SPORTS:There was a football game last night. Some people may argue that this is Week 6, of the regular season, but for LT it is the Week 1. He finally had a game that he is capable of. All of San Diego’s run plays that earned substantial yardage gained, were run by LT. He’s back!

Recap:
Denver kicked off, and San Diego went three and out.

Denver got a first down and then returned the favor by going three and out.

On their next possession, after 4 pass plays and 4 run plays, the Chargers found themselves in Denver’s redzone. Once again, they failed to get the TD, but what else is new? Kaeding came out and kicked a field goal.

San Diego kicked off with 4:50 left in the first quarter. Catching the kickoff, Eddie Royal ran the ball all the way back for a touchdown.

Denver kicked off with 4:39 left in the first quarter. 4 pass plays and 4 runs later and the Chargers finally made a TOUCHDOWN!

San Diego kicked off with :06 seconds left in the first quarter. Denver moved to their own 40 yard line from 2 pass and 3 run plays. On third and six, Orton threw a completed 27 yard pass. From San Diego’s 33, Denver moved the ball another 16 yards, but couldn’t get another first down. Their kicking unit came out and put up three points for the Broncos.

Denver kicked off with 7:55 left in the first half, and with a tied score of 10-10. Sproles, the Firefly, ran the kickoff return to San Diego’s 33 yard line. They went three and out, which included Rivers being sacked. San Diego punted and the ball was caught on Denver’s 30, and then ran all the way back for a touchdown. Hello? Are there any Special Teams out there? What the hell?

Denver kicked off with 5:52 left in the half, and Sproles ran it to San Diego’s 29. A few yards were gained from one LT rush, and then Gates caught a couple of 15 yard passes. From Denver’s 26, San Diego couldn’t get another first down. Kaeding came out and put 3 more on the board.

San Diego kicked off with 2:19 left in the half. Denver went three and out.

Denver punted and Sproles caught the ball on his own 23 yard line. It was San Diego’s turn… he ran it all the way back for a TOUCHDOWN!

San Diego kicked off with 1:03 left in the half. Denver had a little bit of effective ball movement, but a personal foul against the Chargers got the Broncos to San Diego’s 36. With :03 seconds left in the half, they missed the field goal attempt.

Halftime.

San Diego kicked off to start the second half, and leading by 3.  Denver made it to mid-field and then punted, wisely, into the end zone.

Three pass and two run plays moved the ball to the San Diego 47.  Rivers then threw an 18 yard pass to Chambers.  Once in Denver territory, the Bolts couldn’t advance the ball more than 6 yards, so they brought Kaeding out again.  He gave San Diego 3 more points.

The Chargers kicked off with 7:57 left in the third quarter.  The Broncos moved the ball very effectively.  They had no third downs during this possession.  Three runs, six passes, and four minutes of game timne later, and they put another 7 points on the scoreboard.

Denver kicked off.  Three handoffs in a row to LT moved the Chargers 25 yards.  From mid-field, on third down, Rivers was sacked, fumbled, and Denver recovered the ball.

The Chargers denied Denver from gaining a total of 10 yards on the first, second, and third downs, but a holding call on San Diego, gaveDenver the first down.  From mid-field Denver continued to march to the San Diego 11 yard line, where they were finally stopped.  The field goal unit came out.  Denver got 3 more points increasing their lead to 4.  Okay, so all San diego needs to do now is kick a field goal and get a safety to win!

Denver kicked off with 13:05 left in the game.  During their possession, after a run for a loss, and an incomplete, Rivers was sacked.

San Diego punted with 11:36 left in the game.  Starting from the San Diego 29, the Broncos moved the ball 32 yards with strictly their running game.  The Chargers finally stopped them on the San Diego 39.  They punted into the end zone.

From their own 20, Rivers was sacked.  On the next play, Denver had a pass interference penalty called on them, placing the ball on Denver’s 40.  They gained 2 more yards, and then threw incomplete passes on second, third, and they went for it on fourth.  They didn’t make it.  It was Denver’s ball with 5:40 left in regulation.

On second down, a 6 yard pass to Denver’s Scheffler was caught.  With effective blocking and a fake, he ran for another 47 yards to San Diego’s 8 yard line.  If the Chargers could just contain Denver to only a field goal, there is still over 4 minutes and 20 seconds left… PLENTY OF TIME!  Denver didn’t gain much yardage on first and second down rushes.  On third down, a short pass resulted in a touchdown.  Denver was ahead by 11, with 2:55 left to play.  It’s over.

Shit.  To earn a spot in the playoffs, San Diego will need to win 9 of their next 11 games.  They have a good chance at 8 of those, and they will need luck for the 9th, so it’s not over yet.  LT is playing much better.  He rushed for 70 yards.  However, Charger fans need to do their part by lighting candles and crossing thie fingers!

