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Chargers Weekly
This week, Chris Hayre is joined by CBS Sports' Evan Washburn and the Tennessean's Erik Bacharach. Also, Chris sits down with Jeff Miller of the Los Angeles Times, Daniel Popper of The Athletic, and Gilbert Manzano of the Southern California News Group for a beat writers roundtable.
Washburn, who will be covering the game from the sidelines on Sunday as a part of CBS' Sunday afternoon broadcast, discussed what to expect from the Titans, as well as the longevity of quarterback Philip Rivers.
"(Rivers is) not just rolling, I think he's still playing at a high level," Washburn said. "He's throwing to areas where there's no one in sight, and it's obviously his anticipation, his trust and the chemistry he has with Keenan Allen and Hunter Henry. He's still playing at an elite level."
Afterward, Hayre caught up with Titans beat writer, Bacharach, who pointed out that even given the Titans' ability to execute defensively, the Titans' offense will have to pick up the slack if they are to put up a fight against the Bolts.
"They're just a really good team as far as keeping you off the board," Bacharach said. "They're only allowing opponents to score 15.3 points per game, so this defense is really doing its part. It's the offense that is lacking, and if you get any production from them, they should be a better team than they are."
Lastly, Chris rounded up the Chargers beat writers for a beat writers roundtable. Besides Daniel Popper joking that veteran beat reporter Jeff Miller was "alive in 1875," they discussed the Bolts, touching on how defensive end Joey Bosa is on the cusp of domination.
"It's always tough with pass rushers because you're like, 'Oh, he's not putting up the sack numbers,' but if you go back and watch the tape, he is really close on a lot of plays, and he is affecting the quarterback," Popper said. "If Bosa is getting double-teamed, then you need other guys in the line to get to the quarterback. You need Uchenna (Nwosu) to have the type of game he had against the Broncos, (or) you need Justin Jones and Jerry Tillery and those guys on the interior to get to the quarterback. Bosa's a big name, but it falls on the other guys too."
Playmakers
On this week's edition of Playmakers, host Hayley Elwood welcomed Cassie Stuart and Ciandra Martin, self-described "bad moms" and significant others to linebacker Denzel Perryman and wide receiver Keenan Allen, respectively.
Each woman is a mother to three children, two girls and a boy, and they talked about balancing all of that with other duties during the football season and being able to find time for themselves.
"Even though our men do come first a lot of the time, and so do our kids, it's okay to sometimes prioritize us as women," Cassie Stuart said. "We gotta remember we're still people…I think sometimes we get really caught up in our responsibilities, and we forget about ourselves...It's okay to live our life and still be good moms while we do it. It's okay to better ourselves."
Martin elaborated on the many responsibilities she and Stuart have, celebrating what they do for their families.
"We're the ones holding it down, (and) holding it all together," Ciandra Martin said. "We have multiple jobs, not just based on our significant others (and) making sure they're good, but it's (also) home life and kids, and everything in between, (like) cooking and cleaning."
Martin added that the biggest misconception about being a significant other of an NFL player is "the glitz and glamor."
"There have been (television) shows...and it shows this lifestyle (where) we're all done up every day and we're just going to lunch and shopping," Martin said. "But, oh my gosh, I'm a hot mess 99% of the time unless I have a game to go to or an event. I think people just think that we're on vacation."
Backstage: Chargers Podcast
This week on "Mike and Ike", defensive end Isaac Rochell and kicker Michael Badgley take the pod on the road to fullback Derek Watt's house to hang out with him and his newborn son, Logan.
Watt, Badgley, and Rochell also debate whether Derek or Mike is the better hockey player and talk about growing up in a small town in Wisconsin, playing almost every position in high school, as well as memories of a "Derek Watt"-themed high school homecoming.
To watch the full version of this week's episode, head over to the official Mike and Ike YouTube page.
