Boltz @ Pats

[MTSuper7]

If Rivers, LT and Gates all sit the AFC Championship game out, Belichick is going to have to do one hell of a good job coaching up his team. Think about it - they're about to host a team that they waxed in week 2, but that team is without its starting QB and its top two offensive weapons? It's not hard to imagine that some of those Patriots might feel overconfident. Still, the Charger D is relatively healthy and playing well, and the Chargers did beat the Colts with the 2nd string in on offense. If Volek commits no turnovers, it gives the Chargers a chance to be in the game, but only if their defense (and the weather) can somehow disrupt the passing game.

 

Still, after watching Jacksonville play a pretty darn good football game only to still lose by double digits, it seems that we are really talking about the Chargers needing a miracle here. It seems like every week we talk about the Pats losing, there is a laundry list of things that have to happen for the Pats to lose. And usually at the top of that list is disrupting Brady, which has happened very infrequently this year.

 

So lets face it: The Patriots look like Ivan Drago after he killed Apollo... Stay with me now, this analogy makes a ton of sense:

 

1) Drago = face of the evil empire at the time

2) Drago cheated to gain an edge

3) He looks like a machine and even talks like one (Belichick press conference anyone?)

 

I can only hope we get as good an AFC Championship or, assuming the Chargers lose, Super Bowl as we got a Rocky Balboa vs. Ivan Drago fight. I just don't feel like we're gonna get one of those "The Russian's cut, and it's a bad cut" moments any time soon...

 

[McBoog]

This is wrong on so many levels, I don't know where to begin.

 

It's like folks want the Pats to lose so bad, they make up reasons as to why it could/will happen, or find meaningless tidbits to show a potential chink in the armor.

 

This is going to be a slaughter. The Colts had what it takes to "possibly" beat NE this year. The Chargers aren't even close. Their only chance to even keep the game close is disasterous weather.

 

Green Bay has a far better shot to win, which should lead to a decent Super Bowl...

 

Thanx for the "in-depth analysis".

 

Refuting ANYTHING I posted with some level of intelligence would actually make you look like you have a clue. Instead, it is just a mindless, lazy post with an opinion based on nothing. Thanx for playing though!

 

This is a footrace, in good weather and the Chargers have a better chance of winning a footrace with the Pats than the Jags did, but probably will still lose, even if healthy. The Bolt offense is moving the football and is now an offense that can compete with anyone. Rivers bashing aside, the kid is finally getting what Turner wants to do and they are tough to stop/get off the field. Scifres, like few in the game, can and is a field position changer (that last punt was as important as anything else that happened in that game against the Colts) and his effect on the game cannot be overlooked (if the Chargers do have an advantage in this game it is in STs). The things the Chargers are doing very well right now look like the things that the Pats D has the most trouble with. I don't have the exact stats, but the Chargers have to be one of the best teams over the last month for plays of 20+ yards. Sure it is the same type of offense run under Cameron, but Norv now has the Chargers pushing the ball downfield in a way they haven’t for years (this was part of the offense’s transition problems early in the year). This opens a lot of different things underneath, and the Chargers have the talent to take advantage of this.

 

That Colts D was probably the most under-rated, over-looked unit in the NFL this year and was the key to the Colts' excellent season. Take it from a fan who used to every year in playoff losses during the Fouts/Coryelle era. The Pats have not really proven against a solid D team that they can win IF they have to go to the ground to win a game on a consistent basis. Merriman and Phillips will protect the edge MUCH better than the Jags did, and I don't see them getting gouged by Maroney like the Jags did.

 

Throwing the ball every down is not play-off football. It does not win Championships often. Even the Martz Rams ran the ball effectively with Faulk.

 

I don't see the key being the Charger D stopping NE. Not many people can. If the game comes down to that, game over in a NE rout. What the Charger D has to do is the same thing they did in Indy. Don't give up the big plays (only one on the Gonzales TD), make NE work their way down the field (maximizing the ability to get a turnover) and try to stay strong/stingy in the red zone.

 

The key as I see it, assuming a relatively healthy Charger O (which is still up in the air, even though BOTH Rivers and LT are expected to play), is Rivers, NOT LT. In the first game (sh!t, first 2/3 of the season) he struggled. He is NOT struggling right now and is making big-time throws which loosens up the LOS for LT and Turner. If the Boltz can keep it close, convert third downs (which they have been VERY good at recently) and keep Brady on the sideline, they may be able to frustrate the Pats and "rush" them into a mistake or two (wishful thinking???? )

 

I actually see the Colts and the Pats as very close to mirror image teams, only the Colts are a little younger and faster on defense and the Pats play in a crappy division (but opponents did have a 52% winning percentage, but sevene bye weeks in a season doesn’t hurt your chances when preparing for tough competition ). The Pats will move the ball and Charger fans everywhere will be screaming at the tube every time Welker makes a catch (sort of like Clark last week). But they kept everything in front of them and “shortened” the game by increasing the time of possession for each Colt possession. Fewer and longer possessions for both teams translated to fewer points being scored. This was how they beat the Colts.

