Official Chargers Blog

The Chargers close out the season with a painful 23-7 loss to the Denver Broncos on an unusually rainy afternoon in San Diego. The following are notes from the game:

· LaDainian Tomlinson had a 28-yard run during the Chargers second quarter touchdown drive…on that play, he became the team’s all-time total yards from scrimmage leader, passing Lance Alworth, who had 9,721 yards from 1962-1970…Tomlinson finished today’s game with 96 total yards, raising his career total to 9,755.

· Tomlinson’s second-quarter touchdown was his 20th of the season, breaking Chuck Muncie’s 24-year-old team record of 19 touchdowns in 1981. Muncie was in attendance at today’s game.

· Tomlinson’s second-quarter touchdown was the 80th of his career…he is tied with Emmitt Smith as the second-fastest player in NFL history (79 games) to score 80 touchdowns…the fastest to 80 was Jim Brown, who scored his 80th TD in his 76th career game.

· Tomlinson has now joined Seattle’s Shaun Alexander as the only players in the NFL to score 20 touchdowns this season…it is only the fifth-time in NFL history that two different players have scored 20 or more touchdowns in the same season…LT and Alexander are the first to do it since Priest Holmes (Kansas City) and Ahman Green (Green Bay) in 2003.

· Tomlinson finished the season with 1,462 rushing yards, the third-highest single-season total in team history…he had 339 rushing attempts this season, tied for the third-most in a season in team annals…his 1,832 total yards from scrimmage were also third-highest for a season.

· Tomlinson scored 120 points on the season, third-highest in team history.

· Shawne Merriman recorded his 10th sack of the season in the first quarter…they are the most sacks by a rookie since Chris Mims had 10 in 1992.

· Merriman’s 10 sacks are tied for the second-most in team history by a rookie. Leslie O’Neal recorded 12.5 as a rookie in 1986…Chris Mims (1992) and Burt Grossman (1989) each also had 10 sacks as rookies.

·Merriman is the first rookie in team history to finish the season as the team leader in sacks.

· The Chargers rushed for 91 yards today, raising their season total to 2,072...it marks the fourth-straight season the Chargers have rushed for more than 2,000 yards…it is the longest streak in team history and tied with Denver for the longest active streak in the NFL.

· Keenan McCardell had six catches today, raising his career total to 825…he took over sole possession of 10th place on the NFL’s all-time receptions list...he finished the season two catches shy of the NFL’s ninth-leading receiver, Larry Centers, who finished his career with 827 career receptions.

· McCardell finishes the season ranked 19th on the NFL’s all-time receiving yardage list with 10,680 yards…he finished the season 36 yards shy of the NFL’s 18th all-time receiver, Stanley Morgan, who finished his career with 10,716 yards.

· Drew Brees passed for 3,576 yards this season, sixth-most in team history…he is the only quarterback in team history other than Dan Fouts to pass for more than 3,500 yards…his 24 touchdown passes tied for the sixth-most in a season in team history…Brees’ .646 completion percentage was third-highest in team history…he attempted the seventh-most (500) and completed the fourth-most (323).

· Brees finished the 2005 season with a passer rating of 89.2 (323 of 500 – 3,576 yards – 24 TDs and 15 INTs)…over the last two seasons (2004-05) his passer rating is 96.1…it is the highest rating in team history in back-to-back seasons…his combined 2004-05 totals include 585 of 900 for 6,735 yards with 61 touchdowns and 22 interceptions…the previous two-season high was set by Dan Fouts (1982-83) who went 419 of 670 for 5,858 yards with 37 touchdowns and 27 interceptions for a rating of 92.2.

· Antonio Gates finished the season with 1,101 yards, the most by a Chargers tight end since Kellen Winslow had 1,172 yards in 1983.

· Gates’ 89 receptions this season tied the team record for receptions by a tight end (Winslow)…they were tied for the third-most receptions in team history.

· Gates finished the season with 10 touchdown catches becoming the first tight end in team history with back-to-back seasons with more than 10 TDs.

· Nate Kaeding finished the season 21 of 24 on field goals and 49 of 49 on PATs for 112 points, tied for the 10th most points in a season in team history…his .875 conversion rate was the third-highest in team history among kickers with at least 14 attempted FGs.

· 634,154 fans passed through the turnstiles this season for the Chargers 10 home games, including preseason, to set a new team record.

Posted by Joel Price at 07:15 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)

Video of quarterback Drew Brees dropping back to pass from his own end zone late in the second quarter and blindsided on a blitz by safety John Lynch. Brees fumbled and was hit again while going for the ball.

Posted by Joel Price at 07:03 PM | Permalink | Comments (3)

In LaDainian Tomlinson’s post game press conference he discloses to the media that he was playing with a "cracked rib" suffered Dec. 4 against the Raiders.

Tomlinson admitted last week that his rib injury is more severe, though he added that he wouldn't get into specifics until after the season.

Posted by Joel Price at 05:27 PM | Permalink | Comments (26)

LaDainian Tomlinson set a franchise record with his 20th touchdown of the season today against Denver, and passes Lance Alworth's career mark for total yards from scrimmage.

Posted by Joel Price at 04:14 PM | Permalink | Comments (2)

Saturday, December 31, 2005 backup quarterback Philip Rivers replaced Drew Brees who leaves the game late in the second quarter due to shoulder injury. (Video)

Brees knocked out with shoulder injury
NFL.com wire reports

Chargers quarterback Drew Brees was knocked out of the team's game against Denver with an injured right shoulder, and was replaced by Philip Rivers.

