NFL Donates 250,000 Dollars to Relief Effort
This story is everywhere, but I’m pulling it from the Chargers web site. The NFL is donating 250,000 bucks to the San Diego relief effort after fires ravaged a sizable portion of the county. The Chargers were also able to collect more than 70,000 dollars from those fans in attendance at last week’s home game. This money will be used by various organizations to aid in their relief to displaced families. Obviously, all of us in San Diego County would like to extend a heartfelt thank you to the NFL for their assistance, as well as the same heartfelt thank you to every single person who has donated any of their time, money, or possessions to the relief effort here.
It’s definitely tough to think about football when these types of stories are coming at me left and right, but I do hope to give you all some insider scoops on this Sunday’s game soon. The Chargers are rolling, as we all well know, and everyone is hopeful that they will continue to roll all the way into the playoffs. You have to wonder if perhaps this last week, as the Chargers all faced this very real tragedy together, may not have brought the team closer and given them a banner to carry every game. The Chargers always represent the city of San Diego, but this fire gives them a real, tangible reason to go out there and win one for their fans every week. Here’s hoping the can continue the winning streak this Sunday.
You can get all your San Diego Chargers tickets at www.stubhub.com.
Chargers Rise Again in Power Rankings
ESPN.com has released their weekly Power Rankings, and the San Diego Chargers have creeped up two more spots to number seven on the list. The Chargers put on an absolute football clinic in the first half against the Texans, which really shouldn’t have surprised anyone given the emotional state of the Chargers and the city of San Diego - not to mention how atrocious the Texans have been lately. All the sudden, those opening weeks are little more than a memory here in San Diego. There are many other things to worry about, and the Chargers seemed to have finally gelled with their new coaching staff.
As the city continues to contain and put out these raging wildfires, it’s important to reflect on this time and try to find a silver lining to this dark, dark cloud. All the homes and businesses and human lives that were lost in these fires will never truly be forgotten by any San Diegan who lived through this tragedy, but the county has already banded together and regrouped. We will overcome this horrible disaster. The proof is already all around us in the forms of donations for food, clothing, and everything else people will need now. San Diego will take care of its own. And the Chargers - San Diego’s team - seem to have also banded together during these troubling times. No one would ever ever say that they would trade the loss of homes and life for football victories, and that is not my point. My point is simply that the imminent danger is over, and we must now turn our attention to rebuilding, and to the future. And for San Diego, it’s sports teams, and its residents, the future is still very bright.
You can get all your San Diego Chargers tickets at www.stubhub.com.
Chargers Win One for the County
In case you missed it, the Chargers put the city of San Diego on their backs and won large this weekend. The Bolts were obviously infused with the energy and intensity of the city they represent, as they absolutely manhandled the Houston Texans on both offense and defense on their way to a blowout victory. The Chargers jumped out to an early lead that galvanized the crowd and never let the Texans back into the game, not that Houston put up much of a fight, anyway. However, it should be noted, as it was in the Chadiha ESPN.com article, that this game may very likely serve as a turning point for these SuperChargers.
This game, silly as it sounds, was huge for the city of San Diego and its outlying areas. Living here, I can tell you that people in San Diego needed a reason to smile. Yes, we can also pride ourselves on the excellent job our great safety workers all did in keeping these fires from torching the entire county, and we all know that we will band together and regroup and help each other get back up and on our feet, but this was step one. The Chargers won at Qualcomm. A little normalcy was returned to a region that needed it. Big ups to the Chargers from the whole community. Thanks for giving us a reason to be happy for a few hours on Sunday.
You can get all your San Diego Chargers tickets at www.stubhub.com.
Qualcomm Stadium Ready for Sunday’s Game
According to this report on ESPN.com, Qualcomm Stadium will be ready to host Sunday’s game pitting the San Diego Chargers against the Houston Texans. It still remains to be seen if the NFL and the Chargers will actually play in San Diego this Sunday. Air Quality is certainly a concern (it’s still awful here), not to mention the issue of taking some of the public safety personnel away from the fires to work at the stadium. While a Chargers game would be a wonderful diversion and possibly bonding and galvanizing agent for the entire community, safety must still be the number one priority during this disaster.
Obviously, it’s difficult to think about football with all the structures that have been destroyed, all the acres burned up, and that doesn’t even begin taking into account death toll and people who have lost their entire lives’ worth of memories over the past few days. However, the Chargers as an organization had plenty of people who lost their homes or came close, just like the rest of San Diego. We’re all in this together, and it would mean a lot to this city if they played - and won - here in San Diego. It may not happen, but I hope it does. This city could use a reason to smile right now.
Update - according to this story, the Chargers will play in San Diego on Sunday as scheduled.
You can get all your San Diego Chargers tickets at www.stubhub.com.
Former Charger loses home in fires
According to this report out of ESPN.com, former San Diego Charger Junior Seau has lost his home in San Diego County in the raging wildfires that have plagued the region since Sunday. Seau, now a New England Patriot, is practicing with his team in preparation for Sunday’s game, but obviously the loss of a man’s home would be a very large distraction. Seau played the bulk of his career as a San Diego Charger and was beloved in this town back when there wasn’t much to love about the team. Though he is no longer a Charger, obviously Charger Nation still grieves with him.
This story just goes to show that this fire has affected us all, and that it will continue to bring this community closer together. While Seau no longer plays for the San Diego Chargers, his family still lives there, including his three daughters. One of his homes has been destroyed in the fire, and his restaurant is now being used as a shelter. Seau may play for the hated New England Patriots, but today, he couldn’t be more a San Diegan, experiencing the same things we are all experiencing, and offering what he can to help, even from so far away. Makes it tough to think about football, with everything else that is happening right now.
