Official Chargers Blog

Saturday afternoon the Chargers signed cornerback-safety Steve Gregory to the active roster. The team had to release cornerback Markus Curry to make room for Gregory on the active roster.

Posted by Joel Price at 05:37 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)

Running back LaDainian Tomlinson can reach a significant career milestone this week against Baltimore.

Tomlinson has scored 87 touchdowns in 81 career games and needs three TDs this week to reach 90 in the second fewest games in history (82). He has scored three or more touchdowns five times in his career, including three times last season.

The five players to reach 90 touchdowns in the fewest games:

FEWEST GAMES TO 90 TOUCHDOWNS

Jim Brown 81
Emmitt Smith 86
Shaun Alexander 90
Lenny Moore 98
Jerry Rice 98

LaDainian Tomlinson 81 *

Posted by Joel Price at 06:02 PM | Permalink | Comments (9)

After practice the team announced to the media that tackle Marcus McNeill will be named NFL Offensive Rookie of the Month. It’s expected that the league will make the announcement on Thursday.

McNeill was San Diego's second-round pick in the 2006 Draft. The Chargers used the 50th overall pick on McNeill, a 6-foot-7, 336-pounder considered one of the most dominant drive blockers in the college game.

Posted by Joel Price at 03:19 PM | Permalink | Comments (1)

The Bolts signed kicker Nate Kaeding on a new six-year contract extension that runs through the 2012 season. The young kicker’s previous contract was due to expire following this season, which would have made him a Restricted Free Agent.

Talk about it.

Posted by Joel Price at 04:56 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)

The team will fly on a chartered 757 and for trips to the Eastern Time Zone, the team will fly aboard a chartered 767. This season, the Chargers will fly a total of 25,255 air miles, fourth-most in the league behind the Raiders (30,702), Seahawks (30,298) and 49ers (25,752).

This weekend when the team travels to Baltimore, they will make their longest road trip of the season, traveling 4,590 round-trip air miles.

Posted by Joel Price at 04:37 PM | Permalink | Comments (1)

About the only thing that left a sour taste in the Chargers' mouths during a 40-7 victory against the Titans was the Tennessee touchdown late in the fourth quarter that prevented San Diego (2-0) from achieving back-to-back shutouts to open the season. In the first half, while building a 20-0 lead, San Diego held Tennessee to 15 total net yards and one first down -- and that came on a penalty. LaDainian Tomlinson had 122 yards from scrimmage and scored two rushing touchdowns in the second quarter. Philip Rivers was given a little more freedom, and he completed 25 of 35 passes for 235 yards and a touchdown. Nate Kaeding kicked four field goals, and Charlie Whitehurst and Vincent Jackson scored touchdowns.

29 minutes, 55 seconds

Click here to launch iTunes: Boltcast


If you use something other than iTunes or Yahoo! (copy this address):
http://feeds.feedburner.com/chargers/boltcast

Posted by Joel Price at 05:32 PM | Permalink | Comments (1)

Vincent Jackson caught his first-career touchdown pass today, a 12-yard catch from quarterback Philip Rivers in the fourth quarter. (Chargers Broadcast - Rock 105.3)

Posted by Joel Price at 12:24 AM | Permalink | Comments (6)

LaDainian Tomlinson tied Hall of Fame wide receiver Lance Alworth atop the Chargers' all-time list with 83 career touchdowns. Tomlinson also went over the 10,000-yard mark from scrimmage with a 5-yard run late in the second quarter. Tomlinson went on to finish the day with two first-half touchdowns, 71 yards rushing and 51 yards receiving all in three quarters of play before being retired for the evening.

Posted by Joel Price at 05:33 PM | Permalink | Comments (1)

San Diego Inactives

24 CB Cletis Gordon
34 FB Andrew Pinnock
75 T Leander Jordan
82 WR Greg Camarillo
84 TE Aaron Shea
89 TE Ryan Krause
99 DE Igor Olshansky

Chargers Lineup Changes

74 Jacques Cesaire will start at RE for #99 Igor Olshansky

Tennessee Titans Inactives

7 QB Billy Volek (third quarterback)
20 RB Travis Henry
45 FB Ahmard Hall
60 G-T Jacob Bell
82 WR Courtney Roby
88 TE Erron Kinney
96 DT Robaire Smith
98 DE Antwan Odom

Titans Lineup Changes

#76 David Stewart will start at RT for #60 Jacob Bell

Tennessee Titans Roster Changes

#85 WR Jonathan Orr is no longer on the roster…he has been replaced by #35 RB Quinton Ganther…his information is available in the Titans’ media guide.

