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  • LACI Opinion – Mike Williams Closes Out Incredible Prime Time Game

    LACI Opinion – Mike Williams Closes Out Incredible Prime Time Game

    LACI OPINION:

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    So lets face it, that game last night was why we all watch this great game called NFL football. What a game! The Chargers win after almost giving it away at the last possible moment. But not this time! This game was a classic Sunday Night Football contest! We all love this game, last night showed us why. The Chargers prove once again that they can go toe to toe with any team in the league, but now it feels a little different. To be sure, the Chargers are always in every game- (it seems like forever), but we all want the same thing, we all want to see the Chargers dominate for 4 full quarters! Here’s the good news, it is coming! If you know anything about football, last nights game was a real treat. Not because the Chargers almost “Chargered” themselves again, it is because the Chargers head coach knows that he has the NFL’s nuclear codes. The Chargers are just getting started folks! So buckle up and hang on for the ride! Like LACI said earlier, this time it feels a little different. It was a thing of beauty the way the Chargers used Mike Williams last night. It was like an early Christmas present watching big Mike Williams show the entire league that the Chargers may be soon ready to explode!

    It was a typical Chargers game, almost giving it away again, but this time the Chargers struck back very late after you already know what happened. Give the Steelers major credit, they owned the fourth quarter, as the Steelers managed to block a punt and somehow get back into the game. The Steelers showed some serious fight as they made play after play in the fourth quarter to even take the lead- very very late. As they say in New York: “Forget About It!” The Chargers win 41-37. Final.

    Chargers beat Steelers despite giving up huge lead, as Steelers somehow score 27 points in 4th quarter!
    LACI-
    INGLEWOOD
    Leading by 17 points to start the fourth quarter Sunday night, the Chargers avoided an epic three-phase, five-alarm meltdown to escape with a heart-thumping 41-37 victory over Pittsburgh.
    Justin Herbert completed a wildly productive night hit by hitting Mike Williams for a 53-yard touchdown with 2:09 remaining to give the Chargers back the lead they had almost impossibly kicked away.“It didn’t always go as we scripted it,” safety Derwin James said. “They battled back. They got some momentum. We put the fire out.” The Steelers scored 27 points in a stretch of barely 10 minutes in the final quarter to take the unlikeliest of leads before Herbert and Williams rescued the win at SoFi Stadium. The atmosphere inside the Chargers’ home was buzzing and largely leaning toward Pittsburgh, the cheering and towel-waving only growing as the Steelers came roaring back. “I’m extremely proud of our football team, as proud as I’ve been of our football team the entire year,” coach Brandon Staley said. “That environment was really, really challenging for us.” Before Herbert and Williams made their late connection, the Chargers had unraveled in the fateful fourth, their offense stalling, their defense unable to make a stop and their special teams having a punt blocked. Herbert finished 30 for 41 for 382 yards and three touchdowns. He also ran nine times for a career-best 90 yards, continually extending drives and flustering the Steelers. Austin Ekeler scored the Chargers’ other four touchdowns, two on the ground and two through the air. It was his first four-score game. The entertaining and flip-flopping fourth quarter even included the bizarre, when Pittsburgh defensive tackle Cameron Heyward was called for unnecessary roughness after punching Herbert. The incident followed Herbert’s longest run of the night — 36 yards — with slightly more than 9 minutes remaining. The dash converted a third-and-5 and set up the Chargers inside the red zone. After tackling Herbert, Heyward remained on top of the Chargers’ quarterback before receiver Joshua Palmer attempted to pull him off. Heyward then punched Herbert in the stomach, drawing the flag. On the next play, Ekeler scored his fourth touchdown on a 5-yard run to put the Chargers up 34-20. but Pittsburgh answered right back — with Heyward again directly involved. First, the Steelers offense went 75 yards in nine plays and scored on a 5-yard touchdown pass from Ben Roethlisberger to Eric Ebron. On the second play of the Chargers’ next possession, Herbert was intercepted when Heyward batted his pass into the air. The ball hung up long enough for cornerback Cameron Sutton to secure it at the Chargers’ 11. After a roughing the passer penalty on Joey Bosa and an incompletion, Roethlisberger hit Pat Freiermuth for a 5-yard score to tie it 34-34 with 4:28 to go. Staley said the Chargers sticking together was the key very late. “When it was tight and the crowd was going crazy against us, our guys were ready for a fight,” he said. “It turned into a wild ride. But we were ready for it.” The Chargers’ offense had scored on six of its first seven possessions, regaining all the rhythm and timing it had misplaced for stretches while losing three of four games entering Sunday. But suddenly that all stopped, leading with the interception. On the Chargers’ next possession, they moved out to their 34-yard line and were facing fourth-and-1. Staley opted to go for the first down, an attempt that failed when Ekeler was brought down for no gain. With all the momentum, Pittsburgh’s offense returned to the field but was unable to put the ball back in the end zone. Instead, Chris Boswell’s 45-yard field goal gave the Steelers a 37-34 edge. It was Pittsburgh’s first lead since 3-0 back in the first quarter.

    The Chargers seemed to have saved the best for last: Herbert connected with their big wide receiver Mike Williams on a play that seemed liked the Steelers simply forgot to cover one of the best wide receivers in the NFL, (besides Keenan Allen). The Chargers wasted no time using their most lethal weapon to give the Chargers back the lead. The Chargers may have caught the Steelers off guard as it seemed liked they used Mike Williams as a decoy most of the game.

    The Steelers’ final series went absolutely nowhere. Kyler Fackrell and Joey Bosa both had huge sacks as the Chargers finally stopped Pittsburgh, which had scored on each of its previous five possessions. Keenan Allen finished with nine receptions for 112 yards. The Chargers amassed 33 first downs and 533 total yards. They averaged 7.7 yards on each of their 69 plays. Ranked last in the NFL in rushing defense, the Chargers also limited the Steelers to 55 yards on 18 attempts despite being depleted along their front. They were without starting defensive linemen Linval Joseph because of a shoulder injury and Jerry Tillery, who remains on the COVID-19 reserve list. They also were missing backup Christian Covington (COVID list). The Chargers signed Breiden Fehoko off their practice squad during the week and activated defensive lineman Andrew Brown and Forrest Merrill off the practice squad Saturday. “When the fourth quarter happened the way it did, our guys stayed connected,” Staley said. “We played our best at the end. We finished the game on our terms.” They did, just barely.
    Up next:
    Chargers at Broncos
    Sunday: 1:05 p.m., Empower Field at Mile High, Denver

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  • Ravens Unplug Chargers in Surprising 34-6 Rout

    Ravens Unplug Chargers in Surprising 34-6 Rout

    The Surprise was the Bolts being dominated. Justin Herbert slammed his helmet on the bench, frustrated by another fruitless pass. The young quarterback wasn’t alone in his misery. Led by NFL superstar Lamar Jackson — whose statistical line understated a dominant performance — coach John Harbaugh’s Ravens (5-1) whipped Team Spanos in every phase of the 34-6 rout. If there was an over-arching lesson for Herbert and Co., it bore an East Coast address: though the AFC West has softened, largely because the Chiefs haven’t yet validated the Super Bowl-favorite status conferred upon them by oddsmakers, other AFC heavyweights such as the Ravens and the East-leading Buffalo Bills will be very tough to overcome. Even with the Chargers (4-2) having beaten AFC contenders such as the Chiefs and the Browns, Sunday’s step backward wasn’t surprising. Harbaugh owns a Super Bowl ring and a .626 win rate in 14-plus seasons. Brandon Staley of the Chargers, though off to a fine start, is six games into his career as a head coach. The Ravens’ varied rushing offense — one that most opponents can’t adequately simulate in practice — exploited the NFL’s worst run defense. Veteran defensive coordinator Don Martindale once again won a chess match opposite a young quarterback. True to form, Harbaugh’s special teams scored a decisive victory. No NFL star is playing better than Jackson, who is a much better passer than two years ago when he won MVP honors in his second season. What was also surprising was Baltimore’s overall dominance and its D holding Herbert to 195 passing yards while also stuffing the ground game — 12 carries for 26 yards — and permitting just one touchdown. So if the Chargers were to blame the defeat on a bad matchup, they wouldn’t be wrong. No other team on their schedule will create as many uncomfortable challenges as the Ravens did. What Staley and Co. learn from the film will tell a lot about where the program is heading.First-down plays on offense must improve. Last in that realm entering Sunday, the Chargers had overcome that bad habit only to find out it won’t fly against the Ravens.Of their 16 plays on first down Sunday before the score reached 34-6, Herbert and Co. had six bad outcomes: three incompletions, an interception and two runs that lost yards. The Ravens exploited the offensive line’s subpar right side, made more vulnerable by a season-ending injury at guard in Week 5.
    Tom Telesco hates trading draft picks. Predictably, in advance of the Nov. 2 trade deadline, the Chargers said last week they’ll regain right tackle Bryan Bulaga this season.
    Given Bulaga’s many injury setbacks, the GM should trade for a reliable tackle if he can. Herbert is worth it. It never makes sense to not target Keenan Allen for both middle quarters. Oddly, Herbert and coordinator Joe Lombardi did just that Sunday. Herbert went to Allen just twice before the deficit was 28 points. Defensively, Staley’s unit fell well short of matching the Gus Bradley D that led the Chargers’ playoff victory at Baltimore in January 2019. A common thread to those two games: Both defenses were down multiple starters at linebacker.
    No doubt Harbaugh recalled that after that playoff defeat as a 3-point favorite — the highwater mark of coach Anthony Lynn’s four-year run — a Chargers defensive player said Ravens blockers were tipping off plays by how they set up. On their heels Sunday against the run and pass, the defense tackled poorly and saw Jackson’s favorite target, Mark Andrews, find vast voids in a soft zone. If there’s a rematch, will Staley align Derwin James against Andrews more often? Jackson was devastating when he had to be Sunday. Such as when he ran 22 yards with a pulldown, rendering first-and-20 into a speed bump while orchestrating a 90-yard TD drive on Baltimore’s first drive. He has to be seen to be appreciated. Jackson on Sunday was able to overcome the loss of his top three running backs, an All-Pro left tackle, his No. 2 receiver and top current blocker — a center who exited Sunday’s third quarter — by restraining the Chargers with his terrifying run threat and gashing them with dart-like strikes. As good as he was, he’s had better games. The Chargers’ only TD came after Jackson put them on a short field with a gift interception. In their film review, Chargers architect Telesco and John Spanos won’t be surprised by harsh realities the Ravens exploited Sunday and that’s not a compliment. Special teams breakdowns such as the Ravens dominating on kick coverage and returns have marked the Telesco-Spanos era. Also familiar was another errant kick, although Tristan Vizcaino’s 12-for-17 line (70.6 percent) on one-point tries is envelope-pushing even for this program. Under Telesco & Spanos, lopsided defeats have been very few. It is the physical, cold-weather programs that boast sound special teams that have been more apt to take the Chargers to the woodshed — be it the New England Patriots who blasted Lynn’s team one week after the win at Baltimore or the special teams-driven Patriots last year or, most recently, a Ravens teams whose quarterback is the MVP race’s front-runner at this early date. The Ravens fan base (on Twitter) would not tolerate any excuses about the win, strongly defending their team and the beat down and also discounting any suggestions that the Chargers had an off day or perhaps the east coast time change affected the outcome. (Ravens have won 5 straight games)  However, the Chargers were definitely flat all day with Herbert clearly off target early and often, plus many missed tackles, dropped passes, and overall poor defense early and often. Also the Chargers missed PAT seemed to change the complexion of the game as everything just kept falling apart from there as the Chargers never got closer than 11 points behind. The Bolts were definitely not ready for the Ravens relentless running attack all day long. Are the 5-1 Ravens for real? So far there is no reason not to think so. The Ravens next big test is vs the Cincinnati Bengals which have the number 5 defense in the NFL. The Chargers next test is in New England after a much needed week off.

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  • 2021 Chargers Preview- Bolts are Stacked! Both Sides of the Ball

    2021 Chargers Preview- Bolts are Stacked! Both Sides of the Ball

    Welcome to the 2021 Chargers! There are plenty of reasons to believe that the Bolts will be able to pick up right where they left off last season, winning their last 4 straight games to end the 2020 season. First off, the Chargers are stacked on both sides of the ball. There is no reason the Bolts should not continue to win, especially with Derwin James running around on D.

    Offensively, Los Angeles will be led by rookie sensation Justin Herbert. With the revamped line that’s in place, and weapons all around him, Herbert should have some fun at the control panel. Herbert’s weapons include stars like Keenan Allen, Austin Ekeler, Mike Williams, Tyron Johnson, Jalen Guyton, rookie Josh Palmer and Jared Cook. This is going to be fun to watch! Herbert should have no problem lighting up the scoreboard as he is surrounded with talent.

    Defensively, The Chargers are engineered by Derwin James and Joey Bosa, the group also boasts Michael Davis, Kenneth Murray, Drue Tranquill, Linval Joseph, Chris Harris Jr, plus rookie Asante Samuel Jr among others. The Charger D is looking very scary and should flourish under the defensive mind of head coach Brandon Staley. The Chargers defense will be the key to a successful season as you can only imagine if the Chargers force turnovers, it will almost not be fair to the opposing team, regardless who the Chargers are playing. Think ball control and Justin throwing TD passes like crazy!

    While unproven, coach Staley has presented himself like he’s coached in this league over a decade since coming onboard, as he has connected with each individual on the team and has developed a fine-tuned culture. The players are dialed in!

    On top of that, Staley has addressed that he wants to overcome frustrating failures that cost the team a lot of close games the past few seasons, including game management, basic strategy in crucial situations and of course the special teams disasters and competence. Better coaching will keep the Chargers in every game and with out a doubt improve their record. Can you say 2021 Chargers? Get ready!

    For a team that has dealt with some injuries to key players in the past, they will have to stay healthy to have success in 2021. But if they do, there’s no reason why the Chargers can’t put Kansas City on notice including making a statement in the process and winning the AFC West.


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  • San Diego Jack Murphy Stadium-Before and After Images

    San Diego Jack Murphy Stadium-Before and After Images

    So this article is just to remind you that The Murph is only memories now. Too bad Team Spanos (and the NFL) could not save that place. Remember all the tailgating? It was like you died and were transported to tailgate heaven! Year after year, season after season, brats, ribs, chicken, carne, shrimp, fish, and of course hot dogs and hamburgers! It was really amazing all the food (and drinks). Street football in the parking lot (until cops come by) and babes everywhere! So these images are to remind you to appreciate everyday, especially appreciate the largest stadium tailgate parking lot in the entire NFL. Thanks for all the great memories San Diego! KGB Sky Shows! Car Shows, Chargers, Padres, Rolling Stones, The Who, Motocross , Monster Trucks, World Series, Superbowls, Trevor Hoffman Hells Bells! etc.

