Tennessee Underneath the Tree

This past Sunday’s win over the Cincinnati Bengals was a triumph of epic proportions and San Diego signal caller Philip Rivers has been making a habit of leading his team down the field in the waning seconds of regulation this year. His growing poise and clout as an NFL quarterback along with his impeccable 16-0 career record as a starter in December. which is just astounding in the month where seasons are made or broken, has led to the growth of his legacy and recognition as an elite NFL leader. The entire Chargers team has been rolling through this month featuring Chris Cringle as they are currently the carriers of a December winning streak dating back to 2005. For this week however, the Chargers must have done something to upset the schedule makers as they will be in Tennessee on a short week playing Christmas Day against the Titans this week. Of course San Diego has been on fire of late, but arguably the second scariest team going right now is the Titans who feature a dynamic offense with Chris Johnson and the revitalized Vince Young as well as a veteran defense that has played well for the second half of the year. Another potential landmark lies in the Bolts path with a victory this season as they head into this contest with a 6-1 record on the road this year and 7-1 would be a franchise record for road victories in a season.

When asked of the difficulties facing the Bolts with a short week and a holiday trip, Philip Rivers commented on Monday saying: “It’s makeshift. You don’t really have a routine plan for this. You’ve got to find a way to feel as prepared as you feel in a normal week. I think being here on Monday, getting a head start is the first step to getting that done. Obviously it will be a challenge but the preparation will have to continue this week up until Christmas morning. Today is like a normal Wednesday. We’re not quite to where we would be on a Wednesday but guys are focused and we got a lot done today.” Of course there is a level playing field however as Tennessee is facing with the same situation minus the travel aspect as they will be on a short week as well. Chargers linebacker Shaun Phillips acknowledges this bit of information saying: “It’s pretty tough, but the great thing about is they are coming off a short week, too. So it makes the playing field even.” Traveling across time zones has been an issue in the past for San Diego, but this year they are a respectable 2-1 when playing teams on the road in the Eastern time zone.

There is a lot at stake for both teams in this matchup as well with the Titans trying to keep their slim playoff hopes on life support while the Chargers would like to wrap up the second seed in the AFC playoff picture and get healthy for January. Shaun Phillips believes that getting some of the ailing bodies on the Chargers roster an extra week of rest by sealing up their playoff positioning would be huge for the team as he said: “I think that’s the biggest thing… to be able to get a little rest, to rest some of the players we have banged up.” Some of the injured bodies include guys like Jacques Cesaire who left Sunday’s game with an elbow injury and Quentin Jammer who was helped off with a bruised knee. Both of these guys are expected to be in the lineup for Friday’s game though in spite of these injuries.

The same cannot be said for Scott Mruczkowski who left the Cincinnati game with an ankle injury and underwent some testing on the damage Monday. The results of the tests are in and they are not pretty as Mooch was placed on injured reserve on Tuesday to free up a roster spot for the Bolts to replenish his loss with some depth. Veteran center Eric Ghiaciuc, formally of the Cincinnati Bengals in an odd twist of fate, was signed by the team and will be added to the active roster for Friday’s contest. These personnel moves could pave the way for the return of Nick Hardwick whose comeback has been anticipated on multiple occasions this season, but his surgically repaired ankle did not respond well in the past. He will be on the field this week to see how he feels and a final decision has yet to be made on who will be snapping the ball to Rivers this week. If Hardwick is unable to go, veteran center Dennis Norman who filled in for Mruczkowski on Sunday when he went down will likely get the nod against the Titans rather than the recently acquired Ghiaciuc.

Norv Turner addressed the complications of the short week for the coaches as well as the players saying: “The hardest thing is everybody talks about the game plan and coaching and that’s not the problem. We’ll get that done. The hardest thing is the players. The players have played in a lot of football games and they’re banged up. We kind of managed this a year ago when we played at home (on a Thursday in early December). We’re going to do everything we can to be as fresh as we can. Take care of them during the week and do everything we can to get them ready to play. We’re playing another very good football team that is alive and on a roll. We’re going to have to be at our best. We’re not going to be tired on Friday. We’re going to be fresh and ready to go.” The prior experience with a similar scenario one year ago that Turner refers to is the quick turnaround that the Bolts faced after a seemingly crushing week 13 defeat at home to Atlanta before facing the Raiders on Thursday of that week. San Diego persevered in that situation and although Tennessee is a formidable opponent, the Bolts feel they are equipped to duplicate that outcome this year as well.

Probably the most important factor for the Chargers in preparing to face the Titans on Friday is containing running back Chris Johnson who has just been lighting up the league this season. His explosive, bit play ability combined with a surprising amount of physicality to his running style make him one of the league’s elite emerging young talents for sure. Shaun Phillips was succinct with his comments on the Titans primary ball carrier saying: “If he gets a little crease, he can go for the distance.” That has been Johnson’s M.O. this year ripping off huge chunks of yardage on plays where it seems he should be contained by the defense. His speed seems to fool defenders even though he is widely regarded as the league’s fastest player. The Chargers seem determined to if nothing else; realize that Johnson needs to be their primary focus in this game with a sometimes suspect rushing defense.

Tags: Atlanta Falcons, Chris Johnson, Cincinnati Bengals, Dennis Norman, Eric Ghiaciuc, Jacques Cesaire, Nick Hardwick, Norv Turner, Oakland Raiders, Philip Rivers, Quentin Jammer, Scott Mruczkowski, Shaun Phillips, Tennessee Titans, Vince Young