Rivers Pulls out of Pro Bowl

Chargers QB Philip Rivers finished the season playing hurt.  Everyone knew that he wasn’t 100%, but few understood the extent of the injury.  Rivers sprained his foot in the regular season finale, and aggravated it in the playoff loss to the Patriots.  It was serious enough that he apparently would not have been able to play in the AFC Championship game had the Chargers advanced.

The Chargers will still send a league-high nine players to Hawaii for the game, and they appear to be loaded for bare to make a run at that elusive Super Bowl title in 2007.  If you’d like to see how it plays out, go to StubHub.com and choose from available Chargers tickets.

Chargers Promote Shelmon to Replace Cameron

The San Diego Chargers didn’t take long to fill the void on their coaching staff that was created when offensive coordinator Cam Cameron left to become the head coach of the Miami Dolphins.  The team announced the promotion of Clarence Shelmon to Cameron’s old post.

Shelmon has never been a coordinator, but he has been a RB coach for 16 years, and he’s spent the last five in that position with the Chargers.  If you’d like to see what kind of offense Shelmon produces for the Chargers in 2007, log onto StubHub.com and choose from the available Chargers tickets.

Phillips Waits for the Word

One of the pitfalls of success in the NFL is that every other team wants a piece of you.  Whether it’s signing your free agents, copying your style or management strategy, teams know that there will be fallout from a good season.  The Chargers find themselves in that boat with their valuable defensive coordinator, Wade Phillips.  Phillips has been the leader of the Chargers’ feared defense, and he may be on his way out of San Diego.

Phillips interviewed recently for the head coaching job of the Dallas Cowboys, and he should find out if he got the job any day now.  The Chargers have already lost offensive coordinator Cam Cameron, who left to coach the Miami Dolphins, and replacing two coordinators is a daunting task for any team.

If you’re already excited about seeing what the Chargers do next season, head on over to StubHub.com and grab some Chargers tickets.

Last Chance for Schottenheimer?

After another heartbreaking and gut-wrenching playoff loss, the San Diego Chargers are left to pick up the pieces after a debilitating postseason disappointment.  The Chargers dominated their playoff game against the Patriots, but they made several foolish mistakes and allowed the savvy Patriots to literally steal a win.

However, all is not lost in Charger Land.  The team is young, loaded with talent and still has time to put together a run to the Super Bowl.  GM A.J. Smith is thinking this way, as is the rest of the team.  However, you only get so many chances to make history, so the Chargers need to get it going now and not in the future.

If you’d like to see how the Chargers attack their remaining window of opportunity, log onto StubHub.com and grab some Chargers tickets for next season.

Chargers Fans Brimming With Excitement

San Diego is not generally known on a national scale as a rabid sports town, and that reputation may not be altogether fair.  This reputation is due to several non-sports related factors, including the general culture of Southern California, the climate that allows anyone to basically do anything they want regardless of the calendar and the fact that San Diego is somewhat overlooked as a city and has existed in the shadow of its neighbor to the north, Los Angeles.

However, the Chargers held a rally for their upcoming playoff game against the Patriots yesterday, and over 5,000 people attended the event, even though it was held in the middle of the week and in an area that can be difficult to get to given the surrounding traffic that usually gridlocks Qualcomm Stadium.

In short, San Diego and Chargers fans are ready to create a frenzied and intimidating atmosphere for the visiting Patriots.  Whether this plays a direct role in the game is yet to be determined, but the “12th man” can be an important component for any home team, especially one that’s attempting to add a potentially timeless legacy to a wildly successful regular season.

If you’d like to see how the Chargers do, go to StubHub.com and choose from available NFL playoff tickets.

San Diego Chargers top Arizona Cardinals

The Number 1-seed San Diego Chargers topped the Arizona Cardinals yesterday by a score of 27-20 to secure home field advantage through the playoffs. The 14-2 Chargers have a dynamic offense carrying them into the post season and are considered the favorites in the AFC to go all the way to the Super Bowl. Fans can purchase San Diego Chargers Playoff Tickets through Stubhub.com for anywhere upwards of $115. The Chargers will enjoy a rest-week during the first round of the playoffs and will play in the AFC Divisional Playoffs at Qualcomm Stadium in San Diego.

Philip Rivers completed 19-of-24 passes for 231 yards and two touchdowns and one interception. Rivers was taken out of the game midway through the third quarter with the Chargers well out in front. LaDainian Tomlinson ran for 66 yards and failed to score a touchdown for the second game in a row. The Chargers will be going into the playoffs riding a ten-game winning streak. The only scare in Sunday’s game was that Rivers went down with a foot injury, but most recent reports say that he will be fine in time for the playoffs in two weeks.

Canepa Sees DB’s as the Problem Area From Yesterday’s Game

Nick Canepa, in addition to writing columns for the San Diego Union-Tribune for more than 30 years, also grades out the Chargers every week after their games, and his impression of the team yesterday included a pretty tough assessment of the Chargers’ secondary.

The Chargers allowed Arizona QB Kurt Warner to throw for 356 yards, and the DB’s were repeatedly burned on short and intermediate routs.  One caveat to keep in mind is that despite the Cardinals’ struggles, they do possess one of the most potent passing attacks in the NFL, and their victims include many more teams besides the Chargers.

Regardless, the Chargers need to shore up their pass defense and play better if they’re going to “hold serve” at home throughout the playoffs and advance to the Super Bowl.  If you’d like to see how the Chargers deal with this issue live, there are NFL Playoff tickets available.

Rivers Should Be Fine For Playoffs

The Chargers got a scare yesterday when young QB Philip Rivers was seen limping around on the Qualcomm Stadium turf during yesterday’s final regular season game, a win against the Arizona Cardinals.  The last thing the Chargers needed heading into the playoffs was an injury to one of its key players, and reports today indicate that Rivers will be fine when the team plays host to a divisional playoff game in two weeks.

It appears that Rivers suffered nothing more than a sprained right foot, and he was seen walking around after the game without assistance and was able to fit his foot into a shoe.  That’s a big relief for the Chargers, as Rivers has grown into the starting QB position with each passing game.  Not to mention, it’s a very good bet that opposing teams will attempt to load up on the run and dare Rivers to beat them.

It’ll be interesting to watch, and if you’d like to do so in-person, go to StubHub.com and grab your choice of NFL Playoff tickets.

Positives From Chargers Win Against Cardinals

Venerable San Diego Union-Tribune columnist Nick Canepa summed up the view of the Chargers’ home field advantage-clinching win over the Arizona Cardinals yesterday perfectly.  Basically, the Chargers were at less than 100% intensity but still managed to record a win.  Specifically, Canepa pointed out four positives:

1.  The Chargers clinched home field advantage;

2. Marty Schottenheimer recorded his 200th regular season victory;

3. LaDainian Tomlinson won the NFL rushing title;

4. Philip Rivers played a very good game, and they’ll need him in the playoffs.

Overall, the Chargers go into the playoffs with fewer lingering questions than just about any other team.  If you’d like to see how the ‘Bolts progress through the postseason, go to StubHub.com and secure your NFL Playoff tickets.