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    San Diego Jack Murphy Stadium before demolition.

     

     

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    San Diego Jack Murphy Stadium after demolition.
  • Chargers Choose Rams Defensive Coordinator Brandon Staley For Head Coach Position

    Chargers Choose Rams Defensive Coordinator Brandon Staley For Head Coach Position

    The Chargers won’t have to pay much to move their new coach to Los Angeles. He’s already there. The team announced Sunday night it has agreed to terms to make Brandon Staley, who just finished his first season as defensive coordinator of the Rams, the 17th head coach in franchise history. NFL Network was first to report the news. Staley first interviewed for the job Jan. 10, following the Rams’ wild-card victory over Seattle. He was scheduled for a second interview Sunday, the day after the Rams had their season end with a 32-18 divisional-round loss at Green Bay.
    Staley, 38, will replace Anthony Lynn, who was fired Jan. 4 after four seasons, one playoff appearance and a 33-31 record. “It doesn’t matter if you’ve known Brandon for five minutes or five years, what quickly becomes apparent is the amount of energy and passion he approaches each and every moment with,” Chargers President of Football Operations John Spanos said in a statement.
    “The consistency of that enthusiasm is unique and, most importantly, it drives his ability to connect with people. His coaching journey to this particular moment is inspiring; if not for the sheer perseverance and determination of it all, then certainly for the dramatic results it has produced for the teams and players he has coached. I know it’s cliché but I know Brandon quite literally cannot wait to get to work.” After dismissing Lynn, General Manager Tom Telesco said he would be patient making this hire, suggesting that he could wait until after the Super Bowl if necessary.
    Under NFL guidelines, coaches cannot officially accept jobs with other teams until their previous season is concluded. “It’s not just that Brandon possesses a tremendous football mind that makes him the ideal head coach to lead our team forward,” said Telesco in the statement. “It’s that he excels in the ability to effectively tailor, apply and communicate his concepts to players. It’s clear that Brandon will not be out-worked, he’s the football equivalent of a gym rat, and that has earned him the universal respect of the players he has coached throughout his journey.”
    Said Staley: “It’s hard to put into words just how excited I am for the opportunity to be the Los Angeles Chargers’ head coach. While this is certainly a dream come true, it’s also a dream that’s just beginning.


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    There’s a reason this was probably the most sought-after job out there — from ownership, to the fans, to the city, to the men in that locker room — it’s the total package. I can’t thank the Spanos family and Tom Telesco enough for placing their faith in us, and by the time everyone is reading this quote in a press release, we’ll already be hard at work developing a program Chargers fans everywhere can be proud of.” The Chargers also interviewed offensive coordinators Brian Daboll (Buffalo Bills), Jason Garrett (New York Giants) and Joe Brady (Carolina) and defensive coordinator Matt Eberflus (Indianapolis). Staley emerged quickly this season after joining the Rams a year ago in a move that was considered a bit of a surprise. He had spent the previous three seasons — two with Chicago and one with Denver — coaching outside linebackers. Before that, Staley worked for 11 years as a collegiate assistant. His stops included Northern Illinois, Division III St. Thomas, Hutchinson Community College, Tennessee, John Carroll and James Madison. He is a native of Perry, Ohio — about 35 miles east of Cleveland — who played quarterback at the University of Dayton. This season, he oversaw the NFL’s top-ranked defense, the Rams finishing No. 1 in points and yards allowed. They permitted only one opponent — the Bills and Daboll in Week 3 — to score more than 28 points in a game during the regular season. The Chargers struggled at times defensively in 2020. Defensive coordinator Gus Bradley has since departed to take the same job with Las Vegas. Linebackers coach Richard Smith and defensive backs coach Ron Milus will join Bradley with the Raiders.
    jay.posner@sduniontribune.com; jeff.miller@latimes.com

  • Is Third Time The Charm? Chargers GM Tom Telesco Begins Hiring Process For His Third Head Coach

    Is Third Time The Charm? Chargers GM Tom Telesco Begins Hiring Process For His Third Head Coach

    Chargers general manager Tom Telesco thanked Anthony Lynn for his four years as head coach and mentioned why Lynn deserves another head coaching gig. As for why it didn’t work with the Chargers, Telesco didn’t say much besides that the team didn’t win enough under Lynn the past two seasons. “The one thing I don’t want to get lost here is, because he is such a great human being, Anthony is an excellent football coach,” Telesco said Wednesday, two days after the Chargers fired Lynn.
    Lynn had a winning regular- season record of 33-31 in his four seasons with the Chargers and went 1-1 in the playoffs. Telesco can’t say he has a winning record with the Chargers because they’re 60-68 in eight seasons with him making personnel decisions. The Chargers have been to the postseason twice, but have never won an AFC West title under Telesco. But Telesco was the one speaking for the team in a video news conference with reporters Wednesday while Lynn was at home without a job. “I think when you look at our team, you can see we have an opportunity to ascend and ascend quickly,” Telesco said, explaining why he’s still the team’s GM. Telesco avoided saying it, but team management made it obvious when they dismissed Lynn that they didn’t believe they could make that quick ascension with Lynn calling the shots. The Chargers, who haven’t won a division title since 2009, were 12-20 the past two seasons (with a 7-16 mark in one-possession games) and started this season 3-9 before ending on a four-game winning streak.

    Telesco drafted star quarterback Justin Herbert sixth overall in April’s draft — although Lynn and his coaching staff helped groom him. Telesco also drafted defensive end Joey Bosa, wide receiver Keenan Allen and safety Derwin James, though a lot of his freeagent signings have been plagued by injuries (cornerback Chris Harris, guard Trai Turner and offensive tackle Bryan Bulaga, the team’s three significant offseason acquisitions, missed 20 games). They also have a healthy 2021 salary cap situation with more than $30 million in projected cap space. “It’s been two years since we made the playoffs, two years since we won a playoff game, but as you move into 2021,” Telesco said, “it’s really going to be an unprecedented salary cap situation where the cap is actually going to go down, which it never has before. Despite that, we’re in a very healthy position there. I think that’s a big positive.” They have a window to take advantage of a strong defensive core with a star quarterback on a rookie contract. And as the Dallas Cowboys found out with Dak Prescott and the Rams with Jared Goff, that tab to pay for a top quarterback’s services arrives quickly.

    Perhaps owner Dean Spanos felt the Chargers were a head coach away from being a true AFC contender and that could explain why Telesco is still with the team instead of going into a full rebuild. Many players will likely return because Telesco drafted all of them besides defensive end Melvin Ingram, who is scheduled to be a free agent. Not many general managers get a third opportunity to hire a head coach, but Telesco won’t have the final say on which candidate to hire. That belongs to Dean Spanos. “He’s the owner,” Telesco said. “He has the final voice, and he’s never shied away from tough decisions.” Telesco has already started the interview process, but he declined to say how many coaches have already interviewed.

    The Chargers have reportedly asked permission to interview Brandon Staley (Rams), Joe Brady (Panthers), Brian Daboll (Bills), Matt Eberflus (Colts), Robert Saleh (49ers), Arthur Smith (Titans) and Jason Garrett (Giants). They’re also reportedly interested in former college coach Urban Meyer, who won three national championships with Florida (2006, 2008) and Ohio State (2014). The Chargers have already interviewed Chiefs offensive coordinator Eric Bieniemy, according to ESPN’s Adam Schefter. “I’m not going to comment on anybody that we have interviewed or will interview,” Telesco said when asked how the interview with Bieniemy went. Many view Daboll, the offensive coordinator for the Bills, as the frontrunner because he went to high school with Telesco in Hamburg, New York. “Yes, we did go to the same high school,” Telesco said. “We’re from the same hometown. But I wouldn’t read (too much) into where you’re from or what high school you went to.”

    Article By Gilbert Manzano Orange County Register
    gmanzano@scng.com @gmanzano24 on Twitter

  • Chargers Make The Right Move, But Will It Work?

    Chargers Make The Right Move, But Will It Work?

    The Spanoses ripped San Diego’s heart out once. A Super Bowl victory by the Los Angeles Chargers would make it twice. Implausible? Yes, but given what happened Monday in Orange County, where Anthony Lynn was fired after four seasons as head coach, the hypothetical scenario of Dean Spanos and sons raising the Lombardi Trophy in L.A. strains the imagination less.
    The Chargers seem to have a Super Bowl quarterback in Justin Herbert. They didn’t seem to have a Super Bowl head coach in Lynn.
    A team with the right coach and right quarterback will contend for the Super Bowl in most years. While Lynn, 52, had done good things for the club, not just on the football scene but also as a Chargers ambassador in Greater Los Angeles, keeping him around would’ve made little sense given the pattern of glaring miscues Lynn himself described as “embarrassing” and not OK.
    The Super Bowl should be the standard, unless the team’s owner is content to gorge on the huge slice of NFL pie every club gets no matter how many games it wins.
    How did Lynn fare when he went against the coach with the most Super Bowl victories?

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    Not good. That alone would’ve been excusable, because Bill Belichick gets the better of most coaches including those who preceded Lynn with the Chargers.
    But this was alarming. Twice in recent games against Belichick’s Patriots, the deficit was 28 points at halftime.
    It was less difficult to justify the first of those performances. After all, when Lynn’s third team rolled into New England’s stadium for the divisional playoff game on Jan. 13, 2019, it had lived up to Lynn’s stated goal to mold a program whose No. 1 trait was toughness. Under Lynn, who’d lasted six years in the NFL as an undrafted running back, the 2018 Chargers had won road games against the Seahawks, Chiefs and Steelers en route to the franchise’s best record (12-4) in nine years.
    They’d seized their playoff opener, upending the Ravens in Baltimore on the strength of Gus Bradley’s defense.
    Mild New England weather greeted the Chargers. Amid pregame festivities, not one but two groups of Spanoses and friends separately filled a large stadium elevator, whose operator suggested that was an unusually large turnout. The Spanoses and guests witnessed a butt-kicking, the Chargers falling behind 35-7 and looking anything but tough.
    Unfortunately for Lynn and staff, the rematch last month was a mess.
    The Chargers fell apart as a two-point favorite, losing 45-0 inside the Kroenke Dome to a Patriots team that brought in a 5-6 record and lacked even a decent passing game. Chargers special teams, whose bad performances had become routine since Tom Telesco and John Spanos took over football operations eight years earlier, plumbed new depths opposite Belichick, a special teams master. If Spanos and Telesco were looking for a final reason to move on from Lynn, that amateurish showing, on the heels of 17 losses in 21 contests decided by one score, provided them the cover to do it. Winning the final four games, as Lynn’s program did to lift his record to 33-31 across the coach’s four seasons, didn’t inspire confidence that errors in game management could be overcome in the Super Bowl pursuit.



    Don’t blame only Lynn: Special teams blunders, which often reflect poor roster depth, have been a near constant under Telesco, who picks the players.
    Telesco provided Philip Rivers just one solid line in seven years. The rest were subpar, as was the unit that tried to protect Herbert.
    In nearly four decades of team ownership, the Spanoses have bungled several coaching moves and non-moves.
    Selecting the final coach of the San Diego era, it was Dean Spanos who hired Mike McCoy, a former Broncos offensive coordinator who took over in 2013. At the same time, Chiefs owner Clark Hunt paid top dollar to hire Andy Reid, who said his relationship with the Hunt family drove his decision.
    McCoy’s four teams went a combined 27-37, while Reid built a program that has won the past five West titles and given the Chiefs their first Super Bowl victory in 50 years.
    After he was fired, McCoy didn’t get through either of the next two NFL seasons as a coordinator.
    John Spanos and Telesco had a bigger say in naming McCoy’s successor.
    Choosing Lynn, they championed his leadership qualities. Like McCoy, he was a former longtime NFL offensive assistant who’d never been a head coach and likely received bottom-tier salary.
    Importantly, Lynn wasn’t going to upset the top-down power dynamic in which Telesco had final say on player personnel.
    The Chargers aren’t unique in giving the GM final say on the roster, joining the Packers, Browns and Steelers, among others, in that approach. Others NFL teams such as the Patriots (Belichick), Seahawks (Pete Carroll), 49ers (Kyle Shanahan) and Chiefs (Reid) empowered the head coach to make the final call, while those coaches developed trust with a GM.
    Super Bowl QB? Herbert, coming off a stunningly good rookie season, represents a 6-foot-6 eraser to many mistakes Telesco-Spanos have made or will make.
    He led the Chargers to a 7-9 record, a year after they went 5-11 with Rivers not missing a significant snap. Making Herbert’s job tougher, the special teams were either the NFL’s worst or close to it, while the defense ended up 23rd in points.
    Sophomore slump be damned: Herbert will make the head-coach opening more attractive. He made the NFL look easy in many of his 15 starts. The Miami Dolphins may have done Team Spanos a huge favor when they drafted Tua Tagovailoa one spot before Telesco wisely chose Herbert.
    As for what the Spanos brain trust seeks in its next coach, Dean Spanos may have given a clue Monday.
    “We have been innovative in many facets of our organization in recent years,” he said, “and we need to carry that over to our entire operation.”
    Whether the Chargers have in fact been innovative in non-football realms since Dean and his three siblings moved the club north, I don’t know, but innovation was seldom a Chargers strength during the family’s 33-year run in San Diego.
    Alex Spanos, two years after buying control of the team in 1984, fired one of the most innovative head coaches in the sport’s history in Don Coryell. He replaced him with a yes man in Al Saunders, who, for sure, was a bright offensive schemer but never again became a head coach.
    In recent years as the analytics boom gained traction in football, the Chargers didn’t seem to embrace it in a way that benefited their head coaches. Interestingly, McCoy said the Broncos provided their coaches more analytical support than the Chargers had. (Judging by Vic Fangio’s game management, that support goes only so far.)
    Potential candidates As a longtime assistant under one of the NFL’s great innovators in Reid, former Chargers running back Eric Bieniemy should interest the Spanoses and Telesco. With Bieniemy as their offensive coordinator, the Chiefs have finished first, fifth and sixth in points since 2018.
    Under former Carroll protege Robert Saleh, last year’s defense for the San Francisco 49ers led the team to the Super Bowl. This past season, Saleh adapted to numerous personnel setbacks, helping the D finish 17th in points. Rams defensive coordinator Staley, who coached at Telesco’s college alma mater, Carroll, made tweaks to the Wade Phillips scheme that helped Los Angeles finished first in points. At 38, the former Dayton quarterback has coached under well-regarded innovators such as the defensive-minded Fangio and Rams head coach Sean McVay, a former offensive coordinator. Under coordinator Daboll, a former Belichick underling who attended the same high school as Telesco, third-year Bills quarterback Josh Allen has become a MVP contender who led Buffalo to its first AFC East title in 25 years. Herbert and Allen have similar physical traits.
    Whoever becomes the Chargers head coach should be expected to lead the team to a winning season this year and the Super Bowl tournament soon. The roster will include Joey Bosa, Derwin James, Keenan Allen and Austin Ekeler, to say nothing of a quarterback whose salary-cap charge the next three years could be a huge bargain.
    Then again, to throw a cloud over the L.A. sunshine, the Spanoses didn’t reach any Super Bowls with star quarterbacks Dan Fouts, Drew Brees or Rivers.

