Michael Peterson

Covering the Chargers for @BFTB_Chargers and NFL news for @SBNation / University of Iowa alum🐥🐥

[Michael Peterson @ZoneTracks]

Hang this in the Louvre

[Michael Peterson @ZoneTracks]

@daviddanzig If you extrapolated Ingram to 58 games, sure, but the point was he was handed an extension before proving he was someone who could be counted on to stay healthy. 58 games in 3.5 years is much better than 58 games in 5+ years, especially if the stats are roughly the same.

[Michael Peterson @ZoneTracks]

Comparing the 1st 4 seasons of Chargers EDGEs blindly:

Player A (58g) Player B (35g)
175 Tackles 143
42 TFLs 24
29 Sacks 16.5

Player B was extended. There are people who don't want to extend A.

[Michael Peterson @ZoneTracks]

@Jonatinnn412 Tuli and Ingram

[Michael Peterson @ZoneTracks]

Chargers Top 3 EDGEs all in the top right quadrant

[Jrfortgang @throwthedamball]

DE/EDGE grades stopping run and in pass rush

[Michael Peterson @ZoneTracks]

@DanWSports @danielrpopper Taylor did not get moved but impressive none the least.

[Michael Peterson @ZoneTracks]

@DipaoloTim Great man, thanks for your opinion. That's not going to change how the players in the locker room take the news, which was the whole point of the original post.

You've been acting like I personally think it's a bad move, which was never said.

[Michael Peterson @ZoneTracks]

God forbid anyone looks at football from a different lens other than business!

[Tim DiPaolo @DipaoloTim]

@ZoneTracks Who cares about personality? People are literally upset because they traded an average linebacker and the reasoning has nothing to do with him being good…they are mad because he did funny things with the social media team… it’s absolutely insane

[Michael Peterson @ZoneTracks]

@ChargedupK Gotcha. Dickhead it is.

[Michael Peterson @ZoneTracks]

Pro: Being far-and-away the longest tenured Chargers reporter
Con: Covering the 2026 season

[ChargersMuse @ChargersMuse]

The Chargers have lost four beat reports in just the first half of the season
Nobody wants to cover this team 😭

[Michael Peterson @ZoneTracks]

@LAMINETHADREAM He didnt want to be. We knew this already.

[Michael Peterson @ZoneTracks]

If trading away Mack at the end of the year would have looked bad to the locker room, then trading Henley is a horrendous look in that mindset.

Team captain, young, and one of the most beloved players on the team by everyone. The majority of the personality from this team came from Henley (traded), and Derwin James (IR).

[Carter Donnick @CDonnick1]

Finally decide to sell a player but it's a 26 year old in-division and still won't part with Mack, truly no words for the Chargers man

[Michael Peterson @ZoneTracks]

@ruxpn_teddy Okay, you gotta chill. I said nothing about the business side at all.

Just pointing out the hypocrisy in Jim Harbaugh's recent comments on trading players away.

[Michael Peterson @ZoneTracks]

If Reid and Mahomes get the best out of Downs...yeesh. Loved him coming out.

[Ian Rapoport @RapSheet]

Trade: The #Colts are trading WR Josh Downs to the #Chiefs, per me and @AdamSchefter, as Patrick Mahomes gets another playmaker.

[Michael Peterson @ZoneTracks]

Take @PFF with a grain of salt as always, but this checks out. He has had a decent stat line this year with an INT, FF, and 2 FR, but his coverage has been awful. He just never looked like he was ever getting back to his 2024 form.

[Adam Schefter @AdamSchefter]

Trade: Chargers are sending LB Daiyan Henley to the Denver Broncos for a 2027 fourth-round pick and 2028 fifth-round pick, per sources.

[Michael Peterson @ZoneTracks]

Holy smokes. I did not expect Henley to be moved, but I also would never have guessed they could get a 4th (2027) and a 5th (2028) for him.

[Jordan Schultz @Schultz_Report]

BREAKING: The #Chargers are trading LB Daiyan Henley to the #Broncos for the 4th and 5th round pick, per sources.

[Michael Peterson @ZoneTracks]

The cornerback was driving on the route before Herbert threw and stopped his feet for some reason which put him behind in his tackle attempt. Al-Shaair also sitting with his back turned hyper-focused on Kolar the whole play. Safety ran into Kolar and blocks himself.

This is much more a horrible play by the HOU defense than what QJ could do if given more targets.

[Michael Peterson @ZoneTracks]

Greg Roman has been the only person to know how to get QJ going. This play isn't an example of that, but I just needed to remind everyone. McDaniel had two seasons of tape and took nothing away from it.

[NFL @NFL]

Justin Herbert ➡️ Quentin Johnston touchdown!

HOUvsLAC on CBS/Paramount+
Stream on @NFLPlus

[Michael Peterson @ZoneTracks]

Well no, not exactly. McDaniel is making QJ run a more varied route tree in the short and intermediate areas (think curls, comebacks, deep comebacks, etc) which are not how QJ wins. He has never been a sudden separation guy. Roman got him on Go routes, posts, crossers (at all levels of the field) and designed deeper dropbacks and/or protection plans that allowed enough time for QJ to eventually just outrun defenders into open space.

In the red zone, he did a lot of the same stuff that Tyreek Hill did for KC. Just run from one side to the other and outrun the coverage.

This is similar to how Tyrell Williams was used when he was in SD.

[Michael Peterson @ZoneTracks]

Blocked so well there's a good lane for a moment until Danielle Hunter stones Matlock and gets hands on Hampton.

[Michael Peterson @ZoneTracks]

At the snap, here's how this should have been blocked (without knowledge of playside defenders outside the screen.)

Doesnt make sense for Burke to try and reach the inside shade on Strange and a more horizontal bucket/scoop would not have made a difference here. 98 is up the field well before Burke has a shot. He is hauling ass to cut off Pitre. Everyone else blocks this as expected.

[Ady Simons @adysimons]

Litterally the 1st play of the game for the #Chargers

O/S/Z blocking. Travis Burke misses his gap responsibility, Cole Strange realises whats happened and cuts back to cover the error.

1st step should always be a scoop/bucket step horizontal BEFORE getting vertical, mistakes like that happen when you get target fixation at the 2nd level before the snap.