San Diego Chargers

After winning 11 straight games to finish the regular season, the San Diego Chargers came out with a resounding thud at home against the Jets on Sunday. Penalties, missed field goals and turnovers formed a perfect storm of suck for the Chargers and kept the Jets in the game until the final quarter where they took and held onto the lead to advance to the AFC championship game with a 17-14 victory.

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Go Cowboys.

New York Jets at San Diego Chargers
4:40PM ET CBS 

After roughing up the Bengals, hopes are high in New York. Their Jets have the number one defense and number running game in the NFL, but Mark Sanchez is the key to the offense's success. His first step is not making mistakes, second is putting up points. Darelle Revis should have been the defensive player of the year, but he'll have his hands full with a probably match-up on the 6'5" Vincent Jackson.

Continue reading "Joe's Opening Drive: Divisional Sunday"

is could be a signature win to carry them over into next year.

(9-4) Cincinnati Bengals at (10-3) San Diego Chargers

In the most significant game of the weekend, San Diego and Cincinnati are essentially playing for the number two seed in the AFC and an additional home game in the playoffs. San Diego has been lighting teams up in December while the Bengals were just lambasted by Minnesota. After the tragic loss of Chris Henry, I can't believe the Bengals are going to have enough in the tank to head out west and win.

Continue reading "Joe's Opening Drive: Week 15"

They're certainly not the elite team everyone expected them to be.

(10-3) San Diego Chargers 20
(8-5) Dallas Cowboys 17

Oh Tony Romo, why do you get all the grief and blame? I don't think anything's wrong with the Cowboys this season, they just have a ridiculously difficult end of the season schedule. While they're not the powerhouse of years past, I've seen some positives from Dallas this year. Chargers QB Philip Rivers is once again putting on an MVP-type performance that no one will notice. 

Continue reading "Joe's Final Drive: Week 14"

Look out New York. I'm just warning ya. 

(6-3) San Diego Chargers at (6-3) Denver Broncos

As much as it can this early in the season, this match-up may very well decide the AFC West. The Chargers have rebounded from their annual slow start to the meet up at 6-3 with a now struggling Broncos. If San Diego can get another big game from LaDainian Tomlinson like last week, Denver's defense won't be able to hang strong in the second half. For Josh McDaniels, he'll have to get everything and more out of probable starter Chris Simms. It doesn't look good for the Broncos this week.

Continue reading "Joe's Opening Drive: Week 11"

Aaron Rodgers (besides protecting him) is to hit the snot out of the other QB.  

(6-3) San Diego Chargers 31
(5-4) Philadelphia Eagles 23 

This was a bad week for the top of the NFC East. (But good for the Giants.) Philly stumbled but kept pace with the Cowboys. San Diego picked up another game on the Broncos, setting up a showdown this weekend. Donovan McNabb threw for 450 yards and LOST and Brian Westbrook suffered another concussion. Sit him down. 

Continue reading "Joe's Final Drive: Week 10"

pping to 4-5 won’t do his job security any favors. 

(5-3) Philadelphia Eagles at (5-3) San Diego Chargers 

In another 3:15 start, Philly goes west to take on the surging Chargers. This is one of those games I’d stay away from in Vegas. Both offenses make their living off the big play. McNabb has DeSean Jackson, Jeremy Maclin and LeSean McCoy while Philip Rivers relies on Vincent Jackson, Malcolm Floyd and Darren Sproles. The Eagles’ defense will prove to be the difference if their blitzes can get to Rivers on a regular basis. If he doesn’t have time to get downfield the Chargers offense will grind to a halt. 

Continue reading "Joe's Opening Drive: Week 10"

More like a Gatorada Tsunami.

(5-3) San Diego Chargers 21
(5-4) New York Giants 20

That’s how you lose a game by making a field goal. After a late interception put him in field goal range, Tom Coughlin seemed content with simply running the ball and the clock down to about two minutes, then kicking a field goal. He didn’t even ask the third-highest paid player in the league (Eli Manning) to make a throw that could put the game out of reach for the threatening Chargers. Instead of going for the win, Coughlin settled for three points. He then watched Philip Rivers march his squad down the field with ease with no timeouts or opposition. That’s how you run a 2-minute offense.