You can get all your San Diego Chargers tickets at www.stubhub.com.
Chargers Await News from Qualcomm
ESPN.com is reporting that the San Diego Chargers have yet to learn the new location of Sunday’s game vs. the Houston Texans. Ever since the raging wildfires took over San Diego County, the Chargers have been practicing in Arizona, and Qualcomm Stadium has been used as the county’s largest evacuation facility, with tens of thousands of displaced San Diegans making their home in the Qualcomm parking lot at the moment. As of the time of this blog posting, a decision has yet to be made as to how long a facility as large as Qualcomm will be necessary to the residents of San Diego County.
With multiple members of the team and employees of the Chargers organization being forced from their homes along with hundreds of thousands of San Diego residents last Sunday night, it almost seems crass to be talking about football. However, these men are professionals, and they will conduct themselves as such. Though the team does not yet know where they will be playing, and they may be forced to take this “home” game to Houston, they will certainly be playing with a little something extra this week. While it may seem silly and a bit crass, it is true that sports teams bring people together in strange ways, and I am sure the city of San Diego will be collectively cheering on the Chargers this Sunday. We could all use some good news.
You can get your San Diego Chargers tickets at www.stubhub.com.
Chargers Move Up in Power Rankings
It’s Wednesday, and I’m still catching news about these raging wildfires, so we’re going to go straight to the ESPN.com NFL Power Rankings for our daily dose of Chargers news. The Chargers moved up one spot to #9 in a bye week for the Bolts. This firmly entrenches the SuperChargers in the top 10 and will allow them to continue their ascent back to the top of the Power Rankings where they rightfully belong beginning with their game this week versus the Houston Texans.
Of course, the issue with that is whether or not Qualcomm Stadium will still be in use as an evacuation center on Sunday. The Chargers are scheduled for a home game, but with tens of thousands of stranded San Diegans camping out in the parking lot, it is looking less and less likely that the Chargers will be playing at home. Here’s a video of NFL Commissioner Roger Goodell weighing in on the matter. Whenever an announcement is made, I’ll post it here.
You can get all your San Diego Chargers tickets at www.stubhub.com.
Chargers Displaced by Wildfires
First of all, allow me to offer my apologies for now having a blog up and running yesterday for you. The San Diego County fires were a bit of a set-back, and I found myself glued to the television set awaiting word as to whether I should evacuate or not. However, right now it appears that I am safe, so I wanted to get this blog to you while I had a window. I will try to continue to supply daily blogs for the rest of the week, but I am certainly at the whim of the Santa Anna winds right now.
And speaking which, those fires have displaced even the mighty San Diego Chargers. Many of the Chargers were given Monday off. They will be practicing in Arizona’s facilities this week, according to ESPN.com. Many of the Chargers’ players and personnel own homes in the suburban areas that have been hardest hit by the wildfires, and our thoughts and prayers are with them - and anyone else who has lost a home or worse in these terrible fires. There is no word yet on where the Chargers will play this Sunday’s game.
You can get all your San Diego Chargers tickets at www.stubhub.com.
Chambers learning new offense quickly
According to this article from the San Diego Union-Tribune, Chris Chambers is actually having an easy time adjusting to his new home in San Diego. He’s had plenty of experience with this sort of thing, even after staying with one team for the entire duration of his career. While Chambers has been a career-Dolphin up to this point, his years there were far from stable. He’s gone through (no joke) four head coaches, six offensive coordinators, and 10 different quarterbacks in just seven years as a Miami Dolphin. Compared to the Dolphins, even the somewhat shaky situation at San Diego must seem stable and comforting.
With two weeks to prepare for his first game as a Charger, Chambers should perform immediately. He has plenty of motivation to perform, as a high-octane air attack in San Diego would almost surely catapult them nearly to the top of the short list of teams who could challenge the juggernaut New England Patriots for NFL supremacy this season. At the very least, a legit passing game will force teams to stop loading the box against Tomlinson, who is nearly impossible to stop even when teams forsake all else to defend the run. This is all very positive news for the Chargers, who seem to be putting that rough start firmly in the past.
You can get all your San Diego Chargers tickets at www.stubhub.com.
Chargers #10 with a Bullet
ESPN.com has released their weekly Power Rankings, and the Chargers have made their way back into the top 10. The Chargers got everything they needed out of the last two games, climbing back to a first place tie in the AFC West and getting to 3-3 in truly dominant fashion. Apparently ESPN.com is of the opinion that the Chargers are indeed “back” to stay, so don’t expect the Chargers to fall off anytime soon. By acquiring Chris Chambers before the bye week gives them two weeks to get him acclimated with the team and the playbook, and when they come back after the bye, you can probably expect an even more explosive offense.
The Chargers are in a position right now to put their 1-3 start completely behind them. Soon memories of those early losses may seem more like a bad dream than anything else. Norv will likely still take heat if they don’t continue to win, but I think it bears noting that LT’s decision to sit out the preseason may well have had a lot to do with the Chargers’ slow start. There are four preseason games. It took LT four games to get going. It also took Norv four games to realize exactly what he had in LT. While you can argue that he should have known already, perhaps it was slightly selfish of LT to handicap his new coach by not playing the preseason. Just trying to play devil’s advocate.
You can get all your San Diego Chargers tickets at www.stubhub.com.