Sad Day for Chargers Fans, Chargers release L.T.
After nine seasons with the San Diego Chargers, the Chargers released the best running in Chargers history, LaDainian Tomlinson. Tomlinson was going to get a $2 million roster bonus in March. However, due to Tomlinson injuries and age, it was time for the San Diego Chargers to move on. Too bad for Chargers fans who did not get to see L.T. win a Super Bowl championship with the Chargers.
Under the LaDainian Tomlinson era, the San Diego Chargers had their chances to get the Super Bowl with playoff runs in 2004 and 2006-09. But, it was not meant to be. And now, for L.T., he will never get that chance as a San Diego Chargers.
However, as Chargers fans look back at
greatness as a San Diego Chargers, his best moment was probably when he broke the NFL touchdown record against the Denver Broncos in 2006. L.T. scored 28 touchdowns that year. Another milestone for L.T., was on December 2, 2007. Tomlinson passed Walter Payton on the all time rushing touchdown list, with his 111th career rushing touchdown, against the Kansas City Chiefs. But, of course for Chargers fans, the best moments of Tomlinson career is the Chargers 13th straight victories over their rivals, the Oakland Raiders.
It will be sad to see L.T. in another uniform next year, but that is the business of the NFL. Hopefully, for LaDainian Tomlinson and the San Diego Chargers it will all work out in the end. We shall see L.T. in the NFL Hall of Fame someday, but not yet.
(Sources: Fox Sports, ESPN)
Chargers take Advantage of Chiefs Miscues and Win Big
After taking over first place in the AFC West, the San Diego Chargers kept their momentum going by beating the Kansas City Chiefs 43-14 on Sunday. In this game, the Chargers welcomed back former Chargers wide-receiver, Chris Chambers and Chargers running back, LaDainian Tomlinson keeps on moving up the NFL rushing list. However, in the end, it was costly turnovers that lost the game for the Chiefs and the Chargers took advantage.
A few weeks ago, the Chargers released wide-receiver, Chris Chambers, due to poor production. Chambers was then picked up by the Kansas City Chiefs. For Chris Chambers, this was a revenge game for him. Chambers had seven catches for 70-yards and did score an early touchdown for the Chiefs to tie the game at 7-7. However, it was not enough because the four turnovers by the Chiefs doomed the them and they could not recover falling behind 35-7 before scoring their last touchdown.
Chargers running back, LaDainian Tomlinson, keeps on moving up the NFL rushing charts and is in 10th place. L.T. moved past Marcus Allen and Edgerrin James. L.T. now has 12,257 rushing yards and is looking to pass Marshall Faulk for 9th place. In this game, Tomlinson played a good game for the Chargers scoring two touchdowns. Also, for the San Diego Chargers, tight-end Antonio Gates had a great game gaining 118-yards and scoring two touchdowns as well.
As for the Kansas City Chiefs, the Chiefs defense could not keep the Chargers off the field and the Chargers offense seemed to score at will. The Chiefs had some momentum going this game with victories over the Raiders and the defending champions, Steelers. But, the Chiefs could not get anything going against the Chargers. If the Chiefs are going to beat a team like the Chargers, who are on a roll right now, they need to play a perfect game and in this game, they did not.
For the San Diego Chargers, this was a good victory. The Chargers have won their sixth straight game and are 5-1 in the division, which is important for playoff positioning. At 8-3, the Chargers have to keep their momentum going as they go into Cleveland. The Chargers need to focus on winning their division and also at times, keep watch of their future hall of fame running back, LaDainian Tomlinson, as he moves up the NFL rushing chart. Only time will tell how far L.T. will go, so stay tuned.
(Sources: Fox Sports, ESPN)
Releasing Chambers was the Right Decision for the Chargers
On Monday, the San Diego Chargers released wide-receiver, Chris Chambers. According Chris Chambers, the Chargers released him due to personal reasons. Chris Chambers was quoted in the San Diego Union-Tribune saying,
“I thought the team gave up on me a little quick – for factors that don’t have to deal with football. I guess it created a distraction upstairs. I kept my head on straight. We all go through things. I did my best to not have my personal life and football clash. They know a little too much of my life, and they used it against me.”
