by Paul Teetor
This NFL season in Los Angeles will be a tale of two quarterbacks. And if all goes well, they could both lead their teams to the Super Bowl.
School has started way too early, Starbucks is offering pumpkin spice lattes way too late, and America’s most popular sport kicks off this week right on time.
That means that it’s autumn, even though the calendar says we have to wait a few more weeks before it’s official.
For the first time since the Los Angeles Chargers arrived here from San Diego eight years ago, both the Chargers and the Rams have stars in their backfields, Super Bowl dreams in their eyes and head coaches who have made it happen in the past and have the capacity, the will and the personnel to make it happen again in the future — like, say, next February.
Of the two teams, the Chargers are slightly better positioned to win a Super Bowl than the Rams are.
But that’s only because they have a top-five quarterback in Justin Herbert who is just entering his prime while the Rams are wholly reliant on Matthew Stafford, a top-10 quarterback who won a Super Bowl four years ago in his first season in LA, when he was in his late prime.
But now Stafford is 37 years old – ancient for a quarterback – and even worse, he has a creaky back that prevented him from playing a single down in the pre-season. The Rams swear he will be ready to play against the Houston Texans next Sunday in their first game, but who really knows when it comes to bad backs. One vicious hit could put him out for the year.
Backing him up is re-tread journeyman Jimmy Garoppolo and college-champ-but-pro-chump Stetson Bennett IV. All you need to know about him is that he insists on being listed with the “IV.”
In other words, the Rams are screwed if Stafford gets hurt for any significant amount of time, defined here as more than five games. And before the season starts and we get caught up in the week-to-week drama of wins, losses and injuries, All Ball wants to say a reluctant goodbye and thanks for the memories to Cooper Kupp, Stafford’s favorite target for the last four years and the best Rams receiver since Elroy “Crazy Legs” Hirsch all the way back in the 1950s, long before the Rams left for St. Louis for 21 years.
We will always remember that Kupp achieved the rare triple crown for wide receivers – he led the league in catches, yards gained and touchdowns scored — in that memorable Super Bowl season. And we will always remember that he had key play after key play – both running the ball and catching it – in the three-point Super Bowl win over the Cincinnati Bengals.
But now Kupp is gone to Seattle because the Rams – they said – could not afford him any more. And defensive superstar Aaron Donald – who made all the key stops in the Super Bowl win – is gone to retirement, smartly getting out of the brutal game a few years too early rather than a few years too late.
It is a testament to the team-building skills of General Manager Les Snead and the teaching skills of Coach Sean McVay that the Rams have reloaded so quickly and are now Super Bowl contenders once again.
They have new offensive stars in bruising wide receiver Puka Nacua, speedy slot receiver Davante Adams and small-but-shifty running back Kyren Williams. All three complement Stafford perfectly – if they can stay healthy.
On defense they have two emerging stars in bulldog lineman Braden Fiske and hard-hitting outside linebacker Jared Verse. Both have already made the Pro Bowl and have the run-stopping potential to be the next Aaron Donald — if they can just stay healthy.
Las Vegas bookies say the San Francisco 49ers are favored to win the NFC West, with the Rams close behind. But All Ball says the Rams will win the NFC West, with the 49ers a close second, followed by the Arizona Cardinals and Seattle Seahawks.
Winning the NFC West will set them up nicely for a playoff run to the Super Bowl. If they have to settle for a wild-card bid it gets a lot tougher but is certainly possible.
While we believe the Chargers have the better quarterback in Justin Herbert, we also believe they have the better backup quarterback in Trey Lance, a former number three overall draft pick by the 49ers out of North Dakota State four years ago. In hindsight, the 49ers took him before he was ready to play in the pros and gave up on him before they should have.
After two years as the third-string guy with the Dallas Cowboys, the Chargers were smart enough to see his potential was still there and signed him to a 1-year, $2 million contract. His play in the Chargers pre-season games was outstanding. Should the 6-foot-6, 250-pound Herbert get hurt and have to miss some games, we predict that the 6-foot-4, 230-pound Lance will shock the NFL with how good his play is. He is ready to fulfill his vast potential.
The Chargers other big asset is Coach Jim Harbaugh. He has a track record of turning around programs wherever he goes, and he led Michigan to a national championship just two years ago.
Additionally, he is a former pro quarterback known as “The Quarterback Whisperer” who is the perfect coach for Herbert and Lance. The only flaw in this whole setup, the only reason for doubt or pessimism, is that last season Harbaugh led the Chargers to the playoffs in his very first season as the Chargers coach.
So far so good.
But then Herbert threw four interceptions in their lone playoff game – although only two were his fault, and two were dropped by the receivers – a 32-12 loss to the Houston Texans. That was so unlike Herbert, so uncharacteristic of his performance all year, that you have to throw it out and assume he’ll play his normal great game if and when they make the playoffs this year.
Prediction: they will make the Super Bowl, where they will play…the Rams.
Go LA!
Mira Costa Football Romps, Redondo Gets Stomped
Mira Costa and Redondo had dramatically different openings to their 2025 high school football seasons.
Costa traveled to St. Francis and came away with a 45-19 victory, led by quarterback Liam Meeker, who passed for 156 yards and two touchdowns.
Redondo, on the other hand, traveled to Placentia and came home with an ugly loss to El Dorado, 31-6.
Redondo coach Keith Ellison, who has led the Sea Hawks to three straight winning seasons, was not happy with his team’s effort.
“I don’t know if we got off the bus tonight, honestly,” Ellison said after his team failed to produce a touchdown on offense and hurt itself with penalties from start to finish. Redondo’s only score was on an 11-yard interception return for a touchdown by defensive back Santi De La Torre.
Redondo was penalized three times on its opening possession and finished with nine penalties for the game – a crippling stat.
“Penalties, all the false starts, plays being brought back. They all hurt us,” Ellison said. “This is about as bad of a performance of a team I’ve ever coached in my life. I gotta figure out how to fix it.”
He better do it quick.
That’s because Redondo hosts the red-hot Mira Costa team Friday night in a renewal of their annual rivalry game. Even though Redondo has left the Bay League for the Pioneer League, this game will still be for backyard bragging rights and social media trash talk dominance.
Contact: teetor.paul@gmail.com
