I'm only 41, but I think about "the grand scheme of things" more than most.  However, I can really only look at Junior's life through the paradigm of pro football.  That's the only way I knew him.  He was the best player we had on the team for a long time.  We shipped him to Miami and then he came home to retire.  Then he quickly went to New England and kept Michael Turner out of the end zone in the AFC title game.  When Junior became a Dolphin, I gave away all my stuff with his likeness on it.  That's how I roll.  Ironically, the only thing I own with his face on it is my Justice Is Coming "Tombstone" shirt with Stan Humphries, Bobby Ross and Bobby Beathard on it.  Anyway, and I don't want to sound any more callous than I already do, a team that we often joke about being a tragic comedy now has actual tragedy attached to it.  Speaking of Stan, I saw in this story that Humphries wonders after each teammate passes on, "What's in store for me?"  Unbelievable.

All the football-related comments I've gotten lately express enthusiasm and optimism after the wave of free agent activity and the draft.  However, they also confess that the fact that Norv is still the coach tempers their positive outlook.  I'm right there with you, FAITHFUL READER.  I tweeted that Adam Schein interviewed Norval on the Sirius XM Blitz on May 1.  If you look at the other videos on his page, you'll see that he's been understandably critical of his coaching.  You can hear snippets of the interview here, but I couldn't find the entire thing.  Schein, who also works for FOX and SNY (the Mets network here in NY), was seemingly impressed by Norv's candor and the fact that he's apparently aware of what's said about him on satellite radio.  I'm not so sure that's a good thing, but I don't think much about Norv is good.  Should he falter yet again, Kevin Acee thinks this is it for Norv.  He also gave Whitehurst a nod as a Jesus doppelganger:

I don’t care if Rivers gets hurt and Charlie Whitehurst can’t heal him (Have you seen Whitehurst lately?) and the Chargers miss the playoffs by the 12th tiebreaker of a coin flip, Turner is done.

Jay Paris, who often presents himself as the anti-Acee echoed my fears that Norv and AJ could survice any failure under Dean Spanos.  Of course, it appeared he was being critical of Smith's draft after the Ingram pick but then seemed to be praising AJ.

Smith can't afford another bankrupt draft. Not with Chargers president Dean Spanos basically issuing a playoffs-or-else ultimatum for Smith and coach Norv Turner to keep their jobs.

Then again, I was surprised Smith and Turner kept their jobs after missing the postseason in the watered-down AFC West for two straight years, so I wouldn't be stunned if they extended their streak to three and still returned.

You know, one of the best perks of having this site going since 1995 is that I get trandom of emails pertaining to the Chargers even only remotely.  I got one promoting Antoine Cason's football camp.  I can only imagine what skills are being reinforced there.

I mentioned a while back that my "story" as a long-time Charger fan was going to apper in the book "Pro Football's Most Passionate Fans," which can be purchased copy here, at Amazon or at Barnes and Noble.  Even if you go through the "Bargain Books" link on B&N, it's a little pricey.  It does, however, go to a good cause.  All proceeds to to Curing Kids Cancer.  Anyway, I've posted my contribution below.  I know I planned to talk about the draft in earnest, but I'll do that next week.  I thought this would be a good diversion with the Junior memorial about to begin shortly.  I guess Rodney Harrison actually won't be speaking after all.

How do I even begin to describe the nature, history and effects of my relationship with the San Diego Chargers?  I think the best way is to do what I did when I was welcomed into the Hall of Fame by the other “superfans” at a bar in Canton in 2002.  After hearing everyone else’s “story,” I grabbed my Rolling Rock, kissed my then-fiancé and stood up to tell my tale.  As my eyes scanned the crowd and saw John “Big Dawg” Thompson and the late Tim “Barrel Man” McKernan, I knew needed to just reach back and let it fly. 

Like many others, I was first drawn to the Bolts during the “Air Coryell” period of the late 70s and early 80s.  Their passing attack was even more impressive to a kid just getting into football.  Plus, they had really cool uniforms.  My parents never let me play organized football due to Darryl Stingley’s 1976 paralysis at the hands of Jack Tatum.  So I guess I was already destined to hate the Raiders even before I discovered the Chargers.  I do remember being sad when I heard that they had lost to the Oilers in the 1979 playoffs, but if I knew then that Houston had allegedly stolen Dan Fouts’ headset signals en route to 5 interceptions I would have said “that’s the kind of the thing that only happens to the Bolts.”

My first memory of watching the Chargers play was October 19, 1980, against the “hometown” Giants.  Did I forget to mention that I have lived my entire life within the state of New York?  The Chargers won that game 44-7, primarily through acrobatic catches and innovative passing plays.  I actually remember two Giants defenders running into each other as they closed in on an escaping Charger receiver, who subsequently escaped into the end zone for a touchdown.  I believe it was John Jefferson, for those who care about those sorts of details.

The day after that game, I sat at the bus stop (at the tender age of nine) pledged to myself to always be a Chargers fan.  There have been many times that I wished I hadn’t made that promise or even futilely tried to break it.  To say that the Bolts haven’t tested my faith would be a massive understatement.  In 1984, I saw wide receiver Bobby Duckworth fumble on Monday Night Football with no defenders within 20-yards of him.  He was getting ready to spike the ball for an “easy” touchdown at the time.  A year later, the Chargers had a field goal blocked and returned for a touchdown in overtime to lose a game in Denver.  After being bailed out when the play was nullified by a penalty, they did it again.  In 1987, the Bolts jumped out to an 8-1 record (including going undefeated with their “replacement” players during that season’s strike) and appeared poised to return to the playoffs.  I even wrote a full-page article in my high school newspaper about it.  They lost their last 6 games to miss the postseason.  Yes, I believed that I had something to do with it.

Sadly, I am actually affected by the outcome of a game over which I have absolutely no affect on—sometimes embarrassingly so.  I’m self aware to know how absurd this is, but sometimes I just can’t help it.  Beyond that, my fanaticism doesn’t follow the “usual” patterns.  I have never worn face paint, except at the lone Super Bowl the team has reached.  Nonetheless, my mood (at least according to my wife) is often dictated by the travails of a team that throughout its history has either been untalented or underachieved.

What’s it been like to be a dedicated fan that has lived his entire life 3,000 miles away from his team?  I actually think it has further fueled my obsession.  I have felt even more part of a select group because of that fact.  I began writing to the team in 1981, asking them to send me Dan Fouts’ autograph.  They actually did it, which not only delighted me but made me feel even more like this was MY team.  For my bar mitzvah, my parents had made a papier-mâché centerpiece of Dan Fouts which I actually took to Canton when I was inducted into the Hall Of Fame in 2002.  I didn’t get to see the team play in person until 1986, when they once again played the Giants.  Unfortunately, they were beaten badly by a team that would eventually go on to win their first Super Bowl that season. 

I wouldn’t get a chance to see the team play in person again until I went to college.  I attended the University of Rochester from 1989 to 1993, thus coinciding with the Buffalo Bills’ four consecutive AFC Championships.  No matter, I clung to my football team more than ever.  I flew back home to watch them play the Jets in 1990 and 1991.  In 1992, as the Chargers were marching towards the playoffs for the first time since my childhood, I drove through a mammoth (are there any other kinds up there?) snowstorm to make a 1PM kickoff in Cleveland.  After watching Stan Humphries lead the Bolts to a 1-point comeback win against the Browns, I decided to send him a $5 money order as a token of my appreciation.  We finally had a worthy successor to Dan Fouts at quarterback.  I wrote in my letter that should we face the only team to beat us after an 0-4 start, the Chiefs, Stan should slide the five into the palm of opposing quarterback Dave Kreig.  This would happen after we beat them in the playoffs, of course, and would be accompanied by a “go home and get your shine box,” barb a la Goodfellas.