However, that was not the reason why Chambers was released. When Chris Chambers played for the Miami Dolphins, Chambers was a great and reliable receiver for the Dolphins. When Chambers was than traded to the Chargers in 2007, he continued to be a productive player for the Chargers.
However, this year, Chambers performance on the field has not lived up to expectations. Chambers became less reliable and his production when down. Also, with the emergence and exciting play of both Malcom Floyd and Vincent Jackson, Chambers became expendable. The Chargers have injuries on defense and need to find a way to fill that void.
Now, the San Diego Chargers and Chris Chambers will have move forward from here. The Chargers are getting ready to play against the N.Y. Giants and Chambers was claimed off wavier by the Kansas City Chiefs. We’ll see what happens when the Chargers play against the Chiefs on November 29, so stay tuned.
(Sources: Chargers.com, San Diego Union-Tribune)
Chargers get a Needed Victory over the Chiefs
After a disappointing loss last week, the San Diego Chargers were able to comeback and go on the road to beat the Kansas City Chiefs, 37-7. Philip Rivers looked sharp in this game. Rivers threw for 268-yards and three touchdowns. Vincent Jackson also had a great game for the Chargers. Jackson set a Chargers first half record with 142-yards receiving. The Kansas City Chiefs had no answers for the Chargers passing attack. The Chiefs did scored a touchdown in the 3rd quarter to keep the game close at 20-7. However, it was not enough, as the Chargers defense were able to keep the Chiefs offense off balanced and they also did not let the Chiefs offense get into any sort of rhythm.
The San Diego Chargers took control of this game when Philip Rivers threw a 58-yard touchdown pass to Darren Sproles. Even though it was a tough loss for the Chiefs, the Chiefs defense did come to play, especially towards the end zone. The Chiefs were successful on stopping LaDainian Tomlinson from scoring a rushing touchdown near the goal line on several occasions.
For the Kansas City Chiefs, this is a rebuilding year. The Chiefs will be successful someday, but not on this day. As for the San Diego Chargers, their offense needs to score touchdowns when they are close to the goal line. The Chargers should not settle for field goals. This is something that they need to work on, if the Chargers are to be successful this season.
What’s Wrong with the AFC West and How can it Approve in the Draft?
Well, when the AFC West division’s champion is 8-8, there’s something wrong. The San Diego Chargers did win the division, but struggled on defense without Shawne Merriman. The Chargers should look to draft a defensive player to help put pressure on the quarterback. For the Oakland Raiders, they do have a good defense, but need help on offense. The Raiders should draft an offensive-line player to help protect the quarterback. Even though the Raiders picked up QB Jeff Garcia, if there is no one to there to protect him or JaMarcus Russell, the Raiders offense will continue to struggle.
As for the Kansas City Chiefs, when you are 2-14, there are many needs. However, the Chiefs should help to build on their defense. The Chiefs brought in a new coaching staff and will need players to help them move towards the future. The Chiefs added a talented QB in Matt Cassel, but the Chiefs need to get the defense off the field and keep their offense on the field. And by adding a very good defensive player, the Chiefs could be on their way.
The Denver Broncos have had a crazy off-season. First, they fired coach Mike Shanahan and then they trade to their starting QB, Jay Cutler. Despite these losses, the Broncos are capable of putting up big numbers on offense. However, the Broncos need help on defense. Even with all the points the Broncos scored, the defense could not stop the opposition from scoring as well. For a football team to be a dominate team in the NFL, they need to stop the run and run the ball. Every team in the AFC West struggled to do this constantly last season. But, with the right draft picks the AFC West could be back to be one of the toughest division in football. We shall see.
Chargers Keep Playoff Hopes Alive
For the San Diego Chargers, this was a great team win for many reasons. Since the Denver Broncos lost to the Carolina Panthers, this win kept the Chargers in the playoff hunt. This Chargers victory was a great example of not giving up until the game is over. The Chargers struggled throughout the whole game, but kept on playing until they made the plays to beat the Kansas City Chiefs, 22-21.
