San Diego Chargers vs. Kansas City Chiefs: Three Bold Predictions

Mediocrity and the San Diego Chargers seem to go hand in hand.
At times, the Chargers look dominant and ready to take control of the AFC West.
However, there are other times when the seat really heats up for Norv Turner.
Last week's drubbing by the hands of Atlanta 27-3, makes us sports fans really scratch their heads.
Meanwhile, the Chiefs were dead in the water trailing 24-6 against New Orleans, but they came alive and roared back winning that game in overtime.
Is Jamaal Charles really back from his injury? He looked the part last Sunday.
Here are three bold predictions.
Bold Prediction No. 1: The Chargers will throw the ball  -- A LOT
Look for San Diego to exploit the Chiefs' undersized secondary on Sunday. Kansas City’s best cover corner, Brandon Flowers, is only 5-10, so look for Philip Rivers to utilizes his taller receivers to get their offense going.
Kansas City’s pass defense is ranked 12^th in the league, which isn’t bad, but the Chargers' receivers are way more athletic and Norv Turner is excellent at spreading the ball around. After three games, Rivers' numbers aren’t impressive 688 passing yards, 4 touchdowns and 3 interceptions, but I expect those numbers to get a major boost in Kansas City.
Rivalry games bring out the best in great players, and Rivers will deliver.
But will it be enough for the win? Rivers' stat line: 27 for 41 360 yards, 3 touchdowns 1, interception.
Bold Prediction No. 2: Feed the Beast -- Charles will keep running, and running and running
Jamaal Charles leads the NFL in rushing with 323 yards and averaging six yards per carry. Charles ran for 233 yards against the Saints including that spectacular 91-yard touchdown so the Chiefs will live and die with the running game.
The Chargers are no slouch against the run. They are giving up 67 yards per game which is fourth in the NFL. Expect Chargers linebackers, Takeo Spikes and Donald Butler, to really play close attention to Charles and contain him early. However, as we found out last week, Charles can explode at any time. Charles' stat line: 23 carries 98 yards.  
Bold Prediction No. 3: Cassel will struggle, but the Chiefs find a way to win at home
Matt Cassel's numbers have not been impressive. In fact, he is borderline to be replaced if he keeps playing that way. Throwing four interceptions with a talented offensive cast surrounding him is not acceptable.
However, the Chiefs are playing at home in front of a rabid home crowd so I expect his numbers to mirror that of Rivers. With Jamaal Charles emerging as one of the NFL’s best running backs, the pressure is off of Cassel a bit. All he needs to do is to get the ball into the hands of Dwayne Bowe and Dexter McCluster and get out of the way.
KC has a potent three-headed monster attack, so look for the home crowd to will the Chiefs to a victory over their rival.

San Diego Chargers Daily Links: September 25, 2012

The Falcons game could have gone a lot differently if Mathews didn’t fumble near the Falcons' goal line. A touchdown there and the Chargers would have taken a 7-6 lead early in the second quarter. Obviously Mathews is a bellcow back for San Diego, but fumbles have been an issue in his career (11 total, six lost) and this was his first game action since the preseason opener. Maybe looking to Jackie Battle or Le’Ron McClain in that situation would have been a better option.

Mathews tries to shake off fumble - Scott Bair
"I told him to take those frustrations out on the next play and carry it on to Sunday against the Chiefs," McClain said Monday. "You can't dwell on the past, but you can learn from it. You can be better because of it. Ryan is so gifted, and his future is bright. I think he's going to respond well and play great football. He's going to be fine."

Bennett Honored to be Inducted into Chargers Hall of Fame - Ricky Henne
For the first time in team history, the San Diego Chargers allowed the fans to vote for the newest inductee into the Chargers Hall of Fame. Over 25,000 votes were cast, and in the end, punter Darren Bennett edged running back Natrone Means and wide receiver Anthony Miller to become the 36th member of the team’s hall of fame.

ReFo: Chiefs @ Saints, Week 3 - John Maney
While Charles was the man on offense, Justin Houston (+5.1) stole the show on the Kansas City defense, producing one of the most complete performances you will see from an outside linebacker in a base 3-4 defense. Lining up on the left side of the defense on 52 of his 61 snaps, Houston abused Saints’ right tackle Zach Strief, finishing the game with three sacks, three hurries, and a QB hit.