After college, it was on to New York City.  Although I had been using my fake ID to go to the only bar around school that showed ALL (otherwise the Bolts would never be on) the games, I now had countless places to watch the games legally.  It wasn’t always so easy, however, like the time my friends drove all night from Atlantic City after my 100^th Grateful Dead concert to get me home for kickoff.  Yes, I know there’s another story there.  1994 was the year that the film Tombstone was released.  The movie’s tagline was “Justice Is Coming.”  I immediately adopted it as my mantra for the Chargers.  We were the good guys and were after what was rightfully ours, I believed.  That belief carried me all the way to the stands of Three Rivers Stadium, where I was able to personally witness the goal-line stand that sent the Chargers to the Super Bowl.  Unfortunately I was also forced to watch with my own eyes a crushing defeat Niner team created all sorts of shady contracts that allowed them to circumvent the then-new salary cap and stock their roster for one season.

The post-Super Bowl seasons with 1-15 and 4-12 records weren’t even that hard to stomach.  The team just flat out sucked.  But 2004 to 2009, seasons in which the Chargers won 12, 13 and 14 of their 16 regular-season games, they promptly imploded in their own stadium with a rash of missed field goals, fumbles, interceptions and mind-boggling personal fouls.  But if you’re a football fan, you already know all this.  What has kept me sane (relatively) during all this time is my website, www.justiceiscoming.com.  When the Chargers were scheduled to play the Giants in 1995, the now-infamous “snowball game,” I approached the only publication on the team at that time about covering it.  When Chargers Football Weekly (which I had subscribed since elementary school) refused, I told them that I would create my own forum and push them out of business.  I also took the opportunity to share all my criticisms about their publication, which I had held back until then.  Years later, the Editor called me and actually told me I was 100% right on all counts.  When does that ever happen?

First distributed as a newsletter on the “Bolt Backers” e-mail group, Justice Is Coming has grown not only into a website but an extended family of Charger fans from Ireland to Mexico and all parts in between.  When you are a Bolthead in New York (now Long Island), it’s easy to feel like no one cares about the team but you.  I still feel that way sometimes, but it’s the “Justice League” that reminds me that I’m not alone.  I get countless e-mails from The Legion Of The Lightning Bolt saying “I was thinking the same thing” or “thanks for keeping the site going all these years.” 

Fortunately, I have found a woman who has tolerated all my insanity.  While my days of travelling to Detroit, Buffalo, Cleveland, Philadelphia, Baltimore, etc. to watch the Chargers appear to be wisely left for my younger self, the Bolts have certainly been a presence in our everyday life.  I once tried to equate it to my love of music and film.  My wife wisely responded “Yeah, but if you see a shitty movie, my week isn’t ruined.”  Don’t worry, she was smiling when she said it.  I also now have two amazing children.  My daughter Sarah, now four and half, is beginning to notice all the things that have to do with Daddy and his football team.  At the very least, she notices that there are even more Charger helmets around the house than pictures of Jerry Garcia or Don Corleone.  “The Chargers always make you mad,” she says.  Hopefully not always, Sweetie.  Hopefully not always.

Ross Warner

South Setauket, NY

August 15, 2011

You're now down with a discount,
RLW
 

PS RIP, #55

Hi Ross - I'm still reeling.  Thought that I would check in and see how you're doing?  Devastated doesn't even cover it.  I spent the day watching old VHS tapes that I dug out of the back of the hall closet.  Most from 1994 and 1995.  Game after game, interview after interview.  It's like my life is on hold at the moment and I don't know how to move forward or breathe.  And then I will have really off thoughts like - that piece of shit, waste of space Ryan Leaf who has never done anything for this world is still here and Junior is gone.  Naturally, I feel like a horrible human being afterward.  I just don't know how to cope.  I still have the picture he autographed for my Grandma when he found out she was struggling to complete her chemo and radiation treatments.  "Keep fighting - stay strong.  Love, June"  She carried it back and forth from the bedroom to the living room couch.  When her neuropathy got so bad in her fingers that she couldn't hold it, my Grandpa had to carry it back and forth.  God help him if he forgot it.

I think that's what drove all of his charity work - he kept trying to make up for his behavior.  That drive off the cliff should have been his rock bottom but there were way too many enablers around him that kept it from being so.  I don't think he felt that he ever measured up to the picture his mother had of him.  It's just sad. Two comments have stood out to me, but I can't remember who said each one.  I want to say it was Marcellus Wiley who said that he was talking about playing football again next season.  And then I can't remember who said that Junior told them last week "I'm nothing now."  He was struggling without the sport that brought him so much.  Which is odd to me since his last seasons didn't bring him much play time.  He wasn't even starting.  Still chasing that ring?  Who knows. It will be interesting to see what his brain yields, but I'm not thinking that had anything to do with his suicide.  He didn't complain of headaches.  His behavior wasn't any more bizarre off the field than it had been when he was playing.  To me, I don't think those signs were there.

I'm glad you're doing a draft analysis as well.  We did better than I expected with no moving up to grab odd players that would be there two rounds later.  I feel better about this draft than I have the past few.  As good as I can feel with Norv still coaching the team, anyway.  Doesn't mean I'm excited for the season, though.

Anyway, I figured I should check and see how you're doing.  I keep pulling up Justice to see if you've done a post yet without really expecting one because I'm sure this has really thrown you.

Jenn

Of course, it's well documented that this is the 8th player from the '94 team to pass away.  I'm not a huge fan of Deadspin, but I can't disagree with their headline claiming that death is stalking this team.  My wife added that it's almost like a "Final Destination" situation.  I assume she's talking about the first movie with Stifler and not any of the uneccessary sequels.  Seriously, odds of all these guys dying before reaching 45 years old is crazy.  Doug Miller, who was kind enough to give me an autograph on the day before the Super Bowl was struck by lightning TWICE.  The one thing what we should take away from this is how insignificant this game is in the grand scheme of things.  However, it's hard not to talk about a curse when the only Charger team to reach the Super Bowl now has all this tragedy attached to it.  I originally thought that I'd be able to segue this into a discussion about our draft picks, but I can now see that it won't be possible.  I'm sorry if I wasn't able to deliver some grand statement on Junior.  I've tried to use humor in this posting not to detract from the seriousness but rather as a coping mechanism.  I'll put together a post-draft piece next week.  Tomorrow's Cinco De Mayo and Sheli Manning will be hosting Saturday Night Live.  But at 5:55 PM on May 5 people have been asked to take a minute of silence in Junior's memory.  I'm sure you'll all join me.  Talk to you next week.  I don't need to tell you who this installment of JIC is dedicated to.

Blow away the dreams that tear you apart
Blow away the dreams that break your heart
Blow away the lies that leave you nothing but lost and brokenhearted.

I still believe in a promised land.

RLW

Play, play the game tonight
Can you tell me if it's wrong or right
Is it worth the time, is it worth the price
Do you see yourself in the white spotlight
Then play the game tonight

Ah, Kansas, you are so wise.  If you aren't familiar with the tune, you can hear it here.  I haven't spoken with you since the schedule was released and now it's draft time.  I saw the "story" (based on an Acee Tweet) that the Chargers might trade up to draft Barron.  Then I read Kevin Acee'scolumn which suggested that anything could happen because AJ gets so much pleasure out of proving others wrong.  This plays to our worst fears that he'll do whatever he wants and not what is best for the team.  I remember writing the same things about the late John Butler.  But when Wiley and Boston were jettisoned before the 2004 season, they both looked like geniuses.  However, the Bolts have never taken advantage of the opportunities presented to them in January and here we are.  The photo to your right was taken in the Chargers locker room, by the way.  I found it interesting, especially with the costly fumbles of Tolbert, Mathews and Rivers last season.  I think "Protect The Dream" should be a slogan for the entire team.  It's not just the ball that is in these guys' hands.  It's the hopes, heartbreaks and fears of The Legion Of The Lightning Bolt as a whole.