Continue reading "Joe's Final Drive: Week 9"

More like a Gatorada Tsunami.

(5-3) San Diego Chargers 21
(5-4) New York Giants 20

That’s how you lose a game by making a field goal. After a late interception put him in field goal range, Tom Coughlin seemed content with simply running the ball and the clock down to about two minutes, then kicking a field goal. He didn’t even ask the third-highest paid player in the league (Eli Manning) to make a throw that could put the game out of reach for the threatening Chargers. Instead of going for the win, Coughlin settled for three points. He then watched Philip Rivers march his squad down the field with ease with no timeouts or opposition. That’s how you run a 2-minute offense.

Continue reading "Joe's Final Drive: Week 9"

Thanks for arriving late to the party, motor-mouth.

(4-3) San Diego Chargers at (5-3) New York Giants

With their typical slow start, San Diego has another hole to dig out of in the AFC West. For the second consecutive season, they’ll have to overtake the Denver Broncos to get into the playoffs. Unfortunately for Norv Turner’s boys, this isn’t last year’s Broncos. Philip Rivers faces off against the man who forced his way out of San Diego on draft day in a trade. Eli Manning’s Giants are stumbling but have the bonus of a bye next week. Tom Coughlin will have his team ready to play in front of their home crowd.

Continue reading "Joe's Opening Drive: Week 9"

Trent Edwards left the game with a concussion. 

 

(6-0) Denver Broncos 34
(2-3) San Diego Chargers 23 

A special teams bonanza! Josh McDaniels should be thanking Eddie Royal all night long for those return TD’s that single-handedly kept the Broncos in the game before halftime. Kyle Orton is 6-0. I think I wanna throw-up. Seriously though, that system fits his skill set and allows Denver’s multiple playmakers to run after the catch. The Cutler trade will probably be a success for both teams involved. 

Continue reading "Joe's Final Drive: Week 6"

or Seau has un-retired again, without the Favre-like hooplah. 

(5-0) Denver Broncos at (3-2) San Diego Chargers 

Monday night is the stage for an early AFC West showdown. The undefeated Broncos are pulling away in the division, but the Chargers have a chance to bring them back a notch. Philip Rivers must push this offense and be aggressive against Denver’s surprising defense. Kyle Orton just needs to find his playmakers in space and protect the ball like he has through five games already. 

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re Josh McDaniels, Kyle Orton and 4-0 go from here. 

(2-2) Pittsburgh Steelers 38
(2-2) San Diego Chargers 28 

With 28 points in the final 17 minutes of play, I think the Chargers can rest a little easier about this loss. They definitely struggled for most of the game, but they ignited under Philip Rivers. Big Ben and the Steelers needed to avoid a 1-3 start to keep the AFC North race close. Maybe Rashard Mendenhall earned a few more carries for himself? 

Continue reading "Joe's Final Drive: Week 4"

d come in and run all over Denver’s D, or there will be another crisis week in Big D. 

San Diego Chargers (2-1) at Pittsburgh Steelers (1-2) 

Could you have seen a legitimate chance the Super Bowl Champs would be 1-3 after the first quarter of the season? Well see it now, because the Chargers are equipped to take advantage of Troy Polamalu’s continued absence in the Steeler secondary. Philip Rivers excels in throwing the deep ball, which is where a safety’s coverage skills are tested. While San Diego’s defense isn’t at full speed, Pittsburgh’s running game will struggle for another week. Mike Tomlin will have to rely on Big Ben’s arm to get a second victory. 

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sastrous for the Seahawks’ season.

(2-0) Baltimore Ravens     31
(1-1) San Diego Chargers  26

Uh… don’t look now, but the Ravens have an offense. Joe Flacco isn’t just “managing” the game anymore. In San Diego, what was Norv Turner thinking with that Darren Sproles run up the middle on fourth down? Shoddy play-calling.

Continue reading "Joe's Final Drive: Week 2"

The prize at stake is an early lead in the NFC West.

Baltimore Ravens (1-0) at San Diego Chargers (1-0)

San Diego barely squeaked by the Raiders, while Baltimore had trouble with the Brody Croyle-led Chiefs. Both teams need to prove they’re better than those scores would suggest. Item of note: How many carries will Tomlinson lose to Darren Sproles? My guess is quite a few, bum ankle for LT or not.

