The Path To The Super Bowl Goes Through San Diego

I've been on vacation so haven't been posting much, but I have to take a break from relaxing to post that the Chargers conclude the 2006 season with the best record in the AFC, the best record in team history, 14-2.

Which means the obvious...the Chargers will have home field advantage until the Super Bowl...

Don't fuck this one up Marty....

8 Chargers Make Pro Bowl

When your team does well, many are recognized and rewarded. The Chargers, who will at least tie the team record for wins in a season (12), will send 9, yes, NINE players to the Pro Bowl which is more than any other team.

Of course the Pro Bowl is a boring, non-game that I will probably not watch as in past years, but being selected to go is an honor in itself.

Charger Pro Bowlers are:

LaDainian Tomlinson, Phillip Rivers, Lorenzo Neal, Antonio Gates and center Nick Hardwick. Jamal Williams and Shawne Merriman get selected on the defensive side of the bowl and Nate Kaeding and Kasim Osgood both go to their first Pro Bowl as special teamers.

Chargers Avenge Loss, Beat Chiefs

The Chargers beat the Chiefs 20-9 but the game was close throughout.

Phillip Rivers had probably his worst game of the season, throwing for under 100 yards and had 2 interceptions and no touchdowns. But the Charger team is well balanced...the defense played well, not giving up any touchdowns and of course, the story of the year for the Chargers and the NFL, LaDainian Tomlinson rushes for 199 yards and 2 touchdowns...breaking even more records in doing so, including the 46 year old scoring record previously held by Paul Hornung. Tomlinson currently has 186 points.

Both the Colts and the Ravens won, so the pressure is still on the Chargers. Losing a game now may still cost the Chargers home field and/or a first round-bye and after playing so good all season there is no time to take any games off. Next up is the Seahawks who failed to clinch their division last week and if they win they are in. That will be in Seattle and the Chargers end the season against Arizona at home. I'd like to see the team come out and finish up strong and stay sharp for the playoffs.

Happy Holidays

Just got done putting up the Christmas tree...

Here's a couple of the decorations...

Chargers - Chiefs: Some Motivation For Both

So this weekend's game between the San Diego Chargers and the Kansas City Chiefs - the NFL's Sunday night prime time game - may have lost a little spice since the Chargers wrapped up the AFC West last week. But not so... The Chargers currently hold the best record in the AFC but if they were to falter and fall into a tie with Baltimore, the Ravens hold the tiebreak and thus, the Chargers lose home field advantage throughout the playoffs. There is also some hard feelings held amongst many of the Charger players. After the Chargers lost to the Chiefs (their last and only 2nd loss of the year) in October, Chiefs rookie De Tamba Hali came out saying that the Chargers were 'soft'. This still is not sitting well with many Charger players and it sounds like the Chargers are coming out to prove that they are not only the best team in the league, but that they most certainly are not soft.

On the other side of the coin, the Chiefs are still in the playoff hunt. A loss now could mean the end of their season. And to give the Chiefs even more motivation, their owner, Lamar Hunt, may soon pass away from his bout with cancer. Lamar Hunt founded the AFL and gave the Super Bowl it's name. Truly an instrumental figure in the history of the NFL and will be missed by all.

The Past Is Paying Off

One more reason I really like the current Charger organization is their front office. I think it is just silly the amount of money first round picks get, especially the top picks. The Chargers, who (in the recent past) have had top picks have not been shy about trading them away and of course the draft day analysts are quick to judge the Chargers move(s) in the now....but let's take a look at a couple of big draft day moves...

First, in 2001 the Chargers traded the top pick to Atlanta, they pick Michael Vick. Every year since then Vick (when healthy) makes some fantastic plays every week but Atlanta, as a team, doesn't do much. This year was the same. Who did the Chargers trade down to pick? Well, you guessed it, LaDainian Tomlinson.

Fast forward to the 2005 draft. Eli Manning, the whining cry-baby, picked by the Chargers wouldn't even put the Charger hat on his head. Traded on draft day to the NY Giants and the Chargers get Phillip Rivers and use the Giants 1st round pick to get Shawne Merriman. I wonder if NY Giant fans are happy with that deal? I certainly know us Charger fans are.

I am the first one to admit that the draft is a crap shoot and that is why I think it is absurd to dump a bunch of money on a player that has yet to take a snap in the NFL...ie: Ryan Leaf. The draft tactics John Bulter and A.J. Smith (Charger GM) have used has proven itself to be productive for the team as a whole. Don't mortgage your future off on one player in the hopes they work out because there is always some other team desperate enough to do so. The end result is that instead of the 'big' college name your squad will in return get more picks that have the potential of becoming an important factor on your team.