Turner Assumes Responsibility for Making Improvements - Ricky Henne
Sunday’s game against the Atlanta Falcons was a disappointment, and no one understands that more than head coach Norv Turner. That’s why when addressing the media on Monday, he made it clear that he is putting the onus on himself to figure out what went wrong and get the team back on track starting with the upcoming game against the Kansas City Chiefs.

Chargers shake off a sour first loss - Michael Gehlken (UT$)
"I don’t know that anyone knows where their team is right now," Turner said. "It’s early. … I’m upset as anyone in San Diego. I don’t like going out and having our team perform the way we performed. It happened; we’ve got to fix it. We will do everything in our power to fix it.

Moving on: San Diego Chargers - Bill Williamson
The Chargers were hammered by the Falcons, but backup running back Jackie Battle looked good for the second straight game. He had 55 yards on three carries. He should continue to be in the rotation

Chargers report: Philip Rivers not the only one to blame in San Diego

The Chargers quarterback won't be heard faulting his offensive line, consistently praising their work in the trenches despite pressure allowed with all-too-constant frequency, and he won't be seen pointing a finger at his receivers. But his supporting cast lacked in support Sunday in a 27-3 loss to the Falcons.
Never mind, for a moment, Atlanta was the Chargers' toughest opponent yet and deserves plenty of credit for forcing the issue.
In the locker room after the game, tight end Antonio Gates and wide receiver Malcom Floyd both accepted blame without prompting, saying they need to do a better job of looking the ball into their hands and completing the catch.
Their key drops aside, the pass protection struggled with Rivers under pressure on both his interceptions.
Rivers, sacked once, completed 21 of 38 passes for 173 yards. It was his lowest yardage total in a game since the 2009 season, and the performance broke a streak of 11 straight games with at least one touchdown pass.
Rivers had a 45.2 quarterback rating, his lowest since a 11-10 loss in Pittsburgh in 2008.
He expressed confidence the team can rebound next week against the Chiefs.
NOTES: Three of the Falcons' four touchdowns directly followed Chargers gaffes. In the second quarter, a Ryan Mathews fumble and Rivers interception each turned into scoring drives. In the fourth, punter Mike Scifres mis-hit a punt from the back of his end zone, sailing out of bounds at the Chargers' own 32-yard line. Scifres is as consistent as they come in the battle for field position, so the error was rare. Said Scifres: “It'll never happen again. I can tell you that.”

San Diego Chargers re-sign huge LT Jared Gaither

The San Diego Chargers on Wednesday re-signed mammoth left tackle Jared Gaither, who helped stabilize their offensive line last season.

Gaither, who is 6-9, 350 pounds, got to a four-year deal. Financial terms were not immediately available.

After playing his first three seasons with the Baltimore Ravens, Gaither was let go by last offseason. He was signed by the Kansas City Chiefs, where he spent 10 games as a backup before being cut. He then hooked on with the Chargers and started the last five games at left tackle.

As expected, the Chargers released left tackle Marcus McNeill this week because of lingering spine and neck issues. That cleared the way for them to re-sign Gaither, who provided dominant play in December.

The move comes with risk, however, because Gaither wasn’t always motivated in Baltimore and Kansas City. On the plus side, Gaither turns 26 next week, so he should have several prime years ahead.

On Tuesday, the Chargers re-signed center Nick Hardwick—another top priority on their offseason to-do list. Hardwick got a three-year deal shortly before he was scheduled to become an unrestricted free agent.

The San Diego Chargers are showing improvements on defense

Christopher Hanewinckel-US Presswire

The San Diego Chargers continued to show improvements on defense this season in Sunday’s 38-10 victory against the Tennessee Titans.

San Diego allowed 212 total yards of offense, Tennessee quarterback Jake Locker completed 50 percent of his passes with one touchdown and one interception while Chris Johnson had eight rushing attempts for 17 yards.

In two previous games against San Diego, Johnson combined for 36 attempts, 201 yards and two rushing touchdowns.  San Diego needed to and did contain Johnson so he was unable to take pressure away from Tennessee’s second year QB.

In 2011, 10 teams allowed more points per game than San Diego.  The Chargers also allowed about 5.8 yards per play to go along with the 23.6 points per game they gave up.  There were only seven teams who allowed more yards per play than the Lightning Bolts.

