Cheeseheads to open the preseason against the Bolts
The 2006 NFL season is here and the San Diego Chargers will open the preseason against the Green Bay Packers at QUALCOMM Stadium on Saturday night, Aug. 12. Kickoff is at 7:00 p.m. PDT.
This game will unofficially mark the beginning of one era and possibly the end of another. For the Chargers, the game marks the start of Philip Rivers’ tenure as the team’s new starting quarterback. It also figures to be the last time that Chargers fans will have a chance to see future Hall of Fame quarterback Brett Favre wear the green and gold of the Packers in QUALCOMM Stadium.
Head Coach Marty Schottenheimer leads the Bolts. He has directed the team to 21 wins over the last two seasons and won 186 games during his highlysuccessful coaching career, tied for seventh-most in NFL history. His counterpart, Mike McCarthy, will be making his NFL head coaching debut in Saturday night’s game.
The Chargers return 21 of 22 starters in 2006. On offense, Rivers will be surrounded by a bevy of talent that includes three-time Pro Bowl running back LaDainian Tomlinson, two-time Pro Bowl tight end Antonio Gates and all five returning starters along the offensive line. The Chargers defense, which ranked No. 1 in the NFL against the run in 2005, returns all 11 starters, including Pro Bowlers Jamal Williams and Shawne Merriman, the NFL’s consensus Defensive Rookie of the Year in ’05. The defensive unit will be bolstered even further this year by the addition of cornerback Antonio Cromartie, the team’s top choice in the 2006 NFL Draft, and veteran safety Marlon McCree, who joined the Chargers as a free agent from the Carolina Panthers, who were runners-up in the NFC in 2005.
If Saturday’s game becomes a sellout 72 hours before kickoff, KFMB-TV (Channel 8) will televise the game live in San Diego with Ron Pitts and Billy Ray Smith calling the action and Jaymee Sire reporting from the sidelines.
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