Game Day – Bolts at Raiders

The Chargers go up to the not-so friendly confines of Oakland-Alameda County Coliseum (aka McAfee Coliseum) to visit the Raiders, their AFC West rivals.  The Chargers and Raiders have known each other well over the years and pine for for California bragging rights – especially as division rivals.  Both trail the AFC West leading Broncos and cannot afford any steps in reverse.

 

The Raiders have had the luxury of owning the AFC West’s worst record since their Super Bowl XXXVII loss to the Buccaneers after the 2002 season.  Since the 2001 season, the Bolts have owned the Raiders going 10-4 and LaDainian Tomlinson has tortured the Raiders since then.

 

Key Matchups

 

Bolts run defense should expect a big test.  The Raiders Justin Fargas (groin injury) has been ruled out for week 4; however, don’t forget the Raiders #1 pick in this years draft – Darren McFadden.  Although McFadden has a similar toe injury as LT, as of Friday’s injury report – McFadden is listed as questionable; he will get another injection to suppress the pain and is expected to start, assuming he warms up well.  Speaking of LT, he should continue his uphill battle from the beginning of the season and mount a decent rushing performance against the Raiders 104 rush yds/game defense.  According to the San Diego UT, Tomlinson fully participated in Thursday’s practice, but he is still not 100%. 

 

 

 

Phillip Rivers should have another stellar outing – those of you fantasy owners take hint – the Raiders have been giving up over 230 pass yds/game thus far in the early season.  Week 1, Oakland gave up nearly 300 yds and 2 TDs to the Broncos, 151 yds in week 2 in a win against KC, and 279 yds last weekend at Buffalo.  Rivers was also named the FedEx player of the week on Friday; he passed for 250 yds and 3TDs on Monday night against the Jets.

 

Nick Hardwick (foot) has participated in both Wednesday and Thursday practices and is extremely close to returning to center for the Bolts and has a chance to see his first action of 2008. 

 

Finally, Antonio Cromartie – what can I say, he was chosen the AFC defensive player of the week for week 3.  Great job, but there was room for improvement – see 99%.

 

Final Note

 

The defense really needs to step it up in Oakland…the big Jamal Williams did not practice Wednesday because of a knee injury but is expected to start Sunday.  This is a divisional must-win game against a Raider team with no personality and a coach on the hot-seat.  Al Davis is getting senile in his old age, which does not boast well for the Silver and Black – which means those players come out with a determination to reverse the past four years of losses against a 40+ year rivalry. 

99%

What a game Monday night! As a huge Chargers fan living on the east coast – just north of Baltimore, MD – it is a little hard for me to get to watch many Chargers games. Nevertheless, Monday night’s game was a great one… almost. The offense was remarkable – Rivers was on track, three TD passes only one INT. LT, what can we say – bum toe… he’ll be back once that toe is 100% again, just look at McFadden, he wasn’t quite as effective as he could have been either.

I still have beef with the defense, however. My man Antonio Cromartie… where do we start? How about with the two INTs he had Monday night? That is definitely a good start, but, don’t forget about the one IN he “should’ve” had earlier in the game; not to mention the other two he should’ve had against the Broncos and Panthers. Overall, he wasn’t smoked like he was against the Broncos.

Then there are the penalties! I mean c’mon, three consecutive defensive penalties? On a 2-pt conversion attempt?! 1^st – Favre pass incomplete… defensive pass interference, #57 Matt Wilhelm; 2^nd – Favre pass incomplete… but wait, defensive pass interference, AGAIN, #32 Eric Weddle; 3^rd – defensive offside, #95 Shaun Phillips. Ya can’t make this stuff up! There is no way any of these penalties should have been committed – defense wins championships, but not like that, that’s why it’s only a 99% win.

Livin in Raven’s Country

Big shout out to Ed Reed, he’s definitely the man out here in B-more.  Reed recorded his 35^th INT of his Raven’s career returning it for a big defensive TD.  For more on Ed Reed’s accomplishment, and an Ed Reed Tribute, see my man Lee Tilman’s Ravens blog at www.ravens365.com and vote for Joe Flacco – uni-brow’s stick together!

Game Day Preview – Chargers vs. Jets

The chargers go into week3 with a Monday night game at the Q and the revitalized (or lack-there-of) Favre lead J-E-T-S team.  Many people are saying this is a must-win game for the Bolts… well I say… damn right it is!  They’re not in a whole lot of trouble, but only a few teams have ever started the season 0-3 and made the playoffs – especially in what is arguably the toughest division in the NFL.  Hosting the hapless Jets should be a relatively uncomplicated game – just pressure Favre.  The key matchup will be between Antonio Cromartie and Jets receiver Jerrico Cotchery.  Cromartie was lit up against the Broncos, where Brandon Marshall pulled in 18 passes from Cutler.  It looks like Antonio needs to forget his record setting season of a year ago and go back to playing hard instead of attempting to intercept every pass thrown to his man.

 

 

The next key matchup will be with the big run-stopper Jamal Williams holding the middle and Thomas Jones to minimal yardage.  Finally, Rivers is hot – RED hot!  If he can control the game like he has been the past two weeks, the Bolts have a good chance to beat the Vegas 8½ point odds.  The key is for Rivers to continue to put up numbers in the TD column, and not the INT column.

Hercules of a Call

Ok, so by now we all know the reliable and consistent Ed Hercules… er, I mean Hochuli, made a huge error – he is human… but it did cost the Chargers the game, almost.

