DJ's Mailbag: 'Be Ready for a Physical Game' Against the Steelers

Nov 18, 2021 at 01:03 PM

Each week during the season, Chargers radio analyst Daniel Jeremiah will answer mailbag questions. Below is the Week 11 installment:

Can we see some deep passes? Similar play calling to the Browns game. -@jacobroess

"I think you're going to see this offense try and get a little more vertical. It's been a big element when they're playing well. It's the ability to threaten the deep portion of the field. I think some things can be a little misleading. I think you look at the stats and you say, 'Ok, some of these big plays are lacking, but Mike Williams has done a really nice job at drawing some penalties there.' Some of those shots have been rewarded with flags that don't necessarily show up in the passing yards."

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Why isn't Austin Ekeler getting the ball more? -@harrison.sowers

"They haven't had the ball, period, to give it to him more. When you look at their three losses in their last four games, they're on average minus 13 minutes in time of possession. I think you could make the case that Mike Williams should get the ball more, Austin Ekeler should get the ball more. The problem is you can't get guys the ball more if you don't possess it. That's part of the defense getting off the field on third down and it's your ability to stay on the field offensively to get everybody the touches and the targets that they want."

Are the Chargers going to go for it on fourth downs? -@zachmilliron

"I definitely think there were some people that were surprised, on the 4th-and-4 [against the Vikings] that the Chargers did not go for that. Talking to Coach Staley after the game, he explained it. He thought that the defense was playing really well and wanted to be able to pin them deep and get the ball back. I think that they've been pretty adamant about the fact that these are all individual decisions. I know as fans and I would put myself in that category as well, it's fun to watch an aggressive approach. We'll see what it gets back to this week."

How does the team get hyped up before the games? -@hannahlandswick

"I don't know that you necessarily always want to get hyped up before the games, I think you want to be focused before games. Most guys have their headphones on and kind of do their own thing and have their own routine, so each guy is different. Some guys want to get energy and they're listening to techno music to get their heartbeat pumping and then you talk to some other guys and they're listening to classical music in their headphones trying to slow things down. So, everybody's different."

How is the offense going to get better for the rest of the year? -@brody13thome

"I think you got to find a way to create some more explosive plays and you've got to find a way to win on third downs to extend drives. I think the answer to the third down problem to me is just finding Keenan Allen early and often."

What are your thoughts on Steelers? -@beto.3537

"They're going to be physical up front defensively I don't care who's in the lineup or out of the lineup, that's their calling-card. Be ready for a physical game and you look at them on the other side of the ball, you've got to find a way to handle their rookie back Najee Harris. You've got to try and tackle well and not let four and five yard runs not turn into eight- and 10- and 12-yard runs."