    Article by: TOM KRASOVIC (On the NFL)
    tom.krasovic@sduniontribune.com

  • Chargers Fire Anthony Lynn After Failing To Make Playoffs Again

    Chargers Fire Anthony Lynn After Failing To Make Playoffs Again

    The blown leads, the game mismanagement and the losses finally caught up with Anthony Lynn as the Chargers fired their head coach Monday.

    The move came a day after a 38-21 victory in Kansas City. The Chargers finished the season 7-9 and were 12-20 in Lynn’s final two years.

    Owner Dean Spanos expressed his respect for Lynn in a statement released by the team.

    “As we all know, this is a results-driven business and, simply put, the results of the past two years have fallen short of expectations,” the statement read in part.

    Lynn, 52, was 33-31 (plus 1-1 in the playoffs) in four seasons with the Chargers, who gave him his first full-time head coaching job.

    Among the names that figure to be attached to the Chargers job are three prominent offensive coordinators: Eric Bieniemy of the Chiefs, Josh McDaniels of the New England Patriots and Brian Daboll of the Buffalo Bills.

    McDaniels, 44, was 11-17 in parts of two seasons as Denver’s head coach in 2009-10.

    Bieniemy, 51, who never has been a head coach, was a running back for the Chargers from 1991-94.

    Daboll, 45, a top offensive assistant in the NFL for seven years, has been with the Bills during the development of Josh Allen.

    Particularly with rookie quarterback Justin Herbert, the Chargers job does have appeal. Herbert, the No. 6 overall pick in April, emerged in 2020 as a potential franchise cornerstone.

    The Chargers are one of six teams looking for a head coach. The other jobs are with Detroit, Houston, Atlanta, Jacksonville and the New York Jets.

    Among the offensive assistants expected to draw interest for the openings are Tennessee coordinator Arthur Smith, Baltimore coordinator Greg Roman and Chiefs quarterbacks coach Mike Kafka. Former long-time Cincinnati Bengals coach Marvin Lewis and former Detroit Lions coach Jim Caldwell are among other candidates who have gotten interviews.

    The Chargers opened the 2020 season with a 16-13 victory over Cincinnati, but things quickly soured as they lost seven of their next eight.

    They squandered leads of at least 16 points in four consecutive games, an NFL record. That streak didn’t include an 11-point advantage they blew in a Week 2 loss to Kansas City.

    The Chargers also suffered the worst defeat in franchise history, falling to New England at home 45-0 on Dec. 6.

    In that game, they gave up touchdowns on a punt return and a blocked field goal return and also lined up three times for punts with the wrong number of players on the field. Lynn called the performance “embarrassing.”

    At one point, dating to last season, Lynn’s teams lost 16 of 18 one-score games, the only victories coming when the opposing kickers missed late field goals. They also dropped nine consecutive AFC West games.

    The Chargers made glaring play-call mistakes in a loss at Buffalo and a victory over Atlanta, further bringing into question the direction of the franchise.

    Still, Lynn had the support of his players until the end. Cornerback Chris Harris Jr. and safety Derwin James were among the Chargers who recently publicly praised Lynn.

    “He’s a leader,” Herbert said last week. “This team follows him. I really believe in him.”

    The Chargers hired Lynn in January of 2017, shortly after the organization announced it was relocating from San Diego to Los Angeles.

    His first team began 0-4 but rallied to finish 9-7 and narrowly miss a postseason berth.

    Lynn gained a large degree of respect for that first-year performance, with the Chargers transitioning to a new city and playing their home games in what was then called StubHub Center, a facility built for soccer.

    The 2018 Chargers then went 12-4, made the playoffs and won a wild-card game at Baltimore before losing the next week at New England, the team that would eventually win the Super Bowl. At that point, the Chargers appeared to be heading in the right direction. But everything changed in 2019 when they suffered significant injuries and struggled with turnovers in their final season with Philip Rivers at quarterback.

    Lynn originally signed a four-year contract that ran through this season. In February, he agreed to an extension through 2021.

    Lynn played in the NFL for six seasons, with Denver and San Francisco. He was a running back and special teams player.

    He began his coaching career in the NFL in 2000, as a special teams assistant for the Broncos. He also has worked for Jacksonville, Dallas, Cleveland, the New York Jets and Buffalo.

    He was a long-time running backs coach before being promoted to offensive coordinator by the Bills during the 2016 season.

    Jeff Miller contributed to this report. Jeff Miller is the Chargers beat writer for the Los Angeles Times. He previously spent 20 years as a sports columnist for the Orange County Register and, before that, the Miami Herald. He also served as the Angels beat writer for The Times and the Register. His other stops include the Palm Beach Post and the South Florida Sun-Sentinel.

  • Anthony Lynn Gets Solid Support From Chargers Players

    Anthony Lynn Gets Solid Support From Chargers Players

    COSTA MESA » Chargers coach Anthony Lynn received strong endorsements from two of his star players this week.

    A day after quarterback Justin Herbert said he believed in Lynn, safety Derwin James tweeted his approval for the Chargers’ coaching staff to return for the 2021 season.

    “I believe in our coaching staff,” James tweeted Thursday. “We just need our guys (healthy) out there. Trust … 2021.”

    James was flooded with replies from Chargers fans who disagreed and hoped that team management didn’t feel the same way about Lynn and his staff. A few agreed with James and wrote reminders of Lynn’s 12-4 season in 2018 with a postseason appearance.

    Chargers defensive coordinator Gus Bradley also said this week that his defense hasn’t been healthy most of the season. The Chargers will go into Sunday’s season finale versus the Kansas City Chiefs without seven starters from the Week 1 depth chart.

    James hasn’t played this season because he had season- ending knee surgery in early September. Linebacker Drue Tranquill only played four minutes this season after injuring his ankle in the first quarter of the season opener in Cincinnati.

    Defensive end Melvin Ingram played his last game of the season in Week 11 because he was placed on injured reserve twice with a knee injury. Linebacker Kyzir White was placed on injured reserve last week with a shoulder injury.

    Defensive end Joey Bosa (shin/concussion), cornerback Casey Hayward (hamstring) and safety Rayshawn Jenkins (ankle) were ruled out Friday for the season finale in Kansas City.

    Bradley and Lynn will play many young players Sunday in what could potentially be the final game they coach for the Chargers. Bradley said he tries not to focus on the future regarding his job status with the team, but he couldn’t help but wonder what the team could have done if his defense stayed healthy in 2020.

    “It’s always tough I think when you’re going into the last game and you’re not in the playoffs,” Bradley said. “There’s a sense of frustration because you want to be able to extend and go into that. I love our players. I love what they bring. I think that the future is very, very bright for this defense.

    “I think if this group can be healthy and stay healthy, I really feel like that arrow is up. I feel very strongly about the group.”

    If team management agrees with Bradley and James that injuries played a big part in the Chargers’ failures this season, perhaps that buys Lynn a fifth season as head coach. Injuries were also to blame for last season’s 5-11 record, but the same can be said about many other failed Chargers seasons in the past decade. The organization is known for injuries and one-score losses.

    Chargers owner Dean Spanos and his son, John, the president of football operations, will make the decision.

    All NFL teams have injuries and the best coaches tend to overcome those obstacles. But the ones that do typically have depth on the roster, and Chargers general manager Tom Telesco could be at fault there.

    The Chargers have revealed the past two seasons that they have a top-heavy roster with many backups and inexperienced players failing to step up amid injuries. James has only played five games in that two-year span because of injuries.

    Telesco has had successful draft picks with Herbert, Bosa, James and wide receiver Keenan Allen, but he’s also had many misses, especially on the offensive line and in the past two drafts.

    Drafting Herbert and having a healthy defense could buy Lynn, Bradley and Telesco another season. The weekly final scores indicate that the Chargers are close and staying competitive, despite the numerous injuries.

    Twenty-three of the Chargers’ past 31 games have been one-score endings, but they’ve lost 16 of those games. That’s where the attention turns to Lynn.

    If team management doesn’t believe Lynn can improve in late-game situations, then the front office and coaching staff likely gets a makeover for the 2021 season. But if they believe in Lynn the same way Herbert and James do, then the band returns for another season with their fingers crossed of keeping the star players healthy.

    The Atlanta Falcons had a similar situation last season with head coach Dan Quinn, who struggled to close games, but his run to the Super Bowl in 2016 and strong relationships with the team earned him another season in 2020. The Falcons pulled the plug on Quinn after an 0-5 start with more blown leads.

    Perhaps it can be different with Lynn, but his coaching blunders and blown double-digit leads this season will be hard for team management to overlook. But maybe the Spanos family has already made up their minds in keeping him. Lynn is still coaching the team heading into the final weekend of the season while other teams have gotten a jump on their coaching searches.

    By Gilbert Manzano (Orange County Register)

    gmanzano@scng.com @gmanzano24 on Twitter

  • Will Chargers Brass (Dean Spanos) Shake Up Bolts After String of Bad, Close Losses?

    Will Chargers Brass (Dean Spanos) Shake Up Bolts After String of Bad, Close Losses?

    Four years after moving his family’s football team out of San Diego, will Chargers owner and Chairman Dean Spanos respond to tough times by jettisoning his football leaders whose jobs were launched in San Diego?
    The top of the football ladder underneath Dean Spanos and son John Spanos begins with General Manager Tom Telesco, who has final say on the team’s player personnel.
    Telesco would seem secure for reasons listed below, but his win-loss record isn’t sparkling. The Chargers (2-5) haven’t won the four-team AFC West since the Spanoses hired him in January 2013 and are 55-64 overall for a .462 win rate in seven-plus seasons.
    In his favor perhaps, Telesco has long worked alongside John Spanos, a Chargers employee since 1995 and a part-owner of the team. The two are similar in age. Both worked as full-time NFL scouts.

    When Telesco came to San Diego, John Spanos’ stature within football operations rose. “Spanos,” per the team’s media guide, “has seen his role in the NFL draft grow exponentially since his ascension in 2013.”
    Telesco has worked with several other Spanos family members, including an executive assistant. Coupled with his much-praised ability to build relationships — a skill former Colts head coach and colleague Jim Caldwell touted — Telesco may have attained honorary Spanos status in January 2019 when the Chargers took a 12-4 record into the postseason and won a first-round game at Baltimore.

    At Chargers practices in San Diego between 2013 and June 2017, it was common for John Spanos and Telesco to watch together on the field.
    In other turbulent times for the club, GMs who worked under Dean Spanos enjoyed job security that trumped that of the head coach. Spanos sided with GM Bobby Beathard over Bobby Ross and GM A.J. Smith over Marty Schottenheimer.
    Also in Telesco’s favor is rookie quarterback Justin Herbert’s impressive start to his career. Drafted sixth overall, Herbert is the most important draft selection of the Telesco-Spanos era.
    Soon after he drafted Herbert, though, Telesco noted the losing record that provided him the No. 6 draft slot. Then he linked his own job security to a potential trend. “We hope we don’t pick sixth very often,” Telesco told the Pat McAfee Show soon after selecting Herbert in April. “If we do, I won’t be making very many picks here.”
    The Chargers (2-5) currently stand to get the No. 8 position for the 2021 draft. If they lose enough games to get a top-10 pick, it would mark the second time in the Super Bowl era the franchise had a top-10 pick in four of six drafts, matching a stretch between 1986-91.
    Lynn, Bradley, Pep

    Coach Anthony Lynn’s 28-27 record (.509) is superior to Telesco’s — but under Lynn the Chargers have dropped 14 of 17 games decided by one score or fewer since 2019. Can Lynn regain his touch of 2018, when the team won close games at Seattle, Kansas City and Baltimore?
    Other besieged head coaches under Dean Spanos held the job after the coach fired underlings. Lynn sacked offensive coordinator Ken Whisenhunt midway though the slog to 5-11 last season. Gus Bradley, the defensive coordinator, received a three-year contract extension in 2019 but lately has seen his unit squander leads of at least 16 points in four consecutive games.
    The Spanoses interviewed Bradley for the head coach job in 2013, generating favorable reports. Ultimately, Dean Spanos hired Broncos aide Mike McCoy for that post, but Bradley was added to Lynn’s first staff.
    Herbert’s success has come under first-year quarterbacks coach Pep Hamilton, whom Lynn hired after the XFL folded in April. Hamilton was a head coach for the XFL’s D.C. club.
    Lynn has many strengths and the schedule will serve up winnable games — but his predecessor McCoy was fired after not being able to halt a similar year-plus trend of blowing leads and losing close games.

    By Tom Krasovic LA Times –
    tom.krasovic@sduniontribune.com

  • Anthony Lynn Defends His Tyrod Taylor Decision: “Justin Herbert is a Backup For a Reason”

    Anthony Lynn Defends His Tyrod Taylor Decision: “Justin Herbert is a Backup For a Reason”

    There has been quite a buzz on twitter recently about whether or not Anthony Lynn will give Herbert the start next week vs. the Panthers. After all, the kid put up some nice numbers, throwing 2 TD passes and he also ran the ball into the endzone for a touchdown. Herbert looked great overall and showed nice footwork. So do you let the kid continue to impress? Unfortunately, Anthony Lynn feels Herbert is not yet ready to play and many Chargers fans have expressed their frustration with this on Twitter and other social media. According to CBS Sports, Anthony Lynn has already made his decision to go with Tyrod Taylor, even calling Herbert a “backup for a reason”, the only problem with that is, Tyrod Taylor is also a backup and always has been a backup QB. Anthony Lynn has defended Tyrod Taylor as his 2020 starting quarterback since long before the Los Angeles Chargers opened the season. He did it again Sunday after first-round pick Justin Herbert made a promising last-minute debut against the Kansas City Chiefs, filling in for Taylor after the latter experienced abrupt chest pains prior to kickoff. Now, amid questions about Herbert’s chances of supplanting Taylor as the full-time starter, Lynn has doubled down on his decision to keep the veteran atop the depth chart, telling reporters this week that Herbert is “a backup for a reason.”