 

The Chargers outplayed the Pats in two of the three previous games (but ended up 1-2 ), not on defense, but because they had a passing game that had to be respected and could not stack the LOS against LT. The Chargers have that again, if healthy. That gives LT an opportunity to make a difference in this game, something he did not have back in September. The Pats now have WRs that make having to run the ball a moot topic. The biggest difference in the Pats over the last three games. The Chargers biggest difference is another year of experience and they don’t have Martin Snottypanicheimer doing another mental melt-down under playoff pressure.

 

Naanee, Manumaleuna, Davis, all have roles. Chambers and VJax HAVE to be respected and the O-line finally is playing much like they did last year. Turner pounding and Sproles out of the backfield. IF Gates is able to play a little more to worry about makes them even better. Norv will have a game plan and has shown that he is not the moran that he had been labeled now that he has players to coach and an owner/GM that allows him to just that. The last drive that Volek drove the team for the winning score in Indy was a completely, individually designed and practiced “package” designed for him and his strengths (notice the rolling pocket anyone?). Volek was ushered out of Tenn. because he could actually throw the ball from the pocket, is a better passer than VY and they did not want the QB controversy that was expected. Pocket passers are just what the doctor ordered in this Charger offense. If Volek has to start/play, rust is clearly a concern. Norv will have this team prepared to play.

 

If the Chargers are pretty close to full strength (and the weather is not horrid), I’d bet the over if I was a betting man.

 

I think the Chargers CAN win this game, but probably won’t. If the weather does not effect the ability of the teams to pass, is see the Pats winning this around 30 – 24. Game plan and strategy will be similar to the one used to beat the Colts.

 

The Chargers have a better chance in bad weather and I think it is a pretty much an even game if it turns into a ground battle. In this scenario, the Chargers size and youth eventually pound out a 17-13 type victory as LT, Turner and Sproles start getting to the second level and wearing out the aging LB corps of the Pats starting around the mid-3rd qtr. If the Pats become one dimensional and HAVE to run to win, I don’t think they can on the Chargers.

 

It is kind of “funny”, but I see the Chargers as a better cold weather team than the Pats. As alluded to earlier, the Colts and Pats both remind me very much of the Chargers of the Fouts’ era, the classic warm weather/dome team.

 

We’ll see how the rest of the week goes and how the Chargers heal. Norv has already said that some guys will probably play with NO practice time this week. That is not good and does not bode well for the Boltz.

 

Almost nobody gave the Chargers a chance to even be in the game with the Colts and they are in the same exact position this week. I think this is good! It really takes a lot of the pressure off of a team and allows them to play football. Just think of what would be going through the Pat players in a close game if the whole world expects them to win, the questions, the “what happened”, the loss of the perfect record… at home, no longer the “greatest teams ever”. Say what you want, but THAT is pressure!

 

The last component is the real fact that there is a lot of bad blood between these teams. How that factors in is never known, but it does have an effect on how the game is played. Every little thing gets amplified under these circumstances, especially in the play-offs, one game away from the Super Bowl.

[jaxfactor]

Pats 42 Bolts 17 With the last 7 coming in garbage time. Doesn't matter what the weather is. Doesn't matter who is or is not healthy. I see a total blowout and boring game here. The only type of team that can beat the Pats is one that can generate a pass rush from their front 4(or 3 plus LB). Giants had it. Philly had it. Baltimore had it. The Jags had the perfect game plan but did not have the personel up front on D tobe successful. If the Jags had a D-line like the Giants, I think you would have seen a different outcome. This is what teams will analize in the offseason. If the Packers get past the G-Men, they will analize it sooner. Even if the Giants win in GB, we saw what an exciting game that was in week 17. Bolts= no prayer IMO, but I hope I'm wrong and I will be rooting for them for sure.

[myhousekey]

I just went back and looked at our fantasy football stats for this year. Volek finished DEAD LAST in fantasy points for quarterbacks thru the regular season this year.

 

3-10 for 6 yds and 1 int and 11 carries for -7 yards.

 

So hypothetically we could have the #1 FF QB vs the FF QB in dead last this weekend.... ouch.

Edited January 15, 2008 by myhousekey

[MTSuper7]

Throwing the ball every down is not play-off football. It does not win Championships often. Even the Martz Rams ran the ball effectively with Faulk.

 

I don't see the key being the Charger D stopping NE. Not many people can. If the game comes down to that, game over in a NE rout. What the Charger D has to do is the same thing they did in Indy. Don't give up the big plays (only one on the Gonzales TD), make NE work their way down the field (maximizing the ability to get a turnover) and try to stay strong/stingy in the red zone.

