The Chargers That Made the Playoffs

The San Diego Chargers missed out on the NFL Playoffs this year and will have to be watching the playoffs from the couch. There are a few former Chargers that will continue on into the post-season getting that opportunity for a championship.

Some of our fans feel that the Chargers are cursed and the Jets will win the championship this year, just because LT and Cromartie moved there in the off-season. Drew Brees got his Super Bowl ring as a Saint last year.

I admit, it would be tough to see an Atlanta Falcon-New York Jet Super Bowl. We would then see former Chargers Michael Turner, Ladainian Tomlinson, and Antonio Cromartie battling it out for the championship.

Here is the breakdown of former Chargers players continuing on into the playoffs:AFC

New England Patriots QB Jonathan Crompton – drafted in the 5th round by the Chargers and was let go before taking a snap as a Charger. He was signed to the Patriots practice squad.

WR Wes Welker – Was signed in 2004 as an undrafted free agent by the Chargers, but was cut after his first game. He signed with the Dolphins and became their kick returner. He then moved onto the Patriots and is now a 2x Pro Bowler.

New York Jets CB Antonio Cromartie – Drafted by the San Diego Chargers in the 1st round (19th overall) of the 2006 NFL Draft. He has played in 64 games as a Charger, totaling 15 interceptions with 2 returns for touchdowns. He was names an All-Pro in 2007. He was traded over to the Jets before this season.

RB Ladainian Tomlinson – Drafted by the San Diego Chargers in the 1st round (5th overall) of the 2001 NFL Draft and has played 9 seasons with the Chargers. He has a total of 12,490 rushing yards and 138 rushing touchdowns with 3955 receiving yards and 15 receiving touchdowns as a Charger and was named to the Pro-Bowl 5 times. He signed with the Jets before the start of the season.

Pittsburgh SteelersNONE

Baltimore RavensNONE

Kansas City Chiefs WR Chris Chambers – was traded to the Chargers in 2007 and played parts of 3 seasons as the Chargers starting wide receiver. He played 31 games as a Charger totaling 1139 yards and 10 touchdowns. He was released in the middle of last season and was picked up by the Chiefs.

Indianapolis ColtsNONE

NFC

Philadelphia EaglesNONE

Chicago Bears TE Brandon Manumaleuna – was signed as a free agent by the Chargers for the 2006 season and was used mainly as the backup to Antonio Gates and as a blocking tight end. He played 4 seasons (64 games) as a Charger totaling 317 yards and 6 touchdowns. He became a free agent last season and signed with the Chicago Bears.

Atlanta Falcons RB Gartrell Johnson – Drafted by the San Diego Chargers in the 4th round (134th overall) of the 2009 NFL Draft and never played a game as a Charger. He was let go before the season started and was picked up by the Giants and then moved to the Falcons this season.

TE Justin Peelle – Drafted by the San Diego Chargers in the 4th round (103rd overall) of the 2002 NFL Draft. Was part of the team just before Antonio Gates became the starter. Played 4 seasons as a Charger totaling 270 yards and 4 touchdowns.

RB Michael Turner – Drafted by the San Diego Chargers in the 5th round (154th overall) of the 2004 NFL Draft. Turner was the backup to Ladainian Tomlinson. He played 4 seasons as a Charger totaling 1257 yards with 6 touchdowns and a 5.5 average.

New Orleans Saints QB Drew Brees – Drafted by the San Diego Chargers in the 2nd round (32nd overall) of the 2001 NFL Draft. Everyone knows the storybook tale of Drew Brees by now. He spent 5 season with the Chargers as the starting quarterback for 4 of those seasons. As a Charger, he totaled 12,348 passing yards and 800 touchdowns. He busted his shoulder in his final game as a Charger and signed as a free agent with the Saints, where he won the Super Bowl last year.

Green Bay PackersNONE

Seattle Seahawks QB Charlie Whitehurst – Drafted by the San Diego Chargers in the 3rd round (81st overall) of the 2006 NFL Draft. He was the 3rd string quarterback as a Charger, behind Philip Rivers and Billy Volek. He never threw a pass for the Chargers.

So, depending on what kind of fan you are, you can see what teams you can cheer for based on which former players are on each team. If you wanna see LT get his championship, then you root for the Jets. If you don’t want to see ANY former Chargers win a championship unless they are wearing Blue and Yellow, then you can see which teams to cheer for also.

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