OrondeGadsden

Oct 12

Kolar was back as the Chargers' lead tight end.

Los Angeles started the season with Kolar as the primary tight end on early downs, David Njoku as the primary tight end on third downs and the two sharing the field in 12 personnel. Both suffered injuries in Week 2, allowing Oronde Gadsden to take over as the lead tight end. Kolar was limited in practice all week but was ready to play, while Njoku remains on injured reserve for at least one more week. Kolar largely returned to his Week 1 role, although he played a little more frequently on third downs. Gadsden largely took on Njoku's role, similar to what he's done over the last two weeks. The Chargers had so many injuries at wide receiver that they used 12 personnel more often than not. They also ran three plays out of 13 personnel. Hayden Rucci was the clear third tight end on the depth chart, but he ended up scoring a touchdown. Considering how many third-down snaps in 11 personnel Kolar took from Gadsden, it seems Gadsden hasn't improved his standing with the coaching staff over the last few weeks. He didn't record a catch in this game, and it wouldn't be surprising if his role decreases significantly once Njoku returns.

Oct 8

Entering the game, Herbert tied for 34th among quarterbacks in percentage of pass attempts to players that started in the backfield, at 9.1 percent. By game’s end, Herbert had increased the clip to 13.4 percent, tied for 24th in the NFL....So, upon review: Herbert forced passes on both of his interceptions and was faced with porous pass protection on third downs. His second-half solution: Take the easy stuff. A healthy run game also helped....Herbert’s first two completions of the second half included a tight end screen to Gadsden for 5 yards and a swing pass to running back Keaton Mitchell for 2 yards. ... Then it was back to the short stuff, as Herbert found Mitchell out of the backfield for 3 yards, and then Gadsden wide open on a well-designed out route from a bunch set. That set up the aforementioned fourth-and-4 on which Herbert somehow squeezed the ball to Gadsden in a tight window while he was in the process of being sacked. The shovel pass to Vidal, who compiled some impressive yards after catch, capped things for six.