This was the scene right before kickoff last Sunday.  Remember after "The Indecision," how all the Norv apologists (I'm looking at you, Nick Canepa) said that if the team started winning in the fall that all would be forgiven?  Well, once the Chargers shat the bed in New Orleans there was no chance of that.  When CBS threw that stat on the screen that we hadn't had a rushing touchdown since Week 5, all I could think is "THAT'S ANOTHER THING THAT'S NORV'S FAULT."  I know that the line sucks, that's on AJ.  But Norv hasn't tried to establish run much at all.  If you're pass protection sucks, you roll the quarterback out.  Of course, that would never work for us since Rivers is as mobile as an anvil.  If you can't open up any holes, you at least try to get your back the ball in space.  I don't know why we even bother with the play action since no one in their right mind respects our running game.

When you have had as many bad second halves as this team, you have to look at the lack of adjustments Norval makes.  When Acee was on 1090 on Monday, he was saying that he often vaclillates between blaming Norv and not.  Even if you thought Norv was really a genius (and not a guy whose calls can be predicted by any Charger fan), you would have to support a change just based on the fact that it will be three seasons without reaching the postseason.  Also, the last three seasons have seen the AFC as the far weaker conference.  The AFC West was the worst division in that conference each year.  We couldn't even get in under those circumstances.

AJ shouldn't get to pick the next coach.  He forced Norv on us and I'm sure pushed for him to get that extension after the '09 regular season.  I still remember listening to the Darren Smith show and hearing Darren and Acee wonder aloud what Spanos would do if by some miraculous chance the Chargers imploded again?  They did and they still haven't recovered.  Yet, Norv is still here.

I can't believe that I still have to remind people of how bad Marty was, either.  I never liked Norv, but he won three more playoff games than Schottenheimer.  End of discussion.

When I went on the XX1090 site to grab the link of Acee's interview, I saw that this week's poll asked fans whether they even want the Chargers to make the playoffs this season.  If you answered no, you push the button next to "Change is needed."  If you answered yes, you move your cursor to where it says "I'm a fan no matter what."

What about if you answer to both descriptions?  The Legion Of The Lightning Bolt want change because THEY ARE DIEHARD FANS.  Justice Leaguers know the only way to improve is ax Norval.  AJ shouldn't be allowed to pick another coach at this point.  Acee suggested that we fans don't really give Deano enough credit for having balls or caring about winning.  However, he also admits that there is some creedence to the perception that he is constantly looking for any justification for NOT making a change.  Wow, Kevin, you sound about as definitive as Dean himself.

Remember after Norv and AJ were retained, we were told that AJ was going to be more accessible?  Have you seen that side of him?  Norv's in-game decisions were going to be more carefully scrutinized.  Have you noticed any of that.  There was also speculation that our training and conditioning staff were going to under close watch since we seem to have more injuries than most teams.  How's that working out, Dean?

I guess at the end of the first half of the New Orleans game, I thought this team might deliver on a promising start.  But New Orleans has a horrid defense and the Bolts STILL couldn't finish them off.  Denver?  The Bunkos' kick returners, which looked shaky again last week, helped us get that 24-0 lead.  The Chargers picked up where they were the week before and showed no ability to close out a team.  My God, Rivers couldn't even lead us to a game winning field goal against FUCKING CLEVELAND. 

Then there was a pick on the one-yard line against the Queefs just to remind us all that even in a win, we couldn't play smart.  Tampa was another mess and last week looked like that Chicago game last year.  I don't want to hear any more about how AJ left Rivers with no weapons or that the line sucks.  AJ should be canned, but he'd leave behind one fucked up quarterback for us.  This is the second straight year that Rivers has looked awful.  I still maintain that the 2010 season was where the shittiness began.  Rivers put up great numbers with Tutu, Crayton and McMichael, but didn't lead us back in a single game.  Fittingly, just one such victory would have won us the division.  Of course, who knows what horrors would have befallen us in January.

As I was watching Stafford, Schaub and RGIII on Thursday, I felt sick.  It wasn't just the Tryptophan, I had a serious case of quarterback envy.  I can finally see a world where Norv (and maybe even AJ) is fired.  But I really fear what Rivers has become.  It sucks that things are so hopeless before December has even arrived.  A win tomorrow would keep Wild Card hopes alive, but we'd also be closer to being stuck with Norv.