Posted by Joel Price at 12:17 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)

If you’re attending this weekend’s game at Qualcomm Stadium you might get a call from wide reciever Kassim Osgood. He wants you to read this information before you head to the game on Sunday.

Posted by Joel Price at 04:50 PM | Permalink | Comments (2)

On Kickoff Weekend visiting team’s won 11 of 16 games last week - the most road wins on opening weekend since 1983 (12). The Chargers went in to Oakland and dominated with a 27-0 victory over the Raiders, contributing to the 11 road win NFL weekend.

Winning on the road is big. However, winning at home is even bigger. The Bolts will seek thier first home win of the regular season against the visiting Tennessee Titans. Last season, the Chargers went 4-4 at home, which is part of the reason why they fell short of the playoffs at 9-7. If the Bolts want to see post season action, winning at home, starts this weekend.

Posted by Joel Price at 12:08 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)

In his first NFL start, Philip Rivers did the things you do to win football games -- hand off to LaDainian Tomlinson and pass to Antonio Gates in the end zone. Both stars scored and the defense was stellar in San Diego's 27-0 season-opening victory in Oakland. In today's Boltast we have Marty Schottenheimer, Philip Rivers, Shawne

Merriman, and audio highlights from the Monday Night matchup.


40 minutes, 27 seconds

Click here to launch iTunes: Boltcast


If you use something other than iTunes or Yahoo! (copy this address):
http://feeds.feedburner.com/chargers/boltcast

Posted by Joel Price at 04:05 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)

LaDainian Tomlinson’s has been nomination for the FedEx NFL Ground Player of the Week for Week 1. Tomlinson’s carried 31 times for 131 yards and one touchdown in the Chargers’ 27-0 victory over the Oakland Raiders. Tomlinson’s one-yard, second-quarter TD put San Diego ahead 10-0 truly making him a contender in this weeks voting. Vote now!

Each week fans can log on to NFL.com and vote for their favorite Running Back and Quarterback. At the end of the voting period, numbers are tabulated and the winning QB and RB are honored with a $5,000 donation to the children’s charity of their choice. At the end of the season, our national spokesperson, Boomer Esiason announces the finalists and there’s a large national push to vote for the best RB and QB with the winners announced at a big press conference at the Super Bowl in Miami.

Posted by Joel Price at 03:40 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)

Much has been said about the Steve Foley’s incident and today Foley’s agent issued the following release.

Press Release from David Levine Steve Foley’s Agent

San Diego Charger linebacker Steve Foley is hospitalized and in fair condition. He has been in intensive care and is recovering from gunshot wounds suffered when he was shot by an off-duty Coronado police officer on September 3, 2006. Steve was shot three (3) times; twice in the back of the left leg and once in the outside of the left thigh. He also has what is believed to be a gun shot wound to his right hand.

Steve is aware of the manner in which the incident is being portrayed by law enforcement in the media. He will respond at the appropriate time and in the appropriate forum. For now, his efforts are being directed toward recovering from his injuries. Steve wishes to thank the Chargers, his fans and the community for its continuing support.

###

Posted by Joel Price at 02:35 PM | Permalink | Comments (8)

San Diego Chargers

24 Cletis Gordon
34 Andrew Pinnock
75 Leander Jordan
82 Greg Camarillo
84 Aeron Shea
89 Ryan Krause
98 Derreck Robinson
3rd QB N/A

Lineup Changes
No change reported

Oakland Raiders

22 Duane Starks
49 John Paul Foschi
70 Brad Badger
71 Corey Hulsey
84 Jerry Porter
85 John Madsen
88 James Adkisson
3rd QB Marques Tuiasosopo

Lineup Changes
No change reported

Posted by Joel Price at 07:04 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)

Yes, it’sa little late, to make a pick for the Thursday night game but I wanted to get in on forum member JCDavey’s weekly pickems. Hurry, you can too!

Thursday September 7th

Miami at Pittsburgh - I’ll admit it… probably would have picked the Fins.