 

First, didn't Maroney have 100+ yds and a TD against the Jags? Second, how can you say that the Charger D stopping NE isn't key, then turn around and basically say that all they have to do is what they did against Indy? Didn't the Charger D stop Indy? And I think that whenever we talk about any D stopping NE, we're really just talking about doing enough to give your offense a chance to win. Red Zone is key, and nobody seems to be able to hold the Pats to FGs.

[rebdog]

Pats 42 Bolts 17 With the last 7 coming in garbage time. Doesn't matter what the weather is. Doesn't matter who is or is not healthy. I see a total blowout and boring game here. The only type of team that can beat the Pats is one that can generate a pass rush from their front 4(or 3 plus LB). Giants had it. Philly had it. Baltimore had it. The Jags had the perfect game plan but did not have the personel up front on D tobe successful. If the Jags had a D-line like the Giants, I think you would have seen a different outcome. This is what teams will analize in the offseason. If the Packers get past the G-Men, they will analize it sooner. Even if the Giants win in GB, we saw what an exciting game that was in week 17. Bolts= no prayer IMO, but I hope I'm wrong and I will be rooting for them for sure.

 

injuries are the ONLY reason San Diego would have no shot. All you have to do is look at the talent in the lineup. There's playmakers everywhere.

the chargers are on a roll. to discount them at this stage is stupid. they should definitely be the underdogs in this game given New England's phenomonal year, but if LT2 and Turner can get some consistency going in the ground game on Sunday, it will be a good game. New England won't be able to just play the run either. Chambers being there now makes downfield plays a real threat.

there's a longstanding belief that teams who run the ball and can stop the run are usually successful. ...we'll see how Maroney does when he gets popped a few times. he's not the most durable RB.

[xtra]

Was watching first take and they were talking about Chargers new bulletin board material.

 

http://www.bostonherald.com/sports/footbal...ticleid=1066602

 

Why bother showing up?

 

Chargers no match for Super Bowl-bound Pats

 

 

The Patriots [team stats] were comfortably curled up on their couches Sunday night, halfway through “The Sarah Connor Chronicles,” when the next victim on their hit list touched down in San Diego. An estimated 10,000 fans were waiting to greet the Chargers as they got off their buses, hobbled into the team complex and headed for the trainer’s room.

 

Some fans had been waiting on lounge chairs in the parking lot for six hours. According to the San Diego Union-Tribune, the Chargers theme song played repeatedly over loud speakers. The charged-up San Diego fans would have been wearing championship T-shirts and hats except for one small problem:

 

They didn’t win a championship. Not even a conference championship.

 

They won a second-round playoff game and earned the right to travel across three time zones to play the greatest team ever on a day that is expected to be colder than naked ice fishing. If this was a title fight, someone in the Chargers’ corner would be screaming: “Stay down! Stay down!”

 

In breaking down the AFC Championship Game matchup, we would have to give the Chargers a decided edge at two spots - running back and tight end. Except we’ve got another minor problem: Their star running back and their stud tight end both are hurt and questionable for this Sunday. Nevermind.

 

On the Patriots’ injury front, punter Chris Hanson is feeling a little stiff. He could use some work.

 

The Patriots opened as 15-point favorites against the Chargers, and that number could go higher as the San Diego injury situation unfolds. Tens of thousands of Patriots fans are scrambling this week to get to Glendale, Ariz., for the Super Bowl, and most of them will book nonrefundable flights. Why not? The players and coaches have to keep up the charade; the fans and media do not. This is such a lopsided matchup that Tom Brady [stats] is thinking of spending a couple of days in Mexico with Jessica Simpson, just to make it fair.

 

The Patriots will trounce a physically and emotionally spent San Diego team Sunday to go to 18-0. They will head to their fourth Super Bowl in seven years, where they will wrap up more debates than Brit Hume. Best coach. Best quarterback. Best offense. Best team ever. A true dynasty in an era that was designed to prevent dynasties. There goes your neighborhood, Mercury Morris.

 

The only thing that stood in the Pats’ way was a dangerous Indianapolis team, and the spunky Chargers took care of that. We should know by now that the Patriots win even when they don’t play. LT goes down. Philip Rivers goes down. The Colts and the Cowboys go home. There is the crazy, cruel, unpredictable NFL, and then there are the Patriots. You watch and you just know: Like Sarah Connor, they’re not going to die at the end of the episode.

 

So let’s break down this game. The Patriots are healthier, better rested and at home. The Patriots knocked the Chargers out of the playoffs in San Diego last January and blew them out in Foxboro in this regular season. They never have lost a playoff game at Gillette Stadium. Their quarterback is only playing better than any quarterback ever has played. They’re suddenly running the ball.

 

This week, all the NFL analysts on all the networks will face the same challenge “Saturday Night Live” cast members faced each time they did a skit with Chris Farley: Can they make it through the segment without laughing?

 

Seriously, when we go through the position-by-position breakdown later this week, are we really going to include coaching? Sounds kind of cruel. Bill Belichick and the Patriots are 17-0. By coincidence, that happens to be the streak that Norval Eugene Turner needs just to get back to .500 for his coaching career. With three teams in 10 seasons, he is 70-87, including playoffs.