    “The young man stepped up, and I thought he played well under the circumstances,” Lynn explained Monday. “He could’ve made some different decisions here and there, but I thought he stepped up when we needed him to and gave us a chance. If Tyrod’s not available, (I think) we can win with him … But there’s a lot that you don’t know. There’s a lot that we didn’t get done with Justin on the field. He’s a backup for a reason. He’s a rookie. And there’s a lot that he needs to learn about this game.”

    To be fair, Lynn balanced his opinions of both Herbert and Taylor pretty evenly, adding that he’s “perfectly content” if Herbert is forced to start a second straight game while Taylor recovers from chest pains: “I know we can win with either quarterback.”

    It’s clear, however, he at least prefers to publicly give off the impression that Taylor remains far and away the No. 1 option for the Chargers under center. That might be out of respect to Taylor, who has a shared history with Lynn and entered the year as a virtual lock to play over Herbert for much of the season. It might be because Herbert genuinely has room for improvement after his first career start. In both of those scenarios, though, there’s a case to be made that Taylor just as much deserves to be crowned “a backup for a reason,” and that Herbert — the club’s big investment as the sixth overall pick in April — deserves that No. 1 job. Chargers’ Anthony Lynn defends Tyrod Taylor decision: Justin Herbert is a ‘backup for a reason’ -CBS Sports contributed to this report.


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  • Bolts Escape With Victory

    Bolts Escape With Victory

    BY JEFF MILLER- LA TIMES
    CINCINNATI, OH
    More than three hours of sputtering and grunting and grinding came down to the final swing of a leg Sunday for the Chargers.
    Standing on the sideline, Joshua Kelley, a rookie in his first NFL game, was as helpless as the rest of the offense as he watched a kicker named Randy Bullock line up a 31-yard attempt.
    “Hopefully a block, something, some miracle,” Kelley explained later, when asked what he was thinking in the moment. “I was just hoping something would happen … some type of craziness. And it happened.”
    Indeed it did as Bullock’s try started wide right and stayed that way, giving the Chargers a 16-13 victory that arrived in the form of an exhale as large as the entire organization.
    For most of their 2020 opener, the Chargers struggled to find the end zone, finish opportunities and shake a Bengals team coming off a two-win season and starting a rookie quarterback.
    But as Tyrod Taylor took a victorious knee to drain the last two seconds, the Chargers had survived and opened life after Philip Rivers with a win clinched largely with their running game and defense.
    “I was happy as hell when he missed the field goal,” coach Anthony Lynn said. “We’re 1-0. Football games are hard to win in this league.”
    The Chargers didn’t score a touchdown until the fourth quarter. They didn’t lead until the fourth quarter. They didn’t secure anything for certain until the fourth quarter was all but over.
    “Regardless of what it looked like throughout the game,” Taylor said, “we were able to still stay focused and win.”
    After 14 seasons and 224 consecutive regular-season starts, Rivers was not the Chargers’ quarterback Sunday. Taylor was, and he finished 16 of 30 for 208 yards.
    But the offense opened by failing to convert four of its first five third downs and twice couldn’t convert on fourth down in the second quarter. The Chargers’ first six points were the result of two Michael Badgley field goals that felt more like consolation prizes.
    Badgley also delivered the winning points on a 22-yard kick midway through the fourth quarter, but that field goal came when the offense couldn’t reach the end zone after having first-and-goal at the Bengals’ 2-yard line.
    “I think it’s a good thing when you can win under these circumstances,” Lynn said. “But there were several times when we could have closed this game out. I felt like we just didn’t have that killer instinct.”
    The drive that produced the Chargers’ only touchdown was jump-started late in the third quarter by a 46-yard kickoff return by rookie Joe Reed.
    Of the 10 plays that followed, seven were runs. Taylor went 3 for 3 for 25 yards, but Kelley and Austin Ekeler carried much of the way. Kelley finally put the Chargers in the end zone with a 5-yard run, tying the score 13-13 slightly more than two minutes into the fourth quarter.
    “I thought he created,” Lynn said of the first-year running back. “I thought his yards after contact was good. It would have been hard to win that game without Joshua today.”
    Kelley finished with 60 yards on 12 carries, the Chargers compiling 155 yards on the ground. Ekeler had 84 yards on 19 attempts.
    A native of Lancaster who played at UCLA, Kelley admitted he didn’t sleep much Saturday night. He said he was “definitely nervous” warming up pregame. Afterward, he talked about how fast NFL players are and how hard they hit.
    But in between, he sparked an offense that needed it and capped the game’s most productive rookie debut on a day when the Bengals started No. 1 overall pick Joe Burrow at quarterback.
    “He’s just a baller, since the first day he got here,” Chargers defensive end Melvin Ingram said of Kelley. “He’s been running the ball with no regrets and it shows. Tonight, he showed the world. He’s here to play.”
    Still, the Chargers needed to avoid one last slice of potential disaster to open the season with a victory.
    With Cincinnati already out of timeouts, the Chargers had a chance to put the game away when they took possession following an Ingram interception with a little more than five minutes remaining. But the offense went three-and-out, eating up only two minutes. Kelley was stopped for no gain on third-and-1.
    “Golly, we gotta do our part and finish with the ball in our hands and run that clock out,” tight end Hunter Henry said. “If we can get that third-and-1 … we gotta get that. That’s huge. That’s on all of us.”
    The offense then had to stand idly by as Burrow led the Bengals inside the the Chargers’ 5-yard line in the final 20 seconds.
    On the play right before the missed field goal, Burrow hit A.J. Green for an apparent touchdown, but the 3-yard score was nullified by offensive pass interference when Green pushed off cornerback Casey Hayward.
    Bullock then came on, and the Chargers received the “miracle” and “craziness” for which Kelley had wished.
    “Obviously, we’ve been on the other end of a lot of those games,” Henry said. “We’re 1-0. It might have been an ugly one the way we won it, but we won.”
    Miller writes for the L.A. Times.
    Up next
    Chiefs at Chargers
    Sunday: 1:25 p.m., SoFi Stadium, Inglewood
    Line: Chiefs by 7 1/2
    On the air: Ch. 8; 600-AM

  • Chargers Safety Derwin James Hurt Again

    Chargers Safety Derwin James Hurt Again

    By Jeff Miller- LA Times
    For the second consecutive training camp, the Chargers watched Derwin James hobble off the field with a member of the team’s medical staff.
    The standout safety suffered a reported meniscus injury to his right knee Sunday in the second half of a scrimmage in Costa Mesa and did not return. The NFL Network reported that James is “likely to miss significant time.”
    He was scheduled to undergo further testing in an attempt to determine the severity.
    Last August, James was hurt on the same field in a joint practice with the Saints.
    He suffered a foot injury on that occasion and ended up needing surgery. James missed 11games before returning in early December, by which time the Chargers had lost seven times en route to a 5-11 finish.
    After remaining down briefly Sunday, he limped to the sideline before heading to the medical tent. James tossed his gloves aside in frustration before disappearing from view.
    Rookie Alohi Gilman, a sixth-round pick out of Notre Dame in April, has been backing up James in practice. Nasir Adderley, a second-round selection in 2019, is No. 2 behind Rayshawn Jenkins at free safety. Adderley missed most of last season because of a hamstring problem.
    Desmond King started at the position the game before James returned last year. King has been playing mostly nickel in practice but has trained at safety in the past.
    The Chargers have depth in the secondary but no one who can provide the consistent playmaking of James. Any long-term loss would be a tough blow for a defense that was forecast to be among the AFC’s best.
    Veteran safety and seven-time Pro Bowl player Earl Thomas is available after being released last week by Baltimore. A longtime Seattle Seahawk, Thomas would be familiar with the Chargers’ scheme.
    He was let go abruptly after an on-field altercation with Ravens safety Chuck Clark. Baltimore announced it was terminating his contract, making Thomas a free agent.
    As a rookie in 2018, James started all 16 games and finished with a team-high 109 tackles, 3 1/2 sacks and three interceptions. James started in the Pro Bowl and was named an All-Pro.
    The Chargers already are dealing with the loss of one of their top playmakers on offense, wide receiver Mike Williams, whose status for the start of the season is in doubt because of a shoulder injury.
    They originally were scheduled to scrimmage Thursday at SoFi Stadium. But coach Anthony Lynn canceled that practice after an emotional team meeting regarding the recent shooting of Jacob Blake in Kenosha, Wis.
    The Chargers returned to the field at Jack Hammett Sports Complex on Sunday morning and scrimmaged for about 75minutes. The practice marked the final official day of training camp.
    Other players who were attended to by medical personnel during the workout included right guard Trai Turner, running back Justin Jackson and wide receiver Darius Jennings.
    Notable
    Disgruntled pass-rusher Yannick Ngakoue is headed north, far away from Jacksonville. A person familiar with the trade says the Jaguars agreed to send Ngakoue to the Minnesota Vikings for a second-round draft pick in 2021 and a conditional fifth-rounder in 2022. The person spoke to The Associated Press on condition of anonymity.
    The person said Ngakoue agreed to rework his 2020 salary to get out of Jacksonville. Ngakoue still has to sign his one-year franchise tender with the Jaguars to make the deal happen. He had been the league’s only franchise-tagged player unsigned, opting to turn down an offer that would have guaranteed him $17.8 million this season. He will now make roughly $13 million in 2020, the person said.
    The Jets’ once seemingly deep running back group is suddenly a bit short-handed. Rookie fourth-rounder La’Mical Perine injured his left ankle during the team’s practice. New York acquired Kalen Ballage from Miami on Thursday, but the running back failed his physical and reverted back to the Dolphins — voiding the trade.
    The Associated Press contributed to this report.
    Miller writes for the L.A. Times.

  • Chargers Clearly Winning The Battle For L.A.

    Chargers Clearly Winning The Battle For L.A.

    Rams owner Kroenke didn’t learn from the Redskins’ mistakes and tried to buy his Rams a SB. He came up short losing to Tampa Bay and the Patriots. Now he he’s reaping the bitter fruits of overpaying players like Goff, Gurley et al. and giving up three first round draft picks via two trades (one for Brandin Cook, two for Jalen Ramsey).

    The Spanoses are not as generous throwing money at players as Kroenke, but they’re also not as rich. There is one area the Rams have a clear edge over the Chargers in the “Battle of LA” until proven otherwise, and that’s the number of local fans packing the stadium. Chargers fans are always outnumbered by the other team’s no matter where they play, even when they’re winning like in 2018 when they’re 12-4.

    However, the battle of LA between the LA Chargers and LA Rams has already been decided.
    The two teams set to move into SoFi Stadium this upcoming season have had polar opposite off-seasons. One is primed for an exciting future, while the other seems to have what could be a nightmare on their hands.The LA Chargers and Rams should have both been going into the 2020 NFL season with incredibly high hopes and an absolutely beautiful stadium awaiting their arrival. However, while they will still be going into SoFi Stadium, it seems as though only one team will be going in with the high hopes that they should.

    The Chargers have had what could be seen by many as an almost perfect offseason so far, and it is surely going to get better with the much-anticipated new uniforms coming in just six days and holding the sixth pick in what is a loaded 2020 draft class.

    Tom Telesco has always been known for his draft prowess, while Rams general manager Les Snead has done the team no favors in the long-term. Snead has gone out and acquired “premier” talent at the expense of his team’s future, and the team will be going into their fourth of five years without having a first-round pick.

    The Chargers and Rams are both looking to go into Inglewood as the talk of the town. While it may take some time to truly build up a strong fan base in the Los Angeles area, the Chargers have shown they have many things going in the right direction while the Rams could be looking at multiple rough seasons on the horizon.

    ✕

  • Feel The Power, Charger Power.

    Feel The Power, Charger Power.

    Take a look at all the San Diego Chargers fans in the photo above. It is remarkable! They were all holding yellow Charger Power signs. LACI recently discovered a Chargers video showing quite a bit of San Diego’s passion for the Chargers. Warning: When you watch the video below, you will truly feel the power, Charger power. It was a San Diego thing. Gone now, ripped away forever? Basically the team was stolen from San Diego. To be fair, the citizens of San Diego voted no to a huge downtown stadium project, but that was the city folks, not the entire county wide opinion. Also to be fair, the Bolts did originate out of Los Angeles, only one season, but that was 60 years ago! You would think that 56 years in the same NFL city would mean something. Send this video to the NFL and let them process it. The really well done Chargers video below (found on twitter) clearly shows the real times, the real passion, and of course the original fans. For the record, LACI is just that: Los Angeles Chargers Information, however, when such an outstanding video comes along like this, it really makes you stop and think about: “What the hell happened?” “How did the city of San Diego and its great Chargers fans get totally ripped off?”

    The time ran out on San Diego. It was like the only thing that mattered was a stupid ass stadium. Green Bay still plays in a dump, but I bet they would not care if you called it that. Seems like the mayor Kevin Faulconer screwed up big time also. Too little, too late. But at the end of the day, this move is on the NFL and of course: Dean Spanos. He never much cared about the love and passion the San Diego Chargers fans had for their team. Yes their team, the Chargers! I believe his father Alex understood exactly what the Chargers meant to San Diego. All of those amazing tailgate parties, the perfect San Diego weather, all that loyal support and all those years and fans even bringing their kids up as die hard San Diego Chargers fans. When the team left San Diego four years ago, many San Diego “fans” protested by burning quality Chargers stuff like jerseys, hats etc. I never understood burning the SD stuff, but it did give much needed closure to many. So as you watch this Chargers tribute video, please remember that the Chargers were a San Diego thing and always will be. Feel the power. Charger Power!

    Regarding the photo above: John Jefferson was a part of a legendary Don “Air” Coryell offensive attack which included quarterback Dan Fouts, receiver Charlie Joiner and tight end Kellen Winslow. He logged three consecutive 1,000-yard seasons with the Chargers, hauling in a total of 199 pass for 3,431 yards and 36 touchdowns while averaging 17.2 yards per catch.
    He was named All-Pro and reached the Pro Bowl in each of his three seasons in San Diego, before being traded to the Green Bay Packers ahead of the 1981 season. He would spend four years with the Packers, making another Pro Bowl appearance in 1982, but his production dropped. As a Packer, Jefferson caught 149 passes for 2,253 yards and 11 touchdowns. Following the 1985 season, Jefferson joined the Cleveland Browns for a single season, starting only two games while appearing in seven. He caught three passes for 30 yards. Jefferson retired after that season at 29 years old. In 102 games, he caught 351 passes for 5,714 yards and 47 touchdowns. He was admitted into the ASU Football Hall of Fame in 1979, and was placed into the College Football Hall of Fame in 2002. Jefferson was also honored as a member of the San Diego Chargers 50th Anniversary Team in 2009. Ensuing his on-field career, Jefferson served as a receivers coach at the University of Kansas from 1990-1994, before accepting an administrative role within the athletic department. He moved to Washington, D.C. in 2000 when the NFL called him; he would serve as the director of player development for Washington from 2000 through 2009.

