Chargers Clinch #3 Seed
The San Diego Chargers defeated the Oakland Raiders to clinch the third seed in the playoffs this season. They will face the Tennessee Titans this Sunday at home. LaDainian Tomlinson won his second straight rushing title as Norv Turner won in his return to Oakland, and may have salvaged his reputation as a successful NFL coach in the process. The Chargers underachieved early in the season, but they are now riding a six game winning streak into the playoffs, and they get to play a team they defeated in Tennessee during that win streak in their first postseason game.
I almost don’t want to talk about the game at all. I feel that saying anything might jinx it, so let’s focus on the year that was, rather than making any prognostications. The Chargers have recovered from their horrific 1-3 start to become the best team in the AFC that isn’t a) still undefeated or b) the defending Super Bowl Champion. This is quite an accomplishment. Still, how much will it matter if Norv can’t get the boys ready for their first playoff game? We all know what happened last year. This season is far from over for the Chargers, who have a legitimate shot to make a run at the Super Bowl. Get your playoff tickets now!
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Neal May be Ready for Playoffs
In one of the most stunning news stories of a roller coaster season for the San Diego Chargers, it appears Lorenzo Neal may actually be ready for action by the time the postseason rolls around. Neal is up and walking around only 17 days after having surgery to repair his broken leg, and hopes to see action in the playoffs.
You don’t need me to tell you that this is great news for the Chargers. While LaDainian Tomlinson hasn’t exactly seen a dip in production since Neal was felled by injury, having the Pro Bowl fullback in action certainly couldn’t hurt. Neal has been one of the league’s best blocking fullbacks his entire career, and in the playoffs, when you need every edge you can get, having Neal would certainly be a boon to the Chargers Super Bowl chances.
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The Chargers Hold Pat in Power Rankings
Happy belated Holidays! I’ve been out of town celebrating with the family and all that the past few days, and I took some time off from the blogs during this time as well. I hope everyone reading these blogs had a lovely holiday season of their own, but now with the holidays behind us, it’s time to shift our focus to the next winter holiday - The NFL Playoffs.
The Chargers enter the last week of the NFL regular season at number six in the NFL’s Power Rankings. The Bolts may not have been able to move ahead of Green Bay or sleeper du jour Jacksonville, and nobody is knocking off the Pats, Colts, or Cowboys from the top three spots, but no one should take these Chargers lightly. They’ve won five straight and are playing extremely solid football right now. Don’t sleep on the SuperChargers in the playoffs.
You can get all your San Diego Chargers tickets at stubhub.
Castillo Almost Ready to Return
According to a report out of the San Diego Union Tribune, defensive end Luis Castillo is almost ready to return to the field of play for the San Diego Chargers. Castillo, sidelined for the past six weeks with an ankle injury, may see some action this week, though it will be limited. However, the defensive superstar may be available to play during the postseason - surely good news for this organization and its fans. Castillo has been rehabbing his injury in the hopes that he can make an positive impact for his team in the playoffs. It now appears the odds are good this plan will come to fruition.
Castillo is a definite fan favorite in San Diego and the surrounding communities. Known for his friendly demeanor and dedication to community and public service, Castillo has endeared himself to the fans of the Chargers. However, having missed time both this year and last year with ankle injuries, Castillo runs the risk of being labeled “injury prone” if he keeps missing large chunks of time. Castillo loves being out on the field and has been known to play through pain, and I don’t see him becoming a liability for the team. In fact, I would say it’s far more likely that he comes back, begins making big plays nearly immediately, and makes everyone forget that he missed most the second half of the season within only one or two games.
You can get all your San Diego Chargers tickets at www.stubhub.com.
Chargers On the Rise in Power Rankings
The ESPN.com Power Rankings are back once again to tell us who is the best and who is decidedly not the best in the National Football League this week. With only a couple of weeks left to go in the season, these Power Rankings are now especially important for two reasons. First of all, they are a good indicator of where each and every one of the playoff-bound teams stands heading into the final push of the season. Secondarily, the Power Rankings allow fans to assess their team’s place among the non-playoff teams. Is your team right there on the verge, in need of just one more piece of the puzzle? Or is your team rebuilding, in dire need of an epic draft or four to get you back into contention?
The news for the San Diego Chargers is nothing but good, great, and grand. The Bolts are two wins away from a number three seed in the AFC playoffs, which the Power Rankings tell us would mean avoiding New England at least until the AFC Championships (or altogether if the Patriots falter early). The Chargers are playing their best football at just the right time. I know I harp on this, but Norv Turner claimed this was his plan all along. If the Chargers make a deep playoff run, and honestly, it’s looking like they could, Turner should get a pass for awhile. I still hear people calling for his firing, even now, which is mind-boggling to me.
You can get all your San Diego Chargers tickets at www.stubhub.com.