 

There is even plenty of bulletin-board material - and we know the Patriots never let that go to waste. It was only a year ago that Tomlinson said Belichick had no class, and Rivers called Ellis Hobbs [stats] one of the “sorriest corners in the league.” Two of the Patriots’ emotional leaders, Rodney Harrison [stats] and Junior Seau, are San Diego castoffs. And of course, the Chargers, like so many others, kicked the Patriots in the head when Camera-gate hit the fan.

 

This is the AFC Championship Game, and these are the Patriots. There is a better chance that we will see sunny and 65 on Sunday than an emotional letdown.

 

On its Web site yesterday, the Union-Tribune invited readers to rejoice in the great triumph against the Colts. Most of them were ready to sound the trumpets and lead the charge to New England. A guy named Lance Alworth wasn’t so confident.

 

“As you all may know, I played on some great Charger teams of the past, and I have to say that this will go down as one of the most mentally tough, gutsy performances in Charger history,” he wrote. “I would like to send my congratulations to the players and the fans and the front office. I would also like to say that this will most likely be the end of the line for this season.

Edited January 15, 2008 by xtra

[ROYALWITCHEESE]

Thanx for the "in-depth analysis".

 

Refuting ANYTHING I posted with some level of intelligence would actually make you look like you have a clue. Instead, it is just a mindless, lazy post with an opinion based on nothing. Thanx for playing though!

 

This is a footrace, in good weather and the Chargers have a better chance of winning a footrace with the Pats than the Jags did, but probably will still lose, even if healthy. The Bolt offense is moving the football and is now an offense that can compete with anyone. Rivers bashing aside, the kid is finally getting what Turner wants to do and they are tough to stop/get off the field. Scifres, like few in the game, can and is a field position changer (that last punt was as important as anything else that happened in that game against the Colts) and his effect on the game cannot be overlooked (if the Chargers do have an advantage in this game it is in STs). The things the Chargers are doing very well right now look like the things that the Pats D has the most trouble with. I don't have the exact stats, but the Chargers have to be one of the best teams over the last month for plays of 20+ yards. Sure it is the same type of offense run under Cameron, but Norv now has the Chargers pushing the ball downfield in a way they haven’t for years (this was part of the offense’s transition problems early in the year). This opens a lot of different things underneath, and the Chargers have the talent to take advantage of this.

 

That Colts D was probably the most under-rated, over-looked unit in the NFL this year and was the key to the Colts' excellent season. Take it from a fan who used to every year in playoff losses during the Fouts/Coryelle era. The Pats have not really proven against a solid D team that they can win IF they have to go to the ground to win a game on a consistent basis. Merriman and Phillips will protect the edge MUCH better than the Jags did, and I don't see them getting gouged by Maroney like the Jags did.

 

Throwing the ball every down is not play-off football. It does not win Championships often. Even the Martz Rams ran the ball effectively with Faulk.

 

I don't see the key being the Charger D stopping NE. Not many people can. If the game comes down to that, game over in a NE rout. What the Charger D has to do is the same thing they did in Indy. Don't give up the big plays (only one on the Gonzales TD), make NE work their way down the field (maximizing the ability to get a turnover) and try to stay strong/stingy in the red zone.

 

The key as I see it, assuming a relatively healthy Charger O (which is still up in the air, even though BOTH Rivers and LT are expected to play), is Rivers, NOT LT. In the first game (sh!t, first 2/3 of the season) he struggled. He is NOT struggling right now and is making big-time throws which loosens up the LOS for LT and Turner. If the Boltz can keep it close, convert third downs (which they have been VERY good at recently) and keep Brady on the sideline, they may be able to frustrate the Pats and "rush" them into a mistake or two (wishful thinking???? )

 

I actually see the Colts and the Pats as very close to mirror image teams, only the Colts are a little younger and faster on defense and the Pats play in a crappy division (but opponents did have a 52% winning percentage, but sevene bye weeks in a season doesn’t hurt your chances when preparing for tough competition ). The Pats will move the ball and Charger fans everywhere will be screaming at the tube every time Welker makes a catch (sort of like Clark last week). But they kept everything in front of them and “shortened” the game by increasing the time of possession for each Colt possession. Fewer and longer possessions for both teams translated to fewer points being scored. This was how they beat the Colts.

 

The Chargers outplayed the Pats in two of the three previous games (but ended up 1-2 ), not on defense, but because they had a passing game that had to be respected and could not stack the LOS against LT. The Chargers have that again, if healthy. That gives LT an opportunity to make a difference in this game, something he did not have back in September. The Pats now have WRs that make having to run the ball a moot topic. The biggest difference in the Pats over the last three games. The Chargers biggest difference is another year of experience and they don’t have Martin Snottypanicheimer doing another mental melt-down under playoff pressure.

