During a regular season game, the San Diego Chargers record 12 sacks against Tom Brady, who will miss the remainder of the regular season with a broken uterus, and shut out the New England Patriots 56-0. LaDainian Tomlinson pounded the Patriots by scorching them for 405 all-purpose yards, including over 200 on the ground. Philip Rivers lit up the defense, passing for four touchdowns, gaining 327 yards. He also ran for a score and drop kicked a field goal.

Shortly after the game, a party bus took a select few to downtown San Diego where the Padres hosted the Los Angeles Dodgers for Game Four in the National League Championship Series. Joe Torre’s boys in blue hammered the Friars 25-0 and completed the sweep, advancing to their first World Series since 1988. Brad Penny was nearly perfect, tossing a no-hitter, allowing only one walk. In the walk, Penny seemed confused as to why outfielder Brian Giles came to bat with his adult diaper on the outside of his pants. Catcher Russell Martin hit three home runs and had 12 RBI on his way to earning the NLCS MVP. In a rare twist, Steve Garvey came out of retirement and scored on a throwing error to first, second, third and finally home. After the game, Garvey ripped down his number from Petco Park, still confused as to why the Padres organization had it up there in the first place. It was one special day for the Dodgers.

Check out what my comrades wrote at FanSided.com.

Ridiculous you say? No guff, Chet.

Draft day darlings have been getting increasingly inflated contracts since before Goodell rode into the commissioners office preaching a tougher stance on league-wide shenanigans. At this point stating the obvious does bring attention to a rising problem. In that vein, I would like to share with Mr. Goodell a few other issues the esteemed commish might not of noticed.

I give you… the Top 10 NFL Fun Facts Roger Goodell Might Not Be Aware Of.

10. Los Angeles, number two market in the country, is still without a NFL team.

9. Ocho Cinco is Spanish for ‘selfish malcontent’.

8. Touchdown celebrations are better than having players with personalities as dull as a Jeopardy! contestant.

7. Boston sports writers should be praised for being such apologist douchebags during Spygate, the ineptitude of the commissioners office was gleefully overlooked.

6. Bringing the NFL to place where soccer is in fact called football, taking away a home game from a city where they actually call it football in favor of some sort of sustained global takeover march through London is, in a word, redunkulous.

5. Owners still charge full price for tickets during the preseason despite star players in the game a fraction of the time. Beer is full price, too. Dammit.

4. Every Super Bowl halftime show since 1983 has sucked.

3. Houston Oilers sounded a helluva lot cooler than Tennessee Titans. What the hell is that logo, anyway? Is it a pointy ‘T’ or some kind of upside-down middle finger?

2. The Pro Bowl is pointless.

1. Monday Night Football on ESPN is easily the worst coverage of the National Football League, ever.

What?

Sure, Parker missed all of last season. Yes, the Bolts have Chris Chambers now. I know, Mark Jones was signed. Nevertheless, this team has been thin and wide receiver for a while. Chambers and a healthy Parker would be a formidable one-two punch. Plus, Parker has been the guy in San Diego for a while now.

While the team is totally covered in the punt return game with Darren Sproles, amongst others, I don’t see how grooming a new batch of receivers is better than hanging on to a proven performer.

There is a lot of young talent on the team and someone should step into the number two role. I just can’t see any of them burning a corner while Chambers is inevitably double teamed on most plays.

The underneath threat is still there with Gates and L.T., which is huge, but if one of those threats is neutralized the passing game could collapse.

I haven’t heard anything about A.J. Smith looking for a receiver on the open market, not that there are many viable options out there.

The Chargers will continue to be a run first offense, same as last year, still without Parker. The season turned out fine without him. So at the very least we should expect more of the same? We’ll see.

According to Chargers.com…

The Bolts added some veteran depth with the signing of center Jeremy Newberry, the ten year pro last seen in Oakland.

Yahoo! Sports says…

The Chargers inked wide out Mark Jones who will come into camp looking for some work returning punts.

And if you have $3,900 laying around and can justify traveling to London in October for a football game, then the Chargers have a package deal just for you.

For those of you in the San Diego area, don’t forget about Fanfest on August 2nd at Chargers Park, 4020 Murphy Canyon Road, just west of I-15 between Aero Drive and Clairemont Mesa Blvd. You can come out and watch the team practice in July and August, the schedule is here.

The Jags did some big things last year in a real tough division. Look for them to do more of the same. This blog will be poppin’ and check it out for all things Jaguar… except for the car, I suppose. And the actual animal. Basically it’s just about the team. I guess they might blog about other things. Who knows.

