Tomlinson’s Injury to Require Six More Weeks to Heal
In one of more vindicating news stories I’ve seen this season, San Diego Chargers superstar running back LaDainian Tomlinson has been diagnosed with a second-degree sprain to his MCL. The injury will require at least six more weeks to fully heal and will then actually require some slight rehab work to get LT back to peak playing condition again. Apparently the injury was so severe that it has actually caused slight injury to other parts of LT’s leg that are near the sprain, such as his hamstring and quadriceps. While I am certainly no doctor, this sounds like a very harsh injury.
I hope this does shut up all the doubters (myself included) who questioned LT’s heart after the AFC Championship game. Tomlinson has been the heart and soul of this Chargers team for years, and if the man could not play football, then he simply could not play football. This injury is exactly the type to keep an explosive player like LT from doing all the things that make him LT in the first place. You cannot fault the man for doing what he felt was best for his team. LT sat out because he felt that gave his team the best chance to win. That’s all anyone can ask of a player - that they do what they feel is always best for the team.
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Chargers Add Another Player to Pro Bowl
According to this report out the North County Times, Chargers left tackle Marcus McNeill will be going to the Pro Bowl. McNeill was told yesterday that he will be headed to Hawaii for the second time in two seasons. He will join eight other San Diego Chargers who will be taking a vacation after the Super Bowl comes to an end. LT will be there, but is unlikely to play because of the knee injury that kept him out of the AFC title game. McNeill is making his appearance after Bufallo’s Jason Peters and Baltimore’s Jonathan Ogden both dropped out.
The San Diego Chargers will now be sending nine players to the Pro Bowl. That’s quite the accomplishment. Fans in San Diego who have begun to complain a bit now that their Chargers are out of the race for the Super Bowl should take note of how many young superstars the Bolts have locked down into solid contracts. The Patriots are definitely the NFL’s team right now, but the Chargers are the team of the future. They continue to send a ridiculous amount of players to the Pro Bowl, and will do so for many years to come.
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Kaeding Kicked on Broken Leg
According to this report out of ESPN.com, apparently Nate Kaeding was kicking off from a broken kickstand. It appears that the man with the golden leg was kicking all his field goals and kickoffs while planting on a broken left wheel. Kaeding’s lower left leg was fractured for nearly five full games, up to and including the AFC title game against the New England Patriots - a game in which Kaeding kicked four field goals to score all 12 of the Chargers’ points. The Chargers have yet to confirm the extent of Kaeding’s injury, but this is being widely reported, so I have no reason to assume it isn’t true.
You know, kickers get a lot of grief in this league, and very few of them have name recognition, but i would venture to say that no one in San Diego will soon forget the name of Nate Kaeding. Kaeding was already known for being automatic for the Chargers, not to mention extremely clutch when necessary. Now, the good people of sunny San Diego will be able to say “yep, and he played on a broken leg.” That’s just hardcore, people. Never again will anyone be able to say that Nate Kaeding is just a kicker. Nate Kaeding is a gamer.
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Chargers to Play Across the Pond
According to reports this weekend out of ESPN.com, the San Diego Chargers will be playing a game in England next season. Apparently the Super Chargers will be playing the New Orleans Saints on Oct. 26, most likely in Wembley Stadium - host to the 2007 season’s inaugural overseas game between the New York Giants and the Miami Dolphins - as a part of the NFL’s plan to take their brand totally global. While Commissioner Goodell has yet to confirm this announcement, he is expected to do so at his Super Bowl press conference on Friday.
This is quite the trip for the Chargers, who will be flying all the way from SoCal to England, and to play the exciting New Orleans Saints no less. While last season’s match-up across the pond was not particularly memorable, I’m sure the NFL higher-ups are hoping this second game will generate more excitement. There will be plenty of fun stories and narratives inside this game, not the least of which will be Drew Brees playing his old team. Of course, LT and Reggie Bush have a bit of a history as well, so this should definitely be an intriguing match-up. Now let’s just hope it’s an exciting game as well.
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Chargers Hire New WR Coach
The Chargers’ move to fire James Lofton may have seemed strange in light of the recent events of the playoffs, but now everything is starting to come together. According to reports everywhere, it seems the Chargers have hired Charlie Joiner as their new receivers coach. Joiner, many of you will remember, was a San Diego Chargers himself. He’s the Chargers’ leading receiver, and has also coached on the team in the past. His 21 years of experience in the league will be invaluable, I’m sure. And his familiarity with the Chargers’ organization was surely a reason for bringing him back into the fold.
Is it just me, or does it finally seem like perhaps GM and Coach at San Diego are on the same page? I bet A.J. Smith wanted this guy for the way he brought Dwayne Bowe along last year, just like the article says. With the way the Chargers draft, they need people who can get kids ready to play quickly. And you know what? I bet Norv Turner agreed 100%. I may have to institute a personal moratorium on questioning A.J. Smith. He always seems to have the answer to every problem the Chargers face, and I wouldn’t be surprised if this team won a Super Bowl soon.
