Josh McDaniels, you truly are a disciple of Bill Bellichick. You embody Bellichick's maverick spirit, going against the grain of conventional wisdom in order to storm your way to victory. No, wait—it's one thing to go for it on 4th-and-2 in the waning moments of the fourth quarter in order to put a game out of reach, it's another thing to try and convert an onside kick in the third quarter, down by just ten points. Really, Josh? McDaniels' brilliant coaching mind is also responsible for three failed fourth-down attempts by the Broncos. Also, why play Chris Simms right off the bat knowing full well that Kyle Orton could go if needed? Did anyone really think Simms was going to lead the [...] Continue reading →

Game recaps are a thing of the past. Let's face it, it takes way less than a thousand monkeys banging on a thousand typewriters for a thousand years to bang out a decent NFL post-game stat sheet. SportsCenter's on your iPhone and on the web, 24 hours a day. Even if you missed that, by the time you pick up your morning paper the next day, you already heard about it on the radio and the morning news on TV. Admit it, you didn't come here for no stinkin' recap. You're here for fresh, hard-hitting analysis that takes no prisoners and has no vested interest in "playing nice" with Chargers players and brass. And that's what you're going to get from now on with "Charged Up." The Chargers beat a solid Eagles team last Sunday behind a more balanced offensive attack and smart [...] Continue reading →

My dad's a pretty old-fashioned guy. Strong willed, doesn't say much, doesn't express much in the ways of emotion. What you see is what you get, and sometimes, things are better left unsaid. Which is why it's such a kick to watch him on Sunday afternoons. Few things in life excite him as much as the National Football League does. Sure, he always tells stories about how great it felt to watch his sons being born (I, of course, either wasn't there or don't remember), how great it is to reel in a marlin from the ocean that's twice your size (again, not there), but to me, the window into his true personality can be observed for a few faint hours on Sundays and sometimes Mondays or Thursdays. Charger games bring out the best and worst in his emotional gamut every fall and [...] Continue reading →

For some, the bile, the discontent, and the disappointment take a little longer to fade away. Others are luckier, their calm spurred on by that unknowable future. The gamut of emotions is usually the same, commonly ending with a chuckle, a shrug, and a somewhat renewed desire to park in front of the television set the following weekend (or in this case, two weekends from now). Today, however, San Diego Chargers fans should be warned against their complacency and feverish optimism, and talked down from their high horse, as the ugly truth rears its head once more. Right now, this is not a Super Bowl caliber team. This is not a team worthy of being included in that discussion. Quite frankly, it hasn't been for a while. Multiple seasons, in fact. Whether it's injuries, [...] Continue reading →

The San Diego Chargers would love to remind you that they are victims of circumstance. The Holy Roller was Raider cheating combined with the wild, unpredictable bounce of the football. If not for the exhaustion suffered the previous week at Miami and the sub-zero temperatures in Cincinnati for the 1982 AFC Championship Game, they'd have gone to the Super Bowl. Finishing 2008 with an 8-8 record despite having one of the most talented rosters in football? Injuries combined with bad refereeing mixed in with some more injuries. The truth is that these chronic underachievers have only themselves to blame for both recent and historic failures. They will shot themselves in the foot when necessary, they will experience a haunting and mysterious disappearance in their usual talent when [...] Continue reading →

Chargers RB LaDainian Tomlinson says he's motivated by talk that he's washed up and that his age is becoming a larger factor with each passing day. He promised a big 2009, a claim that weighs especially heavy on the men responsible for allowing L.T. to shine: his offensive linemen. Although San Diego's line is stacked with Pro Bowl talent, the tackle position is considered to be the weakest link in an otherwise sterling front. How much of a factor will that prove to be in the coming year? Marcus McNeill A three-time Pro Bowl alternate for the AFC, only a neck injury which eventually required offseason surgery in 2009 could keep McNeill off the field, who if not for the ailment would've certainly began his career with 48 consecutive [...] Continue reading →

Pro Bowler Nick Hardwick will anchor San Diego's offensive line in 2009, hoping to repeat to avoid injury and achieve the 2006 form that helped LaDainian Tomlinson win the MVP award and break the single-season TD record. Behind him, a pair of rookies and a jack-of-all trades in Scott Mruczkowski will look to back him up. Here's what to expect from them in 2009: Nick Hardwick San Diego's multi-tattooed, long blond hair having, surf loving Nick Hardwick could very well blend in most Southern California communities if not for a couple of stark differences—his 6'4", 295 lb. frame and the fact that he spends his Sundays in the fall and winter bulldozing other men who are just as big or bigger. The former high school wrestler is back and presumably [...] Continue reading →

Part one of the preview detailing San Diego's personnel at the offensive line will deal with the guard position. The Chargers boast some of their best "big uglies" at this spot with a multi-Pro Bowl caliber man in Kris Dielman, an interesting position battle on the right side with Kynan Forney and first-year man Louis Vazquez, as well as another rookie, Ben Muth, thrown in for good measure. Kris Dielman Kris Dielman will return for his fourth season as a full-time starter on San Diego's offensive line. A former Pro Bowler whose strong, bulldozing style has been a fixture for the Chargers since 2003, Dielman has been a big, mostly uncredited contributor to the so far excellent careers of players like LaDainian Tomlinson and Philip Rivers. In [...] Continue reading →

When you think of an NFL backfield, fullbacks are usually in the back of one's mind, if at all. San Diego's is probably no different, but the current crop of fullbacks are instrumental in opening running lanes for the more recognizable faces in the backfield, and for protecting the team's quarterback. Here's a look at the current depth chart. Jacob Hester Hester impressed GM A.J. Smith in his college days with his versatility. The former LSU running back was regarded as one of the best receivers out of the backfield in the school's history. Since arriving to the Chargers, though, Hester has seen his role reduced to a more traditional fullback role, having to block and come out of the backfield as a rusher or receiver only on a very limited [...] Continue reading →

San Diego's depth chart at the tight end position features no more and no less than the best receiving end in the league, and a capable backup who is equally adept at blocking and receiving. Added into the mix for 2009 are two rookies vying for the third spot. One, a former starter for the University of Georgia, the other, a former Colorado State standout who caught more than 140 balls and scored 20 touchdowns in his college career. Antonio Gates Antonio Gates remains the San Diego Chargers' biggest and most consistent threat on passing downs. The big tight end out of Kent State was slowed somewhat by remnants of injuries sustained in 2007 and new ones suffered in 2008, but he still managed to lead the team in receptions with 60 and TDs with [...] Continue reading →