Continue reading "Joe's Opening Drive: Week 2"

Yep Trent, you're a Bill. Sorry.

San Diego Chargers 24, Oakland Raiders 20

So… LT didn’t look all that great, and it brought him a seat on the sidelines as the game was on the line in the fourth quarter. Philip Rivers looked flustered at times until his final drive when the Raiders gave him every check-down he wanted enough space to gain ten yards.

Continue reading "Joe's Final Drive: Week 1"

rsquo;t acquire another target for Manning, they might not have a choice.

Pittsburgh Steelers 35, San Diego Chargers 24

Pittsburgh was the only home team to win in the divisional round. Hom

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That’s playoff football at its finest.

San Diego Chargers at Pittsburgh Steelers, CBS, Sunday 4:45 PM (ET)

Hopefully, for the fans’ sake the conditions at Heinz Field will be more playable than during week 11, when these teams met in an ugly 11-10 Steelers victory. However, the Steelers’ number one rated defense wont care, they like any weather conditions that slow down the opposing offense. With LaDainian Tomlinson’s confirmation of a torn tendon in his groin, stand-out return man Darren Sproles will again be called on to carry the load at running back. Pro Bowl tight end Antonio Gates was still having toe and ankle problems, so Philip Rivers may be lacking the explosive weaponry to which he’s accustomed. On the opposite sideline, Ben Roethlisberger will have a full complement as Willie Parker is healthy and ready to be the feature back. It is perfect timing for Big Ben, as no one knows how well he’ll perform following the mild concussion he suffered in the regular season finale. Obviously Pittsburgh wouldn’t risk their franchise quarterback, but they’ll have to keep an eye on Ben’s tendency to hold onto the football too long. San Diego’s defense may be lacking sack machine Shawne Merriman, but coordinator Ron Rivera will still bring the blitzes to put Roethlisberger on his back. This one may not be football at it’s prettiest, but it will be as physical a match-up as you’ll see all weekend (okay, maybe not as much as Ravens v. Titans, but it’ll be close).

Continue reading "Joey A's Opening Drive: Divisional Round"

  Drew Brees won the AP Offensive Player of the Year award.  I can’t argue with that pick.  Anytime you come within a deep out route of Dan Marino’s single season passing record, you can be the Offensive POY.Mike Smith was Coach of the Year.  I can’t argue there either.  Any of the successful rookie head coaches, Smith, Sparano, and Harbaugh, could have won this award.  Smith had the toughest situation before the season started and led the Falcons to the playoffs.  The Patriots franchised Matt Cassell.  That was a no-brainer.  Sure, on the surface, $29 million next year for two quarterbacks seems steep.  But the salary cap is going up about $28 million next year.  Take away the $14 million they are giving Cassell and this still have about $14 million more to spend next year than they did this year.  They sure up the most important position on the offense.  Plus, if they trade him they get a 1st and 3rd round pick.  Who knows, there may be a team out there that is only a good QB away from going to the next level.  Hello Buffalo? (And if you think the Pats won’t let Cassell go to Buffalo talk to Lawyer Milloy or Drew Bledsoe.)Did you see Lil’ Wayne on 1st and 10 on ESPN2?  When I heard he was going to be on I set-up the DVR because I had to watch.  Get this….he was really good.  He knows his sports.  His points were lucid and made lots of sense.  He made some statements that were bold and polarizing, which is what you want out of a talking-head.  I must say this though.  Skip Bayless said he loves Lil’ Wayne’s music and thinks Tha Carter III is Weezy’s Purple Rain.  Am I to believe Bayless really listens to hip-hop?  No offense Skip, but you are probably most buttoned up lily white person on ESPN’s roster.  If you’re not, you are in the team photo with Woody Paige and Marty Smith. 

Continue reading "Quick Hits and Playoff Week 2 Picks"

  

           Each week I will answer questions submitted by my loyal readers.  I personally read every single email I receive.  I will pick out the best five or so to use for the weekly post, as I won’t be able to answer all of them.  I will also answer one or two questions on my daily posts as well.  Now it’s time to open the mail!  