2012 REGULAR-SEASON SCHEDULE
Monday Sept. 10 at Oakland 7:15 p.m. ESPN
Sunday Sept. 16 vs. Tennessee 1:15 p.m. CBS
Sunday Sept. 23 vs. Atlanta 1:05 p.m. FOX
Sunday Sept. 30 at Kansas City 10 a.m.CBS
Sunday Oct. 7at New Orleans 5:20 p.m.NBC
Monday Oct. 15 vs. Denver 5:30 p.m. ESPN
Sunday Oct. 21 BYE
Sunday Oct. 28 at Cleveland 10 a.m. CBS
Thursday Nov. 1 vs. Kansas City 5:20 p.m. NFLN
Sunday Nov. 11 at Tampa Bay 10 a.m. CBS
Sunday Nov. 18 at Denver *1:15 p.m. CBS
Sunday Nov. 25 vs. Baltimore *1:05 p.m. CBS
Sunday Dec. 2 vs. Cincinnati *1:15 p.m. CBS
Sunday Dec. 9 at Pittsburgh *10 a.m. CBS
Sunday Dec. 16 vs. Carolina *1:05 p.m .FOX
Sunday Dec. 23 at N.Y. Jets *5:20 p.m. NBC
Sunday Dec. 30 vs. Oakland *1:15 p.m. CBS

I am sure you've taken a good look at this already.  You can click on the link to see a close up of the girls on the roller coaster ride that is a Charger season.  I can only imagine what missed field goal or stupid penalty they'll be reacting to.  I'm too harsh, you say?  Come on, FAITHFUL READER.  I couldn't say these things about the Bolts if I didn't know this team so well and if I hadn't suffered through all this alongside you.  I would love to be wrong, however,  That's why I plan to attend the 12/23 game in New Jersey.  If LT really isn't back with the Jets, it should make showing up a little less thorny for me.  I also am tentatively planning on going to the game in Cleveland.  Why, you ask?  It's just the type of random act I like to pull.  Long-time members of The Justice League may remember that I attended the '92 and '04 games there already.  Those were 11 and 12 wins seasons, respectively.  Those game were also big wins in those seasons.  Of course, our one-time and apparently present-day kicker fucked the second January up beyond repair.  I noticed that Kevin Acee made mention of the ghosts of postseasons past (and lost) as well:

"The Jets. There is no opponent that summons the frustrations and teases of recent years like the Jets, who came across the country to beat the Chargers by (missed) field goals in the 2004 and ’09 playoffs and last October in New Jersey overcame an 11-point halftime deficit to start the Chargers on what would grow to a six-game losing streak."  Well, I sold my tickets to the first playoff game due to financial concerns about flying cross country and I sat last year's game out since it was the weekend of my daughter's 5th birthday.  This year, the schedule makers gave the Bolts a bye on her big day.  They also solved my dilemma about the opening Sunday since I was concerned about having to watch my son that day.  I previously Tweeted that Sammy and Sarah were going to see The Fresh Beat Band that afternoon and I assumed that Aaron was about to get a crash course in how Daddy rolls during football season.  But since the Bolts are playing at the latest possible day and time that week, I will be sitting in front of my television all by myself once again.  By the way, having mentioned LaDainian Tomlinson earlier, I actually would have been OK with AJ bringing him back.  My esteemed colleague, Whit Watson, wondered aloud what kind of idiot would be in favor of such a move a few posts back.  I guess the answer is this idiot.  Like everything else with this team, it's an emotional and symbolic decision for me.  I care far less for LT then for what it would represent for AJ to actually show he can change.  There is no doubt that LT was not OK with being phased out of the offense, even though he beamed to Jim Trotter to the contrary after we beat the Eagles at home in '09.  Maybe it was the emotion of finding out he was finally going to be a dad, I don't know. 

However, right now the thing I believe really stands most in the way of the San Diego Chargers are the San Diego Chargers.  Beyond Norv and AJ, I blame Dean Spanos.  I just finished reading Mark Ribowsky's excellent biography of Howard Cosell.  In it, he describes the late Gene Klein accosting Cosell in public by calling him "Al Davis' pimp."  Cosell was a big supporter of The Dark One's lawsuit against the NFL.  Can yo imagine Dean Spanos having that kind of passion about the Chargers?  I have been looking for evidence that ownership is actually committed to winning a Super Bowl for years and am yet to find it.  My biggest complaint is that our coach and GM haven't been held accountable for mistakes.  If they aren't expected to produce results, then how can you expect the team to?  Oh, Dean, Norv and AJ talk about "Super Bowl or bust," but nothing they've done backs that up.  I am fine with Vincent Jackson departing and Meachem and Royal taking his place.  But part of me wanted to see AJ sign Jackson to a long-term deal just to show that he was willing to do something we all thought he was determined not to.  Weren't we promised a kindler, gentler AJ when Dean neglected to fire him?  Of course, I wrote at the time that it's not AJ's asshole tendencies that matter but where it's gotten us. 

That's why I am even more concerned about this draft than usual.  AJ talks about needing a defense to win a championship, but he's signed one defender this offseason.  It will come in the draft, some speculate.  It fucking better.  I know that Gaither isn't perfect and that is valid concern that he'll revert back to his lazy ways.  But I do have to agree with Acee's point in the U-T's draft roundtable video that the Chargers didn't give him a new contract so they could draft a guard in the first round.  So will I be happy with a defensive pick?  As long as it's someone I've heard of.  Seriously, I can't stomach another pick that has the "experts" saying that "this guy was predicted by everyone to go later."  Maybe AJ should stop trying to prove he's smarter than everybody by looking for more guys in the scrap heap.  Prove your worth by doing your fucking job.  It's hard enough to make the tough decisions without the inflated ego getting in the way.  Being stubborn is no longer working.  Before I forget, I was sent a link to this site regarding facial hair.  I have no idea what it has to do with the Chargers, but I thought I'd pass it along.

That's all for now.  I'm sure I'll be on Twitter after the Bolts use their first pick.  Forget protecting the dream, how about not destroying the dream for once.  Maybe this year's JIC slogan will be

Don't shit on the dream.

Talk to you soon,

RLW

My feelings on Vincent Jackson going to Tampa are a microcosm of how I feel about this team right now.  If the latest January implosion two seasons ago anniahalated my hopes that the Chargers had learned from past mistakes, the slide of the last two seasons has buried those hopes.  Norv and AJ getting a pass has blown them to bits.  OK, that's a little dramatic.  But if Steve Crosby was 2010's scapegoat, does that mean that Greg Manusky is this year's sacrifical lamb?  My buddy Tom pointed out that the 2011 Chargers defensehad the worst (49.2%) 3rd down rating in the NFL since 1995?  However, I fear that The Organization will simply see any improvement as a quick fix to simply get back to the playoffs.  Yes, I know that once you're in the "tournament," anything can happen.  But not with a team that doesn't play hard or tough until they've dug themselves too big a hole to crawl out of.  One of the many differences between the Giants and Chargers is that the Giants never lost that one game (at Dallas) that would have made their winning the division a miracle.  The Bolts didn't even show up in Detroit, but if they hadn't lost SIX FUCKING GAMES IN A ROW they wouldn't have to.  If we overpaid to keep him, I think he'd be the same hot and cold player he's been since 2009.  I still remember Peter King's article in Sports Illustrated before the aforementioned postseason debacle.  There was a big spread of Jackson laying out for a touchdown against Cincy.  I know you remember that game, FAITHFUL READER.  It was the contest that fooled us into thinking that Nate Kaeding was anything but the choker he truly is.  Anyway, King's piece was on how big receivers like Jackson (and Floyd) could be the difference deciding the next Super Bowl champ.  If that's the case, we signed the receiver that was on the team that won it all.

