Super Bowl Reflection with a Chargers Twist

Given Drew Brees’ remarkable accomplishment for the New Orleans Saints in the Super Bowl, it really needs to be mentioned just how exciting it was to see a former member of the Bolts go on and have success. A second round draft pick of the Chargers in the 2001 NFL Draft, Brees spent five years with the Bolts becoming the full-time starter in his second season with the organization. After two difficult seasons in 2002 and 2003, Brees blossomed in 2004 his contract year with 27 touchdowns to only 7 interceptions to lead the Bolts to an AFC West title. San Diego put the franchise tag on Brees to bring him back for the 2005 season and see if he could continue his transformation. The Chargers weren’t as successful as a team during that campaign and Brees suffered a gruesome looking shoulder injury in the season’s final contest as his throwing arm was bent back behind him awkwardly when diving to recover a fumble against the Denver Broncos.

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Tags: Drew Brees, Indianapolis Colts, Jon Gruden, Marty Schottenheimer, Miami Dolphins, New Orleans Saints, New York Jets, Norv Turner, Philip Rivers, Sean Payton, Super Bowl XLIV

Every New Beginning Comes with Some Other Beginning’s End

In the immortal words of Semisonic and “Closing Time”, this trying week for Chargers fans has been tough to separate the emotions of having a Hall of Fame running back LaDainian Tomlinson pave his own way out of town from the idea that business comes first in the NFL, looking forward sounds like a welcome retreat from the ongoing LT saga. San Diego is sitting at the 28th pick in this spring’s upcoming NFL Draft and as was made apparent throughout the season, the team has some holes on both offensive and defensive lines that need to be addressed during the offseason. Injuries played a large role in the struggles of both units as the Chargers offensive line played without as many as three starters at one point this season and was a jumbled mess for much of the year. The defensive line wasn’t much more attractive as Jamal Williams’ injury before the season even got started hard the Bolts shuffling the deck to find a combination that could be effective as a run stuffing unit.

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Tags: 2010 NFL Draft, A.J. Smith, Brandyn Dombrowski, Darren Sproles, Idaho Vandals, Jamal Williams, Jeromey Clary, Jonathan Dwyer, LaDainian Tomlinson, Michael Turner, Mike Iupati, Mike Mayock, Northern Colorado, Northern Illinois, San Francisco 49ers, Semisonic, Senior Bowl, Vaughn Martin, Vincent Jackson, Western Ontario

Say It Ain’t So

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Tags: Adrian Peterson, Chester Taylor, Donald Brown, Emmitt Smith, Franco Harris, Indianapolis Colts, Jacksonville Jaguars, Joseph Addai, LaDainian Tomlinson, Michael Lombardi, Minnesota Vikings, New England Patriots, NFL Network, San Francisco 49ers, Scott Kaplan, Shawne Merriman, Tennessee Titans, Vincent Jackson

Pro Bowl Commentary and 2010 Optimism

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Tags: Antonio Gates, Indianapolis Colts, Kassim Osgood, Kris Dielman, Nate Kaeding, New Orleans Saints, New York Jets, Norv Turner, Super Bowl XLIV, Vincent Jackson

Personnel Question Marks

As the offseason nears, the Chargers will be faced with a number of difficult decisions in regards to balancing the salary cap and keeping everything kosher in the process. Perhaps the largest looming cloud of uncertainty is the situation of linebacker Shawne Merriman whose contract is up, but will remain with the team as a restricted free agent with the current CBA in limbo. There is plenty of drama to the entire Merriman saga from the knee injury that kept him out for virtually all of 2008 to his drop in production this past season and his appearances on TMZ to boot. The Chargers have exercised the silent treatment when it comes to dealing with Merriman’s current situation and it’s really hard to blame them. After a year in which he was plagued by nagging injuries to his foot and groin, the once pass rush extraordinaire accumulated only 4 sacks and 36 tackles with zero forced fumbles all of which suggest that he may be in the decline which is unthinkable at only 25 years of age. Coming off of a serious knee injury it is often said that the second offseason after surgery is when an athlete begins to return to their form, and for the Chargers sake they hope that holds true for Merriman while he remains with the team.

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Tags: A.J. Smith, Darren Sproles, Fresno State, Georgia Tech, Jacob Hester, Jonathan Dwyer, LaDainian Tomlinson, Michael Bennett, Nick Hardwick, Ryan Matthews, Scott Mruczkowski, Shawne Merriman, TMZ

Talent Evaluation

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Tags: Baltimore Ravens, Eric Crouch, Florida Gators, Jason White, John Spanos, LaDainian Tomlinson, Larry English, Nebraska Cornhuskers, NFL Draft, Northern Colorado, Northern Illinois, Ohio State Buckeyes, Oklahoma Sooners, Scouting Combine, Senior Bowl, Tim Tebow, Troy Smith, Vincent Jackson