Continue reading "Reality Mail Bag - 01/08/09"

When I was a sophomore in high school playing on the JV basketball team, we went into our Christmas break undefeated and feeling pretty good about ourselves. Over the break we were scheduled to play one game against a team from the division below us. We practiced a few times, nothing too serious, and went into the game feeling good. But the week and a half layoff killed us and we lost by four, our only loss of the season.

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The crystal ball had a mediocre performance this past week, going a mere 2-2.  This is playoff time, so that is unacceptable!  The crystal ball took its lumps on the Colts game, but it’s okay with it since Norv’s our buddy!  Anyway, that puts the crystal ball at 2-2 for the post-season, and 35-28-1 overall.  That’s seven games over .500 (.555 to be exact).  Hopefully the crystal ball will perform better this coming week, as the pressure mounts in post-season play!  Let’s take a look back, and review what happened last week.    

Continue reading "Wildcard Weekend Review"

securing the victory and propelling them into a match-up with the Carolina Panthers next weekend.

San Diego Chargers 23, Indianapolis Colts 17

Well, I did say Darren Sproles would be the difference-maker for San Diego. I hate being right. Sproles totaled 105 yards on 22 carries with two touchdowns as he filled in for the ailing LaDainian Tomlinson, who sat out for most of the game after trying to gut it out early. San Diego’s defense was the surprise, holding the potent Colts offense to only 17 points through four quarters and overtime (where Peyton Manning never saw the ball). Despite two turnovers, the Chargers rallied with 31 seconds left to hit an over-time forcing field goal, careful not to leave too much time for Manning to return the favor. After winning the coin toss, Philip Rivers led his team on an eleven play, 75 yard drive that soaked up over six minutes of clock and ended on a 22-yard Sproles romp to the end zone. Conversely, Manning had to shoulder the entire load, as the Colt backfield only managed 64 yards on the ground. It was too much to ask even of Manning, who in a solid effort could not overcome the lack of balance on offense. The field position battle also played an integral role in Indy’s demise, as Charger punter Matt Scifres booted all six of his punts inside the twenty yard line, putting even more pressure on Manning before he even stepped back on the field. The loss provides a somber ending to a character building season for Tony Dungy’s team while also offering more evidence to the possible moniker of “underachievers.” Norv Turner’s Chargers are playing their best football at the right time, but will have a heck of a challenge going into Heinz Field against the Steelers on Sunday.

Continue reading "Joey A's Final Drive: Wild Card Weekend"

 

           Wildcard weekend had an interesting lineup of games this year.  All four road teams (wildcard teams) were favored to win over the home teams (division winners).  That’s unusual, but this year it actually makes a lot of sense.  Many of the wildcard teams had better records than the division winners.  In the end, the underdogs won two of the four games (both 6th seeds defeated the 3rd seeded teams).

Continue reading "Where Are All The Nay Sayers Now?"

Thin-slicing. It is the act cutting through all extraneous information and getting to the key items that characterize something. Malcolm Gladwell wrote an entertaining and informative book on thin-slicing called Blink.

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the Bengals and 49ers); they’ll need some help to make it into January.

Atlanta Falcons 22, San Diego Chargers 16

Anyone who predicted that the Atlanta Falcons would be 8-4 with a rookie head coach and a rookie quarterback is either a certifiable genius or an authentic wacko. Matt Ryan is out-performing even the loftiest of expectations that come with being picked number three overall. On the flip side, the

Continue reading "Joey A's Final Drive: Week 13"

make a go of it the Redskins will be beaten before the game even starts.

Atlanta Falcons (7-4) at San Diego Chargers (4-7)

Among a glut of improved teams in the NFC, the Falcons are without a doubt the biggest surprise. Being a surprise doesn’t have to be the whole story in 2008 though, as Atlanta still has a chance at the division as well as a possible wildcard spot. Matt Ryan will get strong consideration for Rookie of the Year, and Michael Turner may have been the best free agent signing of the off-season. Turner departed the Chargers, who are fighting for their lives in a less-than-stellar AFC West. A loss would ensure San Diego goes no better than .500, but with a strong possibility to end up with a losing record. That won’t be enough for a team with all this supposed “talent.”

Continue reading "Joey A's Opening Drive: Week 13"

Jake Delhomme is now unquestionably the worst quarterback in the division.