Like you, I'll be watching.  But as The Boss sings,

Everybody's got a hunger, a hunger they can't resist,
There's so much that you want, you deserve much more than this,
But if dreams came true, oh, wouldn't that be nice.

JIC,

RLW

RIP, Larry Hagman

Some people might wonder why my frustration with the Chargers has gone beyond the owner, coach, general manager or players and on to the local media.  Why would I care what Kevin Acee says about the team?  Well, FAITHFUL READER, it would appear that our cries for change are ignored by Dean Spanos.  Acee has essentially operated as a liaison between the organization and the fans for a few years now.  No, it shouldn't be that way.  But San Diego is a unique market, I guess.  The once-beat writer has been doing Bill Johnston's job for the last few seasons.  At least Acee hasn't recommended "chill pills."  But he's always acted like he wants to break a big story or get his name linked to a player more than delivering news or thoughtful opinon.  Darren Smith chided him on xx1090 this week about his "relatinoship" with Vincent Jackson.  Before that, Acee hitched his train to Shawne Merriman.  I don't doubt for a minute that he actually wanted Jackson to have a bigger game to prove himself right.  In the U-T this week, he criticized the offensive line.  I agree that they aren't good enough.  But this is the guy who was defending Clary when Dielman, McNeill and Hardwick were all on the team.  I don't recall him suggesting that Tyronne Green wasn't good enough before now.  Don't try and play fucking Nostradamus now.

Look at the three things I wrote for Bleacher Report before the season.  None of them have happened, which is why we are in this fucking mess.  In the interview from the Darren Smith show, Acee mentioned that we all cry about no accountability and want the Chargers to lose to get Norv fired.  If we thought that the Bolts were headed in the right direction and that IT WOULDN'T TAKE A COMPLETE DISASTER OF A SEASON to make a change, we might feel differently.  Dean Spanos needs an outcome that is so clear that he can make a big boy decision.

I'll be watching and rooting but wondering if we are getting closer or farther from a ring.  This team is like a dying horse right now that needs to be put down.  Or for you young kids, they are like a twitching zombie that needs to be shot in the head.  I have attached my contributions to a book released by the "Super Fans" this summer.  No, Aquaman or the Wonder Twins are in it.  You can see the big images by clicking and buy it here or here.  It's all for charity.  In celebration of the new Bond movie, which I have yet to see, I have also included a work of art from my childhood that does not involve football.  It's actually not that bad. 

Talk to you tomorrow.  You can't be half a Charger.

RLW

I know I'm getting a lot of mileage out of the mug shot.  I never really paid much attention to the date on it.  I guess he wasn't booked until about a month after he was cuffed.  Sadly, he was later cuffed by Revis and the Jets that same day.  But I don't need to remind you of that, FAITHFUL READER.  The past is still all we've got.  As I promised last week, I wrote that piece on Rivers' much ballyhooed 2010 for Bleacher Report.  Of course that came on the heels of my "Fire Norv" piece.  The last time the Bolts were in Tampa, their season was on the line.  It was the 2008 game that LL Cool J was raving about on that DirecTv ad.  Tweety actually hit a 50-plus yarder AND Cason had a pick six.  That's about as rare as an eclipse.  It was also the game where the Bolts bloodied Jeff Garcia. 

If that hadn't happened, would we be in the spot we are right now?  I don't know.  I would like to think that if the Chargers had missed the playoffs, that Norv might have been canned.  But they've missed them two seasons in a row and he's still here.  There is no question that the Bolts will need to play better than they have all season to win.  I don't know how good Tampa really is, but they can run and throw pretty consistently.  It would be nice to see Vincent Jackson's inner bitchiness be revealed, but our cornerbacks can't cover anybody.  Since his late hit in New Orleans, Melvin Ingram has been pretty invisible.  The fact that the defense surrendered three consecutive third and longs against the Queefs is pretty pathetic.