Brees dropped back to pass from his own end zone late in the second quarter and was blindsided on a blitz by safety John Lynch. Brees fumbled and was hit again while going for the ball, which was recovered by Denver's Sam Brandon at the 1. Tatum Bell scored on the next play to give the Broncos a 14-0 lead.

Brees was examined on the sideline, then was taken into the locker room.

Although the Chargers had already been eliminated from the playoffs, coach Marty Schottenheimer didn't plan to use Rivers, a second-year pro, unless Brees got hurt.

Rivers had been in for only one play this year, taking a knee to end a 48-10 win over Buffalo on Nov. 20.

Rivers played in only two games as a rookie in 2004. The fourth pick overall in the 2004 draft, he was obtained from the New York Giants along with a handful of picks for Eli Manning.

Posted by Joel Price at 03:02 PM | Permalink | Comments (65)

Each year, at the end of the season, the players vote who was the Offensive Player of the Year, Defensive Player of the Year, Special Teams Player of the Year and Most Inspirational Player Award.

The team announced the awards on Thursday:

Offensive Player of the Year
LaDainian Tomlinson and Antonio Gates

Defensive Player of the Year
Jamal Williams

Special Teams Player of the Year
Kassim Osgood

Most Inspirational Player Award.
Randall Godfrey

Posted by Joel Price at 12:08 PM | Permalink | Comments (3)

The team will announce today that strong safety Terrence Kiel will be placed on the injured reserve. This will make room for cornerback Markus Curry to be activated to the active roster.

Updated: Chargers place Kiel on IR

Posted by Joel Price at 11:16 AM | Permalink | Comments (0)

By one measure of excellence, the NFL may never have been better than in 2005.

With one week to go in the regular season, 11 teams have reached the coveted 10-win mark – Carolina, Chicago, Cincinnati, Denver, Indianapolis, Jacksonville, New England, New York Giants, Pittsburgh, Seattle and Tampa Bay.

This weekend, San Diego, Dallas, Kansas City and Washington can join the group of 10-game winners. If all four win, the 15 teams with at least 10 wins apiece would be the most 10-win teams in a season since the 16-game schedule was instituted in 1978.

A look at the seasons with the most 10-game winners since 1978:

Season 10-Win Teams
2003 13
1986 12
1991 12
2000 12
1985 11
1988 11
1992 11
2001 11
2005 11*

* Through Week 16

Posted by Joel Price at 03:01 PM | Permalink | Comments (18)

I can’t help but laugh that the Chargers schedule is the #1 Google result in a search for “difficult schedule”

I guess this is why Google stock is surging past $400 a share. That’s a pretty darn smart search engine.

* I made note of this in a past blog entry and I thought it deserved it’s own post for archiving purposes.

Posted by Joel Price at 09:21 AM | Permalink | Comments (7)

One team is in the playoffs, the other is not, but they both still have goals. For those projecting this game a disappointment might want to tune in. Both teams have something to play for.

“The game we play Saturday is going to last for six or seven months,” says Chargers head coach Marty Schottenheimer. The Chargers can post their second consecutive season of at least 10 wins. Couple 10 victories with the 12 of 2004 and the combined 22 wins would be the Chargers’ best two-year mark since 23 victories in 1979-80.

“10-6 sounds a lot better to me than 9-7,” says Schottenheimer.

For the Broncos, it’s “get ready for the playoffs.” With a first-round bye, this is their final game for two weeks. They want to keep sharp, particularly in pass protection. The Bolts will provide that test. They rank fifth in the league in sacks (44), led by rookie linebacker Shawne Merriman (9.0), who was named to the Pro Bowl.

With 131 yards, Tatum Bell (869) would join Mike Anderson (1,014) as the first team running-back duo since Cleveland’s Kevin Mack (1,104) and Earnest Byner (1,002) in 1985 to each post 1,000 yards.

Only Dallas (109), Pittsburgh (104) and Kansas City (144) have rushed for more than 100 yards against the Chargers’ defense. Last Saturday, Larry Johnson (131) became the first player this season to rush for more than 100 yards. It ended a string of 16 consecutive games without allowing a 100-yard rusher. Cleveland’s Lee Suggs had been the last to do it on Dec. 19, 2004.

Chargers have the NFL’s top ranked run defense and Saturday they hope to finish the season that way.

Posted by Joel Price at 06:25 PM | Permalink | Comments (31)

Love him or hate him, head coach Marty Schottenheimer is a winner. With 186 career wins, Schottenheimer is the NFL's winningest active coach.

Schottenheimer is the NFL’s seventh-winningest coach. On Dec. 18, the Chargers defeated the 13-0 Indianapolis Colts to give him his 186th career regular-season win, tying him with Chuck Knox for seventh place on the NFL’s all-time wins list. Schottenheimer needs four more wins to move into a tie with former Broncos boss Dan Reeves (190) for sixth all-time. Marty’s .602 winning percentage is 15th-highest in NFL history among coaches with 100 or more wins.

In the process of beating the Colts, Schottenheimer and the Chargers won their ninth game of the season. Marty has now won nine or more games in 13 of his 19 full seasons as an NFL head coach. He is tied for the fourth-most winning seasons all-time among head coaches. A win on Saturday over the Broncos would give Schottenheimer the 11th 10-win season of his career.

Schottenheimer’s win over the Colts was a landmark victory. They were only the fourth team in NFL history and the first since Denver in 1998 to start a season 13-0.

Following another big victory this season, the Chargers’ overtime win in Washington against the Redskins on Nov. 27, Schottenheimer was named Coach of the Week by SportsIllustrated.com. It was the Chargers fourth game of the season against a team on the East Coast and the Bolts won three of the four games.