Indianapolis Colts 23, San Diego Chargers 20

Including the Chargers, the Colts don’t face a team with a winn

Continue reading "Joey A's Final Drive: Week Twelve"

rom tailback Michael Turner if they have a hope to beat the Panthers.

Indianapolis Colts (6-4) at San Diego Chargers (4-6)

On a three-game winning streak, Peyton Manning and the Colts may finally have righted the ship. Luckily, the rest of the AFC is sagging, so every non-division leader looking for a wild-card berth is also 6-4. The Colts are getting healthy at the right time, and after the Chargers they face Cleveland, Cincinnati, and Detroit, a stretch of teams that have only have 5 wins combined. Things are looking up for Tony Dungy and his crew.

Continue reading "Joey A's NFL Week Twelve Preview"

lty in the closing weeks, but in a drooping AFC, 10 wins will get you in.

Pittsburgh Steelers 11, San Diego Chargers 10

Despite a suspicious 13 penalties for 115 yards (San Diego had one for 5 yards), the Pittsburgh Steelers escaped snowy Heinz Field with a win. They did it with old fashioned Steeler football: efficient quarterback play, establishing the run, and hard-nosed defense. With two Philip Rivers interceptions and 36+ minutes in time of possession, this should have been a wider margin of victory. Speaking of, WHY did they even bother calling back Polamalu’s touchdown? The Refs for this one have since come and out said they botched the call, but they’re lucky it didn’t decide the outcome.

Continue reading "Joey A's Final Drive: Week Eleven"

Week 11 was one of the more interesting weeks in the NFL this season. A game ended in a 11-10 score for the first time in NFL history, a game ended in a tie and we also saw 'America's Team' get back on track with their star quarterback at the helm. I'll get to that and more as this week's Fallout report kicks off.......riiiiight now!

Continue reading "NFL Week 11 Fallout"

ainst Division opponents Tennessee.

Winners - Jacksonville Jaguars

3) San Diego Chargers @ Pittsburgh Steelers

Did you know the San Diego Chargers

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re, and will be a valuable pick-up in the off-season if the Bucs don’t retain his services.

San Diego Chargers (4-5) at Pittsburgh Steelers (6-3)

The Chargers struggled to defeat the lowly Chiefs, needing a defensive stop on a two-point conversion to secure the win. LaDainian Tomlinson’s production is part of the reason, as he’s straining to reach mediocre statistics. Philip Rivers continues his fantastic yet overlooked season, keeping his team within striking distance of first place Denver.

Continue reading "Joey A's NFL Week Eleven Preview"

A week filled with late game nervousness and dominant performances. The Texans were the ones doing the prowling as they tore apart the Bengals. 'America's Team' didn't look so sharp, but they found a way to win. The NFL brought a real shootout to London (hopefully no one was hurt!) and Brett Favre didn't look good for the second consecutive week, but thankfully for the Jets, they played the Chiefs. I'll cover those games in this week's Fallout report!

Continue reading "NFL Week 8 Fallout"

6-6
Last Week's Record: 3-1

*Classic NFL Films music hits*

1) San Diego Chargers @ New Orleans Saints

Saints are slated to be the home team in this one as the NFL heads overseas to play at London's Wembley Stadium for a second consecutive season. Giants and the Dolphins played last season in a soggy-rainy affair at 'legendary' Wembley. I remember going into that game a lot of people were like wow "Giants-Dolphins" is what we brought overseas?! Turns out...we brought the Superbowl Champions over there. Just shows any team can take the prize at the end of the tunnel. Especially this season with the NFL being more unpredictable and 'topsy curvy'. This game features two disappointments so far this season. Things however are looking worse for the Saints as lead running back Reggie Bush suffered cartilage damage in his knee against the Panthers last week. The Saints have also lost all 3 away from the Superdome. For some reason...my gut is thinking the Saints, but I'm going to pick safe here and go with the healthier team and pick San Diego.

