Easton Stick Makes Two Critical Mistakes And Shows Why The Chargers Must Make A Move For A Backup QB

the game against the Rams was the last chance that Easton stick had to prove that he could be qb2 but unfortunately a couple of huge mistakes proved exactly why he should not be this team's primary backup you are locked on Chargers your daily podcast on the Los Angeles Chargers part of the locked on podcast Network your team every day what is up and welcome into the locked on Chargers podcast I'm your host Daniel Wade joined as always by my co-host David DRM and we've been covering the Chargers together now for nine Seasons but this is our seventh year as the host of the lockon Chargers podcast bringing you your team every day thank you guys as always especially after a game for making us your first list and we appreciate the every dayers out there and to make sure that you never miss the show go subscribe or follow for free on the lockon Chargers YouTube channel and listen wherever you get your podcast from David what do we got today well Daniel after watching the Chargers second preseason game I am now convinced that the Chargers backup quarterback is not on the current 90 man roster and we got to talk about the offensive standout performances and you look at the box score and you might say Quinton Johnston why is he standing out but it's definitely because he showed that he does have the hands and on defense Dean Leonard was all over the football field and even snagged an interception in The End Zone it was awesome seeing that and I think the great thing about this game is we can actually feel like we can have a fun time on this episode because there were some standown performers even though neither one of the quarterbacks absolutely went off right but today's episode is brought to you by FanDuel now through September 22nd all FanDuel customers can bet $5 and get a three-week free trial of NFL Sunday Ticket from YouTube and YouTube TV Vis A fanduel.com lockon to get started David the biggest thing kind of that came to my mind after e sticks game on Saturday was just not enough not good enough and that's what we talked about on Friday's show to me I had said this to me is his last chance because just doing it just balling out in preseason week three wouldn't be enough to convince me this dude should be the primary backup for this team but I truly feel like hey if he went out there and played lights out against the Rams and then went out and played lights out again next week I could feel somewhat better I could at least stomach it a little bit more but unfortunately it was two critical mistakes that ended up dooming what Easton stick did because he actually had a better game like it it doesn't feel like it in some ways but eight to 13 85 yards 6 and2 yards per attempt which is fine 48.6 passer rating because he had a bad interception he did one thing you just cannot do it's a cardinal role he fumbled to snap on the goal line basically and it was those two things David that it's like you saw you know some progress but then you just can't do the things that he ended up doing in this game you especially can't do those things when you don't have any other touchdowns to speak of like at all in any of your performances like for me it was one step forward and then two steps back that's just what it seemed like when you're watching East and stick and to me like if you are not making plays and you're not making good throws and you are coughing the football up and you're giving it away that is inexcusable you you just can't have that and especially when we're talking about the primary backup quarterback for a team that their primary quarterback is coming back from injury it's not good enough I I can't you I can't feel comfortable you can't feel comfortable no charger fan can feel comfortable going into the season with Easton stick as the primary backup quarterback Daniel I did not like the performance and you know when you don't score and you give up the football twice that just cements what my feelings are for East stick quarterbacks for quarterbacks winning is not a stat just for them right we talked about all that all the time it's the number one thing people want to hold over Justin Herber you know the WIS all those things but it's just impossible to feel confident that you can win a game with East stick it's impossible to feel like you're going to go in in week one against the Raiders first game in the Jim Harbaugh ERA with the Chargers and you're going to win that game and that's a very very winnable game so do not have a backup that you feel like you even have a chance in that game for you can't understate how important it is that this team makes a decision to try to improve that position Jim Harbaugh did say that Easton stick would be starting preseason week three For Better or For Worse right he also said this obviously you're the quarterback you can't throw interceptions in the red zone or fumble snaps both of those plays took points off the board for the Chargers said he knows that and this is the thing like I told you before the show I'd be less concerned about the fumble like I could Rite it off to a certain extent even in that area of the field it's like that's you can't ever really do that but the problem is you had five fumbles in four games that you started last year as you told me right it's a pattern at this point yeah it's not just a oneoff kind of a thing so it's just impossible to get over the disasters and the biggest problem with East stick he's just he's regressed he's gotten worse right and this this is from Daniel poer in this stat I mean I think says it better than anything else East stick has the worst EPA per dropback