Posted by Joel Price at 05:22 PM | Permalink | Comments (12)

Before the season many of the ‘experts’ didn’t think the Chargers would fare any better then we stand today.

Mostly it was attributed to the difficult schedule the Bolts faced, opponents with a .555 winning percentage and a record of 132-106. A league-high four of the Chargers opponents were coming off byes. The five east coast games, yada yada yada!

Here’s a look at what some national publications thought the team would do in 2005. The predicted records are in parenthesis.

Sports Illustrated
Chiefs (9-7)
Chargers (9-7)
Broncos (7-9)
Raiders (7-9)

The Sporting News
Broncos (10-6)
Chiefs (9-7)
Chargers (8-8)
Raiders (7-9)

Street & Smith's
Broncos
Charger
Chiefs
Raiders

Pro Football Weekly
Chargers (10-6)
Chiefs (9-7)
Broncos (9-7)
Raiders (6-10)

A win over the Denver Broncos on Saturday would allow the Chargers to finish the season 7-2 in their last nine games. It would be a strong finish to a season that started 0-2 and at one point saw the Chargers at 3-4.

One thing for sure, it's been a tough season no matter how you look at it.

Oh, one last thing... I can’t help but laugh that we’re the #1 google result in a search for “difficult schedule”

Found two of the San Diego Union Tribune predictions:*

Kevin Acee (10-6)
Jay Paris (10-6)

Chargers have had the toughest schedule in ’05:

San Diego … 133-107
SF & Wash … 131-109
Green Bay … 130-110
Oakland … 129-111

The AFC West is toughest division in NFL: .567 (34-26)

* Added Wed, Dec. 28, 2005

Posted by Joel Price at 04:57 PM | Permalink | Comments (23)

I was driving down the street and was shocked to see even the churches are jumping off the Chargers bandwagon.

OK, OK, it’s a fake sign. After Saturday's game... I needed a little humor and cheering up. This brings up a good question, so what are you going to do this off season?

Posted by Joel Price at 12:35 AM | Permalink | Comments (9)

Speculations that the Chargers will play reserve quarterback Philip River over Drew Brees came to a end on Monday.

It's a pretty good bet the that the Denver Broncos who have a 12-3 record, won the AFC West title and secured a first-round playoff bye will rest some of the starters on Saturday. Even though it has yet to been determined, that appears to be popular opinion amongst newspaper columnist that closely follow the team.

Some have even speculated the Chargers will play reserve quarterback Philip River over Drew Brees because the Chargers have been eliminated from post season play and have nothing to play for but pride. "We will play everybody that is healthy enough to play. Our starters will start, our starters will play, because we have one objective, and that is to get to 10-6," coach Marty Schottenheimer said in his Monday press conference, ending the speculation that Chargers may play Rivers instead of Brees.

"There's a difference between preseason and regular season, in my view. Ours is about winning football games and 10-6 just sounds a lot better to me than 9-7." Schottenheimer said to reporters, ending the speculation that the Chargers will view the last game more like a preseason game and play the reserves.

Posted by Joel Price at 05:29 PM | Permalink | Comments (45)

Antonio Gates has set new career highs this season with 86 catches and 1,076 yards.

Gates is the team’s leading receiver with 86 catches and 1,076 yards. He leads the team with ten touchdown catches. He is the NFL’s leading tight end in all three categories. Gates has his work cut out for him this coming Saturday if he is to equal his career high 13 touchdown catches from the 2004 season. Gates has had two games in his career when he has scored three touchdowns, once against Kansas City Oct. 30, 2005 and once against New Orleans Nov. 7, 2004.

He’s the first Charger since Curtis Conway in 2001 to surpass 1,000 yards receiving for the season. He’s the first tight end to go over 1,000 yards since Kellen Winslow had 1,172 yards in 1983.

Gates will be attending the pro bowl in Hawaii for the second consecutive year.

Listen to Drew Brees' 18-yard TD pass to Antonio Gates last Saturday:


Radio call courtesy Chargers Broadcast Josh Lewin and Hank Bauer.

A look at the top 10 NFL Tight End

Player Team G Rec Yds Yds/G Lng Avg TDs 20+ 40+
Antonio Gates SD 14 86 1078 77.0 38 12.5 10 16 0
Tony Gonzalez KC 15 73 846 56.4 39 11.6 2 8 0
Todd Heap BAL 14 69 803 57.4 48 11.6 6 12 1
Chris Cooley WAS 15 69 766 51.1 32 11.1 7 6 0
Jeremy Shockey NYG 15 65 891 59.4 59 13.7 7 12 1
Jason Witten DAL 15 62 707 47.1 34 11.4 5 7 0
Alge Crumpler ATL 15 62 856 57.1 48 13.8 5 15 1
Jermaine Wiggins MIN 14 59 509 36.4 24 8.6 0 2 0
L.J. Smith PHI 15 58 609 40.6 27 10.5 3 6 0
Randy McMichael MIA 15 55 547 36.5 30 9.9 5 4 0

Posted by Joel Price at 01:34 AM | Permalink | Comments (18)

The Chargers returned home from the disappointing loss in Kansas City, the key now is to finish off the season against the Denver Broncos on a positive note.

The upcoming game probably means little for the Broncos, who can not improve or hurt their playoff standing with a win or lose against the Bolts. On the other hand the Chargers have much to play for, pride, fans, winning at home, double digit wining record, and the list goes on and on. However, the reality is the season came to an end one day before Christmas in Kansas City when the Chargers became mathematically eliminated from playoff contention. Like it or not, it's reality. And if you’re a die-hard Chargers fan the finality of this season hurts about as bad as the 1-15 season back in 2000. OK, it’s not that bad, not even close.