SPORTS:
After 15 days of rest, the Chargers will be playing against the Broncos on Monday Night Football. Damn those Broncos! Like many people, I thought that with a new defensive coordinator, a new head coach, Brandon Marshall’s pre-season suspension, and Little-Play-Orton taking the snaps, that Denver was going to go up like a house of cards built over a vat of gasoline. I’m still not sure if I was wrong. Yes, they are 5/0, but look at who they have played. They barely beat Cincinnati, and won from a one in a million freak fluke play. Cincinnati has sucked for the last several years, oh, but wait a second… the Bengals are now 4/1. THEY are playing much better also. They beat Cleveland and that is a given. Denver beat Oakland – okay, but who doesn’t? Kansas City doesn’t, that’s who! The Broncos beat Kansas City too. Then they beat the Cowboys, but are the Cowboys any good this year? Dallas no longer has Terrell Owens, and they had a hard time beating Kansas City. The Chiefs are probably the worst team in the NFL. Last week the Broncos also beat New England. We all can agree that the Patriots are not the Patriots of 2007. That game last week went into overtime, but the Broncos finally bucked them off.

So, what is going to happen in the AFC West? I thought that the Chargers would still make it to the playoffs with a record of 9/7, and at this point in the season they would be 1/3. They are currently 2/2, BUT, if Denver beats them twice they will only end up with a record of 8/8. If Denver continues to do well, they will represent their division in the playoffs, and all I will be able to do is hope for the Chargers to win a Wild Card spot.

The battle comes down to these two teams. Monday will be VERY important. Denver looks great on paper, but I haven’t seen them play yet. San Diego is favored by 3 1/2 points, and the game will be played in San Diego. The Bolts’ defense is ranked 26th!!!??? Denver’s is ranked 2nd. San Diego’s offense is ranked 10th, and the Broncos’ are ranked 6th. San Diego has 7 injured players with only 1 that will definitely miss the game. Denver has 2 injured players with only 1 that will definitely miss the game. Rivers has thrown 1,245 yards in 4 games and Orton has thrown 1,236 in 5 games. Rivers has also thrown 3 interceptions, while Orton only has 1 pick. Rivers averages 296 yards thrown per game, and Orton averages 238. However, Rivers’ completions are 59%, and Orton’s are 63%. San Diego has a pathetic running game of 54 yards each Sunday. Denver has an admirable average rush of 139 each week. San Diego averages 25 points a game, and Denver averages 20. San Diego allows their opponents 26 points a game, but Denver only allows 9! 13 of the 21 experts that I consult are picking the Chargers, and one of the experts has a win/loss record of 58/18, which is the best record of them all. God I hope he is right this week!

LEISURE:

SPORTS:

LT is back on the Bolts’ offense, and Troy Polamalu is still out on the Steelers’ defense from a sprained knee injury. Neither one of those facts made a bit of difference on Sunday night.

San Diego kicked off. Starting from his own 20 yard line, Big Ben threw a pass on the first 3 plays, and he got a first down on every single play moving the ball 67 yards. After that the Steelers rushed for 9 yards giving them a second and one, on San Diego’s 4 yard line. On the next play, Pittsburgh ran for 3 yards making it first and goal on the 1. The next play was a rushed touchdown. Damn, they’re good!

The Steelers kicked off with 11:49 left in the first quarter. Sproles ran the ball to their own 33 yard line. The Chargers then went three and out.

San Diego punted and Pittsburgh returned it to their own 25. In five running plays and eight passing plays, they were back in the endzone. The Steelers are REALLY good!

Pittsburgh kicked off with 4:08 left in the first quarter. Sproles returned it to the San Diego 31. LT got 2 yards, and then Rivers threw a 16 yard pass to Gates. After that, they went three and out. During the punt, a holding call on Pittsburgh gave them possession on their own 3 yard line. The Steelers moved the ball into San Diego territory with four run and two pass plays. Roethlisberger was sacked twice in a row for a major loss of yardage and Pittsburgh finally had to punt. They are human!

Starting from their own 10, LT gained 5. Rivers threw a 15 yard pass to Jackson. A 2nd first down was achieved with a 12 yard pass to Naanee, and then the Chargers went three and out.

Starting from their own 20, Pittsburgh put up another 7 points with six run and eight pass plays.

The Steelers kicked off with 1:28 left in the half, and leading by 21 points. From the 17, Sproles got a first down and then San Diego went three and out to close the first half.

Pittsburgh kicked off and Sproles took it to the 28. Rivers threw an 18 yard pass to Chambers on first down, and then they went three and out.

The Steelers scored again with 7:48 left in the third quarter. So much for it being a close game. San Diego was out-matched. Normally I would have stopped watching at this point, but since I had to write this article, I was forced to witness every painful minute.

From their own 20, 2 first down were achieved with short passes to Jackson and Gates. After a couple of incompletes, Rivers threw a 29 yard pass to Gates. 3 first downs… what a concept! Pittsburgh territory… another concept! Rivers was sacked on the next play. Rivers threw a first down pass to Gates, after an incomplete, to put the Chargers into field goal range for the first time of the night. A pass to Gates, a penalty, and LT got San Diego a first and goal on the 3 yard line. An incomplete pass and LT tripping on a running play, made it third and goal. Finally, a TOUCHDOWN pass to Gates! Keep it up boys. Keep the viewers watching.

Pittsburgh returned the kickoff to their own 28 with 1:28 left in the third quarter. They got a couple of first downs and then went three and out.