Eight Chargers to the Pro Bowl
The Pro Bowl ballots are in, the votes have been counted, and the rosters have been announced. The San Diego Chargers will field no less than eight players at the Pro Bowl. To absolutely no one’s surprise, the players are divided evenly between offense and defense/special teams. The offensive players named are LaDainian Tomlinson, Lorenzo Neal, Antonio Gates, and OG Kris Dielman. The defensive players named are Jamal Williams, Shawne Merriman, and Antonio Cromartie. The special teams guy is Kassim Osgood. A big congratulations to all these guys for making the Pro Bowl.
The number of players on the Pro Bowl roster who play for the San Diego Chargers is not surprising. Everyone knew these guys were amazingly talented. The fact that the number of players is so high and so balanced, however, is extremely impressive. After calling for the heads of many a man in the Chargers organization this season, especially early on, I would like to take this time to apologize for being too hasty. This is a well-assembled team. This may well be a very well-coached team as well. Kudos to the Chargers. They’re running quite the tight ship.
You can get all your San Diego Chargers tickets at www.stubhub.com.
LT on Verge of Second Consecutive Rushing Title
There’s a great article on the San Diego Chargers website documenting how the Chargers may handle the possibility of LaDainian Tomlinson being eligible for his second consecutive rushing title this season. That’s right, Chargers fans. After the horrible start this team got off to, LT still has a real solid shot at becoming the league’s leading rusher yet again this season. This is superhero that we know and love as LT, just being himself. He’s only six yards shy of the league lead right now, behind the Steelers’ Willie Parker (who any fantasy player will tell you can never find the end zone).
LT is a physical freak. We all knew that. He’s the most talented rusher in the NFL. We knew that too. What I think LT has proven this year is his leadership and adaptability. I don’t know if you noticed this season, but Phillip Rivers is just not ready to lead this team. LT made sure this offense weathered the storm. He never turned his back on Turner completely, and now the team is reaping the benefits. It just goes to show that even with all the things LT brings to the field every Sunday, it is all his intangibles that truly make him one of the greats.
You can get all your San Diego Chargers tickets at www.stubhub.com.
Chargers Destroy Lions
The San Diego Chargers ran over the Detroit Lions on Sunday, defeating the outgunned team from the Motor City by a final score of 51-14. The game was well in hand early, and many of the Chargers banged-up superstars spend much of the second half on the sidelines. The Chargers came out like a team possessed, scoring 17 points in the first quarter and another 17 in the second. LT and Darren Sproles combined for four touchdowns out of the San Diego backfield, and the Chargers looked like an elite AFC power in a game that saw them clench the AFC West yet again.
This was yet another statement game in a long string of statement games for the San Diego Chargers lately. After their dramatic come-from-behind victory over the Titans last week, the Chargers were looking a bit worse for the wear. They came out and clobbered the Lions, though, exactly the way a team of their caliber should. I said earlier last week that the Chargers needed to defeat the Lions in spite of all their injuries if they wanted to prove they were on the level of other elite teams in the NFL. They responded to their adversity the way champions should. The playoffs are going to be very interesting.
You can get all your San Diego Chargers tickets at www.stubhub.com.
Banged-Up Chargers Attempting to Heal
With this being our last blog before the next Chargers game, I wanted to give everyone an injury update. According to ESPN.com, Phillip Rivers practiced on Thursday, taking approximately half the first-team snaps in practice. Rivers is still attempting to fully recover from an injury he sustained to his left knee. The knee, listed officially as “sprained” has kept Rivers to limited action in practice this week, but the plan is still for Rivers to start on Sunday. In other injury news, Antonio Gates is hopeful that he will see the field, but he has yet to practice this week. Jamal Williams has also yet to practice, but has not been ruled out for the game. Shawne Merriman is definitely out.
With these injuries occurring so close to the playoffs, I kind of feel like the Chargers need to be sure they’re not rushing these guys back too soon. How important is this game, really? Yes, it will clinch the AFC West, but the Chargers aren’t exactly locked in a heated battle for the division at the moment, the way the Broncos are underperforming as of late. What good is clinching a playoff spot if you’re risking further injury to some of your best and most productive and important players in the process? The Chargers already lost Neal. Do they really want to risk it… against the Detroit Lions…. at home? I say no.
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LT and Rivers STILL BFFs
In case you missed it during the game, there was some sort of 3 second clip of the Chargers/Titans game, during which Rivers sat down on the bench and LT immediately stood up and walked away. This clip has made its rounds all over the internet, and you can still find it likely at NFL.com on ESPN Video Beta. However, I’m not here to readily discuss the link, but rather fallout from the video, and the reactions to said video by the involved parties. Basically, just in case anyone was wondering, both LT and Rivers have laughed this off, and I honestly don’t think it is going to be a problem.
How great is the situation in San Diego right now that this is news? This is The Hills level idiotic middle school stuff. LT has even claimed that he was simply talking to Neal, was finished, and stood up. He never even saw Rivers sitting down. And honestly, does this strike either of us as indicative of LT’s mannerisms? This guy is the epitome of class. Now we’re painting him as the type to give a teammate the silent treatment during an actual game? Come on people. Let’s not make mountains out of mole hills here. The team is churning along. Let’s just leave them alone and not try to stir up drama.
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