At any rate, click on over to BlackAndTeal.com and let them know if they want to win the AFC they better try and keep up with the Bolts.

Denver Broncos: The closest competition the Chargers had last season was the Broncos and their second best divisional record with a whopping seven wins. They played .500 ball in the division & conference. They were terrible on the road. I don’t see anything in the off-season that makes them better.

Releasing Travis Henry was a smart move in the sense that it builds credibility as a franchise. It holds players accountable to their work ethic. That being said, when you fail to draft a running back and only have Michael Pittman with enough experience to warrant an opening day gig, maybe you hang on to Henry for a little while longer. Obviously, Henry didn’t have the type of season that running backs in Denver are accustomed too. But when the ship springs a leak you don’t through the duct tape overboard.

Last season: 7-9
This season: 5-11

Kansas City Chiefs: The Chiefs won their fourth game last season, raising them to 4-3, time to make a run for the division, right? Not so much. There wouldn’t be another win another the entire season.

The Chiefs struggled to find its identity. Larry Johnson seemed poised to finally and unequivocally emerge from the shadow of Preist Holmes. Instead he faded back into mediocrity.

There are promising faces on this team going forward and the draft was killer. They’re getting a lot of the rookies signed, too. The Chiefs are getting down to business. If Brodie Croyle, Dwayne Bowe and Larry Johnson can put some plays together, it can get ugly in the West. Their record last year was an aberration. I anticipate solid improvement in KC.

Last season: 4-12
This season: 9-7

Oakland Raiders: If JaMarcus Russell was a team guy he wouldn’t have been the longest holdout of a top pick in NFL history. The same problem has been averted this year with the immediate signing of running back Darren McFadden. Since Russell is basically still half a rookie himself, these two guys are going to come out eager yet inexperienced. They could turn some heads but I can’t see the Raiders making a strong push, especially right out of the gate. Midway through the season they could come into their own and pull an upset or two, but it won’t be enough. I like the potential but they are at least a season away.

Last season: 4-12
This season: 7-9

Philip Rivers is a top tier quarterback, but performance alone isn’t enough when writing about professional football. Stats earn you a mention in the box score. Opening your trap gets you a headline.

Every so often the truly great let their work on the field speak for itself. Montana. Elway. Favre. Manning. They don’t need to jaw at the other sideline, have a zany touchdown dance or show up on gameday in a costume. When a player has trouble breaking into the elite core of guys in the league, well, then they need to be placed in some other niche category. So, Rivers is the ‘smack talker’ guy.

Some players turn their personality up to eleven so they get the cameras attention. Other guys just act as they normally would, for better or worse, the cameras gravitate over, and sports writers and fans alike enter attack mode.

I believe that on-field antics are interesting to a point. Once a player is a distraction, becomes bigger than the game, then it’s gone too far. Unfortunately, it all starts somewhere. Rivers hasn’t become a distraction, and he’d be smart to tone it down a little this season. Players have short memories and I’m sure Denver is waiting to give Philip a warm welcome.

So, Rivers is that ‘smack talker guy’. I’m fine with that. Better than ‘what’s his name.’

As I scrolled and clicked through other stories, it’s becoming increasingly apparent that teams are more apt to get a guy with potential over age and experience.

Each season the top picks in the draft are getting more and more cash simply because of potential. If this up-and-comer has a shady past, that only costs him a few spots, maybe a few million bucks. I get the fact that drafted rook contracts are more bloated than the season premiere of “The Biggest Loser’, but it seems that established, battle hardened middle-to-top tier guys are being passed over, like a Lorenzo Neal.

We are in the Not For Long league, but is every general manager just scratching the draft lottery and hoping they have the next Cinderella story on their board? Are teams willing to pass on solid players to hope for a miracle that becomes the big thing? What’s better, a safe present or crossing your fingers for the future?

At any rate, while Matt Ryan is in his new crib counting money, Lorenzo Neal is waiting by the phone. I know they play two vastly different positions and their journey into the NFL was unique, but the simple fact remains: potential is rewarded over experience. The longshot is preferred over the sure thing.

Looking at the Chargers ‘08 slate, a few obvious games stand out, a few are outstanding, and the other is out of the country.

