been a better choice than sending Kaeding out to try a kick he had virtually no chance of making.
Down 17-7 in the fourth quarter, and faced with a fourth and short at the Jets 23, Kaeding was sent out to try and close the gap to one score. I know I'm not the only one who was willing to bet big bucks he would miss the 40-yard attempt. I know the Chargers needed a three someplace to try and get to overtime, so the book says kick the field goal in this situation. Sometimes it's better to toss the book away. I'd have gambled on getting the roughly one yard needed for the first down and worried about the field goal later.
The Chargers eventually did score a TD to make it 17-14, and with 2:06 remaining an with one time out still in their stash, Turner and company again made what I felt was the wrong call. With the Jets forced to defend against an onside kick, I would have kicked it deep and played defense in the hopes of gaining reasonable field position for a desperation drive and a possible tie. Instead, they left the Jets with a short field and even had San Diego gotten the football back, they'd have had to negotiate most of the field with no time outs to get one more try for Kaeding. As it turned out, the Jets were able to convert a fourth and short and simply ran out the clock. Had they been operating close to their own end zone, the result might have been different. That is something we will never know.
I'm not going to disparage anything the New York Jets are doing right now. Yes, they were phenomenally lucky to eke out the final AFC playoff spot. The schedule maker was more than kind as the Jets somehow were fortunate enough to play the Colts and Bengals in the last two weeks of the regular season. Basically, those two entries simply handed victories to the Jets. But hey, the Jets still had to win those games, and the bottom line is they found their way into the post-season extravaganza. And now the Jets are incredibly just one win away from what might well be the most improbable Super Bowl appearance ever. But the bottom line is that this team is making plays and winning games. And they're still playing.
The Chargers, however, are done for another year, and one cannot help but wonder if it might be time to think about an overhaul. Sure, they're a solid team, but when it comes to the big games, San Diego just doesn't get the job done. The argument can be made that the Chargers have as much talent from top to bottom as any team in the NFL. But when you're as "unclutch" as this outfit is, all the talent in the world doesn't matter.
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