of any quarterback so far this preseason according to True Media his EPA per dropback has been six times worse this preseason than it was during the 2023 regular season that's bad I mean like that like it's just that's the problem here I understand why the Chargers you know thought they could potentially get away and that maybe e and stick could build off those four games where he kept them competitive in three out of four but now it's it you know the the signing made some sense then but it's seeming like a mistake right now to think he could be that guy yeah and I hope the Chargers don't get caught up in trying to you know try to cover up that mistake by keeping him on the roster right like that's the one thing that I just can't see and I I have confidence that Jim Harbaugh and Joe hortiz are able to evaluate that and understand that East sck just not getting the job done he regressed from last year that he has a pattern of coughing up the football which is Is Not Great like in you know when you know you're going out there you want to have a quarterback that can at least you know move the ball and be able to put together some drives and yeah he did a little bit better but I come out of this game trying to find the redeeming qualities in East sticks game and there just really isn't very many of them and not enough to justify him staying on this roster the Chargers got to look elsewhere yeah and E stick it's always been a long shot for him right he a fifth round pick out of North Dakota State University right FCS School played with like Trey Lance won a bunch of championships there was really good there and I think the problem with him is just like not all of those things translate like his height doesn't necessarily translate to the next level in most cases his athletic ISM very much stood out at that level here he is a a mobile a pretty mobile quarterback but he's not ever going to be Lamar Jackson or mobile enough for you to build your offense specifically around that he's just not and the mistakes you just can't have like that's the one thing you need from a backup quarterback and you're right like it it's not like he's you know scoring four touchdowns and then throwing three interceptions you're not getting the good to you know offset what the bad things are exactly so it's just like you know you you can't be limited East and stick wise and they weren't scoring a lot of touchdowns last year right I remember a broken play Josh Palmer touchdown the blowout game right but then there's a lot of lowc scoring field goal type games you just can't have that without the upside and it's hard to say what the upside is for East and stick so a move has to be made because it was always a long shot for Luis Perez to be that guy too and and Luis Perez to me was fine but not nearly good enough to show hey he's a legit backup quarterback for this team he can take that spot that was eent Sticks no I mean Luis Perez was all right he was 13 to 20 78 yards a 72.6 passer rating um but he also had a turnover as well I mean I think that was a little bit questionable I think he probably still had possession of that ball um but it's the preseason and they're probably not going to really take too close he started fumbling it and it looked like he got it back right before the ball hit the ground cuz he initially started juggling it then as he hit the ground it looked like he had gotten it back and then the ball came out again but yeah it's going to happen either way yeah and I mean had one decent completion it was to Quinton Johnston on that kind of 19 yard comeback route like that was that was a good play you know that that was an explosive play for you know for the most part so but besides that you know it just it was just okay you know it's still to me feels like you know this guy just got here and it's because he did just get here I think there's a still a work in progress but I still feel like I like Luis a little bit more than I like East stick but I don't like either of them very much I mean I think if you take the body of work of the two games I don't think that's crazy at all right to to think Perez has played better than him um you know better pass rating both games obviously L but just 3.9 average just a lot of dump offs in this game for Luis Perez too just not nearly as explosive as he was also you know couple errant throws couple decent throws he had a kind of bad throw that almost turned into the catch of the night for Quinton Johnston which we'll talk about but to me it's like I said it last week right like Luis Perez isn't going to be the Savior I like it it's a good story he could potentially be a third quarterback an emergency quarterback something like that but to think he was going to come in and play against the Raiders week one and you were going to feel good about that was always an incredibly incred long shot so we'll see what he can do I would have loved to see if he got a chance to get that game-winning drive through it to Cornelius Johnson who bobbled it maybe got it you know another really really close play that I thought Jamar ball was going to challenge but didn't really get the chance there you know and we'll see I I kind of wish he got to start next week and see what he could do with the the better players on the Chargers roster I think that would have been a fair shot for him especially with how poor Le Easton six played but that's not what's going to happen I think he'll still get a chance I mean he already overtook two quarterbacks in two weeks right with Casey Balman and Max Doug who got zero snaps in this game but Quinton Johnson man has the least impressive box score that was the most impressive game I've seen from Quinton Johnson