Tag: San Diego Chargers (Page 24 of 40)

      Big Ben to start against Chargers

      January 5, 2009 /

      Pittsburgh Steelers’ quarterback Ben Roethlisberger practiced Monday and will start this Sunday against the San Diego Chargers in the Divisional Round of the playoffs.

      Ben RoethlisbergerQuarterback Ben Roethlisberger said today he passed his final post-concussion test and will play on Sunday when the Steelers open the playoffs against the San Diego Chargers at Heinz Field.

      Roethlisberger left the Steelers final regular-season game on Dec. 28 with a concussion just before halftime. Roethlisberger is taking the field this afternoon to practice for the first time since his injury.

      He said he’s taken several tests over the past week, that he feels fine and will take no further precautions.

      The Steelers’ offensive line needs to protect this guy or else there’s a great chance we’ll be seeing Byron Leftwich sometime this postseason. For as good as the Pittsburgh defense is, the Steelers’ offensive line has issues and Big Ben has always had problems hanging onto the ball too long. Regardless, this is great news for the Steelers and this is a great example of how big having that off week is in the playoffs.

      NFL

      LT to miss rest of playoffs?

      January 5, 2009 /

      The San Diego Tribune is reporting that Chargers’ running back LaDainian Tomlinson could miss the remainder of the postseason with a groin injury.

      LaDainian TomlinsonWhile they’re using phrases like “day to day” and “we’ll see,” no one in the Chargers organization truly expects LaDainian Tomlinson to play Sunday at Pittsburgh.

      But the Chargers will not place Tomlinson on injured reserve, in the hope that he still could play in the postseason.

      “He might be able to play in another week if we were able to go on,” coach Norv Turner said. “Or maybe he could play in another week after that.”

      The likelihood, according to sources, is that Tomlinson’s severely strained groin will keep him out the rest of the postseason and will require surgery. But Turner reported Sunday that the injury “is not any worse” after Tomlinson played on it Saturday.

      Good thing for Darren Sproles. If they can, the Chargers are going to have to lock up Sproles in the offseason or if they can’t sign him, draft a back that can be the future. Maybe with a full offseason of rest, LT can bounce back and be productive again next year, although it’s doubtful that he’ll ever be as productive as he was during his MVP days. It’s time for the Chargers to think about the future.

      NFL

      Postseason slaps Colts once again

      January 4, 2009 /

      This is what the Indianapolis Colts have done in the postseason since the NFL realigned its divisions in 2002:

      2002: Lost 41-0 to Jets in Wild Card round
      2003: Lost 24-14 to Patriots in AFC Championship Game
      2004: Lost 20-3 to Patriots in Divisional round
      2005: Lost 21-18 to Steelers in Divisional round
      2006: Won 29-17 over Bears in Super Bowl
      2007: Lost 28-24 to Chargers in Divisional round
      2008: Lost 23-17 to Chargers in Wild Card round

      The Colts have made the playoffs every year since 2002 and yet they’ve appeared in just one Super Bowl over the span of those seven years and just two AFC Championship Games.

      That’s it.

      Peyton ManningWhile most teams (and their fans for that matter) would love to make the playoffs every year, it’s absolutely mind-boggling how this team continuously finds ways to lose in the postseason. You watch their playoff game in San Diego Saturday night and even though they’re up 17-14 with under five minutes remaining, you can’t help but think, “they’re going to blow this.”

      Indy has a three-time MVP at quarterback in Peyton Manning, one of the best receiving corps in the nation (counting TE Dallas Clark), and one of the best coaches in the NFL in Tony Dungy. Yet even with all of that talent and experience, the Colts fail year in and year out to make postseason runs. You’d think that a team that made it to the playoffs every year would have more than one Super Bowl appearance, but it just goes to show you how hard it is to win in the NFL.

      Getting back to their loss Saturday night to the Chargers, the Colts absolutely shot themselves in the foot with penalties in overtime. Although the defensive holding call on Tim Jennings on that 3rd and 8 was questionable to say the least. Was it a textbook hold? Maybe, but we’ve all seen worse. Then Clint Session’s facemask penalty was the nail in the coffin because that set San Diego up with game-winning-type field position.