If the Chargers finish the season with a win come Saturday, many would have thought that 10-6 should have been enough to make the post season, especial with the kind of schedule the Bolts had. Odd as it sounds, it’s even a possibility that a 11-5 season may have not been enough to get in.

Now the big question for all to ponder... Without a playoff berth, is it really a winning season?

Posted by Joel Price at 09:37 PM | Permalink | Comments (71)

The death of a child is always a terrible thing.

I can only imagine the pain Colts head coach Tony Dungy and his family are experiencing when they received news that his son James Dungy, was found dead in a Tampa-area apartment, early Thursday morning.

It has been reported Dungy has left the Colts and is in Tampa. The Colts are at Seattle on Saturday, and team president Bill Polian said that assistant head coach Jim Caldwell has taken over for Dungy.

Chargers head coach Marty Schottenheimer issued the following statement:

“My family and I are feeling an unrecognizable sense of loss at the untimely death of Jamie Dungy. Pat and I pray for God’s comfort and reassurance for Tony, Lauren and their family. The Dungy’s faith and relationship with God will sustain them during this extremely difficult time, and our thoughts and prayers are with them.”

The Colts’ Dungy reported to Schottenheimer in Kansas City from 1989-91 as the Chiefs’ defensive backs coach. The two have remained good friend to this day.

Posted by Joel Price at 12:16 PM | Permalink | Comments (5)

The high powered Chiefs rushing offense will clash with the Bolts run stopping defense this Saturday in Kansas City.

San Diego’s run defense is anchored by massive defensive tackle Jamal Williams, who is making his first trip to the Pro Bowl this season. Williams and Shawne Merriman are tied for the team lead with seven tackles for loss and Williams’ 44 total tackles are tops among defensive linemen.

For five weeks this season, the Bolts run defense has ranked atop the NFL’s standings. The Chargers are giving up a league-low 74.9 yards per game on the ground, almost 10 yards less than the league’s second-ranked team, Denver, which is surrendering 84.6 yards per contest.

The Chargers ranked at the top of the rushing defense statistics the last three weeks and the weeks following their bye (Nov. 13) and their game against Buffalo (Nov. 20)

This season only Dallas (109) and Pittsburgh (104) have rushed for more than 100 yards and no individual player has rushed for more than 93 yards against the Bolts’ defense. The Chargers have held their last nine opponents to 579 total yards, an average of 64.3 rushing yards per game while going 7-2 during that stretch.

The Chiefs come into Saturday’s game with the NFL’s fourth-ranked rushing offense. Larry Johnson has rushed for 1,418 yards and 16 touchdowns. As a team, the Chiefs are averaging 145.4 yards per game on the ground, but in the first meeting of the season, San Diego held them to 95 yards on 21 carries.

It appears this Sunday’s match up will come down to who controls the line of scrimmage.

Posted by Joel Price at 08:59 PM | Permalink | Comments (19)

Rookie linebacker Shawne Merriman named Defensive Players of the Week for games played the 15th week of the 2005 season (December 17-19), the NFL announced today.

Facing their greatest challenge of the season, San Diego entered the RCA Dome to play the 13-0 Colts and came out a 26-17 winner, thanks in large part to a tenacious defense led by rookie linebacker Shawne Merriman. The 21-year-old Merriman who leads NFL rookies in sacks (9.0) was a disruptive force in the first half as he was involved in 2.0 sacks and three other tackles for losses. In the second quarter with the Chargers clinging to a 10-0 lead, the 6-4, 272-pounder tackled Peyton Manning on a fourth-and-goal play from the Chargers’ one-yard line for a six-yard loss and on the ensuing possession, San Diego drove 91 yards in 18 plays for a field goal and a 13-0 edge at the half. A Merriman sack on third-down on the Colts’ first series of the third quarter enabled the Chargers to kick a field goal to extend their lead to 16-0. The win ups San Diego’s ledger to 9-5, keeping their playoff hopes alive.

Other nominees for AFC Defensive Player of Week 15 were:

·Cleveland cornerback Leigh Bodden, who recorded a career-high four passes defensed and added his team-leading third interception of the year as the Browns' defense limited the Raiders to a lone touchdown. Bodden added six tackles and was part of a defense that limited the Raiders to only 113 net yards passing.

·New England linebacker Tedy Bruschi, who led the Patriots with a game-high 15 tackles, including 2.0 sacks for 20 yards, one pass defensed and a forced fumble. The game marked the first time this season that an opponent did not penetrate New England’s 20-yard line.

·Pittsburgh linebacker Larry Foote, tied for the team-lead with seven tackles, including one that resulted in a safety. Foote also recorded his second sack of the season.

·Pittsburgh linebacker Joey Porter, who recorded his seventh sack to tie for the team lead and notched his second interception of the year. The interception, which came at Pittsburgh’s five-yard line, ended a Minnesota scoring threat. The sack gave Porter 50.5 for his career.

·Miami defensive end Jason Taylor, who had seven tackles and 3.0 sacks, which led a six-sack day by the Dolphins, in a 24-20 win against the Jets. Taylor now stands with 11.0 sacks on the season, the fourth time in his career that he attained double-digit totals for sacks. It was the second time this year and the sixth time in his career that he recorded three sacks in a game, and the Dolphins are 6-0 in those games.