for sure maybe ever potentially with one catch in the game and also man it was the kamani Vidal show who took very little time to show exactly why he was drafted we're getting into all that and more in today's lockdown Chargers podcast first I need to tell you guys about eBay Motors because passion drive and patience the formula for winning championships is also what keeps your ride or die live and eBay Motors has everything you need to maintain your vehicle and level it up to Peak Performance superchargers roof racks exhaust kets LED headlights and more whether you're into speed 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truly right the running game you know the passing concept things like that were working just some Miss throws I mean you could block was much better blocking way way way better the quarterbacks actually were given a chance to make plays this week and it was really impressive what we saw from Quinton Johnson and this is not a game that you can look at the box score and tell what Quinton Johnston was able to do in this game one catch for 19 yards that's about as modest As It Gets right one big play 19 yards is good it's how he got it David that was really so impressive it was and so for for Quinton Johnston it was a fantastic comeback route you know very very crisp uh he comes back to the football and jumps up high points it catches it with his hands and that was a welcome sight by everybody who watched it and to me it shows the progression Daniel it shows that he has worked on his craft that he is confident in his hands and he wants to show everybody that he is capable of doing it on a down in down out basis the thing is about Quinton Johnson is his hands were always a problem right and like we'll see one game doesn't erase that right a couple good hands catches doesn't erase it you got to do it consistently it has to become a habit the bigger issue for him was the route running and lack of Separation he was able to create getting off the line of scrimmage being able to beat press man coverage and not getting caught up at the line like those those things were always more concerning than the hands the hands are concerning of course there's lots of players that bounce back from Bad drop seasons though there's not a lot of players that can you know aren't showing the ability to get separation and be able to break off routes and you know be able to deceive cornerbacks and be able to set up double moves and things like that and that's way more to me the most impressive part of this because the catch was fine the The Comeback good route created separation strong catch the two plays he didn't make were more more impressive he had a a great double move on the outside where it was a third and 19 the corner should know he's not you know he probably going to the sticks You' think you know probably not breaking off a 10 yard curl whatever it is but like yeah stutter stepped Corner broke he absolutely leaves him in the dust corner has to try to grab him as he goes by because he knows he's beat deep he gets caught up with him a little bit then East stick throws the ball Easton stick overthrows him and it would have been probably a touchdown I mean if he doesn't get cont acted almost certainly a touchdown because the safety wouldn't even been close to being able to catch him yeah it was really really impressive route on a play that goes down as a Target in the Box SC not even that right just a penalty it's not even a play in the Box SC so you can't judge it based on just the box score that was super impressive the other play was Luis Perez down the sideline throws it high up in the air to him he was wide open he had 10 yards of Separation on that play throws it high gives the chance for the defensive back to catch up to him goes up high points the football would have made a toe St catch but gets forced out of bounds by the defensive back gets one foot in can't get the other foot in but completed the catch went to the ground just really great signs these were all super super alarming things and he'll still have to let it translate right but like he looks like he doesn't look like a gadget player on those plays he looks like a legitimate NFL receiver and there was parts of last season where it didn't seem like he was going to get to that point so I think that's a great time for him this performance signified progress for Quinton Johnston that's what it was to me you could see the work that he's putting in in the route running you can see the hands get better and you can see you know more you know like you just said more than just Gadget plays you can see him run legitimate routes and get open and make plays for you you know what he can do with his hands with the football in his hands out in open space like he can make things happen he absolutely can the other parts of his game were the ones that were worrisome this game signifies that he has improved on them and hopefully continues to show that as we get into the regular season yeah have to build on it for sure but maybe the most impressive offensive player in this game at least as far as the skill players go or kamani was Kanani Vidal I I mean that was the most ex one of the most exciting kind of things that came out of this game for me right 11 carries 49 yards 4.9 average but again like he he had a long of 13 yards let's you know let's break it down like this anyone can get a big hole and get a 13 yd run that they don't have to do much that you could put me out there and I could do it if the hole is big enough right yeah it was how he got it right like it wasn't a super clear Lane for him to go there was like three Cuts in the run the 113 yard run where like you see that from