 

Naanee, Manumaleuna, Davis, all have roles. Chambers and VJax HAVE to be respected and the O-line finally is playing much like they did last year. Turner pounding and Sproles out of the backfield. IF Gates is able to play a little more to worry about makes them even better. Norv will have a game plan and has shown that he is not the moran that he had been labeled now that he has players to coach and an owner/GM that allows him to just that. The last drive that Volek drove the team for the winning score in Indy was a completely, individually designed and practiced “package” designed for him and his strengths (notice the rolling pocket anyone?). Volek was ushered out of Tenn. because he could actually throw the ball from the pocket, is a better passer than VY and they did not want the QB controversy that was expected. Pocket passers are just what the doctor ordered in this Charger offense. If Volek has to start/play, rust is clearly a concern. Norv will have this team prepared to play.

 

If the Chargers are pretty close to full strength (and the weather is not horrid), I’d bet the over if I was a betting man.

 

I think the Chargers CAN win this game, but probably won’t. If the weather does not effect the ability of the teams to pass, is see the Pats winning this around 30 – 24. Game plan and strategy will be similar to the one used to beat the Colts.

 

The Chargers have a better chance in bad weather and I think it is a pretty much an even game if it turns into a ground battle. In this scenario, the Chargers size and youth eventually pound out a 17-13 type victory as LT, Turner and Sproles start getting to the second level and wearing out the aging LB corps of the Pats starting around the mid-3rd qtr. If the Pats become one dimensional and HAVE to run to win, I don’t think they can on the Chargers.

 

It is kind of “funny”, but I see the Chargers as a better cold weather team than the Pats. As alluded to earlier, the Colts and Pats both remind me very much of the Chargers of the Fouts’ era, the classic warm weather/dome team.

 

We’ll see how the rest of the week goes and how the Chargers heal. Norv has already said that some guys will probably play with NO practice time this week. That is not good and does not bode well for the Boltz.

 

Almost nobody gave the Chargers a chance to even be in the game with the Colts and they are in the same exact position this week. I think this is good! It really takes a lot of the pressure off of a team and allows them to play football. Just think of what would be going through the Pat players in a close game if the whole world expects them to win, the questions, the “what happened”, the loss of the perfect record… at home, no longer the “greatest teams ever”. Say what you want, but THAT is pressure!

 

The last component is the real fact that there is a lot of bad blood between these teams. How that factors in is never known, but it does have an effect on how the game is played. Every little thing gets amplified under these circumstances, especially in the play-offs, one game away from the Super Bowl.

 

Why should I go into greater depth than the original poster? There wasn't one single legit point in your introductory post. The "laziness", as you call it, was a direct result of the information you provided. You want thorough feedback? Begin with something other than arbitrary opinions on why the Pats "might" lose to the Chargers....

[xtra]

I think this game will resemble the Patriots-Ravens game.

[rebdog]

There is even plenty of bulletin-board material - and we know the Patriots never let that go to waste. It was only a year ago that Tomlinson said Belichick had no class, and Rivers called Ellis Hobbs [stats] one of the “sorriest corners in the league.” Two of the Patriots’ emotional leaders, Rodney Harrison [stats] and Junior Seau, are San Diego castoffs. And of course, the Chargers, like so many others, kicked the Patriots in the head when Camera-gate hit the fan.

 

The Pats stomped the Chargers logo on the field after the playoff game. Who's bulletin board material should it be??

Seau and Harrison, while once great players and great former Chargers are a little long in the tooth to be a deciding factor. And Seau is a Charger legend. I think he'll be more conflicted than vengeful.

And I don't recall SD jumping all over the Pats regarding camera-gate. I do recall us having to play an emotionally revved up Patriot team when all this hit the fan though.

Edited January 15, 2008 by rebdog

[SMF]

The Pats stomped the Chargers logo on the field after the playoff game. Who's bulletin board material should it be??

Seau and Harrison, while once great players and great former Chargers are a little long in the tooth to be a deciding factor. And I don't recall SD jumping all over the Pats regarding camera-gate. I do recall us having to play an emotionally revved up Patriot team when all this hit the fan though.

Maybe not SD jumping all over the Pats, but I do remember i certain Boltz RB that was quoted about a million times that week.

[SuperCharger]

Maybe not SD jumping all over the Pats, but I do remember i certain Boltz RB that was quoted about a million times that week.

 

If you aren't cheating you aren't trying.

[Sturphy]

If you aren't cheating you aren't trying.

 

Oh please. Justifying cheaters everywhere.

 

I should teach my kids that?

 

Yay!

[SMF]

 

Oh please. Justifying cheaters everywhere.

 

I should teach my kids that?

 

Yay!

That is the quote that LT made and was replayed a million times

[Sturphy]

That is the quote that LT made and was replayed a million times

My bad. Should have been a million and one times, because I don't remember it.