That being said, I was happy to see the signings of Meachem, Johnson, McClain, Hardwick and Gathier.  Every time Le'Ron does something for the Chargers, I plan to scream out "MCCLAIN!" like Hans Gruber.  Kevin Acee, who I am beginning to hate as a "columnist," pointed out that the money spent on these guys is a little more than it would have taken to keep Jackson for the year.  I am OK with that trade off.  My buddy Pete Shaw, not #44 in your program, points out that this type of move is not without precedent and actually has a history of success for the Bolts: 

1981 - Best receiver John Jefferson (#83) signs with the Packers.  We all cry.  He is replaced by Wes Chandler and the Chargers go on to the AFC Championship and lose to the elements more than the Bengals

1994 - Best receiver Anthony Miller (#83) signs with Broncos.  He is replaced by a platoon of scrawny receivers who lead the Chargers to only Super Bowl appearance.  Curse you Richards and Carrington!

2012 - Best receiver Vincent Jackson (#83) signs with Buccaneers....????

Before the Meachem signing, Nick Canepa alluded to the fact that there was no Wes Chandler out there to soften the blow of Jackson's departure.  I think that Meachem and now Eddie Royal are a fine substitute.  Canepa lost all credibility with me when he supported Norv and AJ's return.  Kevin Acee, now a "columnist," reminded us all that that Gaither, Harwick, McClain, Johnson and Meachem cost us a little more than keeping Jackson.  I try not to use Twitter for comments that land me in some conflict that isn't worth the time, but I had to tell Acee that his new role is only fleshing out the condescension we all sense when he was being "objective."  These guys don't realize that we're pissed off from watching a team that doesn't seem to give a shit.  At least Mike D'Antoni fell on his sword for the good of the organization.  I know living here all my life that the media can be overly relentless, but the Charger fans I talk to are as passionate as ones here.  They are not OK with the complacency of Dean Spanos and Acee acting like we're all crazy while he defends Clary, Kaeding, AJ, John Spanos, or whoever we see making mistakes is insulting.  I was even told on Twitter that I was being overly negative about the Chargers right now.  If you aren't pissed off at what has gone on since 2004 when the window of opportunity was opened then you aren't paying attention. 

But I digress.  Thus far, these signings remind me of Bobby Beathard's decision to let Anthony Miller go to Denver and let us begin the 1994 season with Shawn Jefferson, Mark Seay, Tony Martin and VANCE JOHNSON as wideouts.  Even though he never played a regular season snap, we paid Johnson for a while after his release.  Technically, the Mets are STILL paying Bobby Bonilla and, will be for quite some time.  For that matter, the Germans just paid their World War I reparations in 2010.  We'll see if AJ does any more to upgrade the defense before the draft.  I still have my concerns since I don't think we have a culture of accoutability from ownership on down.  Issuing bounties is wrong and all, but the Saints did win the Super Bowl that year. 

I joked on Twitter that the article "AJ Smith Doesn't Tuck It In" was offensive to drag queens.  The headline was oddly changed the next day.  That's the one change I was able bring about?  That's pretty sad.  Some people seemed to think that Eddie Royal was an uneccessary signing, but I like it.  Vincent Brown is still pretty raw.  Rivers was pressing last year and his accuracy suffered as a result.  Also, the blocking wasn't stellar, which is one of the reasons that Marcus McNeill isn't around.  But it also seemed that guys were never open.  Many times I'd hear radio or TV announcers praise the opposing defense for their coverage, but the receivers never seemed to get any separation.

Since I referred to the '94 receivers earlier, I must admit that I called the Chargers many times after they decided to let Anthony Miller go.  While I asked to speak with Bobby Beathard personally, I was directed to Bill Johnston, Scott Yofee and the rest of the PR staff.  This is just one of many reasons they are wary of me to this day.  Gibson, Davis, Lee and Harper didn't seem like much of an upgrade after we'd come off an 8-8 season.  However, these guys jelled.  But they also had Bobby Ross coaching them.  I've seen nothing to suggest that Norv can foster that kind of urgency, intensity or chemsitry.  I'd love nothing more to be wrong, however. 

My daughter had "jersey day" in her kindergarten class.  In a sea of Jet and Giants jerseys, she was representin', motherfucker.  This was my 41st birthday dinner last week.  If you didn't e-mail me on the 8th, I thank you, by the way.  I'm not being sarcastic for one.  I find the Facebook alerts that lead to birthday wishes from people I don't have any other contact with are insanely annoying and patronizing.  I know, I've got a lot of anger issues.  But the Chargrers aren't helping any.  At least I've got the pretty girl in the photo.  I can't believe I was able to take my eyes off that margarita. It looks pretty tasty in the pic.  Anyway, I will gave AJ credit for putting together some good acquisitions.  I think Tolbert's replaceable so I'm not going to be devestated if he leaves.  Plus, celebrating when you aren't winning is annoying--are you listening, Shaun Phillips?  Anyway, I know my posts are shorter (and probably less read) due to my increasing presence on Twitter.  Incidentally, I've moved the official JIC Facebook page from here to here.  Actually, I never had an official page.  I was just using my personal Facebook account.  You can tell I obviously don't use it for anything but JIC anyway.  It would appear that AJ is waiting for the draft to fix up this defense.  I don't know if Wimbley is the answer, but I know we need a pass rush.  I don't want to hear any more shit about how Barnes, LaBoy and Spikes aren't mean to play that many snaps.  Next month the schedule will be announced and I am still planning on going to the Baltimore and Jet games, as long as they aren't on my daughter's birthday (Sun. 10/21).  I know, with my luck one will be but at least I'm assured one game.  I haven't been since the Giants game of 2009.  Yeah, I know, memories of Vincent Jackson.  I have two words for the newest Buce--Alvin Harper.

Anyway, I'm off to dinner with my wife.  The sitter will be here soon.  In the next few weeks, I'll be seeing Bruce and the Allmans.  I went to Van Halen at the Garden a few weeks back as well.  Fucking genius.  I included the clip of "Hot For Teacher," as well as another video that caught my eye.  Talk to you soon.

JIC,

RLW

[youtube]31do3YdgeB4[/youtube]

[youtube]JEgKrkcCUGQ[/youtube]

Yes, I really did speak to him the night before the draft.  I told him that I represented the "Charger Fan Alliance" and that karma would catch up with him.  Guess not, huh?  Paris' column reminds us that it was Archie, not Eli, who truly objected to the Chargers and specifically due to the acrimonious relationship between then-coach and GM.  Of course, when we went 12-4 and didn't even need to start the QB we drafted it seemed like we were on our way to something special.  But the kicker we got in the deal was a choker.  The linebacker we would draft the following year turned out to be a flash in the pan once he got off the juice.  I have no doubt that Philip Rivers would be a Super Bowl Champion in another uniform because he'd have a coach that got the most out of him and not one that he "lilkes" so much.  He'd also find a GM who assembled a TEAM on both sides of the ball that deserved to be called World Champions.  Instead he's on the Chargers, where "it is what it is" is not just AJ Smith's prevailing excuse and mantra.  I found these numbers on the Bolts' official message board.  It is a list of quartberbacks who have the ball down 1 score or less in the 4th quarter over the last 2 years.  They are listed by points per drive. 

