Media, Fans: Time To Employ “Tough Love” on the San Diego Chargers

Last night, a national audience realized that there are several things wrong with the San Diego Chargers.

Things apparent to Southern Californians and hardcore NFL observers were laid out plainly to Joe Football Fan during Monday night’s lackluster performance.

Pro Bowl QB Philip Rivers can’t hang on to the football after contact.

Rivers’ offensive line is wretched, failing to open up holes for the run and allowing pass rushers to consistently pressure the quarterback.

On the other side of the ball, pressure on the opposing QB is non-existent, and stopping the run in key situations? Forget about it.

Personnel shifts in the secondary will most likely not be finished with the dismissal of Clinton Hart, as corners blow assignments even when they are not required to linger out in coverage for too long.

Heck, even the special teams, San Diego’s shining beacon in an otherwise horrendous night in Pittsburgh two weeks ago, gave up two touchdowns to Eddie Royal—his first scores of the season.

Expectations have been officially lowered for Norv Turner’s squad, a team that has been consistently picked by preseason prognosticators to at least appear in the Super Bowl over the past few seasons.

The group’s once sterling cast of performers have been silenced by injuries, age or opposing schemes.

LaDainian Tomlinson and Jamal Williams are done.

Shawne Merriman might be.

Nick Hardwick is extremely skilled, but extremely small for his position, and he will continue to get injured unless he bulks up.

Antonio Cromartie’s mind is not on the football field, and it shows.

Philip Rivers continues to be the team’s saving grace, but he can’t do much under a pile of defenders.

Today, ESPN Radio’s Colin Cowherd could be heard saying that, “San Diego should have the best team in football every year. But [their media and fans] don’t care.”

His argument might be too broad and sweeping to be an absolute truth, but he’s definitely on to something.

There’s certainly excitement in town when the Bolts look good, and there’s almost certainly bewilderment and frustration when they play like they did on Monday night, but after a while, it tends to fade away.

San Diego fans and media are content to shrug their shoulders in an “oh well” motion, and wait for Laker season and Padre season to begin, usually starting the process anew with those teams.

The level of involvement that this city has with its sports teams, most notably the Chargers, gives the players a bit of a free pass to turn in mediocre performances.

Where’s the vocal outrage? Where’s the outright questioning of the general manager, coaching staff and players?

Where are the team’s beat writers and columnists for newspapers, local radio hosts and TV personalities demanding that Norv Turner be fired?

That A.J. Smith trade for offensive tackle help, or someone to help the pass rush?

Someone needs to get on the Chargers’ case. Someone needs to stir up the emotions in the clubhouse, because it’s obvious the coaches aren’t doing it.

Gutless play calling, disturbingly stubborn managing of personnel and free agency, soft tackling, uninspiring play in the trenches and bad coverage aren’t exactly hallmarks of a championship team.

Because they aren’t a championship team.

It’s time to let them know that.

Out loud.

Read more NFL news on BleacherReport.com

John Manoogian’s NFL Pick ’em: Week One

Much like Regina Falange or Art Vandelay, John Manoogian is my jack-of-all-trades alter ego. Here’s his backstory and why you should trust him as an NFL prognosticator.

A frustrated high school football coach from Huntsville, Missouri, John R. Manoogian was fired after a successful eight-year tenure at George Washington High after he kicked one of the opposing players as he was running down the sideline.

“There were two blatant holds on the line. I was just evening the play out,” Manoogian recalls.

After interview requests with ESPN, CBS, NBC, FOX, Yahoo Sports, The Alaska Free Press and Puerto Rico Futbol Caliente were denied, Manoogian approached me for a regular spot on Bleacher Report.

I calmly explained to him that he could create his own user and publish his analysis directly, but he refused. “Don’t trust computers. Never have. In accordance with The Manoogian philosophy which states: ‘Always be aggressive, play the whole 60 minutes and never trust computers.”

After several ideas for articles were discarded for being too specific and/or wacky (“Calculating how many times Philip Rivers lick his fingers during the third quarter and how often does this correlate to victory in October night games”), I’ve given him a weekly picks column to get his feet wet.

This first week will be purely win/lose, while future weeks will also include spread lines.

Take it away, John!

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Shawne Merriman Arrest Proves Chargers Are Own Worst Enemy

The San Diego Chargers would love to remind you that they are victims of circumstance.

The Holy Roller was Raider cheating combined with the wild, unpredictable bounce of the football.