  • The 2020 Colts Are All In With Philip Rivers

    The 2020 Colts Are All In With Philip Rivers

    By Matt Dollinger (The Ringer)
    Indianapolis has carefully constructed its roster by drafting wisely and accumulating cap space. But it needed a quarterback to make the leap. Enter the 38-year-old Rivers on a one-year, $25 million deal. Very little went to plan for the Indianapolis Colts last season, beginning with Andrew Luck’s jaw-dropping preseason retirement and ending with the team losing seven of its last nine games and missing the playoffs for the fourth time in five seasons. It wasn’t exactly the type of campaign GM Chris Ballard thought he’d get by teaming Luck with the best offensive line and defense he had ever played with.

    Luck’s retirement is the kind of gut punch that can set a franchise back years, but Ballard did his best to recover and keep the team’s playoff chances alive. He handed backup Jacoby Brissett a two-year, $30 million extension, giving one of the league’s premier second fiddles a chance to prove he was ready for the lead chair. But after a 5-2 start to the season, in which Brissett threw 14 touchdowns and just three interceptions, he injured his left knee in Week 9, and the Colts never looked the same. Brissett threw for more than 200 yards in just two of his final seven games and completed only four touchdown passes. Seemingly everyone in the Colts organization loves Brissett, the former Patriots backup who was traded to Indy in 2017. But it came as little surprise that Ballard was noncommittal when asked about Brissett’s status as the team’s quarterback of the future.

    “The jury’s still out,” Ballard told reporters at his season’s exit press conference in January. “That’s why we did the short-term deal with Jacoby. One, to give us some security that we had a player we knew we liked and could go forward with, but also, two, to give us time to figure out if he is the guy or not.”

    The jury reached a verdict on Tuesday. The Colts signed longtime Chargers quarterback Philip Rivers to a one-year, $25 million contract, effectively ending Brissett’s days as the Colts’ QB1 and signifying Ballard’s belief that Rivers is the man to get the Colts back into the playoffs after a 7-9 season.

    At 38, Rivers is still four years younger than that dude on the Buccaneers, but he also has a child who’s only five years younger than Kyler Murray (just saying). Indianapolis had a chance to take a young quarterback with the no. 13 pick in the 2020 draft, but elected to flip it to San Francisco instead for defensive tackle and general havoc-wreaker DeForest Buckner, adding an anchor up front to a stout defense that already features Darius Leonard and Justin Houston. While the Colts were drafting too low to snag one of this year’s top quarterback prospects like LSU’s Joe Burrow or Alabama’s Tua Tagovailoa, there was a chance someone like Oregon’s Justin Herbert or Utah State’s Jordan Love would have been available at no. 13. Ballard ultimately decided that adding Rivers under center and Buckner on defense was a better move for a team built to win now.

    Despite making an abundance of sense on paper, Rivers strangely feels like a bit of a settle for the Colts, who had the cap room and draft picks to land a long-term quarterback this offseason. Rivers will be reuniting with head coach Frank Reich and offensive coordinator Nick Sirianni, both of whom worked with Rivers in San Diego, giving the offensive brain trust plenty of continuity. But he also only presses the snooze button for what could turn into a recurring nightmare for Ballard. Having to find a quarterback every offseason isn’t for the faint of heart. And not every offseason features as many available candidates as this year, whether in the draft, free agency, or via trade.

    The Colts are intimately familiar with Rivers’s ceiling; Reich and Sirianni witnessed his prime from the sidelines. There’s little chance that a quarterback who’s turning 39 this December will have a career year, but there’s a good chance Rivers will rebound playing behind the best offensive line of his career and with a host of young weapons like wide receiver T.Y. Hilton and running back Marlon Mack. With a system he knows and familiar voices in his ear, Rivers should improve on last season’s numbers (23 TDs, 20 INTs, 4,615 yards on 66.0 percent completion percentage). Those numbers don’t jump off the page—the interceptions are particularly worrisome—but they would bring some pop to an offense that ranked third to last in passing yards per game last season.

    The Colts could still go out and draft a young quarterback next month. With two second-round picks (34th and 44th overall), Ballard could select a sleeper to pair with Rivers or possibly scoop up a big name that falls to him. But with Brissett also under contract for next season, the Colts may roll with the veteran duo and just plan on addressing their long-term quarterback situation next season.

    Ballard already lived out every GM’s fantasy: having a once-in-a-generation quarterback on his roster. Chances are, cruel as they may be, he realizes the odds are against it ever happening again. By signing Rivers, Ballard and the Colts are making an admission. They’re betting the rest of their team is Super Bowl–caliber and that they need only a slight upgrade at quarterback to get over the top. Rather than roll the dice in the draft, Ballard made it clear he doesn’t think he needs Luck to win a Super Bowl—just a bolo.

  • Stadium Tension Rising Between Rams and Chargers Owners

    Stadium Tension Rising Between Rams and Chargers Owners

    According to a recent report, Los Angeles Rams owner Stan Kroenke is upset about a lack of financial contribution by the Los Angeles Chargers for their shared Inglewood stadium, which is set to open next summer.

    Longtime Los Angeles sportscaster Fred Roggin from KABC said Kroenke was anticipating the Chargers would generate close to $400 million from the sale of Personal Seat Licenses (PSLs). Instead, the real figure is turning out to be tens or even hundreds of millions short of the target, and Kroenke is the one responsible for making up the difference.

    Costs for the Inglewood stadium, which will be called SoFi Stadium after a sponsorship deal was announced earlier this month, are skyrocketing to almost $5 billion.

    The facility was initially expected to cost $1.9 billion. Kroenke is responsible for everything but the money the Chargers generate in PSL sales and a $200 million NFL G-6 loan. The Chargers, though, get to keep all of their gameday revenues when they play in the new building.

    Roggin calls it a sweetheart deal for Chargers owner Dean Spanos. Speaking on his radio program on AM 570 in L.A., Roggin said the Chargers “are under no obligation to do anything but give the PSL money” and there’s “nothing in writing about how much it should be.”

    Sources tell Roggin that Kroenke has very little way of recouping the money from Spanos, because it was all part of the original deal allowing the Chargers to move from San Diego to Los Angeles.

    Kroenke and the Rams would love nothing more than to completely remove the Chargers from the equation and have the Inglewood stadium all to themselves. They were forced into the lease agreement by the NFL and would love to be rid of it. Meanwhile, the Chargers have struggled to make any dent in an LA market that didn’t even want them and would essentially be homeless.

    We’ll see how this plays out, but if this is true, it’s yet another sign that the Chargers are and always have been a bad fit in Los Angeles. The NFL has to be questioning why it ever allowed Spanos to move in the first place, perhaps Spanos played the NFL as well.

    At this point, you almost have to give Spanos credit for getting “his” new stadium built for him for pennies on the dollar. But there are a lot of folks out there that feel Spanos is just a poor and dumb NFL owner. Most of this sentiment is found on Twitter, but there is a lot of it out there regardless. Perhaps the NFL really did feel sorry for team Spanos. Maybe they really should have given him a puppy. If there is not much Kroenke can do about the PSL agreement legally, then team Spanos really did do a number on Kroenke. As others will tell Deano to “Pay your rent”, remember, the Chargers rent is only a dollar per year! Another win for team Spanos.

    So all the Chargers really have to do is concentrate on getting new fans in Los Angeles. (This is a story for another day) In other words, from the Chargers perspective, getting more fans is their real problem, while Kroenke’s new stadium construction costs are his problem. What do you think? Please comment below.


  • LACI Welcomes Sports Al Dente

    LACI Welcomes Sports Al Dente

    Sports Al Dente is a Los Angeles based, player-centric media platform. The goal of their site is to feature, analyze, and narrate the great players and teams of the City of Angels, a city with amazing sports history and an even brighter future.

    While they do break news stories, news and game recaps are not their niches. Analysis, film breakdown, and storytelling is what Sports Al Dente is all about. Their writers are very passionate fans, creating a voice for the fans. Sports Al Dente is a recipe that was created with many different ingredients, and they plan to keep perfecting! Sign Up for Sports Al Dente, they are your recipe for LA Sports!

    Sports Al Dente Fantasy Football coverage is truly worthy of viewing! Not only did they host a league with the internets top competition and win, but Sports Al Dente continually gave accurate Fantasy advice and information.

    Currently, Sports Al Dente has 5 podcasts on their network.

    Click image below to learn more or sign up with Sports Al Dente.

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  • 56 Years Of Loyal San Diego Charger Fans Goes Down The Drain

    56 Years Of Loyal San Diego Charger Fans Goes Down The Drain

    Let me remind you why 56 years of solid San Diego Charger fans loyalty was thrown down the drain. Going on three years, it still does not make sense for the Chargers to be in Los Angeles. Seemed like The City of Angels was perfectly fine without an NFL franchise for more than two decades, after the Raiders and Rams dipped out of town for Oakland and St. Louis, respectively, in 1994. Soon, Los Angeles will have two NFL teams, sharing the same stadium. Seems weird, for example, here we are going into the third season of the Los Angeles Chargers and it still seems like a really bad dream.

    Regarding the Chargers move to Los Angeles, Spanos had once said to the San Diego fans “Get over it”, move on in other words. After all, that is what he did after 56 years of loyal support, he moved on. He told San Diego bye bye. The Chargers fans were left in the dust.

    Some fans say they will never drive to Los Angeles to watch them play. Some fans burned all their Chargers stuff and are still really pissed that the team moved north to LA, to a rival city no less. Some fans still watch the Chargers (to lose). And others from San Diego, still support the Chargers, but not so many as before, that is for sure. All that once proud San Diego Super Chargers feeling is not in San Diego anymore. It is easy to see why most San Diego fans feel totally burned and have no desire to want to support the Bolts anymore. All that loyalty, down the drain.

    So why did Spanos leave San Diego? In a nutshell, he did not get a new stadium deal. For whatever reason, it just did not get done. So now the Chargers are trying to win over brand new fans in Los Angeles, but it sure seems like an uphill climb. Remember, LA never asked for the Chargers, so it is somewhat like the Bolts are literally an expansion team. Kinda like a runaway child heading west to LA, looking for any angle or break they can find.

    Take a look at this old news clip: (This tells the story)

    San Diego Chargers general counsel Mark Fabiani confirmed on the Mighty 1090 that the Chargers will file relocation paperwork in January 2016 to move to Los Angeles.

    According to Fabiani, the expectation is that the St. Louis Rams and Oakland Raiders also plan to file for relocation to Los Angeles. “We’ve got to stay in the game to protect the franchise,” Fabiani said. The Chargers cannot afford to lose “the roughly 25 percent of our season ticket holders that live in Los Angeles and Orange counties.”

    So way back then, Spanos said he had to stay in the game.  Is he staying in the game sharing a stadium with the Rams? Seems weird. Los Angeles is a Rams town first, so the Chargers have to continue their so called “Fight for LA” for some more love. Fight for LA? What about San Diego? Any way you slice it, those loyal San Diego fans got left behind. Circling down the drain. Here is another reminder: (How it went down)

    With an open invitation to Los Angeles and one foot out the door in San Diego, the NFL’s Chargers are not only demanding a stadium from their current hometown but mapping out its location.

    Well, Jim Webb, Lincoln Chaffee and Rick Santorum all wanted to be president, and there’s a better chance of any of them unsuspending their campaigns and winning the whole thing than there is of the Chargers and the Spanos family of owners getting what San Diego’s been unwilling to give.



    We’ll remind you that, every time San Diego taxpayers have heard the Chargers and the Spanoses put on their tough-guy routine and demand tax dollars to help replace the nearly 50-year-old Qualcomm Stadium, they’ve laughed in the team’s face. That was before this time last year, when the Chargers and their ownership decided that teaming up with their hated AFC West rival, Oakland Raiders, on a $1.7 billion stadium in Carson, Calif., that they’d build with no tax money was preferable to their situation in San Diego. That idea was OK’d by the NFL’s planning committee, but the NFL instead offered the Chargers a spot in the Rams’ new building in Inglewood, California. They’d only be a tenant, but they wouldn’t have to pay much more than relocation fees.

    However, the NFL also offered the Chargers $200 million to help build a new stadium in San Diego and sweetened the pot to $300 million as an alternative to the Inglewood offer. Meanwhile, since the Los Angeles Coliseum has room only for the Rams, the Chargers are putting the best face on spending the 2016 season in San Diego. With the NFL’s blessing to move the Chargers to Los Angeles any time he’d like, Chargers Chairman Dean Spanos knows he has free rein to try and pry more cash out of San Diego and make more statements like this one:

    “This has been our home for 55 years, and I want to keep the team here and provide the world-class stadium experience you deserve.”

    Sounds like a bunch of hot air. At one point, Team Spanos wanted to team up with the Raiders. Think about that for a moment. Now Spanos is teaming up with Rams. Why all this teaming up and sharing? Just because you own the San Diego Chargers, it does not give you the right to demand a stadium or leave. But that is exactly what Spanos did. Just the idea of teaming up with the Raiders really hurt Spanos already spotty reputation. But Spanos not only demanded the new downtown Stadium, he took away San Diego’s NFL team when he did not get his way, like a big baby.

    Spanos totally screwed up by giving up on the City of San Diego. He was not supposed to actually move to Los Angeles, why do you think the NFL raised their contribution to $300 million? They wanted to keep the Chargers in San Diego. Or did they? Perhaps it was all planned out this way. I doubt it. The bottom line is the San Diego fans did not matter to Spanos. This is what is important to remember. Again, the SD fans went down the drain.


    It is very fair to say there were many magical Chargers moments at San Diego Stadium. Think about all the great tailgating throughout the years. Hell, I even remember when Snoop Dogg and his crew would roll down from Long Beach. The Chargers team really did have a great following in San Diego. 56 years of support was simply overlooked for new pastures. Just like when an injured played gets cut, San Diego was handed its walking papers. Its really sad. Most people you ask still say they can’t believe the Chargers are not in San Diego. Spanos really let San Diego down.