The Kansas City Chiefs were dominating and in control of this game for the most part. The Chiefs created turnovers and were able to capitalize on those Chargers mistakes. The Kansas City Chiefs were up 21-3. However, in the second half, the Chargers made the plays they needed to do to win this game. First, LaDainian Tomlinson scored a 6-yard touchdown run. Late in the fourth quarter, Malcom Floyd caught a 4-yard touchdown pass from Philip Rivers. The Chargers were able to get a great onside kick by Mike Scifres, which was fumble by the Chiefs and recovered by Kassim Osgood of the Chargers. The Chargers drove the ball and Vincent Jackson scored the game winning touchdown. Though the Kansas City Chiefs had a chance to win the game on a game winning field goal, it was not meant to be for the Chiefs.
Now, the San Diego Chargers move on to take on the Tampa Bay Buccaneers. With this win the Chargers kept their playoff hopes alive, since the Denver Broncos lost. The San Diego Chargers can only control what they do. They need to keep on winning to put the pressure on the Denver Broncos. Well see if the last game will mean anything, but for now the Chargers will enjoy this victory.
Chargers Stop the Chiefs at the End and Win
Coming into this game, the San Diego Chargers knew that the Denver Broncos won their game on Thursday night and needed victory to keep up. Even though the Chargers were able to move the ball on the Kansas City Chiefs, the Chargers struggled to score touchdowns in the first half and had to settle for field goals. However, the key factor in the game was when the Chiefs scored their second touchdown, they missed the extra point, which would haunt the Kansas City Chiefs later in the game.
For Philip Rivers, he struggled at times during the game. There were some missed opportunities and Rivers threw two interceptions, but he did have two touchdowns passes in the second half. On defense, Quentin Jammer gave up a touchdown in the first quarter, but he would eventually step up as the game progress and Jammer made some huge plays for the Chargers.
The game finally came down to the wire. The Kansas City Chiefs caught a break when the referee made a questionable pass interference call, which gave the ball to the Chiefs at the 1-yard line. Tony Gonzales would score a touchdown. But, instead of going for a tie, the Kansas City Chiefs decided to go for two points to win the game. However, the Chargers made their goal line stance to get the victory, 20-19. The Chargers defense did step it up and Clinton Hart’s huge play at the end helped the Chargers win the game.
The Chargers really needed this win if they were going to get back into the race in the AFC West. Now the Chagers will take on the Pittsburgh Steelers. The Chargers will need to play better on both sides of the ball when they play the Steelers. We shall see what happens next Sunday.
Good News for Chargers, AFC West 0-3
Well, for the San Diego Chargers, this was a good Sunday. All the teams in the AFC West lost, which allowed the Chargers to remain one game back of the Denver Broncos. After coming off a bye, the Denver Broncos lost at home 26-17 to the Miami Dolphins. Jay Cutler threw three costly interceptions. The Broncos could not stop the Dolphins on their last touchdown drive that iced the game for the Dolphins. The Broncos lost helped the Chargers remain within striking distance of Denver instead of the Broncos taking control of the division.
As for the Oakland Raiders, they lost at home to the Atlanta Falcons, 24-0. How bad was it for the Raiders? The Raiders had a total of 77 yards. Also, JaMarcus Russell was their leading rusher as well. When your quarterback runs for more yards than your running backs thats not good.
Finally, for the Kansas City Chiefs, they almost had a victory, but lost to the Tampa Bay Buccaneers in overtime, 30-27. The Chiefs had the lead early, but the Buccaneers would come back to tied the game. The Buccaneers would then kick the game winning field goal. The Chiefs would fall to 1-7. Next up for the Kansas City Chiefs is the San Diego Chargers.
If the San Diego Chargers or any team in the AFC West want to make the playoffs, they need to win the AFC West. As the AFC West continues to struggles, we shall what happens as the second half of the season starts next Sunday.