The real San Diego Chargers to be unearthed in November
Will the real San Diego Chargers please stand up?
Are they the squad that was manhandled for three quarters on national television by the Pittsburgh Steelers earlier in October or the team that obliterated the Kansas City Chiefs in every aspect of the game during Sunday’s 37-7 victory?
They likely are somewhere in between. The Chargers aren’t as bad as that embarrassing night in Pittsburgh and they aren’t as good as they looked Sunday.
It’s always nice to have the Kansas City Chiefs willing to be the modern-day Washington Generals (think the foe the Harlem Globetrotters regularly beat). Sunday’s loss was Kansas City’s 10th straight at home. It wasn’t all that long ago that Arrowhead Stadium was one of the toughest places in the NFL for a visiting team to leave victorious.
That’s not the case in 2009 as the Chiefs look like they would be an also-ran team in the Big Sky Conference. The Chiefs (1-6) have a new regime in general manager Scott Pioli, coach Todd Haley and quarterback Matt Cassel but they are going to need plenty of rebuilding time — not sure if they are using Lincoln Logs or Lego blocks – to get this mess turned around.
Meanwhile, the Chargers (3-3) played their best game of the 2009 campaign. The defense that had been shaky limited Kansas City to 203 total yards with Cassel going just 10-of-25 for 97 yards and three interceptions.
The picks were by the unlikely trio of linebacker Tim Dobbins and reserve defensive backs Steve Gregory and Paul Oliver. Dobbins had a team-high 11 tackles while starting in place of injured Kevin Burnett. Gregory also had a sack and Oliver emerged from a career-long hibernation to make a key play.
The Chargers even recorded four sacks — defensive coordinator Ron Rivera put together a terrific game plan — with linebacker Shaun Phillips notching his first two of the season. Shawne Merriman remains stuck on zero — unless you opt to count his late-night sack of Tila Tequila in his stat line.
The passing game was solid as Philip Rivers threw for 268 yards and three touchdowns. Vincent Jackson (five receptions, 142 yards) had another big day and it appears coach Norv Turner got the memo that it is OK to include Darren Sproles (five rushes for 41 yards to go with a 58-yard touchdown reception) in the offensive game plan.
LaDainian Tomlinson had a season-high 71 yards but needed 23 carries to get it. When you factor in that one of Tomlinson’s gains went for 36 yards, it wasn’t a good performance at all. Tomlinson had 35 yards on his other 22 carries.
The biggest disappointment was Chris Chambers, the former reliable receiver. Chambers dropped two passes, including a touchdown. Perhaps Turner will show him tape of those two drops over and over to help him understand why Malcom Floyd (who did catch a TD) is now receiving more playing time.
In terms of special teams, Jacob Hester had another big play in this area, blocking Dustin Colquitt’s punt and returning it for a touchdown. It sure didn’t hurt that Kansas City’s Jamaal Charles showed no interest in blocking Hester on the play.
The Chargers have the opportunity to get above .500 next Sunday when they host the Oakland Raiders, a team they have beaten 12 straight times. However, the Chargers struggled to beat Oakland earlier this season so the Raiders can’t be taken lightly.
San Diego badly needs a victory because the three following opponents stack up this way: At New York Giants on Nov. 8; host the Philadelphia Eagles on Nov. 15, and at the Denver Broncos on Nov. 22.
So it appears we’ll learn the Chargers’ true identity during a three-week stretch in November. Beating the Chiefs, however impressive the margin, just isn’t a real indicator these days.