Posted by Joel Price at 12:18 PM | Permalink | Comments (24)

Tight end Antonio Gates, fullback Lorenzo Neal, linebacker Shawne Merriman, safety Hanik Milligan, running back LaDainian Tomlinson, and defensive tackle Jamal Williams will represent the Chargers on the AFC All-Star team in the Pro Bowl this coming February, giving the Chargers their largest complement of Pro Bowl players in 23 years.

Two other Chargers – quarterback Drew Brees and punter Mike Scifres – finished as first and second alternates, respectively, in the voting and will join the squad should the players selected be unable to participate due to injury.

Posted by Joel Price at 11:30 AM | Permalink | Comments (8)

NFL Network host Derrin Horton interview Chargers LB Shawne Merriman aired on NFL Total Access.

Merriman recorded seven tackles and two sacks in the Chargers’ 26-17 victory over the previously-undefeated Indianapolis Colts. Merriman was a disruptive force in the Colts’ backfield all game, recording two half-sacks and one full sack to give him nine this season.

Video: 56k | 300k

The FREE RealPlayer plug-in is necessary to play the Video clips above.

Posted by Joel Price at 11:55 PM | Permalink | Comments (2)

This Ska version of the San Diego Super Chargers was made popular last year when it SKANIC played it on the Mighty 1090’s Scott & BR morning show. THis is one of my personal favorite supa dupa Chargers tunes.

Posted by Joel Price at 04:07 PM | Permalink | Comments (4)

Drew Brees will make his fourth-career start at Arrowhead Stadium on Saturday. Last season, he became the first Chargers quarterback to win in Kansas City since Stan Humphries in 1996...

Brees has played well in one of the NFL’s noisiest stadiums in his first three starts, completing 72 of 110 (.655) for 822 yards with six touchdowns and two interceptions for a quarterback rating of 98.4. In last year’s win over the Chiefs, he passed for a career-high 378 yards with two touchdowns and no interceptions while completing nearly 76 percent of his pass attempts (28 of 37).

Brees closes in on 25-td season

Brees is just two touchdown passes shy of 25 for the season. It would mark his second-consecutive season with 25 touchdown passes. Dan Fouts, who threw 30 in 1980 and 31 in 1981, is the only other quarterback in team history with at least 25 touchdown passes in back to back seasons. Fouts did it in his eighth and ninth seasons in the league, while Brees is just now completing his fifth NFL season.

Brees sets new career high

Last week against Indianapolis, Brees passed for 255 yards, raising his season total to a career-high 3,347 yards. It marked his third-career 3,000-yard season.

Brees is on pace to end the year with more than 3,800 yards. If he does so, he would become only the second quarterback in team history to pass for more than 3,500 yards, joining Dan Fouts, who did it five times during his Hall of Fame career.

Brees in 300-yard games

Brees has thrown for more than 300 yards in a game twice this season and seven times in his career during the regular season. The Chargers are 2-0 this year and 5-2 overall in games when he surpasses the 300-yard marker.

More TDs than INTs = More Wins

Seven times this season, Brees has thrown more touchdowns than interceptions in a game and the Chargers are 6-1. Last season it happened nine times in the regular season and the Bolts were 8-1 in those nine games. For his career, Brees has had 26 games in which he has thrown more touchdowns than interceptions and the Bolts are 19-7 in those games, a winning percentage of .731.

Brees among league passing leaders

Brees is the NFL’s fourth-most accurate passer with a completion percentage of .656 (297 of 453). The team record for a single season is .657, set by Mark Hermann. Last year, Brees set the second-highest completion percentage mark in team history (.655), completing 262 of 400 pass attempts.

Drew is the NFL’s seventh-leading passer with a quarterback rating of 91.6.

Cool Brees second in NFL on third down

In college, Brees was known as “Cool Brees” for his demeanor in pressure situations. He is the league’s third-leading passer on third down, completing 77 of 119 for 890 yards with seven touchdowns and two interceptions for a third-down rating of 99.8.

Brees gets an ESPN game ball

Brees earned his first ESPN NFL Prime-Time Game Ball from co-host Tom Jackson after the Chargers 26-17 upset of the previously-unbeaten Indianapolis Colts last Sunday at the RCA Dome. Brees’ numbers weren’t staggering, but he ushered a come-from-behind victory by leading the Bolts to 10 points in the fourth quarter. He may have saved the Chargers season and turned in the biggest play of his career when he scrambled to his left and completed a 54-yard pass to Keenan McCardell midway through the fourth quarter while facing a third-down-and-nine from his own nine yard line. That pass set up a 49-yard field goal by Nate Kaeding field goal four plays later that gave the Bolts a 19-17 lead en route to the win.

Posted by Joel Price at 01:41 PM | Permalink | Comments (20)

The Chargers made several roster moves today after placing tackle Roman Oben on the “Reserve-Injured” list. Defensive back Jerrell Pippens and wide receiver Drew Haddad signed with the team. Strong safety Scott McGarrahan was waived.

Pippens signed with San Diego in 2004 as an undrafted free agent, he beat the odds and made the practice squad. He was eventually activated and played in two games, but was waived on December 20, 2004. One day later, the Chicago Bears signed him. The Bears waived Pippens on September 4, 2005. Pippens will wear #28.

You might remember Pippens from last years Kansas City game when kick returner Dante Hall appeared heading toward the end zone, when Kassim Osgood was closing fast, Hall lost the ball while trying to switch it from one hand to the other. Pippens recovered for the Chargers. The Bolts went on to win at Arrowhead Stadium 34-31.