the all 22 from behind you're seeing him make exactly the right decisions when he needs to stringing Cuts together to make a big play he had three carries his first three carries went for two first downs the Chargers took seven series to get a first first down in the preseason week one he was so impressive in such a short amount of time David that like after not seeing him in the you know first game hey a six round pick not always guaranteed to make the roster it took me one play to figure out oh this dude is here that one carry is better than any Carry I've seen from any other chargers running back in this preseason period well to me it just looked like what he did in college it translates to the next level I mean it's just everything that I saw when I was watching him on tape it's he runs like he's a bowling ball like he just he he has fantastic contact balance has great vision is able to break tackles like you know the kid's got it like he's got juice like and you know we already know what he does as a pass protector so we know this is a guy that has the potential to be a three down running back and I feel like you know obviously it's one performance but you know to me I feel like this is something that he can sustain and it makes you feel better about what this running back group may look like going forward in the future because you know you got Gus Edwards you got JK Dobbins on a one-year deal but that's about it right you just don't know who else is going to be at that position so seeing him come in right away and be productive I think that's exciting for the Chargers and for the running back position going forward yeah and I mean he just easily is the most elusive guy they've had out there I mean in this game he easily LED all the running backs with three broken tackles or three Miss tackles forced according to PFF nobody else in the running back room had more than one in this game like that is what he brought in a very short amount of time also had a nyard run running this one that got called back was of a hold on Foster Cel right and that puts him at 12 carries 58 yards just about you know another five yards per carry more right that's nice so it it's it was great to see that I mean just showed in such a short spurt okay yeah this dude belongs here right Daniel popper said hey did it feel like you know one of those carries that you belong and he said it was exactly that so cool moment young kid that's a dude you want to see stick around and definitely can turn into something cuz those plays were happening for the most part in between the tack he still looked really impressive short yardage looked impressive but you know there's going to be guys we can't get to a lot of guys impressive offensively the offens one as a whole is super impressive Simi foko continues to impress that's going to be a buy or sell tomorrow is Simi foko making this team but we have to talk about Joe all because he was just about Flawless in his second game he had the one blemish really in his first game whether it was pass blocking or run blocking in this game David he was a level above he looked like he it was a man amongst boys out there and I think when you're talking about a fifth overall pick you wanted to see it he showed it besides one kind of FAL start penalty we're looking at seven pass blocking 17 pass blocking snaps zero pressures allowed looked like he was agile and got really good low pad level when he was in Run blocking which is extremely impressive for a man that's 6'8 almost 6' n uh I just I think Joe Al like it just shows you everything that you wanted to see and for the people like me who had some apprehension of him being able to switch from left tackle to right tackle he looks like he's been playing right tackle for the last few years kudos to him and his team for putting the work in it shows yeah he looked awesome so now I mean 30 pass blocking snaps in both the games he's given up one pressure right one does that mean he's going to you know shut out Max Crosby in week one no but what it does mean to me at least is he belongs he is a legitimate you know top fly offensive lineman potentially which is what you have to be as the fifth overall pick and and also when you have ran Slater on the other side it's what it feels like the maximum could be for that pair to have Justin Herbert have bck end tackles that can play like that and for Joe Al to be switching to the right side and not look like a fish out of water and to be shutting dudes down in his second game of live action that's really really impressive at an incredibly hard position to play so Joe Al more of that the entire offensive line played much much better in preseason week two and it was great to see but there were a lot of standout performers on the defense just like in week one week two brought more standout performances on the defensive side and you can't start without talking about Dean Leonard who was the most impressive player last year as far as you know in improvements go he might be doing it again this year back toback years because he looked awesome so we're going to talk about that and this linebacker core more on today's lock on Chargers podcast first all I need to tell you guys about FanDuel and we know you've heard us talk a lot about FanDuel America's number one sports book well we have something a little different for you now through September 22nd all FanDuel customers can bet $5 and get a three- week free trial of NFL Sunday Ticket from YouTube and YouTube TV it's hard to explain it's like almost like drugs I mean NFL Sunday Ticket all of the games multiple boxes however you want it like I have to get it and I'm you willing to pay the price if I would have known