But first- this schedule has two very different halves. Their bye is Week 9, splitting the season down the middle. The first half is rough. Five out of the first eight games are on the road, with Week 8 being in London, England.  Before that, the team goes to Miami in Week 5, comes home to duel with the Patriots (more on that later), goes back east to Buffalo, then heads over the pond. That’s a lot of frequent flyer miles.

The second half is much more kind. Obviously we have the flip side, with five home games and three away. That includes a three game home stand.

Another small caveat is those Denver Broncos. The Bolts will see their divisional rival in Week 2 and not again until Week 17. The Bronco bookend could pan out into something special. If Denver wants a shot at the division they must have both games scheduled in obnoxious orange.

As for the games in particular…

Whenever the Patriots go anywhere it’s a parade. Pats come to town in Week 6 for a little ‘07 AFC Championship Game rematch. Could easily be a postseason preview redo. Boils down to how hungover the Pats will be from the Super Bowl.

In Week 12 the Colts gallop into San Diego to avenge their Divisional Game upset at the hands of the Chargers. The Bolts did manage to take care of Indy twice last year, albeit the first time was a bit of an aberration. Manning had a terrible game, tossing up pick after pick. The playoff win was legit on every level and the defending champs of the time were humbled.

There could be a couple gimmies, like at Atlanta and against Miami… of course, let’s not forget the NFL credo: any given Sunday.

The 2008 season breaks down to escaping the first half without disaster. It’s going to be rough in the outset. Better to have it this way to begin with and have things lighten up on the back eight.

Chargers also get a Monday game Week 3 against the Jets. Could be a snoozer, but up on the national stage is always good for business.  The Pats game will be a Sunday nighter, so could the Indy contest and Week 16 at Tampa Bay if the flex schedule gods see fit. NFL Network holds a Thursday night Week 14 game against the Raiders.

The Bolts will get their share of TV time this season. It’s a well-deserved reward. The Chargers have proved they can hang with and put down the big dogs.

Personnel wise, the Chargers are poised to make their best case for the Lombardi Trophy than they ever have. The schedule shows there are going to be some big tests throughout, mentally and physically. We will see what this team is truly made of.

The San Diego Chargers have selected Antoine Cason, cornerback out of Arizona.

I like this pick. It was not a shocker, mostly automatic at this point.

The Bolts needed another standout corner alongside Antonio Cromartie. Cason is the type of guy that can step in right away. I don’t know if he can be a shut down player, and he won’t be the fastest guy on the field, but he spreads himself around. 

Most of all I like his character. Appears to be a good guy, smart and looks like a real gamer. Mentally tough and understands the game. That’s huge.

 Again, it might have been a easy pick, but the Chargers are fortunate to have a player like Cason.

At this point, time for the Chargers to take a break. No 2nd, 3rd or 4th round pick. See you back at selection #160 unless there is a trade. Smoke ‘em if you got ‘em.

Week 1 - Sunday, September 7 1:15 pm  CAROLINA
Week 2 - Sunday, September 14 1:15 pm  @ Denver
Week 3 - Monday, September 22 5:30 pm  NY JETS
Week 4 - Sunday, September 28 1:05 pm  @ Oakland
Week 5 - Sunday, October 5 10:00 pm  @ Miami
Week 6 - Sunday, October 12 5:15 pm  NEW ENGLAND
Week 7 - Sunday, October 19 10:00 am  @ Buffalo
Week 8 - Sunday, October 26 10:00 am  @ New Orleans (by way of London, England)
Week 9 - Bye
Week 10 - Sunday, November 9 1:15 pm  KANSAS CITY
Week 11 - Sunday, November 16 1:15 pm  @ Pittsburgh
Week 12 - Sunday, November 23 5:15 pm  INDIANAPOLIS
Week 13 - Sunday, November 30 1:05 pm  ATLANTA
Week 14 - Thursday, December 4 5:15 pm  OAKLAND (only on NFL Network)
Week 15 - Sunday, December 14 10:00 am  @ Kansas City
Week 16 - Sunday, December 21 5:15 pm  @ Tampa Bay
Week 17 - Sunday, December 28 1:15 pm  DENVER

Week 11-13, 15- 17 subject to flex schedule.

Cooper will be eligible to play as of week 5, that’s October 5th at Miami. He will be able to play in the preseason, however. Yay.

Cooper’s semi-mea culpa was pasted on the Chargers website: “I regret that I mistakenly took a stimulant that I did not realize at the time was banned by the NFL. I support the NFL’s anti-doping policies, and understand that I must serve a suspension even though the stimulant that I took was not used before any game and was not used to enhance my performance.”