David Garrard 17 drives. 10 scores (59%) 62 points. 3.65 points per drive. 5 wins 2 losses
Eli Manning 29 drives 16 scores (55%) 100 points 3.45 points per drive 7 wins 7 losses.
Jason Campbell 9-15 (60%) 3.07 pts per drive. 3-4 record.
Matt Ryan 12-23 (52%) 2.78 pts per drive 9-5 record.
Tom Brady 11-21 (52%) 2.71 pts per drive 5-4 record.
Drew Brees 12-27 (44%) 2.59 pts per drive 9-6 record.
Matthew Stafford 11-24 (46%) 2.50 pts per drive 5-4 record.
Aaron Rodgers 6-14 (43%) 2.43 pts per drive 2-5 record.
Josh Freeman 10-24 (42%) 2.42 pts per drive 7-6 record.
Michael Vick 6-15 (40%) 2.33 pts per drive 4-5 record.
John Skelton 9-19 (47%) 2.26 pts per drive 7-1 record.
Matt Schaub 10-27 (37%) 2.19 pts per drive 3-9 record.
Ryan Fitzpatrick 14-34 (41%) 2.15 pts per drive 3-12 record.
Tim Tebow 12-27 (44%) 2.11 pts per drive 7-4 record.
Jay Cutler 6-17 (35%) 2.0 pts per drive 5-2 record.
Matt Hasselbeck 4-12 (33%) 2.0 pts per drive 3-2 record.
Alex Smith 6-18 (33%) 1.95 pts per drive 5-4 record.
Peyton Manning 5-14 (36%) 1.93 pts per drive 2-4 record.
Rex Grossman 10-26 (38%) 1.88 pts per drive 3-9 record.
Mark Sanchez 14-39 (36%) 1.77 pts per drive 9-7 record.
Tony Romo 14-38 (37%) 1.74 pts per drive 4-9 record.
Joe Flacco 8-24 (33%) 1.67 pts per drive 7-5 record.
Kevin Kolb 5-19 (26%) 1.58 pts per drive 2-7 record.
Brett Favre 5-15 (33%) 1.47 pts per drive 2-5 record.
Andy Dalton 9-27 (33%) 1.44 pts per drive 4-5 record.
Cam Newton 3-16 (19%) 1.44 pts per drive 1-6 record.
Matt Moore 4-14 (29%) 1.43 pts per drive 2-5 record.
Colt Mccoy 5-19 26% 1.42 pts per drive 3-6 record.
Ben Roethlisberger 8-23 (35%) 1.39 pts per drive 4-4 record.
Chad Henne 6-20 (30%) 1.30 pts per drive 1-7 record.
Philip Rivers 5-28 (18%) 1.21 pts per drive 2-11 record.
Matt Cassel 5-20 (25%) 1.15 pts per drive 4-6 record.
Donovan McNabb 8-30 (27%) 1.0 pts per drive 2-11 record.
Carson Palmer 5-25 (20%) 1.0 pts per drive 2-12 record.
Kyle Orton 5-23 (22%) 1.0 pts per drive 1-9 record.
Tarvaris Jackson 2-14 (14%) 1.0 pts per drive 0-6 record.
Blaine Gabbert 3-14 (21%) .93 pts per drive 0-6 record.
Jake Delhomme 3-17 (18%) .71 pts per drive 2-4 record.
Sam Bradford 3-19 (16%) .68 pts per drive 1-7 record

Again, "it is what it is."  I love Rivers, this season notwithstanding.  But he's definitely played a lot better when the stakes are lower.  He's 3-4 in the playoffs with 8 TDs and 9 INTs, with at least one interception in every postseason game he's played in.  He has thrown 0 TD passes in 3 of his 7 career playoff games and has been over 300 yards passing just once in 7 career playoff games.  His career playoff QB rating is 81.6.

Here are his passing stats in his career in the playoffs:

2006 vs. New England - Loss 24-21
14-32, 230 yards. 0 TD, 1 INT. 55.5 QB rating.

2007 vs. Tennessee - Win 17-6
19-30, 292 yards. 1 TD, 1 INT. 92.6 QB rating.

2007 vs. Indy - Win 28-24
14-19, 264 yards. 3 TD, 1 INT. 133.2 rating

2007 vs. New England - Loss 21-12
19-37, 211 yards. 0 TD, 2 INT. 46.1 QB rating.

2008 vs. Indy - Win 23-17
20-36, 217 yards. 0 TD, 1 INT. 61.9 QB rating.

2008 vs. Pittsburgh - Loss 35-24
21-35, 308 yards. 3 TD, 1 INT. 105.4 QB rating.

2009 vs. NY Jets - Loss 17-14
27-40, 298 yards. 1 TD, 2 INT. 76.9 QB rating.

Obviously, the rest of the team has done plenty to impact those numbers.  But they are striking.  The last game of any real significance in which Rivers led the Chargers from behind was the 2009 game against the Giants.  Obviously, that's where the photos I used for this week's post come from.  The Bolts are 2-0 against the Giants under Eli Manning at least.  But even that comeback win in Jersey (which apparently had AJ Smith gloating at the time) just serves as yet another reminder of everything this team HASN'T done.  They took the momentum of that win to go undefeated the rest of that season and fall on their faces once again in January.  The past two seasons they haven't been able to even make the playoffs in order to fuck up in them.  In fact, what the Giants have done during their last two Super Bowl seasons is exactly what the Chargers have tried to do in their last two campaigns.  They put themselves in a situation where they have to win every game.  The difference is the Bolts always lose the one game that would make their playoff chances not seem so ludicrous.  That's the game that really matters and those are the types of games the Giants have won in December, January and beyond.  Is it all due to quarterback play?  Absolutely not.  I think the biggest difference between the Chargers and any of the teams that have either won the Super Bowl or come close is that they were tough and resilient.  They may not have all been tough in the physical sense, but they sure as hell were tough mentally.  The Giants can have Tynes miss a field goal in Green Bay in 2007 that would have sent them to the Super Bowl and still get him another chance because they don't completely fall apart like the Chargers do.  Again, that's what makes the lack of accountability so agonizing.  AJ can continue to act like he's got a better track record as of late since Deano doesn't hold anyone accountable.
Clary, Kaeding, Norv, let's get all the chokers and losers under contract but the people we have that anyone might actually be willing to pay for...let's let them walk.  Vincent Jackson is good enough that a real coach that can get him to toe the line and play to his strengths will get him to reach his potential. But if we pay him to stay, he'll underachieve.  I think I need to start ignoring the exploits of all the former Chargers and focus on what happens to the guys who actually stay.  Nothing, I know.  That says everything about the people who running shit in San Diego.  I enjoyed this video a little until the laughter faded and I was left remembering how pathetically stagnant it all is. 
[youtube]nlOVRb4duec[/youtube]

Rivers might want to lobby for the NFL to keep the Pro Bowl because it will be the only January football he gets to play in if this shit keeps up.  Anyway, the NFL announced that they aren't looking to move any existing teams to LA after the Bolts pledged to at least stay in San Diego for 2012.  It didn't exactly get met with unbridled enthusiasm.  Again, that's what happens when you accept mediocrity.  I should be shocked that the NFL odds for the coming year which I was e-mailed last week actually had the Chargers (16/1) right behind the Giants at 15/1.  We're the kings of the offseason.  I guess gamblers figure that some day the Bolts will get it done.  Then again, the same oddsmakers also have the Jets at 16/1 and they came even more unraveled than us.  Tomorrow's Valentine's Day, but today is the anniversary of the finest concert the Justice Is Coming House Band ever played.  You can download it if you don't already have it here. 

That's all for now.  I'm sure I'll be back in front of a keyboard real soon.  Hopefully, it won't be because of yet another asanine error the Chargers have committed. 

Until then,

RLW

PS Bobby Ross is back on the JIC collage/masthead.

When you’ve lived in New York your entire life, you get asked many times “How you got into the Chargers.”  It’s like asking people how they became a fan of a certain band or what got them hooked on a particular drug.  Using the latter analogy, I tell people that Wes Chandler was my “gateway Bolt.”  In his interview, Eric did a nice job of summing up how and why we became Charger fans.  He was responsible for distributing the original issues in 1995.  Yes, it was actually copied and sent in the mail.  Check out this blast from the past.

When you look at those old issues, it’s amazing how much piss and vinegar I’ve got.  I just wrote for hours.  Not surprisingly, I was single and had taken a hiatus from drinking at the time.  I discover in that old issue/post, the closest thing I’ve ever written to a Justice Is Coming mission statement:

ALL fans have a right to be heard--even fans who may not put ticket money in Alex Spanos' pocket, but who spend hundreds of dollars on merchandise, satellite bars and, of course, AOL.