An Introspective Look at 2009

With the 2009 season in the rearview mirror for the Chargers and their fans, the team is forced to look inward and evaluate each portion of the organization’s performance during the grind of the NFL season. One sector of the Bolts staff was recognized as the tops in their profession recently as the San Diego athletic training staff was honored by the Professional Football Athletic Trainers Society (PFATS) as training staff of the year. Probably the most unsung group on any football team, the training staff is a vital part of what makes a team successful throughout the course of a long and trying year. The PFATS distinguished Chargers Head Athletic Trainer James Collins and his two assistants Damon Mitchell and Will Rogers with the title of best athletic training staff this week and they were thrilled to receive this definition. Of the award, Collins said: “It’s a big honor for us to receive this award. It means that our peers feel as though we do a great job in representing the NFL, our players and our team by performing at a high level in athletic training and sports medicine.” This season was the fourteenth for Collins in the Chargers organization and his eleventh as the head man on the training staff.

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Tags: A.J. Smith, Antonio Gates, Dallas Cowboys, Damon Mitchell, Dean Spanos, Houston Texas, Igor Olshansky, Jamal Williams, James Collins, Jimmy Raye, John Spanos, LaDainian Tomlinson, Marty Schottenheimer, Norv Turner, Philip Rivers, Travis Johnson, Will Rogers

Big Decisions on the Horizon

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Tags: 2010 NFL Draft, A.J. Smith, Antoine Cason, Antonio Cromartie, Antonio Gates, Darren Sproles, Dean Spanos, Fresno State, Georgia Tech, Jeromey Clary, Jonathan Dwyer, LaDainian Tomlinson, Malcom Floyd, Marcus McNeill, Michael Turner, Norv Turner, Quentin Jammer, Ryan Matthews, Shawne Merriman, Vincent Jackson

Certain Words in Uncertain Times

Even with all of the speculation after yet another untimely playoff dismissal courtesy of the New York Jets on Sunday, Chargers brass decided to retain Head Coach Norv Turner by signing him to an extension that will keep him in San Diego through 2013. With fans still reeling from a devastating home loss in the postseason, the timing of this deal getting done and announced just seems a bit awkward to say the least less than 24 hours removed from the end of the season. Team President Dean Spanos was extremely complimentary of Turner when announcing the elongation of the relationship between the team and the coach. Of Turner’s three years and counting in San Diego, Spanos said: “I’m extremely proud of the job Norv has done with this team. In three seasons he’s led the team to three division titles. I’m confident that if we strengthen our roster and continue to provide Norv the assets he needs, this team will have continued success.” Although Turner has been a quality figurehead in the organization, one has to wonder if perhaps this team needs more than just a puppet to take that next step in the playoff ladder.

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Tags: A.J. Smith, Brandon Siler, Brandyn Dombrowski, C.J. Spillman, Dean Spanos, James Holt, Kevin Ellison, Larry English, Louis Vasquez, Marty Schottenheimer, New York Jets, Norv Turner, Ogemdi Nwagbuo, Philip Rivers, Qualcomm Stadium, Vaughn Martin

Divisional Playoffs: Vs. Jets

Gameday has arrived and the rested Bolts have prepared all week for their showdown with the confident New York Jets and their swaggerlicious bravado filled Head Coach Rex Ryan. This game really has a feel of one that could come down to coaching after dissecting it over and over, and with the success that Norv Turner has enjoyed in San Diego during his three year tenure with the team, he seems to have the upper hand on a first year coach coupled with a first year quarterback. Keeping the Jets defense honest is going to play a huge role in today’s game as the Bolts cannot allow the pass rushers on Ryan’s defense to pin their ears back and take a run at Philip Rivers. Mixing the run with the pass on surprising down and distance scenarios will be vital to the Bolts offensive success in this one. Defensively, it’s pretty obvious that the Jets would like to run the ball every play if they could, so for the Chargers to slow that down and put New York into passing situations is going to be pivotal in deciding how that chess match plays out between Jets offensive coordinator Brian Schottenheimer and Chargers defensive guru Ron Rivera. Even though the stakes have been heightened, the game is still the same and Turner emphasized that to his players this week saying: “I think the mistake some people make and some players make is they get in the game and they try to do more than they’ve been doing. That’s how you end up turning the ball over and making mistakes that end up costing you.” Playing within themselves and continuing to do all of the things that make them the hottest team heading into the postseason has to be paramount for the Chargers in this game.

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Tags: A.J. Smith, Antoine Cason, Antonio Cromartie, Brad Smith, Braylon Edwards, Brian Schottenheimer, Darrelle Revis, Darren Sproles, Dean Spanos, Dustin Keller, Eric Weddle, Jacob Hester, Jay Feely, Jerricho Cotchery, Jim Leonhard, Kris Wilson, LaDainian Tomlinson, Lito Shepard, Malcom Floyd, Mark Sanchez, Marty Schottenheimer, Mike Scifres, Nate Kaeding, New York Jets, Norv Turner, Philip Rivers, Quentin Jammer, Rex Ryan, Ron Rivera, Shaun Phillips, Shawne Merriman, Steve Gregory, Steve Weatherford, Thomas Jones, Vincent Jackson