While I respect Cooper taking responsibility for his actions, the “I did not realize” excuse is really weak. You are getting paid millions of dollars, might want to double check that the pills you’re throwing back aren’t on the NFL’s no-no list. Ask a trainer, coach, agent, anyone with a vested interest in your life if this drug you’re taking is permissible. It sounds like a no-brainer to me, especially if you’ve been popped for possession of steroids in the past.

Can’t help but be reminded of fellow linebacker Shawne Merriman getting busted for ‘roids and missing four games in 2006. I’m sure these are two isolated incidents. Nevertheless, the linebacker corps isn’t learning from their mistakes.

Norv and A.J. need to peak around the locker room more, but players really need to police each other. This team is so damn close to going to the big show. The Chargers defense is really coming together and the last thing they need is the steroid stigma.

The window to capitalize on this talented group grows smaller every season. Cooper’s actions hurt himself, and as a result he weakened a team.

Looks to be a good move for the Bolts. Hart became a starter last season and earned it with solid play. While cornerback Antonio Cromartie stole most of the headlines last year on defense, Hart did his job well and solidified his spot on the team. Not too bad for a guy coming up from the Arena League.

 Props to A.J. Smith and company for locking Hart in a season before he was due to be a unrestriced free agent. Hart’s going into this season without that deal looming over his head, which is huge.

While I can dig on the NFL wanting to expand outside America, I don’t want to see the NFL become too gimmicky in its marketing of our brand of football across the pond. The billion dollar behemoth no doubt wants to tap back into the market after NFL Europe folded quietly into the night. This match up will be the second ever regular season game held outside the states, and probably not the last. Word has it the Bills will travel to Canada to give the CFL fans a treat.

I suppose it’s advantageous that both teams will have a bye week afterward, but between the jetlag and neutral ground it could still take a few days to get back in the groove. I don’t forsee any ill-effects from a player standpoint due to the game, but the ratings/revenue stunt doesn’t seem fair from a fan standpoint. Saints fans lose a home game. In a world where there are only eight, very precious games to watch in your city, having one transplanted to those who play football exclusively with their feet could be a tad annoying.

If the NFL was in dire straits financially I would applaud the effort, but aside from a plan of world domination, I don’t see how playing games on different continents will help the NFL. What’s next? A franchise in London? New division, the NFC/AFC Waaaaaaaay East? We know a NFL farm league is a bust over there. Is this to boost satellite TV revenue so Great Britain will get glued to the game, watch it over Manchester United? Not bloody likely.

Before I dwell into a Favre-tastic tribute and get all misty, let me share a fun fact about myself- I tend to watch a fair amount of television. Over the past year I’ve caught shows called Battlestar Galactica, Knight Rider, Bionic Woman… perennial classics from a bygone era thrust back into our lives. Why are these shows back? Can we just not let them go? Are the shows out there just not as good? I digress.

I see Brett Favre as of one of the last quarterback god’s to (allegedly) step away from the game. Joe Montana, Dan Marino, Jim Kelly, Troy Aikman, Steve Young were masterful in the NFL throughout for the last few decades. Favre was in their class. Peyton Manning might be on the tail end of that list, but I still feel he’s of the newer generation. The next batch of greats is a list we’re still waiting to fill out beside Brady and Big Ben.

As with our television habits, it’s tough for us to tear away from what’s familiar, from what was great. When we’re left with a crop of, with all due respect, the inferior, we long for what’s gone.

Society tends to have a short attention span these days. It bodes well for those of yesteryear, which is why I feel Brett Favre will be lured back to the field. He’s going to see the endless tributes on television and be inundated with interviews where the media kisses every part of his ass, and rightfully so.

With parity what it is in the league, ticket sales where they’re at and our fancy for the former so manic, Favre’s going to get courted like never before.

I hope he stays retired. I’ve had the pleasure to see so many of Favre’s games and watch in awe at his powerful performance week after week, season after season. The man made a helluva run last season and came so close to making it to the big show. He fell short. But you can’t keep trudging on hoping you go out in a blaze of glory, hoisting that Lombardi Trophy with teary eyes and the overwhelming sense of validation that eases the pain of leaving the thing you love the most. Elway was lucky. Marino wasn’t. Favre has a ring.

It boils down to what Kenny Rogers said which was proven to me after hundreds of nights at the blackjack table: you gotta know when to hold ‘em, know when to fold ‘em, know when to walk away… and know when to just retire.