[McBoog]

First, didn't Maroney have 100+ yds and a TD against the Jags? Second, how can you say that the Charger D stopping NE isn't key, then turn around and basically say that all they have to do is what they did against Indy? Didn't the Charger D stop Indy? And I think that whenever we talk about any D stopping NE, we're really just talking about doing enough to give your offense a chance to win. Red Zone is key, and nobody seems to be able to hold the Pats to FGs.

 

Yup. The Coltsa put up over 400 on the Boltz.

 

Maroney benefitted from a front four trying to get to Brady and didn't have the speed to contain the draw play. Merriman and Phillips are more athletic and will take a lot of those yards away.

 

I think we are actually both saying the same thing. Red Zone is the key.

[McBoog]

If you aren't cheating you aren't trying.

 

and if anyone thinks that LT is the one that came up with this

 

I'm in my late 40s and I have been hearing this since I was a kid. Just like the press, they take a small piece of a 15 minute interview to make BB material? Come on, in the real context, and everune who bothered to see the whole comment, knows that that was as good as a "no comment". He had "cleared the air with Bel-I-Cheat at the pro bowl and was trying to dodge it in a funny way.

 

The Chargers LOST THEIR MINDS and COMPOSURE in that game last year. It all goes back to MARTY. The team that played that game was not mentally the same team as the reg season. Defense talking smack every play, the strutting, the mistakes the stoooopid penalties. Then, the Pats get lucky, pull it out at the end and stomp the Charger logo.

 

These teams don't like each other!

[Chargerz]

Rivers, LT, and Gates would have to be near death to miss this game. I'm confidently predicting that all three will play.

 

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

 

Beat-up Chargers hope to recover, rest before squaring up against the Patriots

By Kevin Acee

UNION-TRIBUNE STAFF WRITER

 

January 15, 2008

 

PHILIP RIVERS, QB

Injury: Strained right medial collateral ligament (knee).

Update: This is in addition to his sprained left MCL. Rivers probably won't practice until Friday, if then.

Status: Expected to play Sunday.

 

LaDAINIAN TOMLINSON, RB

Injury: Hyperextended left knee.

Update: He likely will miss at least a day of practice.

Status: Expected to play Sunday.

 

ANTONIO GATES, TE

Injury: Dislocated left big toe.

Update: He said he was feeling no worse yesterday than last week.

Status: Same as last week, he will rehab and test it on Sunday.

 

The Chargers yesterday began to look toward Sunday's AFC Championship Game against the undefeated New England Patriots with the reality that practice for at least a portion of this week will likely be minus Antonio Gates, Philip Rivers and LaDainian Tomlinson, among others.

 

Tomlinson is almost certain to play Sunday but will rest his hyperextended left knee early in the week.

 

“I think I'll definitely be able to play,” said Tomlinson, hit on the knee at the end of a run in the second quarter. “ . . . I'm going to get as much treatment as I can. Obviously I'm going to do all I can in practice. I don't want to miss any time in practice.”

 

Rivers, too, likely will play against the Patriots, now on two injured knees, a strained medial collateral ligament in his right knee suffered Sunday added to the sprained left MCL he has played on since Dec. 9. Gates likely will follow the same path he did last week, rehabbing and keeping weight off his dislocated left big toe before testing it again on Sunday morning.

 

The Chargers probably also will rest for at least a day nose tackle Jamal Williams, who aggravated an ankle injury that has bothered him much of the season, and defensive end Luis Castillo, who suffered bruised ribs in Sunday's 28-24 victory over the Indianapolis Colts. Cornerback Antonio Cromartie could also miss a day of practice with what Turner described as “soreness” in his knee.

 

While they are riding the momentum of eight straight victories, including two in the same postseason for the first time since going to the Super Bowl 13 years ago, the Chargers also are feeling the effect of two physical contests in successive weeks.

 

“We're beat up,” Turner said. “In (Sunday's) game, I asked them to give me everything they've got and a little more, and they did. So now we've got to be smart and use this week to get our energy level back but still get prepared.”

 

What they're readying for is a game in which they are two-touchdown underdogs.

 

And they don't want to face the league's fourth-ranked defense (in both points and scrimmage yards allowed) without their hot quarterback.

 

Rivers has put together the best two back-to-back playoff games by a quarterback in team history in leading the Chargers to their fourth AFC title game. He has completed 33 of his 49 passes for 556 yards and four touchdowns with just two interceptions. His 115.7 rating is better than any two-game stretch in his career.

 

“Billy (Volek) played great and went in and did the things he had to do,” Turner said. “But we're getting ready to play the best team in the National Football League. So we need to rally the troops and get everyone as healthy as we can be.”

 

Even at full strength, the Chargers would face a second straight week of being given little to no chance of winning.

 

The overwhelming love for the Patriots also discounts that since Nov. 25 (eight games for the Chargers, seven for New England) the Chargers have allowed 6½ fewer points a game and scored 1½ fewer points a game than New England while facing about the same level of competition. The Chargers' opponents during their winning streak had a combined winning percentage of .458, while the Patriots' opponents had a similarly unimpressive .486 winning percentage.