Starting from their own 20, Rivers was sacked on first down. They went three and out. When they punted, the Pittsburgh receiver caught the ball on their own 43 yard line. One Charger player missed the tackle, and then 6 other Charger players jumped on this guy. Hester stripped the ball out of his hands before he was brought to the ground, and ran it into the endzone! TOUCHDOWN! San Diego may NOT have their asses handed to them after all!

San Diego kicked off with 12:37 left in the game, and Pittsburgh returned it to their own 30. Eight plays later and they were in the endzone again. They were ahead 21 points with 7:18 left in the game. It was over.

San Diego scored, recovered an on-side kick, scored again, and then Pittsburgh got a field goal. Sproles ran the kickoff to the 50, but Rivers was sacked, he fumbled, and Pittsburgh recovered.

Final Score:
Pittsburgh 38
San Diego 28

Well, 2/2 is better than 1/3. Denver is 4/0! Week 5 is San Diego’s BYE, but I will write a couple of head to head articles about our Bronco matchup. They may be no joke, but they play New England next so they might be 4/1 when we meet up with them.

Two Raider football players were in the bathroom shooting craps, and guess what happened… they blew a hole in the toilet!

LEISURE:

SPORTS:

In 2006, the Steelers stank. That was the last season that Pittsburgh lost 3 games in a row, and that was also the last year that the Chargers beat them. I think that the game this weekend will be very tough and I think that it will be close. Last year the Steelers beat the Chargers by only 1 point in the regular season. A bright spot is that this week only 3 San Diego players are questionable due to injuries, and LT is probable. Unfortunately, the Steelers have one of the best running defenses in the NFL. The Steelers total defense is ranked #8, and the Chargers is ranked #14. The Steelers offense is ranked #12 scoring an average of 16 points, and the Bolts are ranked #8 scoring an average of 24 points… yeah baby! Pittsburgh also has 3 questionable players from previous injuries and 1 probable.

Only 5 experts out of the 26 that I consult have picked the Chargers to win, without the point spread. The game will be played in Pittsburgh. Pittsburgh is 1/0 at home and San Diego is 1/1 on the road. Roethlisberger’s passing is 71% and Rivers’ is only 58.8%. Big Ben has thrown 860 yards so far, but Rivers has thrown for 991. Roethlisberger has thrown 4 interceptions, and Rivers has thrown 3.

Ward and Holmes have caught passes totalling 474 yards, opposed to Jackson and Gates catching a total of 542. Pittsburgh’s defense has allowed 17 points a game, and San Diego’s has allowed 21. The Steelers have rushed for an average of 81 yards per game, and the Chargers have only rushed for an average of 66. the Pittsburgh defense has allowed 77 rushing yards, and San Diego has allowed 142. Pittsburgh has allowed 213 passing yards by their opponents, yet San Diego has only allowed 180.

Pittsburgh is favored by 6.5 points. I think this is a pretty accurate line. I think that the Steelers will win by 7 or less, and I think that they will gain the lead in the last 2 minutes of the game. The entire country will be able to watch this game on Sunday Night.

The Raiders need to toughen up their offensive line, so they just signed a Raiderette to play left guard.

SPORTS RECAP:
LT is still on the injury roster and will probably miss next week against the Steelers as well. This may be the reason that the Chargers are having trouble getting into the endzone.

Miami kicked off and Sproles returned the ball to the 30 yard line. San Diego got two first downs during their first possession and then had to punt.

Miami started from their own 3 yard line. Brown took a few snaps in their Wildcat offense. The ball was easily moved down field. An offsides call on San Diego gave Miami a second down and goal on the 1 yard line. On the next play, Miami fumbled before making it to the goal, and the ball bounced all the way across the endzone until it was recovered out of bounds by a Dolphin player… TOUCHBACK – SAN DIEGO’S BALL!

A pass to Jackson gave San Diego a first down on their own 34, and then Rivers was sacked on the next play. What’s with all the sacks? Where is Rivers’ protection? Why hasn’t Merriman sacked a Quarterback yet this year? Miami has a good rushing defense and they shut Sproles down. The Chargers kept the ball in the air and got the first down after the lost yardage on the sack. From mid-field Rivers threw an 18 yard pass to Floyd. Their effective game plan consisted of 11 and 12 yard passes. Trying to run the ball into the endzone didn’t give them the touchdown, and they had to settle for a field goal. They kicked off with 9:21 left in the half. Statistically, teams that score first, win 51% of NFL games. So I’ve got that going for me!

Miami went three and out.

Sproles recovered and was immediately tackled on the 27 yard line. On second down, Rivers was sacked and he fumbled. San Diego loves to give turnovers back to the other team. The Bolts stopped the touchdown and Miami got a field goal. Miami kicked off with 3:25 left in the half.

Sproles returned the ball to the San Diego 30 yard line. When they reached the 44 yard line, Rivers threw a 30 yard pass to Jackson! A personal foul called on the Chargers prevented them from getting closer than the 20. Kaeding came out again, but he missed the field goal to finish the first half.

When San Diego kicked off, Miami returned it to the 26. The Dolphins got one first down and then went three and out.

Starting from their own 8 yard line, San Diego went three and out.