I pointed out on Twitter last week that Philip Rivers wished for two things this offseason.  He wanted Norv back and Peyton Manning in his division.  Right now, those two things might cause our greatest wish to come true.  But if Dean actually puts on his big boy pants long enough to make a change, would Rivers even be salvageable?  Look, I hate talking about this when the season is only halfway through.  But this is where we stand right now.  This team has beaten Oakland, Tennessee and Kansas City.  That's it.  It's exactly where they were last year before they beat Baltimore in December.  Looking back, I'm starting to think that was just an epic aberration.  The universe needed to allow that to happen in order for the Chargers to give us their annual tease.

I rarely write immediately after a game, but this has been building for quite some time.  What makes me the most upset about today's game is that I'm always conflicted while watching.  Earlier in the season, I felt like this team could become a different one from the squad we saw last season.  But  as I was watching today, I was thinking that there is no way that this team can win the west or even a playoff game.  I know that anything can happen in January, although Boltheads have only seen how that can lead to Chargers losses lately.  I saw Kevin Acee's Tweets that Tampa had such an awful pass defense so why was Norv calling runs?  I still believe that a team needs balance.  There are quarterbacks who can throw even when the opposition knows what's coming, but we don't have one of those.  Did we once?  It's irrelevant now.

At least our security's elite, by the way.  As you can see from the Tweet below, I really felt like we needed to run more.  Obviously, the line isn't up to the task.  However, Mike Mayock was right about one thing last Thursday.  There were plays to be had against the Queefs and Mathews couldn't break free.  It's those plays that he was drafted to make.  Sure, it was nice to see Rivers throwing to Floyd, Alexander and Gates like it was "old times," but I was always waiting for the other shoe to drop.  We've seen so many bad decisions in the red zone by Rivers that it would be impossble not to be afraid.

Of course, I didn't want to Tweet that because I feared I'd jinx the team.  Who the fuck am I kidding?  We all knew it was going to happen.  So did everyone else watching.  This team has become so predictable under Norv.  The calls are just part of it.  Rivers cannot throw that pass under any circumstances, but I wasn't confident that the defense would hold if the Chargers tied with a field goal.

Sure, they held a little after the Pick 6.  But it was just another part of the big tease that they've become.  The thing is, they aren't even a tease.  We expect them to fail in the end.  However, I can't hear anymore how Rivers doesn't "have his weapons."  What did we win when those guys were on the Chargers?  I also can't even dignify the "Marty was better" supporters with a response.  AJ hired the guy no one else wanted to get them out of the first round and into the Super Bowl.  For one season, it seemed that he was right.  But after a 2-3 start, a team that was soft on both lines of scrimmage won out.  Yes, I remember goal line stands such as the one in Dallas.  But January football unmasks frauds.  We were one dimensional even though we tried (and talked about trying) to be balanced in 2009.  The Jets exposed them and Rivers, Gates and Jackson couldn't deliver. 

I could totally see the Chargers winning in Denver just to make it harder to put a nail in Norv's coffin.  Then again, the Bunkos have been getting better each week.  The same can't be said for the Bolts.  Right now, this team, this coach, this GM and this owner need to be put out of their misery.

It sucks not to have any hope after Week Nine.  But this was what The Organization did when they refused to make a change.  People are saying that this loss is not Norv's fault, but Rivers'.  Coaches are evaluated on results.  The one thing Norv's biggest supporters have always cited (along with his "genius" playcalling), is his development of quarterbacks.  Rivers has regressed beyond belief.  I don't know if he's even salvageable right now.  But we'll never find out unless we rid ourselves of the albatross in the Foster Grants.  Look at Tampa under a new coach.  Morris wasn't even there that long before he got canned.  I didn't hear the Bucs owners talking about "continuity."  They seemed to play with fire today.  Sure, they couldn't stop the pass but they were playing us.  I'm sure our propensity for self-inflicted disaster was mentioned during their meetings.

Sadly, Sammy bought this shirt for Aaron from Old Navy.  I'd like for my two-year old son to be able to wear it with some hope.  That can only happen if Deano can put on his big boy pants long enough to make a change that could actually pay off down the road.

RLW

To the thin line beyond which you really can't fake.

I know I used the "Fire On The Mountain" reference last week, but the Bolts are even more disappointing right now.  The Hurricane kept me from going to Cleveland.  Even before kickoff, this proved to be the right decision.  LaGuardia was closed on Sunday night and just opened up.  I would have been stranded.