    There is not much loyalty in the NFL. There was no loyalty by Deano. Yes Spanos did try to get a free stadium (built for him and the SD Chargers), but San Diego voters said no. They knew Spanos was playing them. They knew something was not quite right. You think? Seems like the San Diego fans were treated like an injured player. Once they voted no, they were cut. Kicked to the curb. Or should I say, poured down the drain!

    In closing, the Chargers will play in Inglewood in 2020. The stadium may be nice, shiny and new, but it could be full of visiting teams fans on a huge scale, just like most of their home games played at Stubhub. If it is, it will be tough to see the once proud San Diego Chargers team, reduced to a visiting team at its own digs, ouch! Sorry to remind everyone, but it seems like a really bad dream. Remember San Diego Super Chargers? So do I.

    So it really is 56 years of fan loyalty down the drain.

    Please follow LACI on Twitter for the latest Chargers news.



  • 2019 Chargers Ready To Unload The Thunder! Get The Latest LACI Chargers News Via Twitter

    2019 Chargers Ready To Unload The Thunder! Get The Latest LACI Chargers News Via Twitter

    So here we are, year three of the Los Angeles Chargers. Clearly one of the better teams in the NFL, proven not only by the NFL Power rankings, but by clutch wins late in the season, the Chargers, are set up as the NFL front-runners to make even more noise this year, as the Bolts continue to add depth in all three areas, offense, defense and lets not forget special teams because the Chargers have one of the better special teams in the NFL (on paper). It should be a great ride. True Chargers fans would love to see the Bolts knock off the Patriots in the playoffs. Nothing would be better than some sweet revenge! This could very well happen! Payback is a (you know what)…

    If you are a very true Chargers fan, and you just want to see the Bolts succeed (regardless of the Spanos fiasco), you will definitely appreciate this Chargers roster, the 2019 Los Angeles Chargers are even better than last year. Real Chargers fans already know this and this article is not about explaining the depth this team has, it just not that kind of article. What we will explain is that true fans have somehow tuned out the the hatred of Spanos and are just keeping on the Bolt Pride plain and simple. Someday the Bolts should (and will) return to San Diego, but for now, its very hard not to keep your eye on the Los Angeles Chargers. This team is loaded!

    Please click the Twitter link below to follow us on Twitter. Get the latest Chargers news and updates via Twitter. Welcome to LACI (Los Angeles Chargers Info)

  • Happy New Years! And A Message To The Chargers Nation! Including: All San Diego Chargers Fans, Salty Fans, Ex Fans, Secret Chargers Fans, Etc.

    Happy New Years! And A Message To The Chargers Nation! Including: All San Diego Chargers Fans, Salty Fans, Ex Fans, Secret Chargers Fans, Etc.

    Happy New Year! from LACI.
    We hope you had a successful 2018 and wish you all the best for 2019.

    It must be pointed out officially by LACI, that Spanos really did screw up moving the Bolts to Los Angeles. Everyone knows it by now that the Chargers truly do belong in San Diego. As we enter 2019, we can only hope that the NFL has had enough bad press and decides to pull the plug on the Carson Chargers. Imagine how the city of San Diego would be reacting right about now with the Chargers finishing 12-4. Imagine all the bars and restaurants filled with Chargers fans all over San Diego County cheering for the Chargers. All of that is gone now, sucked out like a vacuum choking out the Chargers overall relevancy of a once proud franchise. It sure feels weird that if you admit to someone in San Diego that you still like the Chargers, they will sometimes react very bitterly towards you or the team itself. We all know there are a lot of San Diego fans that are still watching the Bolts with some doing so under the radar. Others have jumped back on the Chargers bandwagon at the last minute due to the teams 12-4 success this year. Many other San Diegans have simply moved on, making it fair to question their true loyalty to the team in the first place. Or is it fair to question another fans loyalty? Which raises another red flag: For example, Ex Chargers fans would say “How dare you question my loyalty to the Chargers” or “I supported the Chargers organization as a season ticket holder for over 40 years” These fans do have a legitimate gripe. How can anyone question their loyalty? It is their right to “move on”. It is their right not to support an LA team in general. The fans feel robbed. The fans feel cheated. Some even say “Screw LA” or “How can you even think of rooting for an LA franchise?” The whole thing is so retarded. Trying to sort it all out can be a pain in the ass. Like how do root for the San Diego Padres, then support one LA team (Chargers) but hate the other (Dodgers). Or what about this one: “Screw Spanos, I will never, ever go to LA to watch the Chargers.” That has become a reality for Spanos as very few fans have made the trip to LA on game day. As a matter of fact, most of the crowds at Stub Hub were so pathetic, it really embarrassed the league and Spanos. Even LT (Tomlinson) made a plea (begged) to San Diego to please come to LA and support the Chargers- via XX Sports leader Billy Ray Smith’s podcast. It has become a joke of sorts.

    What does all this mean? It is so sad that the Chargers moved to LA in the first place for basically greed, after all, Los Angeles never asked for the Chargers. The larger market share and a shiny new stadium was way more important to Spanos then the very proud and powerful San Diego Chargers fan base. That is the bottom line. Whether or not you still support the Chargers will not change the 2019 reality of San Diego’s once proud San Diego Super Chargers. The San Diego Super Chargers are a thing of the past. It almost rings hollow these days as it should. Never forget the loud and proud days at Jack Murphy Stadium, so loud and the seats shaking like crazy! Gone but not forgotten. Stay true to your beliefs. Stay true to San Diego. Because rooting for Los Angeles just doesn’t feel right, but rooting for the Chargers to win a Superbowl does feel right! Maybe not? Go figure and Go Chargers!

    I need a drink after all that! Cheers and Happy New Year 2019!

    GO CHARGERS!





  • Chargers Shut Down Raiders, Win Six Straight

    Chargers Shut Down Raiders, Win Six Straight

    Philip Rivers threw two touchdown passes, Melvin Gordon gained 165 yards and the Los Angeles Chargers won their sixth straight game, 20-6 over the struggling Oakland Raiders on Sunday. Rivers bounced back from a first quarter with no completions to throw an 11-yard TD pass to Keenan Allen in the second quarter to give the Chargers (7-2) the lead for good and a 66-yarder to Gordon on the opening drive of the second half. The Bolts coasted from there against the Raiders (1-8), who have lost five straight games by at least 14 points under coach Jon Gruden and have been outscored 75-9 in the past nine quarters in what has quickly become a lost season. Oakland started quickly by controlling the ball for 23 of 29 plays in the first quarter and out gaining the Chargers by 129 yards. But Los Angeles allowed little after Melvin Ingram forced a fumble on a sack of Derek Carr early in the second quarter with the Raiders looking to add to a 3-0 lead. But then Rivers found his stride, leading the Chargers to a field goal and then engineering a 91-yard drive at the end of the half that was capped by the throw to Allen in the front corner of the end zone. Melvin Gordon, who had 93 yards rushing and 72 yards receiving, then put the game away when he caught a short pass from Rivers, broke a tackle by Gareon Conley, juked Reggie Nelson and raced in for the long score. The Raiders missed opportunities to take a bigger lead while out gaining the Chargers 135-6 in the first quarter. Dwayne Harris was stopped by Derwin James on a shovel pass on fourth-and-goal from the 1 to deny the best chance for Oakland. Los Angeles then scored 10 points in the second quarter with a strip sack by Melvin Ingram denying Oakland a shot at a field goal and setting up one for the Chargers. Rivers hit Allen for the TD with 24 seconds left in the half. Raiders rookie punter Johnny Townsend pulled off a fake punt on the opening drive for a 42-yard run. That was longer than his average punt of 41.9 yards coming into the game. Townsend then added his longest kick of the season with a 57-yarder in the second quarter. Townsend is the third player since the 1970 merger with a run of at least 40 yards and a punt of at least 50 in the same game, joining Cleveland’s Reggie Hodges, who did it for Cleveland in 2010, and Jeff Hayes for Washington in 1983. The air quality for the game was at an unhealthy level because of wildfires in Butte County, about 150 miles to the north. The Air Quality Index was at 159 at kickoff, which is in the unhealthy zone, and smoke could be smelled throughout the stadium. The NFL had monitored the situation but the AQI never got near 200, the level where the game would have needed to be moved.

    Chargers LB Denzel Perryman left the game with a knee injury on the opening drive. … Raiders WR Martavis Bryant (knee) left the game in the third quarter.







  • Should The Chargers Return To San Diego?

    Should The Chargers Return To San Diego?

    20181029 135336 1024x768 - Should The Chargers Return To San Diego?
    SDCCU Stadium

    LACI opinion
    Should the Chargers return to San Diego? We all know the Chargers screwed up by turning their backs on their hardcore fans in San Diego. What was the NFL thinking? What the hell was Dean Spanos thinking? 56 years of the San Diego Chargers and then all that mattered was a new stadium. So sad. A stupid stadium for only 10 home games. 10 games. Take a close look at the photo above. Notice the trolley cruising right on by. Notice the nice expansion on the east end that is still being paid for. Yes it is an old piece of shit stadium, but it seems to work for the Aztecs. So the Chargers Bolt to L.A. because of their selfish desire for a nicer home (and a larger market). The only problem is the City of Los Angeles really does not give two shits for the Chargers and probably never will. The Chargers (Dean Spanos) should write an open letter to the City (and County) of San Diego and apologize immediately. The NFL can take some of the blame, after all they approved this disaster. Spanos needs to just wake up from his stupor and return San Diego’s NFL team back where they belong! It just seems so retarded not having that twelfth man. The Murph used to get pretty damn loud! Every other team in the league has more home fan support.

    Please note I am not talking about the team itself. I respect the players and always will. All the trash talk about the team itself needs to stop. The team did not ask to move to L.A. and L.A. did not ask for the team (Chargers). So that brings us back to the current situation which has become an embarrassment to the league. The Chargers are the only team in the NFL that play 16 road games. The few Chargers fans that do show up are outnumbered at Stub Hub. So LACI’s official opinion is to ask all of San Diego to forgive Dean Spanos and lets bring the Bolts home! They will always be the San Diego Chargers! Why not make this happen? Why keep talking trash? Is it really that much fun? It has become so toxic on Twitter (and at sports bars etc,) at times reading and hearing all the salty fans comments. Sure the fans have a right to be pissed off, but why not put all that to rest by welcoming the return of the San Diego Chargers to you guessed it: San Diego. If you ask where their gonna play, please see photo above. So will you accept Deano’s apology? Do you want the Chargers to return to San Diego? Please RT and comment below.








  • Philip Rivers Leads L.A. Chargers To Nail-Biting Win Over Tennessee Titans

    Philip Rivers Leads L.A. Chargers To Nail-Biting Win Over Tennessee Titans

    Phillip Rivers continues to play at a high level as the veteran quarterback led the explosive Chargers offense to a nailbiting 20-19 victory and left the Tennessee Titans in tatters as they gambled on a game-winning two-point conversion, but came up short on their debut in London.

    Rivers had a perfect afternoon rifling two long touchdowns to Tyrell Williams and Mike Williams, racking up 297 yards for LA who were missing their star running back Melvin Gordon with a hamstring injury.

    “This was a gritty team win,” Rivers said. “That was as excited as I’ve seen the locker room in a while. It wasn’t our best game but we found a way and were efficient.

    “We believed we had a good chance to get a big chunk on that first play and they played the defense we were hoping for and Tyrell did a great job getting into the endzone.”

    Los Angeles Chargers appeared to have taken a slice of home with them as 84,301 sun-drenched fans were sent into raptures by Tyrell Williams’s early touchdown. Playing to such a full house was an alien experience for the Chargers who struggle for support at the StubHub Center after moving from San Diego last season. Rivers described the atmosphere as “unbelievable”. He continued: “I remember it being good 10 years ago but not this good. It was awesome. They got to see a great game so hopefully they enjoyed it just as much as us.”

    The Titans opened their scoring with a 28-yard field goal from Ryan Succop, but it would be the only time they held the lead. The Chargers took over and never looked back. After one play and nine seconds they had six points. Rivers dropped back and hit Tyrell Williams while Tennessee’s Logan Ryan floundered. The wide receiver sprinted by the confused cornerback and into the endzone for a 75-yard touchdown. Mike Badgley kicked the extra point and duly added another three from 29 yards after a Tennessee punt to give them a 10-3 advantage.

    Tyrell Williams said of his touchdown: “We knew it was going to be the opening call, and as soon as the ball was snapped I felt the defense shift to where we knew we wanted them and after that I just had to run in. It felt good.” Tennessee was comfortable moving the ball on the ground and through the air, but again had to settle for three points through Succop from 33 yards.

    Then, after forcing the Chargers to punt and as time ticked away in the first half, the Titans had a third touchdown opportunity. Just 10 yards away from taking the lead, Mariota was picked off by Chargers linebacker Denzel Perryman and the half closed 10-6.

    The Bolts started the second-half exactly how they started the first. On just the third play Rivers sailed a perfect rainbow throw over the heads of the Titan’s defenders and into Mike Williams’s arms. Left all alone in the backfield, he jogged into the endzone for the 55-yard touchdown which Badgley converted stretching the lead to 17-6.

    Tennessee responded by finally finding the endzone, after failing in their past two games, through Derrick Henry and Succop kicked the extra point. They were back in touching distance at 17-13.

    Badgley was called into action again from 28 yards for LA after Tennessee’s defense refused to give up another touchdown to Rivers. The kicker easily made the chip shot to extend the lead to 20-13. His opposite number Succop failing to match him from 51 yards on the Titans next possession.

    Mariota then threw his only touchdown to bring the Titans within one point, but the failed two-point conversion gifted the Chargers the victory.

    As a result, Tennessee falls to 3-4 while the surging Chargers nail down their fourth successive win. The Chargers, with an archetypal gunslinger in Rivers, quietly putting together an MVP-level season, may just be eyeing a first postseason appearance since 2013.



  • Chargers Place Safety Jaylen Watkins On IR

    Chargers Place Safety Jaylen Watkins On IR

    The Chargers announced that they’ve placed safety Jaylen Watkins on injured reserve after he suffered a torn ACL in Saturday night’s preseason game against the Seahawks.

    Watkins, 26, wasn’t expected to start for the Chargers in 2018, as the club will deploy first-round pick Derwin James and Jahleel Addae at safety. But the former fourth-round pick could have offered valuable depth, as Watkins appeared in 36 games during a four-year run with the Eagles. Philadelphia opted not to tender Watkins as a restricted free agent this offseason, and he subsequently met with the 49ers before landing with the Bolts.