Continue reading "NFL Week 8 Predictions"

San Diego Chargers (3-4) at New Orleans Saints (3-4)

San Diego was man-handled by the Bills last week, so they’re due for an exciting win. The problem is, so are the Saints. These are two of the most unpredictable teams in the league, and both are coming off bad losses. The Chargers aren’t making up any ground on the faltering Broncos, and sooner than later the frustration will take its toll on them. L.T.’s toe injury just hasn’t gone away, and it’s causing their running game to suffer tremendously. Philip Rivers leads the league in touchdowns at 16 and passer rating at 108.5, but his spectacular season is overshadowed by the Chargers’ incongruity.  San Diego won’t be able to keep trading off wins and losses, so getting back to .500 is monumental going into the second half of the year.

Continue reading "Joey A's NFL Week Eight Preview"

On the first play of Denver's Monday Night game against New England, Jay Cutler injured his finger on Vince Wilfork's helmet. This must have messed with Coach Mike Shanahan's usual pre-planned 15-play commencement to every game. Seeing the immediate innaccuracy of Cutler's throwing after the bang-up, more run plays started to get dialed. Since Selvin Young was out of the game, it was 33-year-old back-up Michael Pittman's job to carry the load. Soon thereafter, during the same long drive downfield, Pittman was injured and taken out of the game. Thus third-stringer Andre Hall had to carry the ball. And on his first touch, he fumbled it. The drive was simply doomed from the beginning.

Continue reading "The AFC West: How the Former Powerhouse ..."

For everyone else, it’s a crap-shoot. Now onto week seven in the NFL:

Buffalo Bills 24, San Diego Chargers 14

Okay, now we all should know the Buffalo Bills are as good as advertised. Trent Edwards is the best quarterback in the NFL that no one’s talking about. Edwards completed a Brady-like 25 of his 30 pass attempts, and was protected by an offensive line that allowed no sacks. That same line pushed the Chargers around for running backs Fred Jackson and Marshawn Lynch who combined for a workmen-like 28 carries for 103 yards. The Bills offense never turned the ball over while the Bills defense took it away three times. As long as Trent is upright and health, the Bills will contend for the division title this season.

Continue reading "Joey A's Final Drive: Week 7"

Week seven in the NFL will continue separating the good from the simply mediocre.

San Diego Chargers (3-3) at Buffalo Bills (4-1)

The Chargers of years past were predominantly designed to hand-off to L.T. and keep their quarterbacks from making too many throws. This year’s Chargers, with Tomlinson’s injury slowing him down, are in a “throw first, run later” mindset. It worked last week, as San Diego demolished New England. Philip Rivers has been successful without his number one receiver in Chris Chambers, who hasn’t practiced since spraining his ankle in their October fifth loss to Miami. Stepping up to the plate, Vincent Jackson and Malcolm Floyd are frequently getting open downfield and stretching the defense. Chambers won’t need to rush back with the way the Super Chargers are lighting up scoreboards as of late.

Continue reading "Joey A's NFL Week Seven Preview"

ohnson should be able to put up points, but there may be too many injures for Dallas to overcome.

San Diego Chargers 30, New England Patriots 10

This game clearly revealed these teams’ true identities. San Diego is a talented team on both sides of the ball, and they excel at the big play. New England is old on defense, and Matt Cassel is no Tom Brady. Philip Rivers hit Vincent Jackson 48 yards deep on the first play from scrimmage and the Chargers never looked back. They dominated this game, and never was it more evident than their defensive goal line stand as the Patriots were attempting to get the game within one score. Even without a dominant LaDainian Tomlinson rushing performance, the Chargers had no problem pulling themselves back up to .500, only one game behind the division leading Denver Broncos. Charger defensive tackle Jamal Williams penetrated the Patriot offensive line all night, wreaking havoc in the backfield on running plays as well as on Cassel drop-backs. New England’s secondary was exposed as corner Deltha O’Neal was a favorite victim of Philip Rivers’ precise passing. Bill Belichick better figure out his quarterback situation or his Patriots may not even sniff the postseason.

Continue reading "Joey A's Final Drive: Week 5"

cked quarterback in the league will have another painful afternoon.

New England Patriots (3-1) at San Diego Chargers (2-3)

Who knows what we’re going to see from these teams on Sunday

Continue reading "Joey A's NFL Week Six Preview"

en Bay could be in trouble, and it has nothing to do with missing Brett Favre.