As for the game itself, I would say it was a new low but the Chargers can seemingly always drop down another level.  Cleveland doesn't look very good, but neither do we.  Jammer continues to look slow and it's another mind boggling bone of contention that he hasn't moved to safety yet.  I'm not even that mad at Mathews' fumble.  It's not as if we have many more options.  If they had given him the ball on that 4th down call on the opening drive, he might have fared better than Battle.  Kevin Acee said after the game that Gates whifed on a block, but I didn't see it at the time.

Why, you ask?  I chose to watch the game in Manhattan at the new home of the NYC Charger Backers.  Dewey's Flatiron is a nice enough joint, but the other Boltheads clearly thought I was annoying and/or insane.  I showed up by myself and ordered three of the PBR tall boy/Jameson shot combos.  I threw my headphones on when it was clear no one wanted to hear my complaining.  Holy shit, did I look like fucking Cuba Gooding, Jr. in "Radio?"

Anyway, I'm not calling out anyone.  I know I'm not everyone's favorite to watch the games with.  Guys clearly were keeping tabs on their fantasy teams as well as watching the Chargers.  I think I heard someone say at one point that we needed some positive energy for the Bolts.  But we all know what a shit show this is.  I certainly pulled for them to win, but was not surprised that they lost or how it happened.

My buddy Mike, whose words I quoted extensively before the Sunday Night game at New Orleans game, texted me after the Denver game.  "There are no words."  After the "chill pill" controversy and the "sticky like," I told him that I was planning on sharing that.  He laughed and said, "if I had nothing to say on Monday, I really have nothing to say now."

Mike is a Jet fan who feels that Mark Sanchez will never allow the Jets to succeed in the same way many of us feel about Norv.  But at least they showed heart in Foxboro.  Think about what we've seen (or not seen) from the Chargers?  Shit has been so bad that I can't even be happy that Tweety is finally an ex-Charger.  Like everything The Organization has done, it was long overdue. 

Even though I watched the Monday Night Meltdown, I wasn't surprised that they couldn't hold the lead.  You can see evidence of that below.  However, I was surprised when I heard Acee recall that there were zero sacks one hit on Peyton Manning.  As Jon Favreau (as "Gutter") said in PCU, I knew it was bad.  I did not know it was this bad. 

As you know, I will be in Cleveland this weekend.  I was NOT surprised to hear Acee on the radio today saying that Dean will keep Norv if this team gets into the postseason.  So how could I possibly want the Chargers to make the playoffs?

My biggest fear right now is another year of purgatory.  If there is going to be another tease that keeps us from moving forward for another year.  Would I want them to finally win the Super Bowl with Norv Turner?  Obviously, but if we are to be doomed for another season then I'd rather they lose every game for the rest of the way.

I still can't believe that Acee tried to act like he's been anything other than Clary's biggest fan.  I know it's an indication of how bad things have gotten that I'm going after the writers.  But the fact that The Organization doesn't seem to be responsive at all to the fans leaves us without a place to vent.  Kevin Acee and Nick Canepa have become self-important windbags.  Don't pull the "I told you so" shit it you've been writing the exact opposite for years.  Canepa wrote a long piece telling us about what a great guy Bill Johnston is.  Not only is that irrelevant, but it was Canepa himself that Bill was citing when he said that "one columnist said that we should put a fork in the Chargers."  No one besides Charger fans and the media from every city but San Diego seems to understand our pain.  Calling us "you people" wasn't a good idea.

I didn't realize that the 1993 Sports Illustrated cover story on Junior Seau was written by the wife of none other than Jim Steeg.  If you click the link, you can read the second part of her excellent Junior piece.  By the way, the U-T has bought the NC Times.  So even if the Bolts are more agonizing than ever, you can now legally read about them for freee.  As many among The Legion Of The Lightning Bolt know, I spoke to Junior in 2002 on the phone by way of his friend Burt Grossman.  It was pretty clear that he was hardly the "Man Of The Year" off the field.  Ms. Lieber-Steeg's article points out that Junior's restaurant investments (both Seau's and Ruby Tuesdays) were badly affected by the Chargers' blackouts over the last two seasons.  So there's yet another thing to be mad about.