San Diego ranked last in the NFL at stopping teams on third downs as they allowed opponents to convert 49 percent of the time.  San Diego has shown improvement through the first two games this season.

San Diego allowed 14 points in their regular season opener which was a win against the Oakland Raiders.  In two games, San Diego allowed about 4.9 yards per play.  There are only eight teams who allowed fewer yards per play so far in 2012.

San Diego’s defense will face their first true test of the regular season against the Atlanta Falcons in San Diego on Sunday at 1:05 PDT. Atlanta ranked seventh in the NFL in points per game during the 2011 season and currently rank second at 33.5 for the 2012 season.

Atlanta QB Matt Ryan leads the NFL with five touchdown passes and no interceptions, so the Chargers will be in for a battle.
Read more at http://www.rantsports.com/nfl/2012/09/18/the-san-diego-chargers-are-showing-improvements-on-defense/#Q23iJv2EJGs8jOe2.99

The San Diego Chargers are showing improvements on defense

The San Diego Chargers continued to show improvements on defense this season in Sunday’s 38-10 victory against the Tennessee Titans.

San Diego allowed 212 total yards of offense, Tennessee quarterback Jake Locker completed 50 percent of his passes with one touchdown and one interception while Chris Johnson had eight rushing attempts for 17 yards.

In two previous games against San Diego, Johnson combined for 36 attempts, 201 yards and two rushing touchdowns.  San Diego needed to and did contain Johnson so he was unable to take pressure away from Tennessee’s second year QB.

In 2011, 10 teams allowed more points per game than San Diego.  The Chargers also allowed about 5.8 yards per play to go along with the 23.6 points per game they gave up.  There were only seven teams who allowed more yards per play than the Lightning Bolts.

San Diego ranked last in the NFL at stopping teams on third downs as they allowed opponents to convert 49 percent of the time.  San Diego has shown improvement through the first two games this season.

San Diego allowed 14 points in their regular season opener which was a win against the Oakland Raiders.  In two games, San Diego allowed about 4.9 yards per play.  There are only eight teams who allowed fewer yards per play so far in 2012.

San Diego’s defense will face their first true test of the regular season against the Atlanta Falcons in San Diego on Sunday at 1:05 PDT. Atlanta ranked seventh in the NFL in points per game during the 2011 season and currently rank second at 33.5 for the 2012 season.

Atlanta QB Matt Ryan leads the NFL with five touchdown passes and no interceptions, so the Chargers will be in for a battle.




Read more at http://www.rantsports.com/nfl/2012/09/18/the-san-diego-chargers-are-showing-improvements-on-defense/#Q23iJv2EJGs8jOe2.99

Sports Where San Diego Chargers Based Its NameRevolution was made

Where San Diego Chargers Based Its NameRevolution was made known to men the moment Benjamin Franklin made that risk to tie that kite to catch the charge caused by lightning. Truly, “charging” and electricity has delivered a lot of development to the entire world. The charge created by electricity which allows us to automate processes that are essential for the continuous enhancement in our daily lives. It makes household appliances do the job, computers, gigantic equipment and nearly all things accomplish the task.
Charge will not only mean electricity, the power of the word charge can also be put to use in business transactions. Just like credit cards. So long as it is with the credit limit of one's account, you can simply “charge” the things you really want and go buy straight away. Individuals keep “charging” what they really wish to get right up until they meet their wants. However, we are accountable and in charge for this kind of “charging”. This indicates that the term “Charge” suggests power and authority. And anyone has possessed that power of “charge” has the power to make things possible. One has to “recharge” to restore that power. Charging and recharging work together and makes perfect sense.
Undoubtedly, the word “charge” basically gives power and authority. This is where the professional football team, San Diego Chargers based their franchise name.
This team is a part of the bigger California and chiefly began to play under Los Angeles. However they transferred to San Diego following their very first season and received their initial title in the American Football League.
They have been displaying that they have something to clearly show ever since the merge of the American Football League and the National Football League. And since 2006, they have made 10 trips to the playoffs and 4 performances in the National Football Conference Championship Games. The San Diego Chargers team strives hard to better their game with the desires of succeeding a Super Bowl at some point.
And talking about California, which is the home of different tremendously competitive football teams like San Diego Chargers, it's without a doubt that the “Cali Life” really supports football. This is exactly why Chargers Tickets are continually sold out. It is no real surprise since most families go bonding and buy San Diego Chargers Tickets online to enjoy their favorite team play. Surely, football is not only a sport to play but a way of life as well.
It's truly interesting to see what the future has for the San Diego Chargers team and how they would carry on as being a part of California, this location that embraces football. So what are you waiting for, obtain your Chargers Tickets right now and go for that great big charge!