You could also point to part of my letter to Chargers Football Weekly Editor Doug Seamans as part of reason this site still exists.

I figured that if you can't join 'em, beat 'em. Rather than to continue having my criticism fall on deaf ears, I have putting out an OnLine publication that will hopefully satisfy not only my need to read some quality writing on the Chargers, but CFW subscribers who share my concerns. It's not personal, Doug, only business.
At least Doug got in touch with me years later to tell me that everything I criticized his publication for was right.  I don’t expect to get a similar admission from Dean Spanos.  Of course, when I read myself ranting about the Bolts abandoning the run and needing a pass rush and felt like that piece wasn’t all that dated.  However, the fact that I wrote “going OnLine” and referenced my AOL bill is very 1996.

I was driving home on Tuesday when I got the news.  I firmly believe that January 3, 2012 is now the date that will live in infamy for me as a Charger fan.  It stings worse than the previous three home playoff implosions of 1/8/05, 1/14/07 and 1/17/10.  Part of growing up and becoming an adult is finding out that the owners of your favorite team actually care far more than you do about the outcome of a given game or season.  You can treat your fanaticism as a hobby because it’s their livelihood.  But with the Chargers, you actually care more about winning than Dean Spanos does.  The players and coaches might desire to one day win a championship, but in our case I don’t think they have an idea how that’s done.  I found out that both Norv and AJ were sticking around

Adam Schein, who hosts the “Blitz” show on Sirius with Rich Gannon.  Schein, who also works for SNY (Mets Channel) here in NY filmed this bit for FOX:

His schtick can get a little stale, but I can’t disagree with anything he said.  He said the same thing on Tuesday, while Rich Gannon defended what will forever go down in Charger history as “The Indecision.”  I turned my dial to hear Chris “Mad Dog” Russo, who also gets real old real quick, with similar criticism as my own.  Don Banks, Jay Paris and Jim Trotter were also right on the money.  Nick Canepa no longer has any credibility with me after his column endorsing Spanos.  I sent him a message on Twitter that my disappointment was probably what the fellow patients felt when they saw McMurtry with that lobotomy scar in Cuckoo's Nest. 

As for me, I would assume I'm part of the 99% that NBC San Diego was referring to in this video.

Originally Posted by Tony55

I think Turner is like the Cubs, in that his teams play very well when the pressure is off.

With how things look now - Turner may be the HC here until his life ends. He could live to be 100.

Let's start sending him gift cards for cheeseburgers.

I love that Jammer said on 1090 he sees safety as inevitable but of course Norv in his infinite genius does not.

Weddles agent David Canter also ripped Norv on Twitter.

Jay Paris said it best, when your best is needed, this team comes up short constantly under Norval.

The brand is stained. Hamilton rumor, just that. 56 of 58, Norv and AJ.

Justin Halperin, whose "Shit My Dad Says" site went on to become a TV show, is also a Charger fan.  I Tweeted him my belief that Dean Spanos' biggest sin is making me think that beating Oakland and keeping them out of the playoffs is a bad thing.  He must have liked it, since he made it one of his "favorites."  Here are some of his past musings:

Clearly the Chargers are going as a giant pile of shit for Halloween.

Being a chargers fan is like being in a bad relationship that you stay in because you keep thinking they'll change.

Brutal Chargers loss. We made the Jets offense look good. That's a tall order.

"Los Angeles is like San Diego's older, uglier sister that has herpes

It's as if they cancelled my Sundays.

I think it's going to take a molestation scandal to get Norv Turner fired.

These are all things many of us have said independently, but we don't get rich off our wit.  When Eric was on the radio, it occured to me that he's actually famous and is a Charger fan while I am famous for being a Charger fan.  He also sent me the link to Rivers' "miked up" clips from Sunday.  The best lines were "Will you get out of here, Tolbert?" and "Get set, Jeremy!"  It's bittersweet to see Rivers telling the D he talks all day and insulting the blitz when you think about his play for much of the season.  Even HACKsaw Hamilton was dead on with this column. 

You know who doesn't say "get out of here Tolbert?" Norv on the 10-yard line.  No wonder Tolbert claimed to be so happy that Turner got a free pass.   I also saw Acee in his "Male Sack" say Mathews needs to grow up. I am assuming the injuries and fumbles are more due to immaturity/lack of focus than anything.  Th guy lived in a car idolizing LT and that apparently goes for character in AJs book.

Unfortunately, Philip Rivers compounded his horrid play for much of the season with his unwavering support of Norv.  Students and employees love the teachers and supervisors they are most comfortable with.  This doesn't mean that these are the people that push them to achieve the best results.  I am not on the team, so is it presumptous to suggest that I know what effect Norv has on the players?  I think the results speak for themselves.  This quote from Rivers is identical to what he said at the end of last season:

"When you force yourself to go on a big run at the end, you tend to run out of gas," Rivers said. "You don't have any margin for error to deal with a game like Detroit. Elite teams do that, because they have room to absorb a bad game. We didn't do ourselves any favors in that regard."

When scientists are looking to prove or disprove the relationship between two things, they identify the constant.  Norv is the constant.  They've removed two defensive coordinators and one special teams coach.  AJ is blamed, by Norv of all people, for lack of depth but recieves no consequences for his mistakes.  Dean allegedly thinks Norv has erred in matters of clock management, but keeps his job.  This is the year he has to make it happen, we are supposed to believe.  I am yet to hear it out of Dean Spanos' mouth and even if I did I wouldn't believe it.

In his interview with Mike Florio of Pro Football Talk, Dean actually mentioned Marion Babrer staying in bounds as the biggest reason we missed the postseason.  He apparently was joking, but Scott Kaplan rightly mentioned the Detroit game as the biggest reason.  Talk about not taking responsibility of forcing others to. 

Even Rolling Stone knows Norv sucks.  Matt Tiabbi, hardly a football expert, wrote this week:

San Diego's Norv Turner, surely the most clueless and uninspiring figure ever to be given three head coaching jobs, a man who stands on the sidelines every Sunday wearing the hopelessly defeated expression of a husband being shown videos of his wife walking into a motel with her personal trainer.

Jenn, the lone female who chimes in here in the Halls of Justce these days, had this to say a while back:

I think a good, solid leader can take a team with mediocre talent a long way, but a bad coach can kill a team with talent.  I feel like Mike Tomlin or Rex Ryan would have gotten more out of this team.  Hell, I wouldn't mind seeing ROB Ryan in here as our head coach.  I just want a change.  The fact that coaches can walk in and take their talented teams to the playoffs their first season despite changing the offense or defense shows that we don't have to stick with Norv.  We can cut him loose and still win that following season.

Marty took this team from the bottom to the top.  He took a bunch of losers and taught them how to win.  Norv stepped in and elevated Philip's game.  Philip is so much better because of him.  Now, we need that coach that can take what the first two did and EXPAND on it.  Before we forget how to win again.  Before we forget the positive things that Marty instilled in this team.  We don't need Marty.  That didn't work.  We don't need Norv because he isn't working either.  If we ever want to be lifting that trophy, we have to make the change.

I won't be spending a dime on any anti-Norv gear, since it apparently won't do anything.  However, the Adios Norv Turner shirt looks like a winner.

After I joked to the moderator of the Chargers Message Board that the only bigger insult than getting an infraction after calling Dean Spanos stupid and spineless would be getting an offer to purchase Chargers Legacy wine.  Sure enough, I received an email informing me that it will no longer be sold after February and that I should act now.  Ironically, the "vintage" advertised is from 2008, the year of our last playoff win.  Maybe they shouldn't be so quick to sell of whatever's in that bottle.

I forget which one of the xx1090 interviews it was from, but one of the reporters pointed out that if the six-game losing streak had ended the season Norv would have been fired.  So why does it matter WHEN the losing streak occured?  the streak, King said, now we know about Norv?