Sunday September 10th

Atlanta at Carolina
Baltimore at Tampa Bay
Buffalo at New England
Cincinnati at Kansas City
Denver at St. Louis
New Orleans at Cleveland
NY Jets at Tennessee
Philadelphia at Houston
Seattle at Detroit
Chicago at Green Bay
Dallas at Jacksonville
San Francisco at Arizona
Indianapolis at NY Giants

Monday September 11th

Minnesota at Washington
San Diego at Oakland

Posted by Joel Price at 01:55 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)

We will be doing some server upgrades on our forum today around 3 p.m. pacific. Unfortunately, that means that will take our forums offline as we do the maintenance.

Please be assured that we’re working on it as hard as we can and the forums will be back up as soon as the process is complete. We know better than to promise an exact time by which the forums will be back up, but we are shooting to have this wrapped up in approximately 1 hour. You may have to re-login, but other than that, your account shouldn’t be affected with this upgrade.

Chargers.com

Posted by Joel Price at 11:44 AM | Permalink | Comments (0)

Making his first NFL start on Monday night, Philip Rivers will face the Chargers’ longtime AFC West rival Oakland. Rivers played in five bowl games during his North Carolina State career, earning MVP honors in each, including the 2004 Senior Bowl. Rivers, who wears No. 17 for the Chargers as he did in college, had his jersey number retired at N.C. State prior to his final home game with the Wolfpack.

Even though he hasn’t started a game since his senior season at North Carolina State, Rivers has a reputation for being a fast starter. In four opening day starts for the Wolfpack, Rivers was 4-0 while averaging 309.0 yards passing and three touchdowns. Here’s a look at how the former NC State star fared in each of his four opening day starts.

The big questions, can his collegiate success carry over to the NFL? Time will tell.

Posted by Joel Price at 11:20 AM | Permalink | Comments (26)

Monday night in Oakland, LT will try to record his fourth 100-yard rushing game on opening day. He rushed for 113 yards against Washington in 2001, 114 yards at Cincinnati in 2002 and 121 yards at Houston in 2004. The only teams to hold him under 100 yards on opening day were the Chiefs (34 yards) in 2003 and Cowboys (72 yards) in 2005.

Posted by Joel Price at 10:42 AM | Permalink | Comments (9)

By P.S. Hamilton

Since Sunday, I’ve spent many hours reading literally thousands of posts from fans about the shooting of Steve Foley by an off-duty police officer. It is a tragedy in every sense of the word for everyone involved.

An overwhelming number of posts are supportive – no one likes to see someone suffering – but there are also a few people that feel Foley is just a bad guy that had it coming.

Any way you look at it, it’s our fault. Sort of.

We, the fans, can’t have it both ways. Why did we love Foley as a player? Because on the field he was mean, tough and never let up. That is what you want out of your defensive leader, isn’t it? Isn’t that why they get paid the big bucks? That's what we pay to see on Sunday, folks. Fans, coaches and owners accept no less.

Players like Foley, Shawne Merriman, Brian Urlacher, and Michael Strahan are respected, revered and yes, feared – because they’re bad-asses. We love ‘em that way! The harder they hit, the louder the pop, the more we like it. Can we really expect these players to flip a switch when the game is over and become Mr. Rogers?

Not many guys I know between the ages of 23-32 years old are capable of that level of maturity. Successful defensive players do not know moderation. That is why they’re successful…and also why so many of them succumb to off-field temptations and lapses of judgment. Drug and alcohol abuse, spousal abuse and assault frequently end the careers of NFL players. Many continue to struggle with these demons once they leave the NFL. For some, that's when the real trouble starts.

There is the mantra – always give 110 percent. Take it to the limit. One more rep. Sacrifice your body to make that tackle. Suck it up and play.

We don’t know Steve’s side of the story, and I’m certainly not condoning driving while intoxicated, if he was, or resisting a police officer.

What I am saying, however, is that as a society we expect our gladiators to believe they are indestructible.

And they do.

Posted by Joel Price at 05:29 PM | Permalink | Comments (7)

San Diego Chargers linebacker Steve Foley has been placed on “Reserve: Non-Football Injury” and will miss the remainder of the ’06 season.