Miami Dolphins 17, San Diego Chargers 10

The team that won one game all of last season has beaten both participants of the last AFC Championship. Miami’s turnaround under Tony Sparano is another great example of parity in the NFL. They won’t win the AFC East, but they’ll hover around .500 for a bulk of the season in my eyes. Their “single wing” offense is successful for another week as Ronnie Brown seems to baffle defenses when he goes under center. Chad Pennington simply plays efficient football, which is exactly what this team needs to have success. San Diego continued its annual “start slow and scare the pundits who picked us to go to the Super Bowl” tradition by dropping to 2-3 behind their division rival Broncos who lead at 4-1. LaDainian Tomlinson has been slowed by an injured toe and horrible offensive line play. Back-up Darren Sproles is making a name for himself, becoming the next L.T. backup to eventually leave for a starting job somewhere else. San Diego needs to rebound like they did last year, or it’ll be another season of disappointment for Charger faithful.

Continue reading "Joey A's Final Drive: Week 5"

d a touchdown from another Direct Snap and Miami played tough D all game long to upset the visiting San Diego Chargers. Brown on the day rushed 24 times for 125 yards and a score. Chad Pennington threw for 228 yards and a touchdown. On the Chargers side, LT was held to 35 yards and Philip Rivers passed for 159 yards and one TD strike coming from ex-Dolphins WR Chris Chambers who stared down the crowd after catching it in the 3rd. However it was the Dolphins who were the ones staring at a W at the end of the game. (Hopefully that wasn't too lame of a line)The train moves on!

Continue reading "NFL Week 5 Fallout"

First off, I want to introduce myself. My name is Jake, I live in Houston. I'm glad I found this place. I've read a lot of bloggers material today from predictions to their favorite teams' rants, it's great. I enjoyed it. Sports, baby sports!

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ball, as Matt Cassel isn’t going to attempt thirty-five passes from the shotgun formation.

San Diego Chargers (0-1) at Denver Broncos (1-0)

The Chargers sure do like to make things hard on themselves. They are notorious slow starters. Denver wasted no time last Monday as Jay Cutler picked apart a pitiful Raiders defense. With no Shawne Merriman to rush the passer, Cutler should have all the time he needs to attack an average San Diego secondary in this division match-up.

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lled players?  How many games can this defense keep them in and give them a shot at winning?

San Diego Chargers – After two years of taking steps forward, is this the year they take that next step to the Super Bowl?  Will cocky Phillip Rivers finally just shut up and play?

Continue reading "NFL Opening Weekend = Christmas in September"

The San Diego Chargers are without a shadow of a doubt my favorite football team. However, in the spirit of writing, I will write this as unbiased as I possibly can. The Chargers ended last year’s regular season with an 11-5 record and a trip to the playoffs. They were able to dispose of the Titans and then pulled off a major upset against the Indianapolis Colts, beating them and making it to the AFC Championship Game. The Chargers defeated Indy with both their starting quarterback Phillip Rivers and their star running back Ladainian Tomlinson on the bench. This amazing role would end in a loss to the New England Patriots in the AFC Championship Game. The Chargers were again without Ladainian Tomlinson and also had to deal with an injured Phillip Rivers. Maybe that game would have ended differently with both of the Charger’s stars healthy. Despite that, the fact is that they lost and there is no getting around that.

Continue reading "32 Teams in 32 Days, Team #20: The ..."

a 7-9 record was not good enough to get the Panthers into the playoffs last year. Most of that can be blamed on their quarterback problems last season. Jake Delhomme was having a fantastic year until the injury bug hit him hard and ended his season. This forced the Panthers to play the under-achieving David Carr, a man I feel should not even be playing in the NFL, let alone starting for any franchise. Things got so bad in Carolina, that they even went out and got the older-then-God Vinny Testaverde. Testaverde played ok, but it wasn’t what this team needed to have success. Lets face it, the season was over when Delhomme went down. The offensive line played terribly last season. Delhomme may not have been able to avoid the injury, but Carr was getting killed back there when he played. The Panthers needed to fix that offensive line coming into this year. They did pick up a couple of good draft picks. Jeff Otah from Pittsburgh will be a great addition to the line. I don’t think its going to be enough, but lets hope for the Panther’s sake that the offensive line can come through.

Continue reading "32 Teams in 32 Days, Team #15: The ..."