Miami took the ball to mid-field. Pennington hurt his arm in Miami’s last possession, so Henne took over as quarterback. After the Dolphins got one first down, Henne was sacked. Merriman aggravated his groin injury and he stayed out for the remainder of the game. When the Dolphins got in San Diego territory again, they rushed, passed, and used the Wildcat offense to get within the 10. The Chargers stopped the touchdown, but not the field goal. Miami kicked off with 4:09 left in the third quarter.

Sproles returned the ball to the 25. On first down, Rivers threw a 47 yard pass to Floyd who was under double coverage, and Floyd caught it! On the next play, Rivers handed off to Sproles, who threw the ball back to Rivers, who then threw the ball to Gates for a gain of 19! On third down on the 5 yard line, Rivers kept the ball and ran it in for a TOUCHDOWN! Whoo-hoo! San Diego kicked off with 2:02 left in the third quarter.

Miami returned the ball to their own 29 yard line. Their possession was plagued by false starts and they had to punt.

Sproles returned the ball to the San Diego 32 with 14:47 left in the game. On first down, Rivers threw a 56 yard pass to Jackson! The Chargers couldn’t get another first down and settled for another field goal. Leading 13 to 6, San Diego kicked off with 12:30 left in the second half.

Miami went three and out. Their punt went out of bounds at mid-field with 11:51 left in the fourth quarter.

A lot of rushing, one pass, and one pass interference call on Miami moved San Diego to the Dolphins’ 8 yard line… and guess what? No touchdown! Kaeding has the recognition of being very accurate… probably that is because most of his field goals this year have been under 30 yards. San Diego got another 3 points with 6:55 left in the game.

After a Miami first down on their own 31, Henne threw an interception to Weddle that was ran into the endzone! TOUCHDOWN! Whoo-hoo! The Chargers kicked off with 5:45 left, and San Diego ahead by 17 points. I think that I can relax. Miami would need to break a comeback world record to win this game.

Miami did score, and then they tried an onside kick, but they didn’t get it.

San Diego ran the ball to the 2, and couldn’t get a touchdown in four tries. No surprise there! They let Miami have it, and with just a few seconds left, the Dolphins couldn’t move the ball more than 10 yards.

FINAL SCORE:
San Diego 23, Miami 13.

Maybe the Chargers won’t have their asses handed to them by the Steelers next week. It will be an interesting game.

TAKE A HIKE:
To every single player in the NFL. When there is a fumble, why do all of you players insist on giving your opinion who has the ball? No one cares what you think. Do you think that the referees are going to look at you and say, “Oh, I guess your team has the ball”? No, they are going to untangle the 8 players in the pile and then determine whose ball it is. Keep your fucking arms to your side, because you don’t know who has the ball, and your input doesn’t influence the officials at all.

LEISURE:

During the summer, I really thought that the Chargers would lose Week 3 against Miami. Parcells improved the Dolphins at a geometric rate over the past two years. What the hell happened this year? Granted , they have played Atlanta and Indianapolis, so Miami may still get thir first win this Sunday.

The Chargers are favored by 6, and the game will be played in Southern California. The Chargers defense is ranked #20, and Miami’s is ranked #13. San Diego’s offense is ranked #5, and Miami’s is ranked #17. The Dolphins have 3 injured players and San Diego has 13! However, not a single expert has picked Miami to win. It would be fantastic if this year, the Chargers got their 2nd win before Week 5!

SPORTS:
It looks like the Chargers are going to have another season just like all of their others. Rivers threw for the most yards of his professional career with 436 yards, and they still couldn’t manage to win. LT did not play for the first time since 2004, with a sprained ankle injury.

RECAP:
The Ravens kicked off, and the Chargers went three and out.

The Ravens went three and out.

Starting from the few inches yard line, the Chargers finally got a first down throwing to Jackson. Sproles rushed for 7 yards on the next play, and 2 plays after that Rivers threw a 2 yard pass caught by Sproles on the San Diego 21 yard line. Sproles then ran it all the way downfield for a TOUCHDOWN! He was wide open, and ran like a mo-fo where he faked the hell out of two Ravens’ defenders in the Baltimore red-zone Whoo-hoo!

San Diego kicked off and the Ravens returned the ball to their own 33. The Baltmore offense showed up for this possession. They moved the ball into the end-zone in 8 plays (3 passes and 5 runs). They got a first down on nearly every single play. They had only two second downs and only one third down. They have a very impressive offense.

With the score 7 – 7, Baltimore kicked off with 4:49 left in the first quarter. Cromartie received the ball, and almost made it to the 20, but a personal foul called on the Ravens gave the Chargers another 15 yards. Bennett ran for two plays to the 47. Rivers then threw a 45 yard pass to Floyd! On second and eight, on the Baltimore 5 yard line, Rivers was sacked for a loss of 10. They only gained 5 yards on third so they had to settle for a 29 yard field goal.

From all the injuries incurred during the Raiders game, the Chargers had to try to protect Rivers and stop Baltimore with rookie and back-up linemen on both sides of the ball. The Ravens moved the ball down field and to San Diego’s 23 yard line. On third and eleven, a pass interference foul was called on San Diego, giving Baltimore a first down on the 3 yard line. McGahee was unstoppable, and he rushed in for a touchdown.