Speaking of wives, my wife sent me this e-mail the day after the last loss:  "I hate the Chargers for making my man sad."  She went on to explain that when she went to bed and saw on her phone that we had a 24-0 lead, she knew they could still blow it.

Philip Rivers continues to regress and many of his careless passes are not happening under pressure.  But the blocking is hardly exemplary.  Yes, he’s used to chucking the ball in the area of a tall receiver and having them go up and get it.  But Rivers sucked last year when he HAD Jackson to throw to.  I don’t need to remind you that VJ didn’t always lay out for pass.  Vincent Brown clearly won’t be back as soon as hoped, which may be the reason that Danario Williams was signed.

The Monday Night was the strongest evidence to date that Philip Rivers, Eddie Royal and Robert Meachem cannot get on the same page.  But Rivers’ worst plays seem to be when no one is pressuring him; other than himself, I guess.

Last year, as Rivers was holding unsolicited press conferences for Norv, I mentioned that it must be like loving the substitute teacher.  I don’t know if Norv is more disciplined than it appears.  I only know what the results have been.  The one thing he always had to fall back on is his reputation with developing QBs.  It’s just a reputation right now because Rivers is a total mess.

The other spot that could most use an upgrade is at cornerback.  After promising (like the rest of the team) to be better in 2012, Quentin Jammer still looks old and slow.  Yes, he had surgery on a broken thumb earlier this year.  But it’s not the thumb that is lacking.

Antoine Cason has been victimized time and time again, but Marcus Gilchrist the one defending Brandon Stokely on the pivotal touchdown against Denver.  Yes, he had what seemed to be great coverage.  However, he wasn’t much better than Cason when he was forced into starting after Plaxico’s hat trick last October.  Shareece Wright is supposedly healthy, but he’s never played enough meaningful snaps to give confidence that he’ll be a better option.

My last two trips to Cleveland accidentally coincided with the start of new eras of “success” for the Chargers.  1992 would be the first playoff trip in a decade.  2004 was the first in nine seasons.  The first era made the most out of what they had.  The second has not.  I said before the Denver game that a loss would signal the end of this team’s promise to be better than those of the past.  Now, thanks to the coming storm, I'm staying here in NY.

I e-mailed the U-T that this article was insulting.  Charger fans aren’t angry just at the fact that this team has lost.  The frustration is that they’ve lost due to their own stubbornness, fragility and stupidity.  That’s the issue.  If they play well and the other team is just better, we could live with that.  But that’s never how it happens.

Thanks to Jo Jo Tarantino for telling me about the “Factory Of Sadness” video series on the Browns.  While I think we have different reasons for our anger, I can certainly empathize with the fans.  I think you will too.

You gave all you had. why you wanna give more?
The more that you give, the more it will take
To the thin line beyond which you really can't fake.

Fire on the mountain or the San Diego Chargers?

JIC,

RLW

Liike so many of you, I've been at a loss since Monday.  I wrote a short post, but have received no comments on it.  This leads me to believe that you are just as tired of seeing and saying the same things.

Then I received an email from Eric Stangel with a link to the "Take A Chill Pill" post by Chargers Director of Public Relations Bill Johnston.  What was my reaction, Eric asked?  This is the worst fucking thing I have ever read.  That was my response and I stand by it.  Since the "column" has now been spread and mocked by every available media outlet, I am sure Bill regrets writing it.  I sent him an e-mail this morning saying as much:

I certainly hope that I don't fall into the category of people who are afraid to say face to face how they feel.  I called Eli Manning and spoke to him the night before the draft in 2004 to defend this team.

However, the fans have the right to feel progress isn't made.  11 wins consecutively led to another playoff pratfall and 2.5 yrs of mediocrity.

Be happy that local fans are so passionate, let alone one 3,000 miles away.

Ross Warner

To his credit, he responded immediately.

Ross,
Thank you for taking the time to write. Like you, I've been a fan for a long time (since the 70s) and I'm passionate about the team. I wrote that from the heart in hopes of reminding all of us that we're 3-3 with 10 to go and right in the middle of the division race. Also want people to know how much their support means to the players.  I see how hard everyone is working and how much it means to them. I did not mean to criticize anyone that is upset about the recent losses. Again, my goal was to remind us that anything can happen, and I'm looking forward to good things ahead.
It means a lot that you took the time to write. Thank you.