 

But besides the Patriots winning all 17 of their games, there also is the fact they beat the Chargers 38-14 in the season's second week.

That's cool with the Chargers, who prefer the underdog role. It's one they have embraced since falling off the mantel of elite teams early in the season.

 

“I like it,” Cromartie said yesterday. “It means . . . no one is counting on us to win. It's been that way since Week 2, to tell you the truth. I love it. It gives us a chance with the momentum of knowing we are underdogs just to show everybody in the world what we can do.”

[pig devilz]

Gates will get another 'nerve block' on his toe and with a weeks rest should be able to go...

LT plays...

Phillip 'my mouth runs like' Rivers will give it a go, but mobility and ability to set himself

and throw will hamper him, this will be one of the key factors in the Boltz loss. 10 degree temps

and MCL's don't mix.....

[charty]

The Pats stomped the Chargers logo on the field after the playoff game. Who's bulletin board material should it be??

Seau and Harrison, while once great players and great former Chargers are a little long in the tooth to be a deciding factor. And Seau is a Charger legend. I think he'll be more conflicted than vengeful.

And I don't recall SD jumping all over the Pats regarding camera-gate. I do recall us having to play an emotionally revved up Patriot team when all this hit the fan though.

Uhmmm, get your facts straight. A couple players mocked Merriman's lights out dance. The clown was all talk, had "Light's Out" shaved in his head and proceeded to have a 2 tackle game with late 4th quarter sack for 0 yards lost.

 

When a field goal is missed to end the game, players tend run out to the middle of the field. Nobody seeked out or stomped on the logo.....unless stomping is part of Lights Out dance, but I thought he just did a little gig with his arms. This wasn't a case of a TO like sprint from the endzone to the midfield Star at Texas stadium.

 

If they knew how Rivers handled victory, maybe they would taken a que from him ran to the back of the bench to mock Charger fans.

Edited January 16, 2008 by charty

[rebdog]

Uhmmm, get your facts straight. A couple players mocked Merriman's lights out dance. The clown was all talk, had "Light's Out" shaved in his head and proceeded to have a 2 tackle game with late 4th quarter sack for 0 yards lost.

 

When a field goal is missed to end the game, players tend run out to the middle of the field. Nobody seeked out or stomped on the logo.....unless stomping is part of Lights Out dance, but I thought he just did a little gig with his arms. This wasn't a case of a TO like sprint from the endzone to the midfield Star at Texas stadium.

 

If they knew how Rivers handled victory, maybe they would taken a que from him ran to the back of the bench to mock Charger fans.

 

you're correct. they were doing the lights out dance at mid-field. its still bulletin board material as was referenced earlier. is it not?

back to the topic, all this crap about what the Patriots will do to you if you disrespect them is a joke. they're not undefeated for that reason.

i'm questioning exactly what is seen as motivational material to a team and exactly how this will be a deciding factor. all this garbage is way overrated. both these teams will plenty dislike each other come game-time.

 

...and as Igor Olshansky said "they know what's up, believe me".

[McBoog]

If Rivers, LT and Gates all sit the AFC Championship game out, Belichick is going to have to do one hell of a good job coaching up his team. Think about it - they're about to host a team that they waxed in week 2, but that team is without its starting QB and its top two offensive weapons? It's not hard to imagine that some of those Patriots might feel overconfident. Still, the Charger D is relatively healthy and playing well, and the Chargers did beat the Colts with the 2nd string in on offense. If Volek commits no turnovers, it gives the Chargers a chance to be in the game, but only if their defense (and the weather) can somehow disrupt the passing game.

 

Still, after watching Jacksonville play a pretty darn good football game only to still lose by double digits, it seems that we are really talking about the Chargers needing a miracle here. It seems like every week we talk about the Pats losing, there is a laundry list of things that have to happen for the Pats to lose. And usually at the top of that list is disrupting Brady, which has happened very infrequently this year.

 

So lets face it: The Patriots look like Ivan Drago after he killed Apollo... Stay with me now, this analogy makes a ton of sense:

 

1) Drago = face of the evil empire at the time

2) Drago cheated to gain an edge

3) He looks like a machine and even talks like one (Belichick press conference anyone?)

 

I can only hope we get as good an AFC Championship or, assuming the Chargers lose, Super Bowl as we got a Rocky Balboa vs. Ivan Drago fight. I just don't feel like we're gonna get one of those "The Russian's cut, and it's a bad cut" moments any time soon...

 

 

BTW

 

I really liked this post!

 

Cromartie's pick and TD that got called back on the phantom holding call was one of those moments last week (if the TD had stood). If something like this happens during the game, you know I'll be thinking about this post, win or lose!

 

[McBoog]

I have tried to look at some common opponents and this has been pretty fruitless.

 

The Chargers beat the Colts twice and the Pats beat them once.

