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 [...]
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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 [...]
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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 [...]
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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, [...]
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Going into 2009, the defending AFC West Champion San Diego Chargers will look to improve their 8-8 record and take the vaunted "next step" in their aspirations to hoist the Lombardi Trophy in February of next year.
If San Diego is going to get anywhere, these are the men who will be responsible for the Chargers' eventual fate. This preview will begin with arguably the most important position on the football field at nearly all times: the quarterback.
Arguably one of the deepest positions on the team, San Diego boasts a Pro-Bowl quality starter, a backup who could easily fight for a starting job on most NFL rosters, and a young, budding third-stringer who possesses oodles of raw talent and the pedigree of being part of an NFL family.
Of his fellow 2004 NFL Draft QBs, Rivers boasts [...]
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Aside from traditional visits to division rivals Kansas City, Denver and Oakland, the San Diego Chargers will face off against the World Champion Pittsburgh Steelers, NFC East Champs New York Giants, AFC South winners Tennessee Titans, Dallas Cowboys and Cleveland Browns.
Last season's combined record of San Diego's non-divisional 2009 away opponents is 50-30. While the Chargers also face difficult home opposition in Baltimore, Philadelphia and others, how the Chargers do away from Qualcomm Stadium will eventually dictate the overall success of their season and their opportunities for a potential playoff run.
The Chargers will get a chance to avenge two losses to the Steelers in 2008 with a Sunday Night showdown October 4th. After a bye and three consecutive divisional matchups, [...]
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After crushing (and quick) postseason exits in 2004 and 2006, the Chargers fired coach Marty Schottenheimer and replaced him with Norv Turner.
A shock for many, San Diego's sedevacante was filled with Turner despite the fact that sexier names such as Bill Cowher and Bill Parcells were available during the off-season.
Turner, who had installed the Chargers current offensive system in 2001—his lone year as San Diego's offensive coordinator—had since departed to take several jobs, most notably the head coaching position at Oakland where he went a dismal 9-23 over two seasons.
In 2007, upon taking the job in San Diego, Turner made good on fulfilling the first objective: winning in the playoffs.
Turner's first season featured two postseason wins, including an [...]
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**Thanksgiving Games Note**
There is a scheduling flaw in the Thanksgiving games. Both the Cowboys and Lions had home games on Sunday. That’s not fair because their opponents this Thursday will have to travel. The NFL should force the Cowboys and Lions to play on the road before their Thursday game, that way both teams facing off Thursday will have had to travel in some form on the short week.
[...]
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