Wide receiver Drew Haddad drafted by the Buffalo Bills in 2000, Played for the Colts in 2000, ‘01, ‘02 and most of ‘03. Haddad had a 94-yard punt return for a touchdown for the Colts against Seattle in 2001. Haddad spent time with Frankfurt Galaxy in NFL Europe. Drew Haddad will wear #16.

Posted by Joel Price at 12:12 PM | Permalink | Comments (1)

The Colts game is history when the clock strikes midnight, it’s all about Kansas City from here on out. But if you're a Chargers fan, you'll love this poster that was posted on ESPN’s Page 2.

Posted by Joel Price at 11:54 PM | Permalink | Comments (6)

Even with a huge victory over the Indianapolis Colts, San Diego could be on the outside looking in, watching the playoffs from home. They can help themselves by winning their final two games, but they will still need some help down the stretch.

At 9-5, San Diego could win its remaining two games (against the Chiefs and Broncos) and still be shut out of the playoffs. San Diego currently trails Jacksonville and Pittsburgh for the two AFC wild-card berths and will need outside help to advance to he playoffs.

Chargers remaining schedule
Sat 12/24 at Kansas City
Sat 12/31 Denver

Jaguars remaining schedule
Sat 12/24 at Houston
Sun 1/1 Tennessee

Steelers remaining schedule
Sat 12/24 at Cleveland
Sun 1/1 Detroit

2005 AFC Seeding
1 *yz-Indianapolis S 13-1-0 6-0-0 11-1-0 0-0-0 .425 .441 2 3 0 203 50
2 x-Denver W 11-3-0 3-1-0 8-2-0 0-0-0 .477 .503 9 15 0 102 41
3 y-Cincinnati N 11-3-0 5-1-0 7-3-0 0-0-0 .384 .466 11 21 0 115 45
4 y-New England E 9-5-0 4-0-0 6-4-0 0-0-0 .405 .520 16 29 0 33 39
5 Jacksonville S 10-4-0 2-2-0 7-3-0 0-0-0 .403 .503 10 20 0 47 32
6 Pittsburgh N 9-5-0 3-2-0 6-5-0 0-0-0 .452 .534 10 18 0 76 35
7 San Diego W 9-5-0 3-1-0 7-3-0 0-0-0 .500 .531 9 18 0 135 49
8 Kansas City W 8-6-0 3-2-0 7-3-0 0-0-0 .429 .490 18 31 0 31 39
9 Miami E 7-7-0 2-3-0 5-5-0 0-0-0 .449 .459 19 37 0 -15 29

NFL Tiebreaking Procedures

Posted by Joel Price at 09:18 PM | Permalink | Comments (43)

Below are both the Chargers and Colts radio calls when Michael Turner makes his game clinching 83 yard touchdown run. I’m certain that Chargers radio broadcasters Josh Lewin and Hank Bauer will make it on Dan Patrick's Homer Call Play of the Week Monday morning on ESPN Radio.


- Courtesy Chargers broadcast


- Courtesy Colts broadcast

Posted by Joel Price at 05:23 PM | Permalink | Comments (81)

San Diego Chargers fans celebrate a 26-17 win over the Indianapolis Colts, ending their unbeaten season. Their grammar isn't the best... Nonetheless a great photo.

Photo credit AP Photo/Michael Conroy

Posted by Joel Price at 02:57 PM | Permalink | Comments (65)

The second-year back had his biggest day as a pro in San Diego's 26-17 win at Indianapolis, running the ball eight times for a career-high 113 yards and salting the game away with an 83-yard touchdown scamper late in the fourth quarter.

Turner's previous best this season was a seven-carry, 50-yard performance in a Week 6 win at Oakland.

Not to be overlooked the Chargers defense pressured Peyton Manning all day. Manning was sacked four times and threw two interceptions, although he finished with 336 yards, many of them late.

Stats

PASSING
CP/AT YDS TD INT
D. Brees 22/33 255 1 2

RUSHING
ATT YDS TD LG
M. Turner 8 113 1 83
L. Tomlinson 24 76 0 12
L. Neal 4 17 0 9
D. Brees 1 0 0 0

RECEIVING
REC YDS TD LG
K. McCardell 3 88 1 54
E. Parker 3 63 0 49
V. Jackson 2 41 0 21
A. Gates 6 29 0 10
R. Caldwell 4 25 0 11
L. Tomlinson 4 9 0 6

DEFENSE
T-A SCK INT FF
D. Edwards 7-2 0.0 0 0
L. Castillo 5-0 1.0 0 0
D. Florence 5-1 0.0 1 0
J. Fletcher 4-2 0.0 0 0
Q. Jammer 4-3 0.0 1 0
S. Merriman 4-3 2.0 0 0
S. Phillips 4-0 0.0 0 0
R. Godfrey 3-1 0.0 0 0
H. Milligan 3-0 0.0 0 0
I. Olshansky 2-2 1.0 0 0
M. Wilhelm 2-1 0.0 0 0
S. Cooper 1-0 0.0 0 0
N. Hardwick 1-0 0.0 0 0
M. Harris 1-1 0.0 0 0
C. Hart 1-1 0.0 0 0
T. Kiel 1-2 0.0 0 0
L. Tomlinson 1-0 0.0 0 0
J. Williams 1-0 0.0 0 0

Posted by Joel Price at 02:31 PM | Permalink | Comments (41)

They said it couldn’t be done. The Chargers brought their “A” game to claim 26-17 victory over the high flying Indianapolis Colts at the RCA Dome. The Bolts could not do anything wrong in the first half. However, they did not do much right in the second half until relief running back Michael Turner runs for a 83 yard touchdown to put the game in the bag.

As they say... It’s never over till it’s over, Don’t give up too soon; there may still be a chance to succeed.