Baltimore kicked off and Sproles ran to San Diego’s 34. The Bolts got the ball to mid-field and then Rivers was sacked.

San Diego punted with 8:04 left in the half. Baltimore went three and out.

From their own 38 yard line, Sproles ran the first 2 plays for a 22 yard gain. After an incomplete end-zone pass, Rivers threw a 37 yard pass to Gates, who FUMBLED! The ball was recovered by San Diego on the Ravens’ 2 yard line. Denied a touchdown again! A second field goal put the Chargers behind by only one point with 3:00 left to go in the half.

With runs and passes, the Ravens drove the entire length of the field and scored a touchdown with 1:38 left in the half.

Sproles, the Firefly, ran the Ravens’ kickoff to Baltimore’s 42 yard line.  I love this guy!  An incomplete, a short pass to Gates, and a short pass to Sproles only benefited the Chargers 8 yards.  They go for it on fourth and two.  A 9 yard pass to Gates puts San Diego on the 25 yard line with :29 seconds in the half and the clock continued to run.  Rivers spiked the ball to stop the clock.  A 24 yard pass to Jackson, placed the ball on the 1 with :19 seconds left.  A penalty and a play review stopped the clock.  When play resumed, San Diego was only given :12 seconds on the play clock and were charged with a delay of game.  WTF???!!!  An officiating fuck-up and the penalty was still assessed?  After 2 incompletes and with :10 seconds left on the clock, my good buddy Norv Turner decided to kick a field goal.  That SUCKED!

At halftime the score was Baltimore 21, and San Diego 16.

San Diego started the second half by kicking off and the Ravens return it to their own 42 yard line.  The Ravens went three and punted.  A Charger linebacker was pushed into the punter and the Ravens got the ball back from a roughing the kicker penalty.  On their second chance, the Ravens went three and out again.

Starting from their own 2 yard line, Hester, Chambers, and Sproles gained 22 yards on the first three plays.  After an incomplete, Rivers threw an interception scrambling to escape a sack.  Rivers was scrambling to avoid sacks all afternoon.

The Ravens had no trouble pounding the ball into the end-zone for another Baltimore touchdown.

The kickoff was kicked out of bounds so the Chargers started from their own 40.  A bad ‘chop block’ call took all of San Diego’s gained yardage in the Ravens’ territory.  On third and eighteen from Baltimore’s 35, Rivers threw a TOUCHDOWN pass to Jackson who was under triple coverage by the Ravens.  Whoo-hoo!  The Ravens now only led by 5, with 2:26 left to go in the third quarter.

Baltimore has a great and very well rounded offense.  With rushing and passing, they drove 50 yards to San Diego’s 30.  But on third and eight, Flacco threw a pass that was PICKED OFF, by Cason!  Cason ran the ball back to the San Diego 45 yard line!

The ball was effectively moved with a 15 yard pass, a 10 yard pass, and a 20 yard pass to the Baltimore 10 yard line.  Once again, the Ravens kept the touchdown out of reach.  Kaeding knocked another one in from 25 yards away.

San Diego trailed by 2 and kicked off with 7:11 left in the game.  Baltimore got one first down, and then went three and out.

From their own 7 yard line, Rivers threw two incompletes.  On third, when attempting a 12 yard pass, Chambers was hit before he touched the ball.  The ball bounced off his hands and was caught by a Ravens’ player.  It becomes their ball.

On second and tweleve on San Diego’s 15 yard line, Luis Castillo sacked Flacco for a loss of 10!  It was San Diego’s turn to deny the touchdown, but Baltimore got the field goal.

REAL TIME:

The score is Baltimore 31, San Diego 26, with 2:54 left in the game.  Sproles returns the kickoff to the San Diego 27.  On first and ten, Rivers throws a 37 yard pass to Jackson!  The clock runs.  After an incomplete, the two minute warning is reached.  Play resumes and Rivers throws an 8 yard pass to Manumaleuna.  It’s third and two, and the clock runs.  Sproles rushed for 4 yards to Baltimore’s 24.  The clock runs.  Rivers attempts a touchdown pass to Naanee, that is incomplete stopping the clock with :52 seconds, and making in second and ten.  Rivers throws an 8 yard pass to Naanee, and San Diego calls a timeout with :41 seconds left.  On third and two, at the Baltimore 15 yard line, Rivers throws an incomplete pass.  With :37 seconds left, the Chargers go for it on fourth and two.  They hand the ball off to Sproles as Ray Lewis busts through the offensive line hammering Sproles for a loss of 5.  Flacco downs the remaining play.  Final score Baltimore 31, San Diego 26.  I TOLD YOU!  I knew that the Chargers were going to lose this game.

