[Goldenfleece]

I think we're probably in as good a shape as anyone when it comes to trying to cover a maniac tight end like Gates because we do have such speedy linebackers in Pisa and Spoon along with a good coverage safety in Chavous. Since the rest of their wide receiver corps is relatively weak, I reckon we'll see at least a couple defensive backs come on the blitz.

I'd also throw out this possibility for consideration, although I don't know how effective it would be: keep one guy back in a short zone/spy role in the middle of the field. That way Rivers has got to be aware of the possibility of getting anything in that area of the field batted down or intercepted (because a 5 or 10 yard throw is not going to have a real high arc). It wouldn't help if they send Gates deep, but it takes time for that kind of play to develop and the Chargers prefer short 3 and 5 step drops. With a rookie, there's a decent chance you could catch him staring down his target.

Honestly, though, I'm not so concerned about Gates right now. His biggest game all season was a 78 yard performance against San Francisco and that was mostly because they gave up 57 yards on one play. For the rest of that day, he had only 4 receptions for 21 yards. He had no less than 9 receptions last game but for a total of only 63 yards.