The win kept San Diego (9-5) alive for an AFC wild-card spot and prevented Denver from clinching the AFC West. It also allowed the Colts (13-1) to rest starters for the final two games of the season, having already clinched home-field advantage for the AFC playoffs.

And it certainly led to champagne celebrations by members of the 1972 Dolphins, the only team to complete a season undefeated.

Posted by Joel Price at 01:21 PM | Permalink | Comments (57)

Last week tight end Antonio Gates caught an 8-yard TD pass from quarterback Drew Brees with 15 seconds left.

Call courtesy Chargers Broadcast (Josh Lewin and Hank Bauer)

Brees passed for 279 yards to raise his season total to 3,092. It marked his third-career 3,000-yard season and left him just 192 yards shy of his career high of 3,284 yards, set in 2002.

Antonio Gates had 123 yards receiving, on a career-high 13 catches, last Sunday against Miami to raise his season total to a new career-high of 997 yards. He’s three yards shy of the coveted 1,000-yard mark and his total is the most receiving yards by a Chargers tight end since Kellen Winslow chalked up 1,172 yards in 1983.

Posted by Joel Price at 04:23 PM | Permalink | Comments (1)

Not many columnists around the country believe the Chargers have a chance to win this weekend. Most believe the Chargers have dug their own grave and will be on the outside looking in come playoff time.

I guess that’s what you get when you lose at home to a sub-.500 team. I’m not Vince Lombardi but Miami didn’t play according to their record and neither did the Chargers. But that’s last week and we now have the ultra hot Indianapolis Colts to deal with. Contrary to popular opinion, the Bolt’s can do this, now is the time they have to dig deep.

You don’t have to dig deep to find the critics

Former Cincinnati quarterback Boomer Esiason got many Charger faithful a little upset when he called the Chargers mediocre. Jeff from Welland, Ontario responds…

"Boomer Esiason called the Chargers a mediocre team because they lost to the Miami Dolphins, a team they should have beaten. In 2004, the Patriots lost to the Dolphins on Monday Night Football, so I guess that makes them mediocre as well. The Chargers overlooked the Dolphins, that's why they lost. These kinds of things just happen in the NFL." - Jeff E

What other critics are saying

"The Chargers, with the game's most exciting player to watch, LaDainian Tomlinson, have a very unique game this week against the Colts as the Chargers have everything to play for and the Colts have very little other than preserving an undefeated record. This game will be a study of human nature; we will get the first real glimpse of Tony Dungy's intentions regarding how much he'll play his stars in what really amounts to a meaningless game for them as it relates to the playoffs." - Boomer Esiason

"If they should lose a tight game this week to the Chargers, they would certainly change their approach going into the last two games. But beat the Chargers and I would expect nothing less than complete preparation and effort from the starters, beginning to end." - Phil Simms

"I think this game will be really tight, but I see the Colts staying undefeated with a 24-23 win." - Ron Jaworski

"The Chargers know they are fighting for a wild-card berth and they are doing it with little margin of error. They would lose a tiebreaker to the Steelers because they lost to them in Week 5. They know they can't fall behind the Chiefs, because the Chiefs close the season with two home games, one against San Diego. This is a must-win for the Chargers and they are going against a team that doesn't show any sign of being stopped. And Dungy wants them to play to win. That's bad news for the Chargers." - John Clayton

"San Diego has really gotten itself in a bind. Not only are the Bolts struggling for their playoff lives, but LT is playing hurt and will be the rest of the year. I like the Colts because of Peyton's ability to isolate a weakness. If Miami can find Chargers FS Bhawoh Jue, imagine what Manning will do." - Seth Wickersham

"The key against Indianapolis is avoiding third-and-long, especially on a turf that plays to the speed and quickness of defensive end Dwight Freeney. Few give the Chargers a chance, but they haven't lost a game by more than four points since Sept. 26, 2004. Plus, Manning doesn't have a 300-yard game at home this season." – Clark Judge

"The Colts have clinched everything in the AFC so other than pushing for the perfect season, this game means nothing to them. San Diego has to have it to stay in the AFC playoff chase. The Chargers have a good team and played the Colts tough last season on the road, but this is a different Colts team. They're striving for history and move one step closer." - Pete Prisco

Posted by Joel Price at 03:31 PM | Permalink | Comments (9)

Today Jamal Williams and Sammy Davis didn’t practice today due to “illness” today.

Posted by Joel Price at 04:10 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)

The San Diego Chargers signed defensive tackle Ryon Bingham to the active roster from the practice squad today. To make room for Bingham, tight end Landon Trusty was released.

Posted by Joel Price at 04:14 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)

In case you missed it ... Chargers running back LaDainian Tomlinson on ABC’s Jimmy Kimmel Live! Tuesday, December 13, 2005

Video Walt Disney Internet Group and ABC.com

Posted by Joel Price at 12:56 AM | Permalink | Comments (1)

Last year when the Chargers took on the Colts in Indianapolis, quarterback Peyton Manning was one touchdown shy of tying Dan Marino's single-season touchdown record. Manning passed Marino for the most single-season touchdown passes in NFL history on that day. Again this year, and particularly this Sunday, the Colts are striving for NFL history...

Adding one more “W” this week and one of the NFL’s most vaunted records will be equaled with most consecutive wins to start a season. That mark, of course, belongs to the 1972 Miami Dolphins, who went on to compile the NFL’s only perfect season 17-0 by winning Super Bowl VII.