TAKE A HIKE:

My Take A Hike section goes to the referees of this game.  There were so many bad calls.  During a booth review, the play clock froze at :12 seconds, and the Chargers were penalized with a delay of game… the ball had not been snapped yet… it was a officials’ mistake, but the penalty counted?  The Chargers were given a chop block penalty as well… the block started above the waist of the Ravens’ player and then the Charger player fell… it was not a chop block.  During a Ravens’ possession, a referee ran up to the Ravens center, while Flacco was calling the play signals.  After a few seconds, the referee ran out of the way.  The confusion caused a false start called on the Ravens… I have never seen anything like that before, and even the commentators mentioned how odd it was.  In the play of Baltimore’s second interception, Chambers was hit by a Ravens’ player, before he touched the ball. An official said that there were two fouls against the Chargers, but the fouls were really against the Ravens. An official called a foul on Charger #23, when #23 wasn’t even on the field.  The last two calls are really unnacceptable.  If you don’t even know which team the penaly is against, and which player the penalty is against, then you shouldn’t even been on the field.  Last year, some of San Diego’s losses were due to poor referee calls.  I don’t want to go through that again!

LEISURE:

See what I mean about the Tampa Bay Bucaneers’ cheerleader uniforms?  These are really hot!

SPORTS:
Good day dear readers, have you ‘geared up’ for week 2? I need something explained to me. Who decides the point spread for an upcoming NFL game, and what planet are they from? Each year, I see at least one ridiculous line that has absolutely no basis for support, and this week I have witnessed this lunacy for the Chargers/Ravens game. Get this… the Chargers are favored by 3.5! Isn’t that the most bizarre thing that you have ever heard? The Chargers are going to be smoked this Sunday, and I will explain why.

First of all, San Diego is all banged up. I ragged on LT’s performance last week, and recently discovered that he sprained his ankle in the game. That is why he was sidelined most of the 2nd half. I love to watch Tomlinson, and I have a great deal of respect for the man, but he is 30 years old. In the NFL, 30 is a senior citizen, especially for a running back. This is also the third year in a row that he has been hurt during the season. The other injured Bolts are: Antwan Applewhite (Merriman’s backup), Travis Johnson (Castillo’s backup), Jamal Williams (starting nose tackle), Louis Vasquez (starting right guard), Nick Hardwick (starting center), Marcus McNeill (starting left tackle), and their punter Mike Scifres. Scifres also hold the ball for the San Diego place kicker. Most of these guys are questionable, but even if they play, they won’t be 100%. On the Ravens’ squad, their starting linebacker hurt his knee, but he is probable for week 2 – which means he’ll play. Their 1st and 2nd string free safeties both are recovering from concussions and are questionable for week 2. The starting linebacker had a concussion, but he is probable – which means he’ll play. The Ravens’ back-up tight end is also questionable.

I checked several expert picks for this game as well as some computers’ picks for the winner. The results were about 50/50. Is everyone on the face of the Earth, except me, living in La-La land? Since the Chargers are favored by 3.5, the .5 means that San Diego is considered the better team. How could this be?

I did not watch Baltimore’s game last week, but I was not pleased with San Diego’s defense. They could not stop the Raiders’ running game at all. The Chargers’ offense didn’t show up until the last half of the 4th quarter. Also, whenever a team has Norv Turner as the head coach, that team should expect to lose.

As far as rankings are concerned, the Chargers are really stinking up the place. The results of week 1 ranks San Diego’s defense at 25th. Their offense is currently ranked at 14th. Baltimore’s defense is ranked at #3, and their offense is ranked at #2.

I am really flabbergasted at the 3.5 point spread. The only things that I can think of that might explain it is that San Diego’s record at home since 2006, is 20/4, and the Ravens’ record of their last 8 road openers is 1/7. Also, playing after a short week, following a Monday night game, the Chargers have won their last 4 in a row by an average of 17 points, but 3 of these wins were against Oakland, and the Raiders have played like ass for the last 6 years. The Chargers have scored more points than every other team in the NFL since the start of 2005, besides New England. However, that fact didn’t improve their record last year of 8/8. Last year the Ravens’ defense allowed fewer yards than every other team in the NFL, besides Pittsburgh, and they forced an astounding 34 turnovers. As far as power rankings for week 1 are stacked, the Ravens are 11th, and the Chargers are 12th.

These two teams did not play each other last year, but I still don’t understand the line. I really hope that someone tells me why the Chargers will win. Don’t get me wrong, I hope they do, but I only think that is possible if September 20th is Opposite Day. If this Sunday is Opposite Day, Saint Louis would have been favored by 10 points over Washington. Last week I was wrong with my betting advice, and said I would keep my opinions to myself, but I would lay down several C-Notes on Baltimore this week, if I had them.

LEISURE:

]]> http://chargers.gearupforsports.com/blog/2009/09/will-the-chargers-be-11/feed/ 3 http://chargers.gearupforsports.com/blog/2009/09/will-the-chargers-be-11/ http://feedproxy.google.com/~r/gearupforsports/chargers/~3/R-sxfW6qXok/ http://chargers.gearupforsports.com/blog/2009/09/a-chargerraider-nail-biting-opener/#comments Wed, 16 Sep 2009 15:56:51 +0000 Kevin McCarty http://chargers.gearupforsports.com/blog/?p=265

SPORTS:

Greetings sports fans. What a fantastic evening, of comeback Monday Night Football games, to start the regular seaon!