Posted by Joel Price at 01:03 PM | Permalink | Comments (2)

The San Diego Chargers signed the following eight players to their practice squad on Sunday, September 3, 2006:

T Jeromey Clary, Kansas State
QB Brett Elliott, Linfield College
DB Steve Gregory, Syracuse
RB Tyronne Gross, Eastern Oregon
DT Brandon McKinney, Michigan State
C Nick Mihlhauser, Washington State
DT Chase Page, North Carolina
RB Ray Perkins, S.E. Louisiana

Posted by Joel Price at 03:52 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)

The Chargers announced the release of 21 players to get their final roster down to 53 players Saturday. Cornerback and return specialist Cletis Gordon is the only undrafted rookie to make the roster.

Players Released

WR Ricky Bryant
T Jeromey Clary
RB Larry Croom
QB Brett Elliott
FB Jonathan Evans
LB Akbar Gbaja-Biamila
CB Steve Gregory
TE Kelly Griffeth
RB Tyronne Gross
T Ben Johnson
S Andre Lott
DT Brandon McKinney
S Mitch Meeuwsen
C Nick Mihlhauser
S Hanik Milligan
WR Robert Ortiz
DE Chase Page
RB Ray Perkins
LB Jonathan Pollard
G Wes Sims
DT Alvin Smith

Posted by Joel Price at 05:18 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)

By P.S. Hamilton

This week the Chargers locked up yet another of their young and talented players, right offensive tackle Shane Olivea. He was given a generous contract extension beyond his wildest dreams, a 20 million-dollar deal that makes him the sixth highest paid offensive tackle in the league.

The Chargers are not only playing smart football…they are playing smart with their future. They’re building a playoff and, dare I say it -- Superbowl contender, that will be a force in this league for many years to come.

In this era of free agency it is difficult to keep continuity. This season’s free agency period saw veteran players on the downside of their careers command money that would make a sheik blush. As an example, the Chargers needed help at left tackle. It has been obvious for sometime that Leander Jordon is not starter material. There were two decent free agent tackles available, Tom Ashworth, formerly with the Patriots, and Jason Fabini with the Jets. The 28 year-old Ashworth received a deal from Seattle worth 13 Million and 4.5 million in his first year with bonuses. This is as a backup to Walter Jones at left tackle. Jason Fabini is 32 years old and could cost the Cowboys 4.5 to 7 million for a guy now listed #3 on the depth chart.

The Chargers have signed center Nick Hardwick to a 17 million dollar contract, but that is chump change next to what two free-agent centers signed for this offseason. LeCharles Bentley left the Saints to sign with the Browns for an astounding 36 million dollars with 12.5 million guaranteed. During the first practice scrimmage with the Browns, Bentley suffered a torn patella, and as the Browns have come to expect from their newly signed players, will sit out the entire season.

Cornerback Quentin Jammer was recently signed to an extension good for 30 million, including 13.5 million in bonuses. Jammer is a big, physical corner, and with the trend toward bigger receivers in the NFL it was important to lock him up long term. Ty Law was signed to a 30 million dollar deal, but at 32 years of age, chances are slim that he will be able to produce at a high level throughout his contract.

The Chargers have been working hard to lock up these outstanding players on the rise because they will become very expensive to replace in free agency over the next few years. The cap increased this year by about 10 million dollars, making it a good time to get these deals done. The following players are signed for at least the next three seasons:

The Charger’s front office has been doing a great job of getting top quality guys on this team, and tying them up for the long run. They are focusing on over-achievers that work hard and sacrifice to get what they want. These are the kind of gritty players you want when your team is behind in the final minutes of a conference championship game.

The work is still ongoing. There are a few key players that still need to be extended. They are:

Donnie Edwards will likely be traded before the deadline or will take advantage of his free agent status next season. Randall Godfrey is expected to retire.

The team needs to find a way to get the rest of these players locked up soon. Negotiations are likely in the works already.

Teams as deep as the Chargers face a tough challenge when extending gifted backup players. Running back Michael Turner and linebacker Shaun Phillips are both special talents that could likely start on a number of teams in the NFL.

They both will have a tough decision to make. Is the priority to get a big payday from a team rebuilding or retooling, or is it to make darned good money on what will soon be a perennial championship team -- built to last.

Posted by Joel Price at 06:53 PM | Permalink | Comments (1)