BILL JOHNSTON | Director of Public Relations
San Diego Chargers

I don't think any NFL club has ever had to ask their PR Director to spin his careless comments before, but I can see it happening here.  I pointed out to Bill that you stop being "just a fan" once you work for the team, let alone in his capacity.  He was kind enough to ask that I stop by the team hotel in Cleveland, which I am sure is another calculated move in the name of damage control.  Or it's a trap, I'm not sure.

I leave you with an excerpt from 1994's "Cooking With The Chargers."

STAN AND CONNIE HUMPHRIES' "SAUSAGE BALLS"
3 cups bisquick
1 lb. grated cheddar cheese
1 lb. sausage ground
1. Mix all ingredients well and form into small balls.
2. Bake at 350 degrees until light brown (30-40 minutes).
Freezes well.
These are Stan's favorite--morning, noon or night! - Connie Humphries

RLW

PS: These are my actual comments on the Bolts' official site:

Ross Warner · Top Commenter · University of Rochester

This is crazy. I don't need to remind the PR staff of my fandom. I've lived in NY all my life and they have a file of letters and phone messages from me since 1979. However, the issue isn't what the team's record is. It's how they play when it counts. Fans are angry because it seems that Dean Spanos (who still hasn't revealed HIS standard for keeping Norv and AJ) would be ok with just getting into January. That's only good enough if you lose in the postseason. The Chargers have imploded 3 times. They've kept the kicker from all three games too. Norv only had one meltdown in January but 2 (and counting) seasons when they couldn't get in when one more win would have done it. They dug themselves into a hole but could saved themselves in Cincy in 2010 and Detroit in 2011.

When it was all on the line, they fell apart. That's the issue.

If the team could defend itself with its play, the director of Public Reltations wouldn't have to write this. What's next, is Shaun Phillips going to call me a "fake a** fan" on Twitter like he did to a fellow Bolthead last year? This was after he got mad that the aforementioned sports radio hosts asked him why he head butted a player in January as Drayton Florence once did.

Fans are not knee jerk. Here in NY, the media can be crazy, alarmist, negative, sensationalist, but it's clear from owners that winning it all is what really matters (unless you're james dolan or Fred Wilpon).

Yours in justice,
Ross Warner

What is most upsetting about last night's game is that I wasn't surprised.  Many of you weren't either.  My wife saw that it was  24-0 at the half but knew it wasn't over.  Tom Twomey told me he fell asleep at halftime but wasn't shocked at the outcome.  That's the saddest statement of all.  Diego, Acee actually Tweeted during the game that it was just a matter of time before Clary "got smoked."  I called him out on that and saved it. I will post it later in the week.

Whit, I feel just as you do.  Imagine you had to be at the next game as I do?  I can't even say that I will root for them to lose in order to get Norv canned.  I have as much confidence in his being fired ever as his team putting another one away.

In the pregame, it was nice to hear Rivers say all the right things to Gruden.  But he did all the wrong things.  Yes, Royal and Meachem are slow to come around.  It seems like a healthy Gates can't get open without a fight.  But Philip can't underthrow passes.  The line?  He missed on two passes in the first half without pressure being the cause. 

Norv has ruined Rivers.  Maybe that's not all his fault, Philip's undying allegiance to him hasn't paid off.  As my wife said last December, he might love Norv but he'd love winning even more.  Keyshawn Johnson's pre-game comments that this team isn't even good enough to put away this division were irritating, but Bolts never disproved them.  Check out this forum.  II found it by searching for "Philip Rivers is a loser." 

Matt Calkin is the U-T NBA writer who wrote this piece about wanting Norv's team to lose.  Can't say I disagree with anything in it right now.  But I must stress that I won't be convinced that he's getting canned until it happens.  I also fear someone equally as bad will be hired in his place.  Check out Peter King's article from when Norval was hired back in 2007. 