Rudy Shaw is a fan of spectator sports. He buys cheap great
Chargers Tickets online. He agrees that you can get affordable San Diego Chargers Tickets through a trusted online ticket butler.

NFL Must Change Blackout Rules When San Diego Chargers Retire Junior Seau’s Number Sunday

The San Diego Chargers are going to retire Junior Seau’s No. 55 jersey this Sunday in the home opener against the Tennessee Titans. It is a great gesture to the late Seau, who took his own life after enjoying one of the best careers in the history of the Chargers’ franchise.
Unfortunately, many of the people and fans who watched Seau have some of his best seasons with the Chargers may not be able to witness the game or ceremony take place due to NFL local blackout rules.
The Chargers reportedly still have several thousand unsold tickets entering this weekend’s game with the Titans. they have until 1:25 local time today to sell those remaining general tickets. If not, the game will not be televised in Southern California.
I understand the rule. I know why it is in place. But as they always say, there is always an exception to every rule.
San Diego faced a similar situation last year, when home games against the Miami Dolphins and Arizona Cardinals were not aired locally. In 2010, the Chargers had three games that also did not air locally, including the team’s first two of the season.
This season marks the fifth consecutive year that the team has not raised ticket prices, but season-ticket sales are reportedly lower than last year. The team has not enjoyed the same level of success on the field, so I understand the dip in sales. Due to that, I understand why a few Chargers games have not aired on local television.
But Sunday is different. Seau was so important to the people of Southern California. He was a member of the USC Trojans. he played for the Chargers in a Super Bowl. He did so much for the community and people in the area. Regardless of what the local blackout rules are, this game needs to be seen by anyone in the area who wants to watch it on Sunday.
I don’t care what it takes. The league can buy and raffle the tickets with the money going to concussion research instead of to the Chargers. It doesn’t matter.
But ultimately, someone needs to come up with an idea that will sell the remaining tickets and get this game on television for the people of Southern California.
For all that he did for the fans and the NFL, Seau and his family deserve at least that much.

San Diego Chargers Sign Veteran Tackle/Guard Reggie Wells

The Chargers had an open spot on their roster, and they filled it today with veteran Offensive Tackle/Guard Reggie Wells.

The team plans to use him at both the Tackle and Guard positions. Is this an indication of the teams lack of confidence in Tyronne Green? Or their lack of confidence in Jared Gaither returning?

Or a lack of confidence in Mike Harris? Possibly. The team had been carrying only 8 linemen to start the season, so it's not exactly a surprise that they signed an offensive lineman.

Standing at 6-foot-4 and 318 pounds, Wells was drafted out of Clarion in the sixth round of the 2003 draft by the Arizona Cardinals. He spent seven years with Arizona before being traded to

Philadelphia in 2010. In 2011 he was on the Carolina Panthers, and this year he spent training camp with Green Bay.

In his 10-year career, Wells has played in 117 games; and started 91 of those games.
Said Chargers General Manager A.J. Smith:

    The fact that we carried eight linemen originally, people knew we were looking for another one, and we found the right guy, and that's Reggie. With the Jared Gaither situation unknown and

a day-to-day process, we decided to make the move at this point in time. We will put him in at the guard and tackle positions, and head coach Norv Turner will decide exactly where he fits in for

us.

NFL Rumors: Will Ryan Mathews Have to Wait Until Week 2 to Play for the San Diego Chargers?

San Diego Chargers starting running back Ryan Mathews broke his clavicle against the Green Bay Packers on August 9, 2012. Mathews was expected to miss 4-6 weeks at the time of his injury.

Mathews said that he was aiming to come back at the earliest which would be Monday night’s game against the Oakland Raiders.  As of yesterday, Mathews has not been cleared for contact.  This could be a problem with the game just three days away.