it was free I would have waited because that is a heck of a deal and then with the YouTube TV base plan you'll be able to watch every regular season Sunday afternoon out of Market game all you need is a Google account and a current form of payment and you can cancel it at any time but for tonight I'm looking for a bounce back from my Padres after losing their first series out of their last nine you know had to come to an end but they're going up against the Twins and I think their offense bounces back in a big way and they have Michael King on the mound he's been awesome he's got some of the nastiest stuff in the MLB to me so I'm taking the Padre's to win by at least two runs at plus 140 getting some plus juice there just visit fanduel.com lockon to download America is number one favorite sports book David let's get into the defensive side of things it's not fair to them you know that they're getting mentioned so late in the show because again the better unit out of the two of them I mean you take you know no offense you take one big play away from a guy that's not going to be making this team the numbers look better score-wise right because it was a pass interference and a long touchdown Allowed by Zari Walton that ended up giving you the score that you ended up seeing but the defense was super impressive again and it started with Dean Leonard who I thought was good in week one he was awesome in preseason week two but I do want him tell everyone thank you for making us your first listen we appreciate all the everydays out there if you need a second listen make sure you guys are checking out locked on fantasy football podcast so you don't end up going viral on the internet for having to do some super embarrassing thing because you got last place in your fantasy football league got some people even have to get tattoos avoid that by listening to the locked on fantasy football podcast I promise you if you listen to it make them second listen you will not be getting lost in your fantasy football league so make sure you guys check that out wherever you get your podcast from And subscribe on YouTube as well Dean Leonard David we were so excited about Dean Leonard last year and you know with the chasc Jackson of it all and the weird situ Michael Davis also in the mix Santi Sam Jr last year we like you know this is good feels like the depth is better got a chance later on in the year after the JC Jackson thing fell apart and and played fine but then ended up getting hurt so we never got to really see the full progress and development he looked awesome in this game David got the first turnover of the Chargers preseason on a play that was really sick I mean honestly like he he kind of covered like he fainted as if he was covering the flat and had a def an offensive player behind him in the back of the end zone fainted the flat so he held that throw off from St ston Bennett faded back into the end zone and easily picked him off it was a really really good play toap a really really good day for Dean Leonard super excited to see what he's going to be able to do yeah Dean Leonard had had his eyes on on the quarterback the entire time during that play just basically baited it waited for it and was able to make the catch and go down in the end zone uh for a Touchback uh you know we we've seen some people try to take it out of the end zone and then end the Chargers offense on the one yard line forcing them to go 99 yards let's not see that ever again please uh Dean leard thank you for uh doing that I appreciate it but yeah he was fantastic in this game made some really strong tackles in the open field feel like it was very sticky in coverage three three catches on seven targets for 46 yards although one of those catches was 22 yards and he also had two pass breakups to include that interception so he looked like he was all over the football field when I was watching him he looked very comfortable out there the speed was there the like the understanding of the defense was there Dean Leonard was fantastic in this football game yeah and there was you know uh two pass breakups in addition to the interception right so he had three total pass breakups in this one um yeah the 22 yard play his feet got tangled up he was in Phase with the wide receiver had a chance to make a play on it and just tripped happens right I mean it's hard to hold that too much against him but you know they tested him again in the end zone before IEP gone they get the interception they tried to throw it his way the first time batted the ball down ended up getting an interception I believe on the next play or two plays later so I mean he was really really impressive he always had the physical tools right came out as a 4-3 guy had great size as well the physicality was something that had to come a long way and I love the pass breakups I'm equally impressed by the physicality Dean Leonard has been really physical so far he's a great special teams player as well his spot on this roster is a lock at this point and makes you feel really good about you know the potential depth of this team when you have him doing what he's doing T still had a good game in this one as well we'll see what cam Hart can hopefully do next week but David I do want to talk about the linebackers and it's hard to single out a single one um you know Denzel Perman Deon Henley the two top graded PF F defenders in this game and this was a PFF list you know that I actually kind of agreed with defensively I mean the the guys on there made sense were guys I thought had a good game as well but it did feel like a little bit of a coming out for Deion Henley who had a quiet week one he was all over the place in week two and then