I saw this post on ProFootballTalk, which I have always dismissed as a rag.  However, it says a lot of what we are all feeling:

realitycheck21 says: Oct 16, 2012 1:26 AM

Time has come for Rivers’ future with the Chargers to be discussed. These second half meltdowns simply cannot continue. And it’s a given Mathews is a bust and will never match the hype. Chargers had the opportunity last week and this to go to 5-1 and take a commanding 3 game lead in their division. However, as usual the Chargers choked and are falling faster than hell. Trademark of a Turner coached team is, failure to capitalize on key opportunities and destined to mediocrity. The Charger culture needs a shakedown at it’s core. As a 30 yr Charger fan, I am fed up with implosions and mediocrity. Spanos clan: Give us a true contender with mental fortitude and a smash mouth attitude. Oh and at least one SB championship in my lifetime would be awesome.

Mathews?  I can't even say that he was rising to the occasion last night.  Gruden claimed he looked lethargic, but also said we were a good screen team.  Both statements are bullshit.  I don't know if the screens that got snuffed out were the result of the blocking or Mathews.  I know that Von Miller got hurt ON A SACK and we couldn't take advantage.  I know that as bad as Cason is, Gilchrist got burned by Brandon Stokely.  I know we actually got a lucky call on their offensive PI.  The false starts on Rivers were bad, but we played through them.

We had that lead as a result mainly of 2 special teams fumbles and the Jammer pick.  Manning said after the game that he wondered if "it just wasn't meant to happen" for Denver last night.  That's the way Charger fans always feel.  Nick Canepa was right that it was pathetic how the media fawned all over Peyton at the end.  But just like the Pats celebrating on 1/14/07, I blame the Bolts for allowing it to happen.  Yes, Nick, we never liked what Eli did.  But we hate choking even more.  I leave you with the best scene in "Glory," where Denzel Washington (who won an Oscar for this role) and Morgan Freeman have it out.  I've changed the words a bit to reflect how I feel about our quarterback, coach, GM and owner.

Get your hands off me, gravedigger.

Goddamn it. Does the whole world
gotta stomp in your face?

Charger, get your hands off me.

Ain't no Chargers here.

So the white man give you a couple of stripes...next thing you know, you hollerin' and orderin' everybody around like you the massa himself. Charger, you ain't nothin' but the white man's dog.

And what are you?  So full of hate you wanna fight everybody...cause you've been whipped and chased by hounds.

That might not be livin', but it sure ain't dyin'.

And dying's what these fans been doin' for goin' on three years now.

Dyin' by the thousands.

Dyin' for you, fool!

I know, 'cause l dug the graves.  And all the time I'm diggin', I'm asking myself, "When?"

When, O Lord, is it gonna be our time?"

Time's comin' when we're gonna have to ante up.

Ante up and kick in like men.

Like men!
You watch who you call a Charger.

If there's any Chargers around here, it's you.

Smart-mouth, stupid-ass,

swamp-running Charger.

If you ain't careful,
that's all you ever gonna be.

PS The fact that Dan Fouts had to witness that from the radio booth makes it that much worse.

Thus far, the Chargers season is a lot like last year's.  I pointed this out already in my Bleacher Report piece.  Look, I don't claim to have the answers for this most maddening of teams.  But they still do things that any observer can see are stupid.  My buddy Mike is one of the few people whose football knowledge (present company excluded) I have come to really respect.  Even as a Jet fan, he had these words after last year's loss in the Meadowlands:

Yeah, I think both teams are mediocre at best; the difference is Turner got outcoached again.  They came out for the second half and didn’t even try to run more on the Jets.  The Jets just flooded the middle of the field and took away what Rivers likes to do – at that point Turner has to make an adjustment, but of course he is not capable of making those adjustments, he is the worst coach in football.  Teams have been running over the Jets and David Harris (best run stopper) was out for most of the second half.  I totally understand your frustration, Turner must, must be fired.  

Now compare that to the e-mail he sent me after the loss in New Orleans:

I'm not sure what is worse, having Mark Sanchez at QB or Norv turner as coach.  I know I'm not telling you something you don’t already know, but he is the absolute worst game coach ever.  The Chargers were in control but every time the opponent makes an adjustment, it takes Turner forever to react.  The Saints lose a cornerback, do the Chargers attack, no, not at all.  Do they play action after being effective running the ball, no.  Do they take out guys that are obviously hurt, no.  Yes, the Chargers got jobbed by the refs last night, but I truly believe I could be a better in game coach…I can’t believe both Sanchez and Turner still have jobs, embarrassing…