 

Yes EH (Ed Hochuli) blew the whistle when he shouldn’t have.  Yes EH looked at the replay, but couldn’t over turn it – because he blew the whistle.  Yes it was a bad call… but we’re forgetting one thing, there still two chances for the Chargers to stop the much hated, rival Broncos.  First, there was the 4^th down TD that Cutler threw to Royal; then there was the 2-point conversion that everyone not-so-favorite coach decided to go for… stop either of those plays and you’ve won the game!  Don’t forget the prevent defense that let the Broncos get back into scoring position. 

 

 

 

The point is, let’s quit blaming EH and start looking at why the defense is melting down and letting teams come back to tie it up or go-ahead.

Merriman out for ‘08

Shawne Merriman gave it his best shot against the Carolina Panthers this past Sunday, but after the game felt that it didn’t feel right.

“Shawne informed me he did not feel right (on the field) and thought it best to shut it down,” said Chargers General Manager A.J. Smith.  “The road to winning the AFC West just got more difficult, but not impossible.  Nothing is impossible.  Shawne is a great player and an inspirational leader.  He will be missed.  We wish him a successful surgery and a speedy recovery.”

Merriman was placed on injured-reserve today; Jyles Tucker, the 2^nd year man out of Wake Forrest, will replace Merriman at the OLB position.

Good Outing – Bad Outcome

So week one has passed – the Chargers looked pretty good – not quite mid-season form… LT didn’t score, but had nearly 100 yards rushing – 97yds on 21 carries, 4.6 average and three receptions for 15 yards.  Phillip Rivers looked awesome, 217 yards passing, 3TD, 0INT – that’s the kind of performance that should enable the Chargers to contend down the stretch.  Don’t count them out yet just cause of one last-second loss – that was the Panther’s getting lucky… or Eric Weddle (FS, #32) missed his coverage.

Big shout-out to LT’s former backup Michael Turner (free agent – ATL), looked incredible in his first start out of LT’s shadow for 220yds on 22 carries and 2 TD’s – nice job Mike, you’ll have a huge year out there on Hotlanta!

Full Week Wrap-up

Wow, what a week in the Chargers camp! 

Andrew Pinnock was released due to his slow rehab of offseason surgery.  Beating out Pinnock for the starting fullback position is undrafted rookie Mike Tolbert – who practiced with the first-team offense due to Pinnock starting training camp on the PUP list.  Tolbert is expected to start the regular season over the other, drafted rookie, Jacob Hester.  Hester should see some playing time in the season opener also, either as a fill-in for Tolbert, or possibly as an H-back for LT.

Roster Moves

According to chargers.com, The Chargers added two veterans Monday by signing tight end Kris Wilson and guard Kynan Forney.  Wilson will be a key addition as the backup to TE Antonio Gates, while Forney will be the primary backup at both guard positions.

Merriman Goes Through Full Practice

Three-time Pro Bowler Shawne Merriman went through his first full practice Wednesday and was satisfied with his workout – and you guessed it, he’ll be in the lineup for the Bolt’s season opener against Carolina Sunday at the Murph… oops, I mean the Q.

 

Two weeks ago, it was announced that Merriman has a torn posterior cruciate ligament (PCL) and a tear in the lateral collateral ligament (LCL) in his knee.

 

In a related story, the Chargers voted for team captains on Wednesday.  According to chargers.com, LT and Phillip Rivers were elected to represent the offense, while Merriman and Jamal Williams will serve as the defensive captains, and Kassim Osgood will represent the special teams.  All five captains were elected for the second consecutive year.

Charger Girls!!

Unveiled to the public for the first time Thursday night, the Charger Girls swimsuit calendar, features beautiful photos of “The Hottest Dance Team in the NFL.”

 

http://www.chargers.com/charger_girls/2008-2009-squad/

 

Opening Day: Panthers vs. Chargers

Your two-time AFC West champion San Diego Chargers will open the season at home against the Carolina Panthers, Sunday, September 7^th at Qualcomm Stadium.  Kickoff will be at 1:15pm Pacific time.  This will be only the fourth time the Chargers and Panthers have met up, Carolina won the first two meetings, while the Bolts won the last matchup.  Since Sunday’s game will be played at the Q, there will be great anticipation for the Bolts to pull out the W where the Chargers are 7-3 in their last 10 opening day games.  In the last four years, the Chargers have won five straight and gone 7-1 against teams from the NFC.

Key Matchup

Marcus McNeill is expected to miss the game against Carolina, LJ Shelton will start at the Left Tackle position should McNeill not start.  It has been rumored that the Panthers will move sack specialist to that side to take advantage of loss of McNeill.  Shelton should be able to step in seamlessly, as the 6-6, 345lbs tackle is a 10-year veteran at the position.

Thats it for this week in Chargers camp…

First Timers

Well everyone… here it is, the first of hopefully many Chargers blogs.  Sorry it’s taken this long; I’m kinda new at this.

Anyway, let’s start off the 1^st official blog with some interesting news… Merriman to play! Not sure how I feel about that news… a little mixed – I suppose good for the D and him, but what if he tears that other ligament – could it be lights out for the rest of his career? I leave that up to you guys… leave comments!

LT has been reported to say that “How do you tell a warrior to sit down? That’s what he is, a warrior. He’s trained for this. It’s hard to tell a guy to sit down…” (espn.com).  This coming from a guy who didn’t play most of the AFC championship game.

More to come soon… bear with me.

-newbie