San Diego backup RB Ronnie Brown has had success against Oakland.  In four games against them, Brown has 70 rushing attempts, 378 yards and two rushing touchdowns.  Mathews has not received enough touches to put together a great game against Oakland.

In two career games against the Raiders, Mathews has 15 rushing attempts, 93 yards and no touchdowns. Although Mathews did not received enough touches against Oakland, San Diego is 0-2 against them with Mathews.

San Diego is 8-2 in their last 10 games against the Raiders in Oakland including a win last season that ended Oakland’s playoff chances. While Mathews and Oakland’s starting RB Darren McFadden missed that game, Oakland is 1-3 against the Raiders with McFadden.

If Mathews is not ready to go by Monday, he should return for San Diego’s home opener against the Tennessee Titans on September 16, 2012.

Mathews was San Diego’s first round pick in the 2010 NFL Draft.  In college, Mathews missed five games in 2008 with a knee injury. Mathews missed four games during his rookie season and missed two games last season.

While Mathews had injury problems in 2008, 2010, 2011 and 2012, the amount of regular season games he missed continues to decline. Hopefully the latter trend will continue for Mathews and the Chargers because they need him for this season and their future.

Share Print Email RSS San Diego Chargers at Oakland Raiders

The San Diego Chargers kick off the 2012 regular-season in a nationally televised game on ESPN’s Monday Night Football against the Oakland Raiders at the O.co. Coliseum in Oakland.  The Chargers own a 30-22 lifetime record in season openers, and are 3-2 under head coach Norv Turner.  The team is also 12-11 in season openers against the AFC West and 4-1 when the first game of the year airs on national television.

A Look Back At the Preseason

The Chargers finished the exhibition season with a 3-1 record, winning their first three games before falling in the finale at the San Francisco 49ers. Philip Rivers appeared in three of those contests, completing 24 of 30 passes for 235 yards, one touchdown and four interceptions.  Micheal Spurlock led the way with 10 receptions for 135 yards while Antonio Gates chipped in with six catches for 63 yards.  Defensively, first round pick Melvin Ingram led the team with two sacks in just three games, while Donald Butler paced all starters with 14 tackles and an interception.

What to Watch For…

On Offense for the Chargers

Rivers, the franchise’s all-time leader for career completion percentage and passer rating, leads the way for the potent Bolts attack. In last year’s season finale against the Raiders, he had an outstanding game, completing 19 of 26 attempts for 310 yards, three touchdowns and a passer rating of 135.1, so look for him to replicate that performance in the opener. His favorite target, Antonio Gates, also had a memorable game in Oakland last year, catching five balls for 106 yards and a score.

On Offense for the Raiders

Carson Palmer helms the Raiders offense. He started nine games in 2011, completing 60.7% of his attempts for 2,753 yards, 13 touchdowns and 16 interceptions. The Raiders lost last season’s leading rusher, Michael Bush, to free agency, but the dangerous Darren McFadden returns after a 614-yard, four-touchdown season in which he was limited to seven games due to injury. The Raiders top two receivers are Darrius Heyward-Bey (64 catches, 975 yards and four touchdowns) and Denarius Moore (33-618-5).

On Defense for the Chargers

New defensive coordinator John Pagano takes over a unit that was headed by safety Eric Weddle and linebacker Takeo Spikes in 2011. Weddle set a career high and tied for the NFL lead with seven interceptions, while Spikes led the way with 119 tackles, his 11th-career 100-tackle season. New to the defense are this year’s top draft choices Melvin Ingram and Kendall Reyes, who combined for 3.5 sacks in the preseason.