RECAP:
San Diego kicked off, and Okakland returned the ball to their own 27 yard line. On the first play, Michael Bush rushed for 17 yards, and on the second play, Darren McFadden rushed for 9. This happened all night long! They are very strong offensive backs, and the Chargers had a tough time containing their runs. San Diego started defensive rookie Luis Castillo. The Raiders effectively moved the ball into Charger territory and then Russell attempted a 20 yard pass that was picked off! Quentin Jammer, intecepted and ran the ball back to the San Diego 29 yard line! Whoo-hoo!

The Chargers took over with 10:55 left in the first quarter. This was a fantastic turn of events, and then the Chargers went 3 and out. San Diego started offensive rookie lineman, Luis Vasquez.
Bush and McFadden rushed 8 out of the next 10 plays, after the punt, and gained 84 yards moving the ball down the entire field. Bush scored a touchdown with 3:13 left in the first. The Oakland offense dominated San Diego and could have easily scored 35 points.

Oakland kicked off to the Firefly, Darren Sproles, who caught the ball on the 1 yard line. Some effecttive blocking got him to the San Diego 30, a fake move got him to the Oakland 40, and then this little guy (he is only 5′ 6″) was caught by five Raider defenders and brought down on the Oakland 33 yard line! Whoo-hoo! LT and Jackson got San Diego a first down on the Oakland 21 and then Rivers was sacked. They got some of the lost yardage back, but on 3rd and 8, LT caught a shuffle pass, ran for 3 yards, fumbled and the ball was recovered by Oakland. FUCK ME! That makes two golden opportunities that the Bolts couldn’t capitalize on. San Diego needs Serena Williams to threaten the Raiders defense. Maybe I shouldn’t be so hard on LT. He hasn’t lost a ball since October of 2006, but his rushing wasn’t setting anything on fire either.
The Raiders took over at the beginning of the second quarter. They marched to mid-field and then they fumbled! Saddle-up Chargers offense, it’s time to go to work… and your coffee breaks are over. Let’s be productive this time.
With 9:07 left in the half, San Diego took over on the Raiders’ 45 yard line. In three plays, LT, Sproles, and Gates got San Diego into field goal range. Another pass to Gates got the Chargers inside of the 1, and LT found pay dirt on the next play! Whoo-hoo! It was 7 to 7 with 4:45 left in the half.
The Raiders, finally, went 3 and out.
And then the Chargers went 3 and out.
The Raiders effectively moved the ball the entire length of the field in only 2:00 minutes. Russell threw an end-zone pass to the rookie wide receiver, Louis Murphy. The official review concluded that the receiver did not have possession before the play was over. I am a Raider-hater, and I love the Chargers, but in my honest and fair opinion, this was a bad call. It should have been a touchdown. The TV commentators were also stunned by the call. They replayed it in slow motion 11 times and from several angles. Murphy jumped in the air and caught the ball, it wobbled slightly in his arms, and then he maintained control. After he had control, he got one foot down, the second foot came down, and then he maintained control of the unmoving ball all the way down until his torso hit the ground. When his upper body hit the ground, THEN he lost the ball. I am glad that it went the way it did, but I think that was an official’s error. The Raiders settled for a field goal. Up until this point, Oakland was clearly winning. They converted six out of eight 3rd downs, and they had a superb running game.
Sproles caught the kickoff on about the 1/4 yard line. Effective blocking got him to the San Diego 25, and then Sproles turned on the talent that earned him the nickname Firefly! He sped by three Raider defenders who should have brought him down, and then another Raider player finally pushed him out of bounds on the Oakland 41 yard line! Whoo-hoo! Sproles and Naanee moved the ball to the 27, and Rivers was sacked with :05 seconds left in the half. Kaeding came out for a 47 yard field goal attempt. Kaeding is the 2nd most accurate kicker in NFL history, only behind Mike Vanderjagt. I think that he is a little too small for 45 yard plus kicks, but he made this one.
It was 10 – 10 at the half.
On the kickoff that started the third quarter, Sproles only made it to the San Diego 15 yard line. LT just couldn’t get going, but Floyd, Naanee, and Jackson caught passes moving the ball to Oakland’s 41. On 3rd and 3, Rivers threw an interception.
Oakland went 3 and out – thank God!
San Diego went 3 and out.
And then Oakland went 3 and out.
San Diego got a first down, but were charged 20 yards in fouls. They punted from their own 12 yard line.
Oakland went 3 and out.
San Diego went 3 and out. Besides the Sproles returns, the Chargers had no planned big flashes in the first three quarters. The end of the third quarter found the Raiders marching into the San Diego red-zone from runs and passes. On 3rd and 8, the Raiders only gained 2 yards making it to the San Diego 17 yard line, where they kicked a field goal. The Raiders led the Chargers 13 – 10 with 13:01 left in the game.
Starting from San Diego’s 23, LT, Sproles, and Gates moved the ball to their own 45. On 2nd and 5 from there, Rivers threw a 26 yard pass to Gates. Sproles then got San Diego to the Oakland 16 yard line from a short pass. After a running gain of one yard, Rivers found Jackson in the end-zone… TOUCHDOWN! Whoo-hoo!
The Chargers kicked off with 7:22 left in the game, and the ball was returned to the Oakland 30. After Bush gained 9 yards, Russell performed a quarterback sneak for the 1st down, and got hurt when Merriman fell on his leg. Gradkowski stepped in, to gain the 1st down, and then Russell came back in. A penalty, a run, a sack, and an incomplete pass, made it 4th and 15 from Oakland’s own 42. With 2:41 left in the game, they went for it on 4th down. Russell threw the ball to Murphy, and it was caught on the 15 yard line with no one in front of him. Touchdown Oakland.
REAL TIME:
The score is Oakland 20, San Diego 17. The Raiders kickoff with 2:34 left in the game. Sproles returns the ball to the San Diego 11. 2:30 remains. Rivers stays in the shotgun and no huddle offenses, and throws the ball to Naanee and Jackson for a 1st, on the San Diego 30. The two minute warning stops the clock. Sproles catches a short pass, gets the 1st, and steps out of bounds at the San Diego 45 with 1:50 left to go. A 5 yard pass is caught by Naanee and he runs an additional 20 yards, when he runs out of bounds at the Oakland 31, with 1:42 left on the clock. An incomplete pass makes it 2nd and 10. A pass to Sproles, gets San Diego 9 more yards, but he was stopped in the middle of the field, so the clock continues to run. A 14 yard pass to Gates put San Diego on the 9, with :46 seconds left. Sproles runs the ball to the 5, and the clock continues to run. Oakland calls a timeout before the snap with :21 seconds left. On the next play, Sproles plays like a Firefly and sprints into the end-zone almost untouched… TOUCHDOWN! Whoo-hoo!
On the first play of their next possession, Russell throws a hail-mary pass that is intercepted by San Diego.
Final score: San Diego 24 – Oakland 20
TAKE A HIKE:
I am an equal opportunity Take A Hike name-caller. If a Charger does something that is unsportsman like, I will call him on it. Phillip Rivers needs to check his ego and aggression at the door. Late in the 3rd quarter, at the end of a play, he walks over to a Raider player, who is on the ground, yells at him, and then throws the ball at him. Personal foul – half the distance to the goal – rightfully so.