As the title of this post suggests, the outrage will be replaced by acceptane on my part.  However, the anger will return once the Chargers do something else stupid.  I downloaded the last game against Oakland since it was apparently so important to Dean Spanos.  My thoughts?  Cason still sucks and I was amused that Oakland fans were cheering when he went down.  Curtis Brinkley, who looked so good in KC before Rivers fumbled the snap, should have gotten more touches this season.  He would have been especially valuable in that second Denver game where Norv had no idea Mathews was out and decided to run Tolbert into the line.  Antonio Garay, good but ot good enough.  Why was Clarence Shelmon out on the field helping tend to an injured Raider?  Marcus Gilrchrist looks even more lost than Cason.  This was all from watching only the first half.

That's all for now.  Sorry that I included so many links and quotes if you found it distracting.  This shot of Rivers' pick in Foxboro reminds me of why Vincent Jackson hasn't gotten paid like a franchise receiver yet.  I am sure another coach and GM could get him to play like a superstar, but he hasn't done it in San Diego.  Lastly, I don't really care that much about Tim Teblow winning on Sunday.  Pittsburgh was far more banged up than anyone predicted, but I'll give Denver credit for taking advantage and finding openings in the middle of the field.  I saw a post on the U-T forums (or Chargers Message Board--I can't remember which) where someone called Polamalu a choker based on the game in Denver and last year's Super Bowl.  I wish we had that kind of choker.  I think it's more likely, as has been suggested, that he was forced to play out of position due to the guys that were out of the lineup.  No, I didn't really watch the game.  However, I don't think we should have been hosting Pittsburgh.  Can you imagine our corners turned around and not looking for the ball?  I can just see Steve "I Think I Deserve To Be Paid Like A Starter" Gregory now trying to deliver a hit after a big catch was made. 

I didn't realize that Bloguin's weekly roundup page posted an excerpt of JIC:

Ross Warner at Justice Is Coming points out, rather than root for another miracle push for the postseason, like the one just a few years ago, Chargers fans should be rooting for a season of wholesale change. 

It’s no secret that the most recent playoff loss changed something in me.  Sure, I’m older and now have 2 kids.  But it was also the result of the sad knowledge that the Chargers hadn’t learned their lesson.  They weren’t going to even give themselves the chance to get to the Super Bowl.

Sounds like me.  "Ownership" and "organization" are two nouns associated with Dean Spanos but hardly words I would use to describe him.  I believe those words are called adjectives.

Talk to you soon,

RLW 

This would be similar to me coming to work, kicking a few people in the balls, vomiting on my boss’s desk, setting fire to the mailroom and sending all my clients Anthrax in the mail…and then having my company decide to retain me for “stability”.  Beyond embarrassing, I feel for you Ross…sad day for the Bolts…

This is the SADDEST day for me as a Charger fan.  I have learned that the people who actually make the decisions for the team I have followed since childhood don't give a shit about it.  Special teams is the 2010 excuse, now injuries.  Yet you don't blame the GM who left you with this lack of depth and impact players.  I am erasing the last game since I don't ever want to see it.  I listened on Sirius and saw the end on local TV.  That game appears to have saved Norv and sent a loud and clear message that mediocrity is OK.  We are the laughingstock of the NFL.  Every fan of another team is better off than us today. 

I will write about the games and maintain the site.  However, there is no hope for Justice anymore. 

We all deserve better than this.  I stand by everything I have written in the Halls of Justice since 1995.  These thoughts and feelings are my own.  I will be less angry over time, but more apathetic.  Once again, fuck you Dean Spanos.  More than Marty Schottenheimer, Nate Kaeding and Marlon McCree you have killed my boyhood dream.

RLW

PS I just checked my account on the Chargers Message Board and received this:

Dear Lucab12,

You have received an infraction at The Official San Diego Chargers Forum.

Reason: Inappropriate Language
-------

Personal attacks against members of the Chargers organization are prohibited by the forum rules.

When you can access your account again, please read those rules and follow them when posting.
-------

This infraction is worth 1 point(s) and may result in restricted access until it expires. Serious infractions will never expire.

All the best,

Official San Diego Chargers Forum

At least someone else said the same thing but used the type of language I can apparently only display here.  As if I needed any more proof that this team could not give a shit about what we think.

RLW

Honestly, I agree that AJ is just as responsible as Norv.  Shit, he is the one that hired him and is so smitten by him.  Remember how there were reports that they were "giddy" to get a coach no one else wanted.  Now Norv is throwing AJ under the bus by suggesting that we don't have enough impact players on D.  He wore his OFFENSIVE COORDINATOR Super Bowl ring from Dallas?  This is so unbelievably sad.  I don't care if Rivers likes Norv.  Yeah, I know Rivers is very much responsible for us missing the playoffs.  I was the one who said he should sit for a game, remember?  But we don't even have a strong enough leader to pull that off.  I know it's not unusual for a coach not to know if or why a player is pulled.  Norv did it with Mathews and apparently Rex Ryan didn't know why Santonio Holmes was off the field.  He benched himself against the Chargers, by the way.  It didn't matter, because we couldn't win that game or any other one that would have gotten us into the postseason.  While teams like the Jets, Bucs, Colts, Dolphins, Jags and Rams are making or contemplating making movies, we are actually entertaining the idea of standing pat yet again.  It's not even about Norv, but about this team's acceptance of mediocrity and stubborness/stupidity in trying to peddle this shit to the fans.    I, for one, won't take it.  If you thought I was pissed this year, you have no idea the shit storm that Spanos is going to see unless he grows some brains and/or balls pretty quick.  I know I am hardly alone on this.  Talk to you soon.

RLW

I know that you know my stance on remakes and reboots, FAITHFUL READER.  But I did watch The Rise Of The Planet Apes recently.  It was average and unnecessary, but it did make this creation from the 2007's "Norv Turner Photoshop Contest" on the Chargers Message Board seem oddly relevant.  More than anything, I was angry on Sunday that Dean Spanos put me in a position that I actually felt like this season needed to be sacrificed for the future of the San Diego Chargers.  As many people commented after the Sunday Night game against Baltimore, I felt as if a win against Detroit would have left me with a "now what?" feeling.

These shots were in ESPN: The Magazine recently.  They speak for themselves.  I will tape the game on Sunday and listen via Sirius as I recover from the Gov't Mule concert at my parents' house in Connecticut.  I'm not happy with any of the other AFC West teams winning the division, but that comes with being a fan.  I have a hard time seeing any of them going on a run, but it doesn't matter anyway.  I read a comment on the U-T site after Sunday's game by a fan who said he felt "fortunate" that this season ended mercilessly in Detroit.  I can certainly understand how and why someone would say that.

While I was worried leading up to the game that we could be stuck with Norv for another year, the Bolts' disastrous play ended that fear.  I guess I should be grateful as well, but I'm now more angry that Dean Spanos needs even more reminding as to why we need to move on.

Tim Sullivan's column this week points out what many have been saying for a while now.  The Chargers have neglected both lines.  Their skill players on offense don't have the space to operate as they get older and more ringless each season.  On defense, there simply aren't enough impact guys.  Yeah, that's on AJ.  Even Norv tried to hint at that, which is pretty fucked up since AJ loves Norv just as Norv loves Mike Tolbert on the 10-yard line.  That Acee story about AJ possibly taking Jon Gruden to St. Louis if he gets canned also stinks of self-preservation.  I'm not buying it.  I don't have a preference for the new coach.  Obviouisly, Gruden would restore fan confidence and sell tickets.  The same goes for Cowher or Fisher.  Maybe Fisher would have the best shot at a Lombardi since he's the only guy of that group who's never won the Super Bowl and no coach has done it yet with two teams.  The Dolphins thought Jimmy Johnson was the answer as well.   

It seemed also to be more salt in the wound that Philip Rivers got voted onto the AFC Pro Bowl squad when he singlehandedly cost us a few games this season and led us to zero fourth-quarter comebacks.  My wife kept reminding me on Sunday that the Bolts needed to get a new guy as coach, one that wasn't so milquetoast.  I mentioned to her that Rivers apparently liked playing for Norv Turner, she replied:

"he'll like winning even more."