 

The Chargers lost to the Jags on the road, the Pats beat the Jags in their playoff game.

 

The Chargers routed the Ravens in San Diego, the Pats needed some “fortunate perspective” on the field by the zebra corps to not lose in Baltimore the following week.

 

The one factor that I was way off on in last weekends games was that I thought the Jags would be much more physical with the Pats than they were. Instead, they almost tried to finesse a win when compared to the way they have played other teams. I expected the jags to at the very least “soften” up the Pats and bruise ‘em up pretty good for whichever team had to go to play them. They just didn’t bring the wood the way I expected/hoped.

 

I also thought that the Chargers/Colts game would be more of a finesse game and that it would not be the M*A*S*H game that it turned out to be. Both teams would have been/are much more banged up than expected going in to play the Pats.

 

Apparently, both Rivers (though risky and was told to sit the rest of the game out and that is why LT reacted to him on the sideline the way he did when Rivers told him this) and LT could have gone back into the game in Indy. Rivers did not push the issue because of how well Volek was doing on the final drive when it became an issue (wow, the “punk” put his team first???) The Turner and Sproles combo was getting the job done, so LT was not going back in unless it was “all-or-nothing” left in the game. As long as they were in it, he was sitting. Gates’ situation has not really changed, but even then, was a distraction when on the field and got open a few times for a couple of grabs (one a 23 yarder).

 

So… what is going to happen? I don’t know and will watch the game to find out. I do know the Boltz will be prepared and bring their best

 

And to the rest of the country that is over the fact that you didn’t get the match-up you wanted, get over it. The Boltz beat the Colts TWICE this year no matter how you slice it and earned the right to play in this Sunday’s game (no disrespect to the Colt fans intended)!

 

Obviously, as a Charger homer, I liked this article. National media wanted Colts-Pats; well, deal with it

[SuperCharger]

I have tried to look at some common opponents and this has been pretty fruitless.

 

The Chargers beat the Colts twice and the Pats beat them once.

 

The Chargers lost to the Jags on the road, the Pats beat the Jags in their playoff game.

 

The Chargers routed the Ravens in San Diego, the Pats needed some “fortunate perspective” on the field by the zebra corps to not lose in Baltimore the following week.

 

The one factor that I was way off on in last weekends games was that I thought the Jags would be much more physical with the Pats than they were. Instead, they almost tried to finesse a win when compared to the way they have played other teams. I expected the jags to at the very least “soften” up the Pats and bruise ‘em up pretty good for whichever team had to go to play them. They just didn’t bring the wood the way I expected/hoped.

 

I also thought that the Chargers/Colts game would be more of a finesse game and that it would not be the M*A*S*H game that it turned out to be. Both teams would have been/are much more banged up than expected going in to play the Pats.

 

Apparently, both Rivers (though risky and was told to sit the rest of the game out and that is why LT reacted to him on the sideline the way he did when Rivers told him this) and LT could have gone back into the game in Indy. Rivers did not push the issue because of how well Volek was doing on the final drive when it became an issue (wow, the “punk” put his team first???) The Turner and Sproles combo was getting the job done, so LT was not going back in unless it was “all-or-nothing” left in the game. As long as they were in it, he was sitting. Gates’ situation has not really changed, but even then, was a distraction when on the field and got open a few times for a couple of grabs (one a 23 yarder).

 

So… what is going to happen? I don’t know and will watch the game to find out. I do know the Boltz will be prepared and bring their best

 

And to the rest of the country that is over the fact that you didn’t get the match-up you wanted, get over it. The Boltz beat the Colts TWICE this year no matter how you slice it and earned the right to play in this Sunday’s game (no disrespect to the Colt fans intended)!

 

Obviously, as a Charger homer, I liked this article. National media wanted Colts-Pats; well, deal with it

 

 

I'm glad you're optomistic about the game but 17 other teams this year have been and to no success. The Chargers, even though they all may play, are pretty banged up. The projected temp at game time is somewhere around 9 degrees. And I call BS on the Chargers have nothing to lose so they have no pressure and will play relaxed, they have a Super Bowl bid to lose just like the Patriots.

[McBoog]

I'm glad you're optomistic about the game but 17 other teams this year have been and to no success. The Chargers, even though they all may play, are pretty banged up. The projected temp at game time is somewhere around 9 degrees. And I call BS on the Chargers have nothing to lose so they have no pressure and will play relaxed, they have a Super Bowl bid to lose just like the Patriots.

 

Oh, I'm not optomistic. The team limps into Mass. And I can't argue with the point you make about pressure, other than the fact that the Pats know what they would miss out on and the Boltz, are just feeling fortunate to be where they are!

 

I think the 9 degrees is a good sign. The harder it is to throw, the better the Chargers chances. I take the Chargers run game, straight up over the Pats if that is what it comes to, even if that means Turner and Sproles. The Boltz have size and youth on their side and in really bad weather could actually have an advantage.