Denzel Perman was doing what Denzel pman does best find the football destroy the football eat glass you know end of story that's exactly right uh yeah I just love Deon Henley man like like I've said it many many times the guy that's going to stuff the stat sheet because he has the athletic ability to do so four tackles in this one a pass defense then you know a pass breakup showed some great athleticism and speed and in coverage like he he just looks like he looks the part like the closing speed on that was impressive the guy initially beat him off the break yeah he closed that window in no time and seemed to easily break that pass up to a TI end that was impressive in an in an instant yeah you just you see the athleticism on on full display and also just how he gets off blocks and kind of how he's able to put himself in great position to make tackles in the running game and then yeah like you said with with Denzel pman like it's just you know it's so nice to see him because you you know what he does you know what he brings to the table he is definitely seeking destroy yeah he finds the hole he identifies it and he closes in a hurry with full stopping power you do not get away or around Denzel Perman when he hits you the only place you are going is on the turf period that is what you know it was it was nostalgic honestly you know because we didn't get to see denzo bman last week right so it was great to see him and it's like some things never change right you're exactly who I thought you were which I love and is I didn't want anything more than that right and like the linebackers as a whole man like Troy Dy good Nick nean last week was one of the players of the week right Troy D playing good Nar Bowman's doing a hell of a job man I mean their brand new linebacker Shaq quarterman had a great play got totally cut down at the knees by the running back kept pursuing the play ended up getting a strip fumble on uh sets and Bennett to get the second yeah you can't teach it you know and for a guy that just got signed and has a very small window to kind of make an impression that made an impression for sure also has you know brings special teams value too yeah but you another guy David that had a really good game or at least had a couple of really good plays was tier tart weren't even sure if we were going to see him right me and you were debating it on the Friday show last week if we were even going to see him in the game having only you know been there for he got signed last last Thursday yeah right and he had a really good first showing I mean it was a couple of plays but he looked the part and it's like yeah that that D might maybe probably he's going to make this roster like he he has it whatever it is he has yeah yeah two tackles two stops you know a tackle for loss I mean when he was out there on the football field he looked like he was a man among boys he just definitely did not feel like he would fit on the field with these guys that are probably not going to make a roster in the fourth quarter of a preseason game right like he was out there in the fourth quarter probably cuz he just got but he ago he looked different I mean physically a lot to be excited about I mean like just I mean the one play that he had for a tackle for loss was on a second and one you know Chargers trying to get the ball back at the end of the game and he just like the guard didn't even touch him like he doesn't look like a guy that would be really really quick and like he also stood up I mean he was very physical too like you see the full package there if they can keep this guy going in the right direction like I think he starts ping some of these dudes that are already on them we have making the charges roster out of the way so we'll see right two run stops though a tackle for loss and a tackle for a minimum gain in seven run defense STS that was pretty silly like that's that's not did not create a pressure in 10 pass rushing snaps he has shown some pass rushing chops in the past that's going to take probably a little bit longer you know the technical Parts as opposed to just beat the dude in front of you which he did a couple of times and there was a you know Scott mlock made a play gerro Clark made some plays Chargers just more physical in general that's a buyer s for tomorrow man is this team already more physical than some of the ones we've seen in the past another Buy Herself for tomorrow JT Woods another guy who was impressive I was super impressed by J tackle for loss had that tackle for loss in two run defense tackles in a row playing cornerback I love by yourself that's where he actually belongs a lot to get to tomorrow so make sure you guys are here for that but until then to make sure you don't miss it go subscribe or follow for free on the lockon Chargers YouTube channel and listen wherever you get your podcast from you can also find the show every day on all of our social media where we will put a buy orell post out tomorrow on our Twitter at lockon Lac you can also hit up me or David me at Dan talk sports and David drot talk SD you can also hit us up on Instagram we WE Post the show every day at lockon Chargers and our locked on Chargers Facebook page as well I'm excited man I I think it's going to be a good week I think there's a lot to be really excited about I think there's a lot of guys we didn't get to talk to or talk about enough today that we'll definitely be getting into tomorrow and a lot of great buyer sells charger story lines and over reactions to react to so excited about tomorrow thank you guys as always for making us your first listen because it is your team every day and we'll talk to you tomorrow but until then take it easy and go bolts