If not for the exhaustion suffered the previous week at Miami and the sub-zero temperatures in Cincinnati for the 1982 AFC Championship Game, they’d have gone to the Super Bowl.

Finishing 2008 with an 8-8 record despite having one of the most talented rosters in football? Injuries combined with bad refereeing mixed in with some more injuries.

The truth is that these chronic underachievers have only themselves to blame for both recent and historic failures. They will shot themselves in the foot when necessary, they will experience a haunting and mysterious disappearance in their usual talent when they need it the most.

Now, Shawne Merriman, the latest in San Diego’s line of otherworldly talents with quixotic foibles that seem to show their ugly heads at the worst possible moment, has again made Charger fans shake their heads and curse the skies.

While this article will not attempt to incriminate or exonerate Merriman from his alleged illegal activity, the idea is to address the fact that the spotlight is, once again, on San Diego for the wrong reasons.

Should Merriman be declared not guilty of these alleged crimes, he’d probably point to himself as being a victim of circumstance as well. I mean, the man was shelved last season with an injury that wasn’t his fault.

Then again, he had been injured for months prior to the season and decided to go against all medically logical advice to take care of the problem via surgery, attempting to play on a tattered knee which proved, of course, too difficult to do eventually.

And now, there’s this.

If you don’t think constant run-ins with the law will take its toll on a professional sports team, ask the Cincinnati Bengals.

There should always exist a comprehensive discussion in the mind’s eye when it comes to asking somebody to join your organization and reflect its values.

Everyone makes mistakes, this is true, but it seems that the Chargers have been neglecting this idea.

During the A.J. Smith reign as general manager in San Diego, several players have been involved in questionable situations.

Former SS Terrence Kiel was arrested and accused of illegally trafficking codeine. He was released from the team and unfortunately died two years ago in a car accident. It is believed he was under the influence at the time of his death.

Similarly, former LB Steve Foley had his career ended after a 2006 incident in which he was shot by an off-duty police officer in Coronado.

WR Vincent Jackson was arrested on a DUI early this year, as was DT Jamal Williams only a month later.

CB Antonio Cromartie has been named in several paternity suits across the nation, and has now admitted to fathering seven children over five states.

Now, Shawne Merriman will be facing legal difficulties after he was accused of assaulting girlfriend Tila Tequila, choking her, and not allowing her to leave his residence in San Diego.

This is the same Merriman who had already been suspended by the NFL for testing positive for steroids in 2006.

Bad luck? The San Diego Sports Curse? No, these are simple and convenient explanations for a team that has to look within for the answers.

Smith constantly talks about wanting, needing a Super Bowl Championship in order to make his work reach the level of required validity in his eyes.

He’s shown to be a fantastic football talent evaluator, assembling one of the best rosters in the National Football League, but he’s overlooked the character side of his players time and time again.

It would appear that Smith praises stats and measurables while ignoring backgrounds and mentalities. It’s taking a toll on his team.

Similarly, his players are not taking into account the enormous opportunity that they have as professionals and the enormous responsibility they have as role models.

Last year, the NFL released a series of special television shows that told the stories of some of the best teams never to win a Super Bowl.

The 1981 San Diego Chargers, those of the Epic in Miami and the freezing AFC Championship Game in Cincinnati, those victims of circumstance, were featured in the very first episode.

Will the 2009 San Diego Chargers be seen as such in the future? A fantastic team that never got over the hump, deciding to self-destruct and self-sabotage their own chances for greatness?

That’s up to A.J. Smith, Norv Turner, and what might be scariest to think about… the players themselves.

Read more NFL news on BleacherReport.com

B/R Writer Declares Self “Ready For Some Football,” Calls Singer

SAN DIEGO, CA—After arduous months of preparation and patience, Bleacher Report writer Eric Gomez declared himself “ready for some football” on August 9th.

“I mean, in June I was ‘kinda antsy’ for some football, and last month I guess I was ‘eager’ for it, but today I can finally say I’m really ready for it. Bring it on,” declared Gomez.

A lifelong football fan who follows his hometown San Diego Chargers, Gomez decided it was important to make the announcement amidst all the turbulence in his own sporting world.

“Let’s face it, the Padres suck. Sure, we got some young guys in there who are showing promise but they’re at least a year away. The Bulls lost Ben Gordon and now their backcourt is shot. And the Aztecs? I just heard Brady Hoke hasn’t even signed a contract yet. I mean, what is that?” asked Gomez, who violently shook a passerby as he wondered aloud.