San Diego Chargers: Most Loved and Hated Players

Gates is the perfect player to start this list with.
The former basketball player for Kent State has put up great numbers throughout his career while revolutionizing the tight end position.
The 6-4, 260 pound athlete, has lined up virtually everywhere on the field for the Chargers quickly becoming quarterback Philip Rivers' favorite target.
When Gates has been injured or not 100 percent, the Chargers offense has struggled.
It is that simple. In ‘04 and ‘05, Gates broke onto the national scene by catching 80+ balls, 950+ yards, and double digit touchdowns both years.
Eight Pro Bowl appearances and three All-Pro team selections give the pass-catching athlete the respect he deserves. Injuries have slowed him down from accomplishing everything he “could” have done by now, but Charger supporters and football fans everywhere are hoping he will be back to full strength this season.
The fans have shown their support for him throughout the years and that’s why he makes the list as the No. 1 most loved player on the San Diego Chargers.
FS Eric Weddle
Eric Weddle is in his sixth season out of the University of Utah. The starting free safety for the Chargers since his second season has always been a solid, reliable player in the last level of the defense. Last season Weddle was tied for the league’s lead with seven interceptions and made the Pro Bowl.
The hard-nosed safety has quickly become respected by fans and players for his fearless playing style. At 5-11, Weddle isn’t the biggest player on the field but he plays with the most heart and would love to follow up last season with another terrific year.
The Chargers' safety tandem looks better this year than it has the last couple seasons with the addition of former Green Bay Packer, Atari Bigby. San Diego experimented with former Pro Bowler Bob Sanders last season and lost him for season due to an injury very early in the year.
Bigby and Sanders may look the same to fans due to their size and hair (dreadlocks), but everyone, including Weddle, hopes he can stay healthy and provide stability to the secondary.
QB Philip Rivers
In the 2003 NFL Draft, the San Diego Chargers had the first overall pick. They needed a quarterback of the future and the consensus first pick was Eli Manning. However, the days leading up to the Draft were filled with Manning whining about not wanting to play for the Chargers and hoping a team would trade up for him.
One question, why wouldn’t anyone want to live and play football in San Diego? Hmm. Nevertheless, the Chargers ended up getting Philip Rivers out of North Carolina State and he has proved to be a great NFL starter.
He may have an awkward release while Eli Manning has now won two Super Bowls with the New York Giants, yet the Chargers are pleased with his efficiency over the years and believe he is still the quarterback that can lead them back to the Super Bowl.
He has posted four straight seasons of more than 4,000 yards thrown and has been selected to the Pro Bowl four times. Last season he threw a career-high of 20 interceptions which carried San Diego to a disappointing season with no playoff berth.
Rivers is the leader on this football team and is poised to have a bounce-back year and lead the Chargers back to the AFC West crown.
MOST HATED
The Entire Offensive Line
After injury problems derailed the Pro Bowl careers of Kris Dielman and Marcus McNeil and forced them to retire, the offensive line of the San Diego Chargers has been an overall disappointing unit.
Last year's offensive line had so many changes throughout the season, it was hard for quarterback Philip Rivers to establish a consistent rhythm with the offense.
In my opinion you cannot succeed in the NFL if you do not have a solid offensive and defensive line. The battle of the trenches affects so many different facets of the game.
This year's projected starting unit will consist of LT Jared Gaither, LG yronne Green, C Nick Hardwick, RG Louis Vasquez and RT Jeromey Clary.
The season starts with a Monday night game vs. division rival Oakland Raiders and every fan is eager to see how the offensive line will produce this upcoming season. Almost any effort at all will be better than last season.
OLB Larry English
Larry English is a 6-2, 255 pound outside linebacker from Northern Illinois. It was a bit of a surprise when the Chargers selected him with the 16^th overall pick in the 2009 Draft and he has not lived up to the hype thus far.
While starting every game his rookie season, English only recorded two sacks and did not give fans any reason to love him after the team spent such a high pick on an outside linebacker when they already had a few solid players at the position.
The Chargers could’ve used the pick on a position of real need. His second and third season’s in the league have been even less efficient: seven tackles and two sacks last year. English had a decent preseason though and can hopefully be a consistent contributor to a pass rush that hopes to excel this season.
RB Ryan Mathews
I was reluctant to put Mathews on this list because I still believe he will become a huge contributor for the Chargers in the near future. He also had a very good year last year. However, injury problems and the inconsistency throughout his short career so far, has landed him as the last player on my most hated list.
The former 12^th overall pick has not lived up to high expectations since entering the league and having to step right into the starting job when Chargers legend Ladanian Tomlinson departed. He has had injury problems and has also had trouble holding onto the football as ball security is something he must improve if he wants to become an elite running back.

Last season he posted his first 1,000-yard rushing season to give San Diego fans hope, but he then broke a collarbone in the first preseason game and is expected to miss the start of the season. He is trying to return to action as soon as possible. Until then newcomer Ronnie Brown is expected to get most of the carries.