Chargers Throttle The Broncos, Clinch AFC West Title

Chargers scored 4 touchdowns in the first half. A turnover and no offense in the third had the Broncos closing the game and going into the 4th quarter the Chargers had an 8 point lead. But the Broncos try twice on fourth down to convert in the final quarter and failed both times. The Chargers put 20 points up in the fourth quarter and the final has the Chargers destroying the Broncos convincingly, 48-20. Chiefs lost earlier in the day so the Chargers have officially won the AFC West and are in the playoffs. The Colts also fell earlier in the day so the Chargers also now possess the best record in the AFC and if that holds, the road to the Super Bowl goes through San Diego.

LaDainian Tomlinson ends the day with 3 touchdowns, breaking the single season scoring record set last year by Shaun Alexander. Tomlinson has 29 touchdowns and there is still 3 games left to go...he has an opportunity to set a mark that may last for while...but the scoring record has been broken almost every year (or other year) since 2000.

A big win, a big day and what makes the whole result even more satisfying was the Chargers gave a beat down to the Broncos to cap it all off...

HOF'ers Deserve The Scrutiny

One of the class acts of baseball, Cal Ripken Jr. probably sums up my feelings best about these Hall Of Fame baseball players that either were on steroids or suspected of doing so...

Cal Ripken Jr. doesn't want the steroid scandal that has tarnished Mark McGwire's Hall of Fame chances to do the same to his own inevitable induction.

"The Hall of Fame run, it should be a celebration of the player's career," Ripken said Tuesday at the baseball winter meetings. "I hope, if that happens with me, that it would be a celebration."

It will be a sad day when baseball writers begin to vote in roid boys, but the bright side is that their induction will have the cloud of suspicion hanging over the entire ceremony...unfortunately, it won't do much to the player that will more than likely revel over their accomplishments.

Chargers Win And Their In

The Chargers, riding a six game win streak, meet the Denver Broncos for the second time this season and within the past 3 weeks. The Chargers beat the Broncos in Denver to become the outright AFC West leader. The Broncos proceed then to lose their following 2 games and now are sitting 3 games out of the division lead. So the Broncos will be bringing their 'A' game this Sunday because a lose will most certainly hurt their playoff hopes and would secure the Chargers in the playoffs and (I do believe) the AFC West title.

Of course the news from Denver the past 2 weeks is the benching of Jake Plummer and the beginning of the Jay Cutler era in Denver. The Seahawks tried everything they could to lose to Denver this past Sunday but managed to eek out a win. I like to think the Chargers will be some stiffer competition for the Broncos and that Cutler would have a tough time against the Charger defense.

Of course the big story to watch will be whether or not LaDainian Tomlinson will break Shaun Alexander's touchdown mark. Currently Tomlinson needs 2 td's to tie and 3 to break the record. With 4 games to go -Broncos, Chiefs, Seahawks, Cardinals- he should have no problem doing so barring any injuries.

Chargers: Life Is Good

Wow... being a Charger fan where there are no other Charger fans is weird... the "home team" where I'm at is the Minnesota Vikings and I shouldn't have to say much more about that if you follow football at all... and in case you don't, my father's advice, since I was young...and yes, he is a Viking fan.. and if I would continue with those stories would prove it amongst the hardest-core Viking fans.. but his words, after following the Vikings for their entire NFL history has said, always said and (I'm waiting for him to say different) never pick the Vikes.

And, do the research... you're winning a lot of money if you never pick the Vikes... today, like most Sunday's puts the 'home town' in a gloom, yet, I'm a Charger fan up at noon watching football... normally the Vikes fans are filing out shaking their heads before I even have 3 beers in me...so I will only say that my glee is not fully expressed in my environment...yet, wearing my Charger gear around these parts is pretty fun... because getting Charger gear (up until this year) has been fairly tough... so I basically knew the other 5 Charger fans in this town. This team is fun to watch...

O.K. I'll say the referees, and Ed Hochuli as the head ref (who I think is very anti-Charger), gave more than 1 favorable call to the Chargers.

The end result... LaDainian Tomlinson continues to be the shit. Over 100 yards rushing in the first half alone! Merriman returned and was a definate presence. Rivers didn't make any glaring mistakes but the past 2 games hasn't looked as good as earlier this year but the defense will hopefully be as close to 100% in the next week or two in time for the playoffs.

And to make things even better, the Seattle Seahawks beat the Denver Broncos and that gives the Chargers a 3 game lead over both the Broncos and the Chiefs and currently tied for the best record in the NFLat 10-2.

If the Chargers can beat the Broncos next week, that could/should all but clinch the AFC West Championship... and if not, when the Chargers throttle the Cheifs the following week would do that... both games in San Diego...

Chargers beat the Bills 24-21...

Go Chargers!