HANDICAPPING:
I hope that none of you took my advice and bet money on the game. Maybe I should keep my gambling prognostication to myself. The Chargers beat the Raiders for the 12th time in a row, which ties the record of one team beating another team successively (New England beating Buffalo 12 times in a row). The Charger/Raider game was very close. The Raiders played a lot better than I thought they would. The Chargers will need to be careful when they meet the Raiders again on November 1st.
LT is 30. He only rushed for 55 yards. His football days may be over.
I hope you Charger fans enjoyed the win, because San Diego is going to lose the next three games!

SPORTS:

Okay dear readers, the regular season is finally here! The San Diego Chargers have the luxury of an extra day of rest, and will play Monday Night Football in week one. Every year, the first Monday Night of the regular NFL season features two games. The Bolts will take on the Raiders, after the Bills play the Patriots.
Late each week, I will provide head to head analysis of the San Diego matchups, and then I’ll recap the games, early the following week. I will also give you my opinion of which team, in Charger games, you should bet on. However, don’t send Guido to come and break my legs, if I am wrong. The football itself, has a funny shape to it… you never know how it is going to bounce.
First of all, I hate the Raiders. I have always hated the Raiders, and they have always been the dirtiest team in the league. The last few years has brought me much joy, witnessing their losing seasons. Also, everyone loves to see a bully, get bullied. If any of you are regular readers of my column, you know that I insult the Raiders in every article that I write. That is one of my signatures. I also attach a photo of an NFL cheerleader to every article that I write, but let’s bash the Raiders first.
To begin the season, there were several roster adjustments made by both teams. The latest changes are that the Raiders cut running back Gary Russell. The Raiders also cut quarterback Jeff Garcia, and held onto Bruce Gradkowski and Charlie Frye to back-up JaMarcus Russell. That was dumb! Justin Fargas has been named the number one running back by the Raider organization. The Chargers added receiver Gary Banks, linebackers Darry Beckwith and James Holt, offensive tackle Corey Clark, defensive end Andre Coleman, fullback Billy Latsko, and center Ryan McDonald.
As far as injuries are concerned, the Raiders #1 wide receiver Chaz Schilens is out, recovering from a broken foot surgery. Even though Justin Fargas is the #1 running back, he is questionable for week one because of a hamstring injury. Oakland’s defensive back Nnambi Asomugha is questionable with a wrist injury. The Chargers have no injured players at all.
The legal troubles that are plaguing both teams, are that the Raiders head coach, Tom Cable, allegedly slugged an assistant defensive coach and fractured his jaw. The Chargers’ Shawne Merriman was arrested last weekend for allegedly choking and detaining his girlfriend Tila Tequila.
Last year the Raiders’ defense was ranked 27th, and the Chargers’ defense was ranked 25th. Oakland’s offense was ranked 29th last year, and San Diego’s was ranked 11th.
The point spread is favoring San Diego by 9 1/2. BET ON THE CHARGERS!!!!!! The spread is less than one touchdown and one field goal! All biases aside, I believe that the Chargers are going to win by a minimum of 14 points.

LEISURE:

Gentlemen, meet Abigail Klein. In my, “Building The Perfect Cheerleader” artical, Miss Klein was a runner up in every single category, finally winning for the best butt. I researched the picture below when judging the cutest face. Enjoy!