    Even with Watkins sidelined, Los Angeles has enough safety depth to get by in 2018. James and Addae project to be backed up by Rayshawn Jenkins and Adrian Phillips, while A.J. Hendy could be kept on the the Chargers’ practice squad. Fourth-round rookie Kyzir White, drafted nominally as a safety, is expected to play a sub-package linebacker role for the Chargers.

    To replace Watkins on their roster, the Chargers announced that they’ve claimed defensive back Micah Hannemann off waivers from the Browns. He was an undrafted free agent from BYU and was only used on the Browns practice squad since April 2018. Hannemann experienced his a fair share of ups and downs while at BYU, but his overall size and athleticism give him a decent shot at the next level. He might be remembered best for his impressive interception against Nebraska in 2015.  He also had a crucial interception and a couple of pass breakups against Mississippi State. Over the course of his career he totaled 123 tackles, four interceptions and one sack.

    13637 - Chargers Place Safety Jaylen Watkins On IR
    Micah Hannemann
    #35 S6′ 0″, 195 lbs
    Los Angeles Chargers
    Born Aug 15, 1994 in Alpine, UT (Age: 24)
    Experience; Rookie
    College BYU
  • Chargers In Negotiating Process With Antonio Gates

    Chargers In Negotiating Process With Antonio Gates

    The Chargers are now “actively negotiating” veteran tight end Antonio Gates‘ return to the club, Gates’ agent Tom Condon tells Alex Marvez of SiriusXM NFL Radio (Twitter link).

    Los Angeles told Gates in April that he would not be re-signed for a 16th campaign, but the team’s stance changed when third-year tight end Hunter Henry suffered a torn ACL in May. Since that time, the Chargers have expressed a willingness to reunite with Gates, and Josina Anderson of ESPN.com reported earlier today that Los Angeles wanted to re-sign Gates before the beginning of training camp.

    Gates is now 38 years old and posted a career-low 316 receiving yards in 2017, but the Chargers’ tight end depth chart is currently devoid of a starting-caliber option. Los Angeles signed Virgil Green earlier this year, but the ex-Bronco is a career reserve who’s never been an offensive force. Other tight ends on the Chargers’ roster include Sean Culkin and Braedon Bowman.

    Even if Gates does end up re-signing with Los Angeles, the Chargers will need to lean on their other offensive weapons — receivers Keenan Allen, Mike Williams, Tyrell Williams, and Travis Benjamin, plus running back Melvin Gordon — as Gates played on only 47% of the club’s offensive snaps in 2017. Given his age, it shouldn’t be a surprise if his snap count dwindles even further during the upcoming campaign.

     

  • The Rams and Chargers Are Celebrating the Installation of the Highest Beam

    The Rams and Chargers Are Celebrating the Installation of the Highest Beam

    The Rams and Chargers are celebrating the installation of the highest beam at their new stadium today. It has been signed by the work force, which has grown to about 2,000 people daily. The teams are treating the workers to lunch.

    The installation of the final beam for the Rams and Chargers stadium that will open in 2020. Four million man hours, by about 2,500 workers, have been logged into this project already.

    At 42 feet long and weighing more than 12,000 pounds, the beam will be hoisted to the top of the stadium bowl and secured into place. Construction of the stadium for the Los Angeles Rams and Los Angeles Chargers is on schedule for completion in the summer of 2020.

    NFL - The Rams and Chargers Are Celebrating the Installation of the Highest Beam
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  • LACI Opinion: Chargers Should Bring Back Number 85 as Phillip Rivers Excited About Possible Reunion With Antonio Gates

    LACI Opinion: Chargers Should Bring Back Number 85 as Phillip Rivers Excited About Possible Reunion With Antonio Gates

    The Los Angeles Chargers may have let Gates go just a bit too soon. As in a full year to soon. Sure it was probably time to move on, especially in the NFL where talent like Gates simply can’t last forever. Plus Henry was more than ready to fill Gates shoes. But then all of a sudden there is no more Hunter Henry. So why not just give Antonio Gates one more year? How about just one more year of the Rivers to Gates magic? Antonio Gates always came back strong after a few injuries here and there throughout his 18 year career, but all players have injury setbacks. Old age is just like an injury, it is going to happen and it will be a season ending event. But Gates is healthy.

    Let’s reset for a moment: The Chargers have had trouble getting over the top, but could 2018 be the year of the magic? Imagine for a moment, Gates catching a game winning TD against KC (for a strong example) It is not that hard to imagine. Rivers to Gates for a touchdown. Sure there most likely are football politics involved, but that brings us back to the magic.

    Imagine this: Chargers trailing Chiefs 21- 24 with 1:37 remaining on the clock, 4th quarter. Chargers ball at the Chiefs 21 yard line, facing a 3rd an 6. Rivers fades back, moves to his right, then ducks under a would be sack and delivers a strike to, you guessed it: Antonio Gates! TOUCHDOWN CHARGERS! So do you need another reason to bring back Gates?

    Okay here is another reason to bring back number 85: If Gates has earned a hall of fame position, (which he has) then he deserves to line up in the slot one more season! Sure he is a bit tired, but we all are. Use Gates sparingly, but also as a decoy. The Chargers organization has clearly shown who is boss more than enough lately, why not just do the right thing and honor Gates? Does the right thing even matter anymore in the NFL? (Not For Long) league…Gates 15 years of contribution (and success) should matter and really mean something to the organization. Also, think about the mentoring value Gates could bring. That could be worth a lot to a new tight end coming to the Chargers. If we took a poll right now, the majority of votes would be to bring back Gatesy, so why am I still Typing?

    Now here is the reality of the situation:

    Before the dust had even settled after Hunter Henry‘s season-ending ACL tear, rumors began to swirl about the Chargers potentially bringing back Antonio Gates. It had just recently been reported that the Chargers were moving on from Gates after his historic 15-year run with the team.

    A wrench was possibly thrown into those plans when Henry went down with a devastating non-contact injury during OTAs. Chargers general manager Tom Telesco refused to rule out re-signing Gates when asked about it last week. Now, Gates has at least one public supporter in his longtime quarterback Philip Rivers.

    “Well, shoot, I’d always be excited if he walked back in the door obviously,” Rivers said (transcription via PFT). “That’s something that [GM] Tom [Telesco] and [owner] John [Spanos]and coach [Anthony Lynn] and those guys I’m sure will discuss and see about bringing anybody in for that matter, but certainly [Gates’ return] would get my vote.”

    Rivers sounds excited about the potential reunion, which makes sense considering his history of utilizing tight ends. For years, Rivers had a reliable target in Gates and he continued that trend last year with Henry. Now, with Gates in limbo and Henry sidelined, Rivers lacks a quality middle-of-the-field and red zone threat at the tight end position.

    Here’s more from around the AFC:

    The Dolphins will look to extend cornerback Bobby McCain, Armando Salguero of The Miami Herald (Twitter link) speculaties. McCain, a fifth-round pick back in 2015, is heading into the final year of his contract. Salguero thinks the Dolphins will look to lock up McCain with an extension sometime after June 1, when the cap space they freed up from the release of Ndamukong Suh becomes available.
    The Browns may look to trade one of their surplus wide receivers, Mary Kay Cabot of The Cleveland Plain Dealer opines. After trading for Jarvis Landry and drafting Antonio Callaway and Damion Ratley, the Browns’ wide receiver room is a bit crowded. Cabot thinks returning players Corey Coleman, Ricardo Louis, and Rashard Higgins all will be available for trade at some point this summer. With Josh Gordon in the mix as well, the Browns simply have too many receivers, and will need to deal or cut at least a couple of them.

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  • Chargers 2018 Outlook

    Chargers 2018 Outlook

    The Los Angeles Chargers finished with a 9-7 overall record last season, good for second place in the AFC West. Head coach Anthony Lynn is entering his second season winning six of the last seven games. Although the Chargers won six of their last seven games, they started the season 0-4 and could never fully recover. However, some of their losses could have easily been wins. So all things said, the Bolts have a great shot at winning their division this year and maybe much more! The Chargers are rated 11th overall in the latest NFL Power Rankings.

    In free agency, the Chargers signed TE Virgil Green and three time Pro Bowl center Mike Pouncey, as well as backup quarterback Geno Smith, to shore up their offense. Appearing in two games for the Giants last season, Smith completed 21 of 36 passes for 212 yards and one touchdown. The Chargers were not shy about their desire to upgrade the kicker position in 2018. After signing Roberto Aguayo in January to join Nick Rose, the club also picked up former Eagles’ kicker Caleb Sturgis. The Florida product has connected on 81 percent of his field goals over the last five seasons and should compete for a starting role next year.

    The Chargers struck gold in the 2018 NFL Draft by picking defensive back Derwin James from Florida State. He really should not have been available by the 17th overall pick, but the Chargers pounced. A couple of outlets named him college football’s best overall player. In late June, Sports Illustrated had made the case for James as No. 1 in its Top 100 players list.

    The Chargers pass rush is one of the best in the league, with the likes of Melvin Ingram, Joey Bosa and Corey Liuget. Adding Derwin James to the mix is really something special.  Look for the Chargers to be ferocious on defense. You don’t find that too often in this league and everybody is excited.

    On Offense, the Chargers have one of the best quarterbacks in the league as Phillip Rivers continues to impress with his toughness and very accurate passes. Chargers tight end Hunter Henry will be an integral part of the Chargers offense for 2018. From the moment he burst onto the scene in 2016, Henry’s role continued to grow. Last season as he started 13 of the 14 games he played.  The 6-5, 250-pounder caught 45 passes for 579 yards and four touchdowns. Now, the 23-year old enters 2018 the lead dog at the tight end position as the team recently announced Antonio Gates would not return for the coming season.

    The AFC West is an interesting division. Kansas City, Oakland, and Denver are all either changing coaches or QBs.  At the moment, SD has the fewest roster holes and the most stability. How the rest of the division addresses their needs will determine if SD should be the favorite or not. Did I say SD?

    More good news: Las Vegas likes the Chargers! In a recent study, (since the draft) the Bolts moved up the ladder significantly regarding futures, ahead of all teams in their division and 11th overall in the NFL.

  • 5 things to know about the Los Angeles Chargers

    5 things to know about the Los Angeles Chargers

    1. The offense

    Los Angeles has won four straight and the offense has been red hot. The Chargers have outscored opponents 131-53 during the streak and have gained 731 more yards than their opponents in that time. During the streak, the Chargers have averaged 465 yards a game.

    On Sunday, the Chargers also did something on offense for the first time this season: they got points on their opening drive. Travis Coons made a 33-yard field goal to give LA a 3-0 lead.

    Los Angeles is fifth in total offense (372.7 yards per game) and third in passing (273.2 yards per game). The Chargers’ offensive line has been sensational, as quarterback Philip Rivers has been sacked a league-low 15 times.

    2. Rivers

    Rivers has been on a tear during the winning streak with 1,348 yards passing, eight touchdowns and no interceptions. Rivers has many “favorite” targets and his accuracy has been very impressive. For the season, Rivers has completed 62.8 percent of his passes for 3,611 yards with 23 touchdowns and seven interceptions.

    On Sunday, Rivers moved ahead of Warren Moon for ninth place in NFL history in career passing yards. Rivers has 49,444 yards. Moon threw for 49,325 yards in his NFL career.

    3. The receivers

    Keenan Allen had an incredible three-game streak snapped on Sunday. Allen had caught at least 10 passes for 100 yards and a touchdown in his three previous games, and that was an NFL record.

    On Sunday, Allen had six receptions for 111 yards, which is a nice consolation prize.

    Tyrell Williams also had a big game for the Chargers on Sunday, with 132 yards receiving. Seventy-five yards came on this play, and it looked way too easy for the Chargers:“We’re going to take shots down the field,” coach Anthony Lynn told the Los Angeles Times. “Tyrell has speed, so he’s part of that shotgun package. We tried to get him the ball early.”

    4. The defense

    The Chargers have allowed 22 total points in their last three games*, and the defense kept Washington to just nine first downs on Sunday.

    *Washington scored on a pick-six on Sunday late in the game. (Not thrown by Rivers)

    Washington had just 201 yards of offense and converted on only two of 12 third-down attempts. The Chargers created one turnover on Sunday, but they have intercepted 11 passes in their last five games.

    “I think defensively, we have really started to become comfortable with this defense,” linebacker Kyle Emanuel said on the team’s website. “I think it took a little bit, but we are playing well. It’s fun to be a part of and fun to watch and see how different guys go out there, play well and come away with some wins.”

    However, the Chargers’ rushing defense is tied for 29th in the NFL with the Chiefs, allowing 124.8 yards per game.

    5. Special teams

    The Chargers’ 7-6 record likely would be better if not for some dreadful kicking earlier in the season. Younghoe Koo had a disastrous start to the season and was cut. Nick Novak was signed and he did well, until a back injury ended his season.

    Coons, who was signed earlier this month, has been solid in his two games, making seven of eight field-goal attempts. The Associated Press noted that Coons made all three tries on Sunday and it was only the second time this year the Chargers made multiple field goals without missing an attempt.

    Chargers punter Drew Kaser is fourth in the NFL with a 48.9-yard average. However, his net average on punts is 41.4, which ranks 13th, and he’s allowed the most touchdbacks (eight).

    The Chargers also have the fifth-worst defensive average in kickoff returns, allowing 24.9 yards per kick.

  • Rivers leads Bolts to 4th straight win 30-13 over Redskins

    Rivers leads Bolts to 4th straight win 30-13 over Redskins

    Philip Rivers passed for 319 yards and two touchdowns, and the Los Angeles Chargers continued their ferocious playoff push with their fourth straight victory, 30-13 over the Washington Redskins on Sunday.

    Tyrell Williams caught a 75-yard touchdown pass and Hunter Henry had another scoring grab for the Chargers (7-6), who have won seven of nine after an 0-4 start to their relocation season.

    While outscoring their opponents 131-53 during their winning streak, the Chargers also moved above .500 for the first time since September 2015 with a dominant offensive performance against Washington.

    The Chargers stayed atop the AFC West alongside the Chiefs (7-6), their opponents Saturday in Kansas City.

    Kirk Cousins hit Vernon Davis with an early TD pass for the Redskins (5-8), who have lost two straight and six of eight.

    Although Bashaud Breeland returned an interception of Kellen Clemens’ pass 96 yards for a touchdown with 2:36 to play, Washington’s defense had few answers while the Chargers racked up 429 yards by midway through the third quarter.

    Rivers passed for 256 yards in the first half of another outstanding performance late in his 12th season as the Chargers’ starting quarterback. Rivers also moved ahead of Warren Moon for ninth place in NFL history in career yards passing

    Melvin Gordon rushed for a third-quarter score before several Los Angeles regulars took most of the fourth quarter off, banking rest for Saturday’s showdown in Kansas City.