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Rivers has knee surgery
Philip Rivers has had his knee surgery to repair his torn ACL in his right knee. Rivers, as everyone will remember, played on the bum knee in the AFC Championship game against the New England Patriots. His valiant play has earned him a ton of kudos and respect from his teammates, coaches, front office brass, and fans in the entire San Diego area. Rivers will go down in history as one of the toughest Chargers ever to don the uniform, no matter what the outcome of the next few years of his tenure here in the great city of San Diego. I, for one, was extremely impressed with his grit and leadership in the AFC title game.
Rivers’ toughness has unfortunately cast a negative light on LaDainian Tomlinson’s non-play in the last game of the Chargers’ season, and I believe this is unfair. As more has been revealed and we are finding out that this was a coach’s decision - not LT’s - it becomes more clear why LT had the disappointed body language and all the rest of the issues on the sideline that people have piled on him for. The simple fact of the matter is that LT should have been cheering, period. I won’t say he should have been on the field, but I will say that he should have done more than sulk the whole game.
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Chargers Fire Two Coaches
According to this report on ESPN.com, the San Diego Chargers have fired both their wide receivers coach and running backs coach. In two moves that seem baffling in light of the deep playoff run the Chargers just made, the team apparently wants to take things in a new direction as of this year. Running backs coach Tom Simon had only been with the team one season, but apparently he just wasn’t getting the job done the way the higher ups in the San Diego Chargers front office wanted. As for hall of famer James Lofton - the Chargers’ receivers coach - I have no idea what to say about that.
With the way the wide receivers were playing down the stretch, especially during the Chargers playoff run, I find the firing of Lofton to be absolutely shocking. I don’t know what more you can ask of a wide receivers coach than for him to have your receivers playing their best football when it matters most. While there may be some things going on behind the scenes here, I would hate to think that this was a cleaning house firing. Lofton was brought into the organization by Schottenheimer six years ago, and perhaps the Chargers are simply interested in a changing of the guard.
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Rivers Had Surgery Six Days Before Championship
In one of the most insanely hardcore stories I’ve seen this season, it is being reported that Philip Rivers had surgery on his right knee on Monday, then went out and played a full four quarters of football the next Sunday. I don’t even remotely need to tell anyone how crazy this is. If you’ve ever had a knee surgery, you know what kind of pain that Rivers was playing through. That pain was made even more excruciating most likely by the fact that Rivers still needs yet another surgery on the same knee to repair a torn ligament. The rehab time is six months.
How disgustingly into football is Philip Rivers? The man certainly has the respect of everyone in the Chargers locker room, I can tell you that much. And before everyone starts piling on the “LT should have played” bandwagon, let me just state that this is not fodder for said bandwagon. While the jury is still out as to whether LT should have played or not, the position of running back is totally different from that of QB. Tomlinson is asked to do much more with his legs, feet, ankles, and knees than anyone else on the field. If he was right to play, he would have played.
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Chargers Fall to Pats
In case you’re one of the three pretenders who call yourselves Chargers fans who missed the game this Sunday (or if your wife was in labor, or you died, or whatever), then here’s a recap of the San Diego Chargers valiant effort against the New England Patriots. The Chargers put up a serious fight against the unbeaten juggernaut of the Patriots, but with LT on the sidelines and Rivers and Gates banged up, they just couldn’t capitalize on their trips inside the red zone. Their four field goals just weren’t enough to get it done against a team that could go down as the greatest of all time.
The Pats took one step closer to destiny by beating the Chargers, but the Bolts shouldn’t be upset at their effort, or at the their season. The Chargers finally got over the hump this year, and they must sincerely consider this season a success. For a team that hadn’t ever actually experienced playoff success, the Bolts made huge strides toward becoming the next great team in the NFL. They didn’t roll over for the Patriots. They played them hard, and without their top three offensive weapons at 100%. Now that they have finally found their winning formula, expect the Chargers to be back next year better than ever.
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John Clayton Sees New Rivalry Emerging
John Clayton’s First and Ten is up and running for the week, and the Pats/Chargers game is the biggest and best game being played this week, as far as Mr. Clayton is concerned. Clayton spends quite a bit of detailing the brief but bitter history between the two teams - something I’ve had quite a blast doing this week as well - before going on to talk about the upcoming game and what it means to the NFL. I believe that his best piece of analysis is his statement that the Chargers are going to be a postseason staple for quite some time. Teams like the Pats, as well as the Colts, Jaguars, and anyone else who thinks they’ve got a Super Bowl shot, should definitely pay attention.
The Patriots will get their chance to further dominate this new rivalry as they attempt to go 18-0 on the season on their way to the Super Bowl. The Patriots have played amazing football all year long, and many of their fans are upset that they won’t be getting to play the Indianapolis Colts this week, but don’t discount this Chargers team. The Bolts are young, talented, athletic, and extremely hungry to win a title. They could conceivably beat any of the three teams left in the playoffs on any given Sunday, and the battle this Sunday between San Diego and New England could be the best game of the playoffs. Don’t miss it.
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