      I know it was easy to point at Manning’s struggles in the postseason before he won the Super Bowl in 2006, but this game wasn’t on him. He threw for 310 yards, one touchdown and didn’t turn the ball over. What more do you want from him? He had zero running game and you just have to tip your hat to the Chargers’ secondary for locking down the Colts’ receivers late in the game. So nobody should be talking about another classic Manning choke job after this loss, because this wasn’t on him.

      Either way, the Colts will be home once again come Super Bowl weekend. Maybe their loss this year shouldn’t be much of a surprise considering they were a Wild Card team, but it’s pretty safe to say that many of us expected more from a team that won nine in a row to close out the season.

      NFL

      Ron Rivera turned around Chargers’ season

      January 4, 2009 /

      San Diego ChargersOctober 28, 2008 is the day the San Diego Chargers’ season turned around. That was the day they replaced former defensive coordinator Ted Cottrell with Ron Rivera, the same Ron Rivera that helped make the Chicago Bears NFC Champions in 2006.

      Thanks to Rivera’s guidance, the Chargers’ defense went from a unit that was getting beaten on a weekly basis, to a unit that played to their strengths and masked their weaknesses with sound game plans.

      In the Bolts’ impressive 23-17 overtime playoff win Saturday night against the Indianapolis Colts, Rivera’s bunch saved their best play for when it mattered most: when the game was hanging in the balance.

      After a 72-yard touchdown reception by Reggie Wayne midway through the third quarter to put the Colts ahead 17-14, the Chargers put the clamps down on Peyton Manning and the Indy offense. While Manning did throw for 310 yards and a touchdown, he failed to move his team much in the fourth quarter, including in drives where one more touchdown would have put the game out of reach. The Chargers’ front seven got consistent pressure on Manning, stuffed the Colts’ running game and gave their offense a chance to win. (Which they did.)

      And speaking of the San Diego offense, Darren Sproles proved that he is much more than LaDainian Tomlinson’s backup. He rushed for 105 yards on 22 carries and scored two touchdowns, the second of which won the game in OT. While everybody else on the field was going at 100 mph, he seemed to be playing at 150 mph. He truly was the spark that the Chargers needed, and helped take the game of Philip Rivers’ shoulders, which was huge because the NFL leader in passing efficiency wasn’t particularly sharp Saturday night.

      What the Chargers did tonight was prove that regular season records mean nothing in the postseason. People can still talk about the Patriots being screwed out of a chance to play for a Super Bowl (which they were), but nobody can say now that the Chargers don’t belong in the postseason. They beat the hottest team in the league, shutdown the league’s Most Valuable Player in the fourth quarter, and displayed a very good young talent in Sproles.

      And if Rivera’s defense can continue to play as well as it has over the past month, don’t assume that the Chargers can’t go into Tennessee or Pittsburgh next week and win. They’re playing with house money right now and just picked up some momentum.

      NFL

      LT has torn tendon – how effective will he be?

      January 3, 2009 /

      According to ESPN.com, San Diego Chargers’ tailback LaDainian Tomlinson has a detached tendon that connects to his groin muscle to his public bone.

      Tomlinson has been listed as a game-time decision against the Indianapolis Colts in Saturday night’s AFC wild-card playoff game with a groin strain, and sources say he is going to attempt to play because physical therapy has given him some relief.

      His playing status is expected to be determined after he tests the injury during a pregame warmup.
      Doctors discovered through scans that Tomlinson had an “avulsion” on one of three adductor muscles, meaning a tendon that connects the muscle to the pubic bone has detached, team sources said. The injury can affect Tomlinson’s ability to make sharp cuts and other movements.

      It is unknown if Tomlinson eventually will require surgery to reattach the tendon.

      First of all, ouch. Secondly, there’s no way the Chargers can rely on LT against the Colts. Darren Sproles should get the majority of the carries, while Philip Rivers and the passing game will be the main focus. Jerome Bettis said on “Football Night in America” that he had a similar injury during his playing days and wasn’t that effective. That’s just one player and one injury, but I highly doubt LT will be that effective come kickoff Thursday night.

      NFL

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