Hank's Tale

Link Here: Hank Bauer, former Chargers running back and current color commentator for the Bolts’ radio broadcasts, offers his final take on the Chargers’ season, including their playoff loss to the New York Jets and the road ahead.

The first thing I want to address before I get into anything else is the backlash from the fans after the Chargers’ playoff loss. I love it. I think it’s so great that so many fans care now. Apathy is the worst thing in the world when you relate it to an NFL franchise.

I walked through the Qualcomm Stadium parking lot before the game last Saturday around noon. Honestly, I’ve never seen it like that, ever. The fact that so many people are reacting in different ways, positive and negative, I think is incredible. It shows that it matters to people. The Chargers’ fans have such a passion for the team. I’m not always going to agree with what is said, but the fans aren’t always going to agree with me, either.

Needless to say, I was shocked that the Chargers lost. But I warned everyone that this wasn’t going to be the easy game that everybody thought it would be. The Jets played great defense. It started up front. Four of the five defensive linemen in the Jets’ rotation are first-round draft choices. To me, that was one of the big differences in the game. The Chargers still moved the ball, but I didn’t think they scored the amount of points that they needed to score. The reason is because of the Jets’ front seven. I don’t think 17 points is enough against the Jets. They deserve all the credit for playing well.

Another thing I mentioned is that 50 percent of all playoff games are decided by a play in the kicking game. There you have it. The Jets had a field goal that they missed wide right from 33 yards. Then Doug Brien made a 42-yarder that dinged off the right upright and went in. The Chargers, on the other hand, had one 40-yarder that just missed. That was another difference in the game.

So I’m surprised that the game didn’t go the Chargers’ way because we were at home—the crowd was amazing—and we didn’t have to travel and the team was rested. But the things that decided the game didn’t surprise me at all. It was exactly what I thought.

One of the major criticisms I’ve heard is of Marty Schottenheimer’s play calls leading up to the field-goal attempt in overtime. I said it on air that I would’ve liked to see a couple more passes to get it closer. I’m not going to backtrack on what I said. Looking at it from Schottenheimer’s perspective, though, the Chargers were in field-goal range. Secondly, you have the best running back in the world and you’re hoping he’s going to bust one for 5-10 yards sometime in three carries. That didn’t happen. So the odds say that the Chargers did the right thing.

Regardless of what people may think about the Chargers’ choice of plays, I truly believe that Marty is the right man to be head coach. He did an unbelievable job with this team. I don’t believe in teams overachieving. When you achieve something, you achieve it, period. You earned it. This team earned everything they got. But I think this team can get a whole lot better quickly, because I do think there are some needs that can be fulfilled.

Other than Steve Foley, who had a nice year off the edge, I don’t see a dominating pass rusher on the Chargers. I don’t think the Chargers have a guy like Shaun Ellis, who had an overpowering performance for the Jets Saturday night. I think the Chargers need to build up front so that they can put more fear into teams in long-distance situations. Teams that have those types of players—like the Colts’ Dwight Freeney or the Bucs’ Simeon Rice—absolutely make it easier on their secondary because they consistently get pressure on the quarterback. I think we have some guys that have that type of potential, but in order for the Chargers to take it to the next level, they need that production.

Since the game last weekend, I’ve run into at least three of the players. If you think you are feeling shocked and empty, multiply it by 100,000 and that’s what these guys are feeling. They invested so much in this season, and to have it end so suddenly really hurts them. I saw Steve Foley at the driving range the other day. He doesn’t even play golf, but he didn’t know what to do with himself.

Another player that’s taking the loss hard is Nate Kaeding. He is a tough guy. I’ve talked to him a bunch of times. It’s good that he’s taking it so hard. Like the fans who are upset, it shows that he cares. It bothers him. If he blew it off and acted like nothing happened, then I’d be concerned. I told him, in your first year, you’ve already gone through everything. Now, you just have to build on it. The next time you need to hit an onside kick, or you kickoff in inclement weather or you attempt a game-winning field goal in the playoffs, you’ve done it already. It’s called experience, and you can’t put a price on it.

All in all, I think what these guys need to do is just spend time with their families, which they would normally do. Go to the Super Bowl and the Pro Bowl and enjoy some of the festivities. Be proud of what they accomplished and just shut it down physically and mentally for a month, or at least three weeks. It would take me three months after the season to raise my arms over my head when I was playing. I’m exaggerating a little bit, but the point is that you get so beat up during the season. You need a rest. After that, the players should get right back at it and start training for 2005.

The nucleus is here to have a winning team for many years ahead. What the team has to do now is be very judicious in which players to re-sign and which new players to bring into the family. The one thing this team has more than anything else is chemistry. You want to add to that. You don’t want to take away from it.

With two No. 1 draft choices and room under the salary cap this offseason, as well as the confidence from last year and the chemistry I just mentioned, the future is bright for this team. Most importantly, they’ve set the bar high for upcoming years. The Chargers are definitely back and it’s a beautiful thing!

*Hank’s views do not necessarily reflect those of the organization.