…I know it’s crazy, but it’s true.
Beating the Jets on Monday Night Football was a must. I’m normally the first one to call BS on people pulling the ‘must-win’ card in the first few games of the season. All things considered, this was a must-win game.
Yet, despite the victory, I’m not sold on this team.
I like what they did on defense. It was a vast improvement, but going from pedestrian to satisfactory doesn’t make a championship season.
So I’m stuck.
Are the Chargers legit? The past few seasons this team has made great strides but if it’s not one problem it’s another.
If [...]

No last second collapse. No scandalous calls. No problem handling the New York Jets.
The Chargers avoided a disastrous 0-3 start, sending Brett Favre out of town with a 48-29 ass-handing that lands the Bolts at second place in the division.
Philip Rivers continued to roll with a career-high tying three touchdowns. The guy looks mellow in the pocket and money with his passing game. With what’s-his-name riding the couch for New England and Indiana Manning looking feverishly timid, Rivers can make a claim as the elite signal caller in the AFC.
The rest of the offense is showing up, too. LT found the [...]

Looking at the San Diego Charger team and their performance these last few seasons, it seems like the team has one of the best offensive lineups ever in football. Just watch the team at Qualcomm Stadium and see what I am talking about.
Last season’s Patriots may have scored the most points ever in a season, but over the course of many seasons that team will come back down to Earth, with or without Tom Brady. Philip Rivers, LaDainian Tomlinson, and Antonio Gates are names that make a defense wakeup.
Philip Rivers has dealt with injuries and replaced a very good quarterback [...]

Has anyone seen the Chargers defense?
Going into week two, the Bolts were 31st in the league in defense, allowing 437 yards per game. That’s landed them at 0-2, looking up at a Broncos team who could gallop away with the division if the Chargers don’t turn it around.
Why is the defense sputtering? To paraphrase Occam’s razor, “all other things being equal, the simplest solution is the best.” So the answer must be: no Shawne Merriman.
Sounds reasonable to me. No one is putting pressure on the quarterback. The team has one sack, and it was a fluke.
While Merriman’s absence is significant, it [...]

NFL.com is reporting that referee Ed Hochuli will be graded down for his botched call on Sunday. The ref admitted he made an error, and NFL spokesman Greg Aiello had this to say:
“Officials are held accountable for their calls. They are graded on every play of every game. Ed has been an outstanding official for many years, but he will be marked down for this call. Under our evaluation system, an official’s grades impact his status for potentially working the playoffs and ultimately whether or not he is retained.” -NFL.com
Meanwhile, Chargers head coach Norv Turner says the team has to [...]

Shaun Phillips can only say “damn”. From where I sit, that’s putting it mildly. The Chargers linebacker posted his thoughts at YardBarker.com regarding the week two loss:
That’s all I can say is damn. I can’t say that the ref cheated us because that’s a fine. I can’t say that the Broncos didn’t win that game because that’s being a sore loser. I can’t say that it was a mistake that the replay machine wasn’t working in the first qtr cause that would be a lie. What I can say is damn damn damn. As a competitor it should never come down [...]

No, it couldn’t happen again. Not twice in two weeks.
“That’s… incredible,” a sullen Chargers fan mumbled to me as the final seconds of the game ticked away.
The Chargers were beat in the vestigial final moments, again. Broncos ‘win’, 39-38.
This time the spoiler had a little help from the refs. As far as inept, astoundingly piss-poor calls in the NFL go, this one was a beauty.
Oh, I would be remiss if I didn’t mention the review equipment wasn’t working when a complete pass for the Chargers was ruled a fumble in the first half. Real smooth operation there at Invesco on [...]

60 Minutes on Yahoo! News has a very in-depth look at Chargers runningback LaDainian Tomlinson. Video of game footage, his workouts, early years and charity work. How can you not like this guy?
Check it out here.

Disaster confirmed.
According to a press release on Chargers.com, Shawne Merriman will have season ending surgery on his injured knee.
“Shawne informed me he did not feel right (on the field) and thought it best to shut it down.”
“The road to winning the AFC West just got more difficult, but not impossible. Nothing is impossible. Shawne is a great player and an inspirational leader. He will be missed. We wish him a successful surgery and a speedy recovery.”
-General Manager A.J. Smith (Chargers.com)
Merriman will be placed on the IR later this week.
Obviously, terrible news for the team. Keep it here for more fallout.

Waiting through the offseason for a game like yesterdays is tantamount to going to Disneyland, standing hours in line for Pirates of the Caribbean, then at the end of the ride one of the animatronic pirates kicks you in the nuggets.
An opening day shocker that will sting for a while, the Carolina Panthers left San Diego with a well-earned victory.
On paper, it makes absolute sense that the team who held the ball last would win. The Panthers had a slight edge in everything from total yards to time of possession, and they needed every tick of the clock to pull [...]