They have some very tough games on their schedule including the San Diego Chargers, the Minnesota Vikings, & The Green Bay Packers, but even in losing those games, they can still make the p

Continue reading "32 Teams in 32 Days, Team #14: The ..."

Last season ended in misery for the Colts as they lost in a shocker to the San Diego Chargers. A Chargers team that did not have star running back Ladainian Tomlinson and starting quarterback Phillip Rivers playing at the time. The Colts are looking to not let that happen this year. Peyton Manning and his team are determined to once again win the championship and add another piece of jewelry to their fingers. However, they will not have it as easy as it has been over the last few years. The Colts will now have to battle to earn their spot in the playoffs. The AFC South as emerged as the toughest division in the AFC. With the breakout team in Jacksonville, the team that is missing only a few playmakers in Tennessee, and the up and coming team in Houston, the AFC South has become a division that can go any way. I love it.

Continue reading "32 Teams in 32 Days, Team #9: The ..."

They also have to deal with tough teams in the AFC including the San Diego Chargers and the Jacksonville Jaguars. It doesn’t look like a good year for the Buffalo Bills. It will be a losi

Continue reading "32 Teams in 32 Days, Team #4: The Buffalo Bills"

They will have to play New England twice and will most likely lose both games and they have the San Diego Chargers on their schedule. I think those are 3 guaranteed losses, but there are teams

Continue reading "32 Teams in 32 Days, Team #3: The New York Jets"

1-15. The worst team in the league last season. The Miami Dolphins are looking to get back to relevance and what a chore that is for them competing in the same division with Tom Brady and the Patriots and also having Ladainian Tomlinson and the Chargers on their schedule. The Dolphins are going to have to dig deep and put in the work that is needed to make any sort of impact this season. However, perhaps the point of this season is not to make an impact. Perhaps the point of this season is just to get some wins to their record and rebuild a franchise that was once great.

Continue reading "32 Teams in 32 Days, Team #2: The Miami Dolphins"

So how does one decide who should go first?

Ladainian Tomlinson: Running Back, San Diego Chargers
Strengths:
-5 consecutive seasons with at least 1,750 yards and 17-plus touchdowns

Continue reading "Fantasy Football: Tomlinson v.s Peterson"

I have never claimed to be an expert when it comes to predicting outcomes of football games, although last year I nearly predicted the exact final score of the Super Bowl while hitting on seven of my nine prop bets. (My prediction was 26-17, the final was 29-17.) For whatever reason I had a very good feel for that game. This year's Super Bowl, however, remains a mystery to me. Part of the reason I am having trouble getting a good feel for this game is that I am a bitter Jets fan and I can't stand either team. I'm finding it difficult to put my personal feelings aside and look at the game objectively. I think right now I am as close to objectivity as I am going to get, and with that being said, here is my official Super Bowl XLII prediction.

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I wasn’t very excited about Norv Turner, but he proved me wrong by taking the San Diego Chargers almost there this season. This tells me he wasn’t all bad. But asking Lane Kiffin

Continue reading "The Los Angeles Raiders"

knew they could do it! They had their number earlier in the year and they did it again today! The San Diego Chargers upset the Indianapolis Colts in a 28-24 victory that came down to the wire at the RCA Dome. Shawne Merriman and Antonio Cromartie were key in the defense against Peyton Manning, both making big plays when it really counted. I was truly worried when LaDainian Tomlinson went out of the game and even more pessimistic when Philip Rivers had to be sidelined – but the rest of the team made me a believer! I take back every less than flattering statement I have ever uttered about Norv Turner!  He really is an NFL coach that deserves respect.  

Continue reading "Go Bolts!"

who I will be rooting for next week for sure (remaining season afterward to be determined):

Go San Diego Chargers! This is my number one choice of course, being a Southern California native. LaDainian Tomlinson is not only remarkable, but a role model with his quiet confidence. You never see him trash talking, he simply does his job and does it well! I am fully allowed to root for them as they were once the Los Angeles Chargers and I actually lived in Del Mar for a period. Also, I have been to Seau’s and had a cigar (alright, he isn’t there anymore but that’s not the point)!

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There is no hope from my San Diego Chargers either…huuuuhhhmmmmm

Go Bucs!

Continue reading "My Guilty Pleasure"