    They earned the break on both sides of the ball by continuing their exceptional play since their slow start, winning their fourth straight home game. Rivers’ offense played with confidence and flair, executing flea-flickers and thoroughly entertaining a crowd with distinctly fewer fans of the opposition than in the Chargers’ first few games at StubHub Center.

    Keenan Allen had six catches for 111 yards in his quietest performance during the Bolts’ four-game winning streak. He still set new single-season career highs for receptions and yards during the first half for Los Angeles.

    Los Angeles jumped to a 13-0 lead while scoring on its first three drives and getting a first-quarter interception by Kyle Emanuel, but Washington kept it close by forcing two field goals and then getting a 23-yard TD pass to Davis from Cousins, who repeatedly avoided the Chargers’ vaunted pass rush.

    But on the next snap, Rivers hit Williams deep downfield for an untouched, 75-yard score.

    Los Angeles had a 23-6 lead when it drove 81 yards in the final 1:25 before halftime. The Chargers only missed out on even more points because Austin Ekeler was tackled on a 33-yard run at the Washington 4 as time ran out.

    while picking apart the Redskins’ secondary.

     

  • Chargers D stays hot and shuts down Browns 19-10

    Chargers D stays hot and shuts down Browns 19-10

    Philip Rivers passed for 344 yards and hit Keenan Allen for a touchdown, and the surging Los Angeles Chargers moved into a tie for first place in the AFC West with a 19-10 victory over the winless Cleveland Browns on Sunday.

    Allen had 10 catches for 105 yards in his third straight big game for the Chargers (6-6), who have won six of eight to pull even with the Oakland Raiders and slumping Kansas City atop the division with four games to go.

    New kicker Travis Coons hit four field goals as the Chargers grinded out a win over the Browns (0-12), whose only victory in their previous 30 games was a 20-17 win over the then-San Diego Chargers on Christmas Eve last season.

    Cleveland trailed 19-7 entering the fourth quarter, and Zane Gonzalez hit an early field goal before the Browns mounted a long drive.

    But Joey Bosa forced a fumble with a vicious sack of DeShone Kizer deep in Chargers territory, and Denzel Perryman recovered with 4:48 to play. The Browns had another drive, but Adrian Phillips’ interception ended it.

    Josh Gordon had four catches for 84 yards in his first NFL game since 2014 for the Browns. The talented receiver had been suspended for over 2 1/2 seasons for numerous violations of the NFL’s substance abuse policies, but was reinstated last month.

    Kizer passed for 215 yards and hit rookie David Njoku for a 28-yard TD for the Browns, who took their 30th loss in 31 games since late in the 2015 season.

    They’re 1-27 under coach Hue Jackson, who broke John McKay’s NFL record for the slowest start to a coaching tenure with a franchise.

    Cleveland has four games left to avoid becoming the fifth winless team in NFL history and only the second in a 16-game season.

  • Chargers beat down Broncos 21-0, Win 3 straight.

    Chargers beat down Broncos 21-0, Win 3 straight.

    The pads, the helmets, the rules, the 300-pound mountains of flesh usually keep the most important player on the field — the quarterback — out of harm’s way.

    But sometimes, when the ingredients are just right, an uncomfortable amount of punishment can be served.

    It’s why you weren’t wrong to hold your breath every time Denver snapped the ball to Trevor Siemian. It’s why the gasps were totally justified every time the Chargers smashed their bodies into his.

    He needed your thoughts. He needed your prayers. And, he really needed better blocking.

    The Chargers’ defensive line, a group that fashions itself among the best — if not the best — in the NFL, took complete control Sunday in a 21-0 win at StubHub Center.

    The Chargers have now won three straight, tied for the longest streak in the AFC. They’re just two games back in the division after beginning the year 0-4.

    It was also the Chargers’ first home win of the season and their first as a home team in Los Angeles since Dec. 18, 1960.

    Defensive ends Joey Bosa, Melvin Ingram and Chris McCain combined to sack Siemian five times in the Chargers’ first shutout in 50 games. It was the first time a defense had shut the Broncos out since 1992.

    “We have a great group, our defensive line,” defensive tackle Brandon Mebane said. “It’s one of the best in the NFL. And our job, no matter what’s in front of us or behind us, we want to make it known that we came out to play.”

    Sunday, everyone knew it — especially Siemian.

    The officials even took a sack away from Ingram after he was flagged for unnecessary roughness.

    On the play, Ingram ducked from the outside of the defensive line to the inside, evading contact with any offensive linemen. And with a full head of steam, Ingram put his shoulder right into the top of Siemian’s chest.

    Before the Denver quarterback could be scraped back up, the flags hit the field.

    “I think he just hit him too hard,” Mebane said.

    “You seen it,” Ingram said. “It was BS, man.”

    But even the flags couldn’t stop the Chargers defense.

    They went toe to toe with the Broncos, maybe the best defense in the NFL, and outplayed them.

    Denver gained only 12 first downs; the Chargers had 14. The Broncos rushed for only 69 yards; the Chargers gained 80. Denver gained 251 total yards; the Chargers picked up 242.

    “I thought they had a really good day on defense as well,” Bosa said.

    But, there was a key difference.

    The Chargers forced three turnovers; Denver got zero.

    Safety Adrian Phillips set the tone on the game’s opening drive. After being badly beaten by tight end A.J. Derby, Phillips recovered, got back into the play and stripped the ball loose, with linebacker Jatavis Brown recovering. Later in the game, McCain forced Siemian to fumble and Damion Square fell on the ball, and cornerback Casey Hayward picked off an errant pass on fourth down.

    Brown and safety Jahleel Addae also dropped what would best be classified as “I-don’t-know-how-that-didn’t-end-up-as-intercepted” passes.

    And, in a trend reversal, the Chargers stopped the run.

    “We knew Denver was going to try and run the football on us with our stats and what we’re giving in the rush and with their game. And, we stepped up,” Chargers coach Anthony Lynn said. “Our guys worked on it all week. It was emphasized and they did our job.”

    And, it allowed players in other phases to do theirs.

    It started with punt returner Travis Benjamin — who had been averaging just more than 6.0 yards per return — catching a shanked punt off a hop and breaking it for a 65-yard touchdown to open the scoring.

    Benjamin would later find the end zone on a play changed by the Chargers at the line of scrimmage on third and long in the fourth quarter.

    Philip Rivers signaled Benjamin into a quick slant route, and the receiver dashed all the way across the field and into the end zone for a 42-yard score.

    Rookie Austin Ekeler also scored on a one-yard pass after the team was stopped four times from the one-yard line earlier in the game.

    That the scoring is kind of a footnote isn’t by accident.

    Sunday, it really didn’t matter. “To come out there and shut out a professional football team is not easy,” safety Tre Boston said. “For us to do that, to play well in three phases, that’s a team win right there. Like I’ve been preaching, keep believing, keep sticking with us, we’re gonna get it done.”

    For the last three weeks, the Chargers have gotten it done — albeit a bit surprisingly. Instead of relying on an offense with flashy names such as Rivers, Antonio Gates, Melvin Gordon and Keenan Allen, it’s been the defense that’s been stellar — pitching a shutout after stifling the Raiders and the Giants in the previous two weeks.

    “We’re trying to make a statement,” Ingram said.

    And, Sunday, no one heard that statement clearer than the Broncos and their quarterback, however the Broncos were playing for a mostly Denver crowd and an obvious sea of orange.dan.woike@latimes.com

    Twitter: @DanWoikeSports

  • Was Qualcomm Stadium really that bad?

    Was Qualcomm Stadium really that bad?

    In November 1965, a $27 million bond was passed allowing construction to begin on a brand new stadium for the city of San Diego. Construction on the stadium began one month later. When completed, the facility was named San Diego Stadium. 50 years later, the city loses the Chargers. Why?

    Perhaps the Chargers over reacted. Sure there were leaks in the stadium and the concrete cracking, but why was there not more maintenance and improvements done. Seems like the city of San Diego should have stepped up their game and offered major tax dollars to restore San Diego Jack Murphy Stadium. Sorry Qualcomm, your 20 million dollars naming rights are pretty much over and spent at this point. Seems like letting Qualcomm fall apart came back to bite San Diego in the ass. Dolphins owner Stephen Ross and Chargers chairman Dean Spanos faced similar crises in recent years — neither could muster up enough support to obtain public funds to upgrade their stadiums.

    The Dolphins’ $350 million taxpayer initiative died on the floor of the Florida Legislature in 2013, and the Chargers’ half-billion-dollar hotel tax initiative failed spectacularly this past November, receiving only 43.6 percent approval, far short of the 66 percent threshold required to pass.

    Ross, the Dolphins’ owner since 2009, responded admirably to his failure. He dropped his veiled threat of relocation, stopped asking for public money, and simply paid for the upgrades himself. The result was a beautifully renovated Hard Rock Stadium that now has a canopy to protect fans from sun and rain.

    Spanos, whose family has controlled the Chargers since 1984, responded cowardly. He threw up his hands, stopped looking for a solution, and sold out.

    Spanos punched the collective gut of San Diego on Thursday when he announced that he is moving the Chargers to Los Angeles, abandoning the community where they took root for 56 years.

    This decision had nothing to do with fan support, and everything to do with public support for a stadium, of which there is little-to-no appetite in California. Spanos took the easy way out. Spanos decided that 56 years of support simply did not matter.

    “We pretty much exhausted whatever possibilities that were down there, and it was time to come,” Spanos told San Diego TV station KUSI. “We’re excited to be here and looking forward to spending the next 25 to 30 years here.”

    qualcomm stadium 1 - Was Qualcomm Stadium really that bad?
    Why Why Why? Why is this stadium so bad? It looks so beautiful from above.

     

    Spanos could have been a hero for San Diego, much like South Florida now appreciates Ross. Miami fans have a nicer stadium, and economic boosters such as Super Bowls and college football championship games will now return.

    Instead, Spanos chose to be the villain, and it’s a label that will follow him to the grave, much like it did for former Browns and Ravens owner Art Modell.

    Spanos had unsuccessfully spent the last 15 years asking for public money to replace the outdated Qualcomm Stadium, and decided he was out of ideas and out of patience, running off to LA to chase dollar signs. The NFL had granted Spanos an extension until Tuesday to decide on whether to move, but Spanos didn’t need the extra time.

    “We live in a great city and we will move forward,” Mayor  Kevin Faulconer of San Diego said. “San Diego didn’t lose the Chargers, the Chargers lost San Diego.” That statement seems to be true. While some San Diegan’s might actually drive to LA, the majority never will. Why would Spanos want to alienate that many fans? Perhaps the LA market is all that matters to Spanos at this point. Good luck with that. Why start over? Too bad San Diego did not have an owner that really cared about the long term vision for a beautiful city like San Diego. He could have been the absolute hero in more ways than one. Now, only memories of the Chargers remain.

    The Chargers would still likely be in San Diego if their owner had deeper pockets. Spanos, unlike Ross, doesn’t have the individual wealth to simply pay for renovations himself. Forbes lists his family’s wealth at around $2.4 billion, though most of it is theoretical wealth tied to the value of the Chargers. The San Diego Reader estimated last year that Spanos is worth about $200 million outside of the Chargers.

    Now Spanos will be forking over as much as $650 million to the NFL in a relocation fee, though the NFL changed its rules to help him pay it. League rules prevent teams from carrying more than $250 million in debt, but in December the owners voted to allow Spanos to borrow up to half of the relocation fee ($325 million).

    It’s nice to see the NFL get creative to help one of its own. Too bad the owners couldn’t use that same creativity to help Spanos come up with the funds to renovate Qualcomm, or help build a new stadium. Surely, the $13 billion NFL and its mostly billionaire owners could have found a way.

    The Chargers were dead last in the league in total home attendance (456,197) this season.

    For many Chargers fans, the move won’t change much. They’ll still get to watch Chargers games on TV (though the team may undergo a complete rebranding — with a new team name and uniforms — within a few years in Los Angeles). Some fans may still drive a couple of hours north to attend the games.

    But the Chargers aren’t just playing in a new city. They are detaching from the community they had called home since 1961. Chargers players won’t be visiting San Diego elementary schools on Tuesdays anymore, or holding youth clinics in San Diego’s parks. The team’s charity arm won’t invest as much into the community.

    The Chargers meant something to the people of San Diego, even if attendance waned in recent years (Spanos’s threat of relocation obviously played a major role in that).

    According to a poll from the San Diego Union-Tribune, 70 percent of San Diegans blame Spanos for the team’s move. Only 6 percent blame Faulconer and 9 percent blame the NFL at large.

    “At the end of the day, Dean Spanos was never willing to work with us on a stadium solution and demanded a lot more money than we could have ever agreed to,” Faulconer said. “We could not support a deal that is not in the best interests of San Diego.”

    The Rams’ move to Los Angeles last year made sense on several levels, and didn’t engender too many feelings of pity or remorse for the people of St. Louis. The Rams were originally LA’s team, and St. Louis always felt like a temporary landlord.

    The Raiders’ potential move to Las Vegas doesn’t boil the blood, either. The Raiders are more of a regional fan base after already moving twice (from Oakland to Los Angeles to Oakland), and Vegas is ready to roll with $750 million in public funding for a stadium already approved.

    But this Chargers move stinks all around — NFL greed at its worst. Notably, no one in Los Angeles seems to even want the Chargers. San Diego and LA are two distinct markets, and the Chargers have been decidedly “San Diego” for 56 years.

    “We. Don’t. Want. You,” Los Angeles Times columnist Bill Plaschke wrote last week. “The Chargers might not even be in the top-five favorite NFL teams in Los Angeles. The Chargers are San Diego’s team. The Chargers are beloved there. The Chargers belong there.”

    Excitement for the Rams wore off quickly as they went 4-12 and had the worst offense in the NFL. Now the NFL is flooding the LA market with a second team, and expects it to be successful? A team with no roots in the community and no sizzle on the field?

    As comedian Jimmy Kimmel said of Thursday’s Chargers news, “Fans here in LA reacted the same way we react to opening a Bed Bath & Beyond coupon in the mail.”

    But Spanos got his way. The Chargers will now play in a sparkling new stadium in Los Angeles — without having to pay the freight, of course. In 2019, they will be tenants of Stan Kroenke’s $2.6 billion football palace, with the ability to sell luxury suites and personal seat licenses and corporate sponsorships.

    It will increase the value of Spanos’s franchise by hundreds of millions of dollars and end the stadium headache that has perplexed him for 15 years.

    It was the easy way out. Ross didn’t take it with the Dolphins. Spanos jumped at the chance.