History’s 13-0 teams have a .500 record when it comes to winning their 14th game (with the Dolphins, ironically, shutting out the Baltimore Colts 16-0 on December 16, 1972 to complete their 14-0 season):

13-0 to 14-0?

1934 Chicago Bears 13-0
Season ended at 13th game

1972 Miami Dolphins 13-0
Defeated Baltimore Colts 16-0 (12/16/72)

1998 Denver Broncos 13-0
Lost to New York Giants 20-16 (12/13/98)

The Chargers hope to play spoiler to the Colts perfect season. Unfortunately, the record books don’t give any indication on what might happen.

Posted by Joel Price at 04:43 PM | Permalink | Comments (2)

The New York Jets announced on Tuesday the signing of defensive end Dave Ball making room for the Chargers to sign defensive end Radell Lockhart to the team's practice squad. Lockhart, 6-2, 275 recently spent time on the New York Jets practice squad.

Lockhart was signed as an undrafted free agent by the Jacksonville Jaguars in 2001. Practiced with the New England Patriots and New York Giants from 2002-2004. In 2003 he spent time on the Giants practice squad. Lockhart attended Catawba college. Born in Charlotte, NC on May 11, 1979. Lockhart will wear #94.

Posted by Joel Price at 04:24 PM | Permalink | Comments (1)

Drew Brees will start his fourth career game in a dome this Sunday when the Bolts visit the RCA Dome. It will be the Chargers only game inside of a dome this season.

Last year, the Bolts played two games in domed stadiums and Brees played well. Against Atlanta at the Georgia Dome and the Colts at the RCA Dome, he went 44 of 62 (.710) for 517 yards with four touchdowns and just two interceptions. He was 21 of 31 (.677) for 290 yards with three touchdowns and one pick in last year’s game against the Colts.

Brees the former Purdue Boilermaker returning to his adopted home state to play at the RCA Dome for the second time since turning pro will try to do something no team has done this season, claim victory over the Colts.

Brees closes in on career high

Last week against Miami, Brees passed for 279 yards to raise his season total to 3,092. It marked his third-career 3,000-yard season and left him just 192 yards shy of his career high of 3,284 yards, set in 2002.

Brees is on pace to end the year with more than 3,800 yards. If he does so, he would become only the second quarterback in team history to pass for more than 3,500 yards, joining Dan Fouts, who did it five times during his Hall of Fame career.

Brees in 300-yard games

Brees has thrown for more than 300 yards in a game twice this season and seven times in his career during the regular season. The Chargers are 2-0 this year and 5-2 overall in games when he surpasses the 300-yard marker.

Posted by Joel Price at 11:44 AM | Permalink | Comments (11)

The overall series stands 12-9 in San Diego’s favor, and these clubs met in a spirited battle on Christmas weekend last season in the RCA Dome. Rallying from two 15-point deficits to tie the contest in the final minute of regulation, the Colts earned a 34-31 overtime win over San Diego.

Here’s a look at the all-time series results between the Chargers and Colts

1970 – Baltimore 16, at San Diego 14
1972 – San Diego 23, at Baltimore 20
1976 – Baltimore 37, at San Diego 21
1981 – San Diego 43, at Baltimore 14
1982 – at San Diego 44, Baltimore 26
1984 – San Diego 38, at Indianapolis 10
1986 – San Diego 17, at Indianapolis 3
1987 – San Diego 16, at Indianapolis 13
1987 – Indianapolis 20, at San Diego 7
1988 – Indianapolis 16, at San Diego 0
1989 – at Indianapolis 10, San Diego 6
1992 – San Diego 34, at Indianapolis 14
1992 – at San Diego 26, Indianapolis 0
1993 – San Diego 31, at Indianapolis 0
1995 – San Diego 27, at Indianapolis 24
1995 – Indianapolis 35, at San Diego 20*
1996 – San Diego 26, at Indianapolis 19
1997 – at San Diego 35, Indianapolis 19
1998 – at Indianapolis 17, San Diego 12
1999 – Indianapolis 27, at San Diego 19
2004 – at Indianapolis 34, San Diego 31, OT

* AFC Wild Card Playoff

Posted by Joel Price at 08:43 PM | Permalink | Comments (4)

The San Diego Chargers face a daunting three game stretch in an effort to keep their 2005 playoff hopes alive. The first battle will be waged Sunday when the Bolts travel to the RCA Dome in Indianapolis to face the 13-0 Colts. It’s the first of back-to-back road games.

The Chargers season took a turn in the wrong direction last Sunday when they dropped a 23-21 decision to the Miami Dolphins at Qualcomm Stadium. It ended a fivegame winning streak and cost the Chargers an opportunity to gain ground in the AFC playoff picture. The Jacksonville Jaguars lost to the Colts, 26-18, to fall to 9-4, while the Kansas City Chiefs lost to Dallas, 31-28, to remain even with the Chargers at 8-5. Denver beat Baltimore, 12-10, to improve to 10-3 and take a two-game lead over both the Chargers and Chiefs in the AFC West.

The Chargers are still one of the NFL’s hottest teams. They’ve won five of their last six and have averaged almost 31 points a game during that stretch. The Bolts now face the Herculean task of trying to unseat the league’s first team to start a season 13-0 since the 1998 Denver Broncos. The Chargers will not be intimidated by playing in front of the hostile crowd that will await them at the RCA Dome. Last year, the Chargers took a 31-16 lead early in the fourth quarter at the dome, only to see the Colts rally to tie the game with 56 seconds left and win it in overtime. Many players still remember that game and will be eager for the opportunity to knock the Colts from the ranks of the unbeaten.

Posted by Joel Price at 08:10 PM | Permalink | Comments (62)