Well put, I know.  I'll take this opportunity to wish everyone a Happy New Year and a Norv-less 2012.  I know that the next time the Chargers reach the playoffs, it will be with a leader that brings out the best in them, rather than the demons we've seen under the last 2 coaches.  Nonetheless, I am sad that the back and forth communications between myself and The Legion Of The Lightning Bolt will become less frequent now.  Then again, when there is something newsworthy to discuss I am sure we will reconvene.  This fanbase deserves a Super Bowl Championship more than any othre.  I think we are all more than a little tired of watching former Chargers hoist the Trophy.  Here's some New Year's video form the Justice Is Coming House Band as well as some Gov't Mule for you.  Feel free to flush any and all remaining Chargers "Legacy" wine down the toilet and save the "Bolt Up" slogan for another year.

JIC,

RLW

I can’t believe I’m referencing one of my least favorite Springsteen songs.  I know I swore to only talk about tomorrow’s game, but I almost threw up when I read Kevin Acee’s latest column about Dean Spanos reconsidering Norv’s fate based on what happens in Detroit.  I would never root for the Bolts to lose, but how can I feel good about them winning if it keeps Norv with us.  It’s a matter of public record that I never wanted Norv, but I also admitted that I didn’t see any way he would be fired by ownership.  But I saw a Norvless future for 2012, and it looked bright and glorious.  It’s ironic that I refer to the Spanoses as ownership since they don’t appear to take ownership of anything.  Dean saw the crowd during the win Sunday Night and thought that Norv was the reason?  Maybe they were cheering because it took until mid-December to beat a quality team and turn in a complete performance.  Did you ever think THAT was partly Norv’s doing, Deano?

I blame the Spanoses for making me feel like a win tomorrow might not be a good thing for the future.  If Denver and the Jets win and the Chargers defy our expectations and don’t pack it in, does Norv get to stay?  If so, how can that be good?  I guess if you believe that after 5 seasons he is the coach who can get this team over the hump it is.  But what evidence have you seen that he is that guy?

I know that the Spanoses only really talk to the Union-Tribune, which is why people project their rage onto Acee.  However, I believe they also use him as a back channel to leak stuff in order to gauge people’s reactions.  People won’t take this lying down and will burn their season ticket applications if they need to hear that hoarse mush-mouthed voice try to explain how another game got away next season.  That’s why I mentioned the “Fire Millen” movement.  Those guys got the Ford family to listen and they are even more clueless and stubborn then our owners.  I used to joke that if I wasn’t a Chargers fan, I would have become a Lions fan during their Danielson and Sims period.  I’d be a huge Chris Spielman fan and would still wear his jersey.  But once they got wise after their 0-16 season, they became an upcoming group that clearly was too forward-thinking for my tastes or experience.

I find the “Moving The Chains” show on Sirius to be a little hokey and self-important, but I heard Pat Kirwin make an interesting point a few days ago in reference to (who else?) Tim Teabag.  He pointed out that there is a difference between throwing 40 times a game because you want to and because you have to.  When Norv took over, he stressed that in order for this team to get to the “next level,” which after Marty Schottenheimer was out of the first round and off our own field, we needed stronger play from our quarterback.  When we were losing 6-0 at the half of the only playoff game we’ve won in the last 17 years that wasn’t against the Colts, Rivers stepped up.  Remember how Tennessee was daring us to beat them through the air?  They had a right to.  That December game in Nashville included some great throws, but it was still LT that won it.  Gates was cheap-shotted and the long ball to Jackson and Chambers led to 17 points.  But since that season, we began throwing more and more.  But people forget that “Air Coryell” played off of the running and pass catching of Muncie and Brooks.  Dan Fouts could throw exclusively at times, but I don’t know that Rivers can.  In 2009, we tried to establish a running game all year.  The 4^th quarter of the Dallas game was the closest we got.  Of course, that was running with the lead in order to salt away a win.  As has been pointed out, the Bolts solution when they are down is to get away from the run.

I know there were some, Kevin Acee among them, who felt that we should have thrown more in our last playoff game.  There is something to be said for knowing your strengths and not trying to be something that you’re not.  However, I think that the idea of using a rested (for the first playoff since his MVP year) LT was sound.  But the execution was not.  He couldn’t hit the corner and/or the holes weren’t there.  LT and AJ have difference opinions on that.  But I believe that we need to be patient with the run.  However, that doesn’t mean running Mathews up the gut and Tolbert east and west when their strengths are to do exactly the opposite.  Detroit has a strong front 7, but to allow them to pin their ears back and come after Rivers constantly is foolish.  I point this out because I sadly don’t think that it’s beyond Norv to do this.  Cris Collinsworth was exalting Turner’s playcalling (not motivating skills, ability to limit his players’ mistakes or in-game adjustments, mind you) for having McMichael chip at the line on Sunday Night.  What a brilliant stroke to create a favorable matchup, Collinsworth said.  Apparently, Norv just shrugged it off and said we do that all the time.  So we were just lucky, I guess.

This team needs to attack the Lions.  That doesn’t mean they have to throw all the time.  They can be aggressive simply by keeping the defense on their heels a little bit.  Yes, I have watched virtually every single snap of Charger football since I was old enough to sneak into bars to watch them via satellite in 1992.  But if I know what play is coming, wouldn’t it make sense that the opposition does too?  Mathews needs space, whether it’s on the edge on a run or on a screen.  Of course, he needs to hold onto the ball too.  Tolbert, when he’s not putting the ball on the ground as he did in Foxboro, can be effective as a counter/health preserver to Mathews.  But when it was Tolbert and then Mathews, it clearly wasn’t benefitting us overall.  How will these guys hold up tomorrow? I have no fucking idea.

As for the defense, it’s a similar mystery.  Joe Flacco, with his gay porn star moustache, seemed to just wait for our guys to sack him.  Weddle, the only guy who could really claim a Pro Bowl season (doesn’t mean we didn’t overpay a bit), saved a touchdown by streaking across the field.  Jammer looks more and more exposed each week and Cason is still a liability.  So how will these guys stop Johnson, Burleson, Pettigrew and Scheffler?  I don’t know, but I still remember Scheffler dancing around when Denver beat us on Monday Night Football and dropped us to 2-3.  It was great that Liuget got his first sack, but it’s sad when the Bolts’ official site releases an article that we are “happy” with him.  It’s sort of like Kevin Acee saying to Mike Florio that Dean Spanos sees this as the “golden age” of Charger football because he remembers the 1997-2003 period.  Any wonder that the other teams who have won as many if not more than the Chargers since 2004 all have Lombardi Trophies?

Greg Manusky has been suspect ever since he let New England waltz down the field at the end of the half in September.  Detroit doesn’t have much of a running game, but they do use a lot of quick slants instead.  I saw in the U-T that the defense has used “Lurch” to prepare for Johnson.  If Steve Gregory starts getting toasted, I guess we can wheel that thing out on the field.  I also see that nfl.com has picked up on Acee’s pandering and restated that Norv can live another season with a win.  “Great News For Norv,” Bleacher Report states.  Yeah, but shitty news for us.  Anyway, I am a little worried about Nick Novak holding up with a pressure kick if it’s close.  He did pull a Kris Brown and hit the post on Sunday.  Normally, I would say it doesn’t matter until January.  However, this could very well be this team’s January if things don't shake out.

Merry Christmas, by the way.  The pic at the top of the page is of course from Kentucky Fried Movie.  But the line that is echoing through my head right now comes from The Shining.  Shelly Duvall asking Jack if she can take a few minutes to think things over reminds me of Dean Spanos right now. 

"You've had your whole fucking life to think things over. What good's a few minutes more going to do you now?"

More wins, less Norv.

RLW