With intriguing headlines littering the news wires all summer leading up to the season, it’s easy to see why the transition has been smooth for Gomez.

“It started with all that stuff about Brett Favre, the will he, won’t he, I felt like I was watching Friends, or Scrubs, or any other sitcom in existence where there’s a main character with a love interest who is also a main character. Then the stuff with Plaxico Burress. Man, it’s like TMZ and Court TV merged with ESPN!” gushed Gomez.

“I especially like the way they inter-cut shots of Michael Vick running or passing with barking dogs or PETA protesters. Haha, hippies. You know, I’m all for the protection of innocent animals, but those guys are just begging to be ripped on every now and then.

“Hey, you can stop taking notes now. Those last three or so sentences were off the record,” finalized Gomez. And no they weren’t.

Rather than call a press conference or Twitter everyone in existence, Gomez decided that the best way to let the world know of his intentions to enjoy the sport this fall was by calling the legendary Hank Williams, Jr.

“It was easier than you would think. I just called Willie Nelson and asked for Hank’s number. Oh, Willie? It’s a long story. My grandma used to be a country music groupie. She claimed half or so of the songs where a woman leaves the singer and takes the dog are based on her. It’s probably only about 35% or so. She exaggerates,” claimed Gomez.

Williams, for his part, was completely surprised.

“At first I thought it was a prank call. I get ’em at least twice a month during the season. Usually morning show jocks or a drunken Al Michaels,” he said.

“But this kid was actually serious. I told him, ‘Man, I’ve been doing this Monday Night Football gig for decades now, and this is the first time anyone has ever really meant it.’ It was beautiful,” continued Williams.

“For a minute there, I thought of stopping. This was all I ever wanted. To get people truly ready for some football. And now, that I know that I really got through to someone, I’m at peace with myself. But then I remembered they pay me millions of dollars for about 18 four-to-five minute intervals of work in a year.

And that’s what’s really important,” said Williams.

San Diego Chargers 2009 Roster Breakdown: OTs

Chargers RB LaDainian Tomlinson says he’s motivated by talk that he’s washed up and that his age is becoming a larger factor with each passing day. He promised a big 2009, a claim that weighs especially on the men responsible for allowing LT to shine: his offensive linemen.

Although San Diego’s Pro Bowler-stacked line sees no exception to this trend in the tackle position, it is considered to be the weakest link in an otherwise sterling front.

How much of a factor will that prove to be in the coming year?

San Diego Chargers 2009 Roster Breakdown: Centers

Pro Bowler Nick Hardwick will anchor San Diego’s offensive line in 2009, hoping to repeat to avoid injury and achieve the 2006 form that helped LaDainian Tomlinson win the MVP award and break the single-season TD record.

Behind him, a pair of rookies and a jack of all trades in Scott Mruczkowski will look to back him up. Here’s what to expect from them in 2009:

San Diego Chargers 2009 Roster Breakdown: Guards

Part one of the preview detailing San Diego’s personnel at the offensive line will deal with the guard position.

The Chargers boast some of their best “big uglies” at this spot with a multi-Pro Bowl caliber man in Kris Dielman, an interesting position battle on the right side with Kynan Forney and first-year man Louis Vazquez, as well as another rookie, Ben Muth, thrown in for good measure.

San Diego Chargers 2009 Roster Breakdown: FBs

When you think of an NFL backfield, fullbacks are usually in the back of one’s mind, if at all.

San Diego’s is probably no different, but the current crop of fullbacks are instrumental in opening running lanes for the more recognizable faces in the backfield, and for protecting the team’s quarterback.

Here’s a look at the current depth chart.

San Diego Chargers 2009 Roster Breakdown: TEs

San Diego’s depth chart at the tight end position features no more and no less than the best receiving end in the league, and a capable backup who is equally adept at blocking and receiving.

Added into the mix for 2009 are two rookies vying for the third spot. One, a former starter for the University of Georgia, the other, a former Colorado State standout who caught more than 140 balls and scored 20 touchdowns in his college career.

San Diego Chargers 2009 Roster Breakdown: TEs

San Diego’s depth chart at the tight end position features no more and no less than the best receiving end in the league, and a capable backup who is equally adept at blocking and receiving.

Added into the mix for 2009 are two rookies vying for the third spot. One, a former starter for the University of Georgia, the other, a former Colorado State standout who caught more than 140 balls and scored 20 touchdowns in his college career.

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