Chargers Offensive Coordinator Frank Reich has long been a big fan of quarterback Philip Rivers. Almost immediately after arriving in San Diego in 2013 as the team’s QB coach Reich called Rivers one of the top-10 smartest football guys in the NFL.
It’s no coincidence that year is the one where Rivers started getting the authority to run the no-huddle, getting his offense in place for one play and freelancing at the line of scrimmage when necessary. When it works it can be unstoppable. When it doesn’t it can be a disaster.
What’s the difference in the two extremes? Like a lot of things in life the answer is simple: Timing.
“The quicker we can get it communicated and get it snapped and leave ourselves some time the calmer we all are,” said Rivers after last week’s 30-27 win over the Browns. “We’re not rushing to snap it at the last second. We all know what our job is on the play and what we’re trying to do so, obviously, that’s ideal.”
Rivers knows what defenses are going to do before almost every play. That’s not just me saying it, multiple opponents have said Philip out-witted them. Sometimes the play can change a couple of times as defenses make last-minute shifts. Rivers is going to see that, and he’s going to try and do something about it.
“There’s no way around it,” said Rivers, “there are going to be those times when it’s a last-second adjustment … bam, bam, bam, set hut. And we’ve got to be able to do it.”
Now, here’s where the problems can start mounting. When Rivers changes the play the backs, tight ends and receivers all need to get the change and adjust. So does the offensive line, which gets the new blocking assignment from either the center or Rivers himself.
With all the changes the Chargers have had to make on the line due to injuries that communication has not always been as good as it needs to be. When the line isn’t blocking as well as it should, things fall apart awfully fast.
“There’s a fine line between always trying to get in to the perfect play and sometimes saying, hey, we just have to let this roll and get three yards,” said Rivers. “Or let it roll and throw the checkdown. Maybe the primary reads don’t look good based on the coverage they’re playing.”
Two plays from the 3rd quarter of the Browns game provide evidence. On first down from the Cleveland 19, Rivers saw pressure and moved to change the play with 11 seconds left on the play clock. Everything was communicated and although he took a shot, Philip completed a touchdown pass to tight end Ladarius Green.
But in the same quarter Rivers tried to make a change with 9 seconds on the clock. It’s only a 2-second difference but things went haywire with a defender coming clean and nobody open in time to get the ball off to. So it appears 10 seconds on the play clock is the cutoff line for getting a play changed cleanly. After that, it’s a crapshoot.
“There has to be a balance there of not always trying to get in to the perfect check because it’s unrealistic and sometimes it’s just like no, we’re going to run this play,” said Rivers. “Really I have to balance that because you always want, Oh I think they’re doing this so let’s get to the play that you love versus that coverage but you’ve got to understand that you can’t always do that. That’s why you have reads, that’s why you have plays and you work on them against everything so everybody will know what to do when it’s not the perfect defense for that play.”
Rivers is usually going to get the Bolts into the right play. If he does it at the right time, the Chargers offense has the potential to be special.
