The San Deigo Chargers did not hesitate to start the Free Agency period off. Cornerback Antonio Cromartie has been traded to the New York Jets for a 2011 3rd round pick, which can upgrade to a 2nd round pick depending on Cromartie's performance.

The Jets released CB Lito Sheppard early Thursday morning, which made obvious their intention to upgrade at the position. Cromartie is going to see a lot of action on the weakside, seeing as Darrelle Revis is thrown at less than any CB in the NFL.

The Jets secondary was picked apart by Peyton Manning in the AFC Championship Game. Revis held Reggie Wayne in check, but Austin Collie and Pierre Garcon each had over 100 receiving yards.

The Chargers have Quentin Jammer and Antoine Cason as their starting corners, and would have been overpaying Cromartie to stick around as the nickelback. Don't be surprised to see the Chargers pursue a veteran corner in free agency, as they are only a couple pieces away from making a Super Bowl run.

Cromartie has 15 picks through his first four seasons. He is most remembered for intercepting 10 passes in 2007.

It might be a long off-season for the San Diego Chargers as they just might have to replace two players in their backfield.

It has been reported that Chargers running back Darren Sproles will be shown the door as the team will not retain him on a one-year contract.  He would be due to be paid $7.3 million as a restricted free agent. That is more then twice the amount of the money he made last year after being tagged as the team's franchise player. 

Since the Chargers only see Sproles as a kick returner and a backup running back, signing him to a long-term deal for that amount of money just does fit into their plans. There is certainly going to be at least one team out there interested in him being more of a focal point for their offense, so expect Sproles to test the waters in the open market on March 5^th when free agency officially opens.

This news probably does not sit well with LaDainian Tomlinson or Brian Westbrook either.  Both players are now only considered to be third-down backs and may not drive as much interest as Sproles would at this point in their careers because of his younger age and prevailing skills.

Sproles' agent and the Chargers will certainly talk at the combine. However, they will not offer a him a deal, and that would mean that Sproles would be a free agent.

San Diego Chargers star receiver Vincent Jackson pleaded guilty to a January 2009 DUI charge and received a four-day jail sentence and five years probation on Monday.

This is Jackson’s second DUI arrest and conviction, as he pleaded guilty to a DUI in 2006 and was put on probation for that offense.

The Pro-Bowl receiver must also pay a $2,408 fine and attend a Mothers Against Drunk Driving Class. According to reports, Jackson was given the standard sentence for someone with a previous DUI conviction.

Jackson will likely be at the mercy of the NFL's personal conduct policy due to the guilty plea, and faces the possibility of at least a one-game suspension next season.

Jackson was arrested earlier this year as well, just hours before the playoff game against the New York Jets. He was handcuffed, had his car impounded and was cited for driving with a suspended license and expired tags. Jackson is due back in court next month on these charges.

Unless the NFL and the players can agree on a new contract before March 5, Jackson will likely be a restricted free agent this off-season. If an agreement is reached prior to the deadline, then Jackson would be an unrestricted free agent.

Jackson’s best season in the NFL was in 2009 when he had 68 catches for 1,167 yards and nine touchdowns.

 

The San Diego Chargers have released running back LaDainian Tomlinson on Monday after nine years with the team.

Tomlinson, 30, has had declining numbers the past couple of seasons and for the last month has been anticipating his release from the team.

Tomlinson rushed for 12,490 yards, had 138 rushing touchdowns and 15 receiving touchdowns with the Chargers.

A first-round pick and the 5^th player taken overall in the 2001 NFL draft, Tomlinson rushed for only 730 yards in 14 games last season and had a 3.3-yard rushing average. During the Chargers playoff loss to the New York Jets, he struggled on first down.

The Chargers restructured Tomlinson's contract last off-season in order to give him one more shot to restart his career and demonstrate that he was still one of the leagues top running backs. He was scheduled to receive a $2 million bonus this March and a $3 million base salary under the restructured contract.

Now at 30 years old, Tomlinson will have to find a new team to get his career back on track.

Regardless of the current situation, Tomlinson’s years with the Chargers were some of the best in team history. Even as a rookie in 2001, he established himself right out of the gate when he rushed for 1,236 yards and scored 10 touchdowns. His ability to make big plays and score touchdowns was a big factor in turning quarterbacks Drew Brees and Philip Rivers into Pro Bowl players and superstars.

"This is a part of the business that I hate, and it's particularly hard when you're dealing with someone I consider a friend," team president Dean Spanos said. "Change involving great players is never easy. I respect LT as much or more than any player I've ever known. And no one appreciates his contributions to this organization more than I do. That is why this is such a difficult announcement for me to make."

LaDainian Tomlinson, better known simply as “LT,” is running his way into free agency after nine years as a San Diego Charger.  The 5’10”, 221 pound running back, who came out of TCU, has apparently had his final disagreement with the Chargers’ front office, and is looking for a new home and a new start.  This, just two full seasons removed from 2007 when LT captured NFL titles in rushing yards (1474) and rushing touchdowns (15).

 Time to get those divisional picks in....

 Ususally, the higher seeds have the advantage, they have home field and are coming off a bye week in the first round.  Somehow, I have started believing in the Cowboys, they seem to be heating up at the right time, and with their defense and the way the Vikings are struggling, I will take them as the only road team.

The Saints also struggled, losing even to Tampa Bay late in the season, but the Arizona Defense was missing in action on Sunday, and now they have to go to New Orleans.  In the AFC, I would love to see the Colts lose, I just do not think that Baltimore is the team to do it.  And San Diego might be the hottest team in the NFL right now, with a nod to Dallas.

So I will take three home teams, Saints, Colts, and Chargers, and the Cowboys on the road.  If you missed the first week, still leave your picks here and see how you do this week.  The records from the wildcard....

MCHomer    (1-3) - Bengals Ravens Eagles Packers

Flash Greyhound (2-2) - Bengals Ravens Cowgirls Packers

RandolphC (4-0) - Cardinals Jets Ravens Cowboys

Benn Hodapp (0-4) - Packers, Eagles, Patriots, Bengals

Nolan Thomas (0-4) - Bengals, Eagles, Patriots, Packers

Kerri Senno (2-2) - Jets, Eagles, Pats, Cards

Yours Truly (2-2) - Bengals, Cowboys, Packers, Ravens

 All I want for Christmas is a Reggie Wayne touchdown and I think Peyton Manning will be my Santa Claus and deliver that gift tonight on Thursday Night football. I’m not saying he’s just going to get one maybe even two only time shall tell, ok enough sucking up to Reggie he’s just a great receiver and deserves some spotlight for all the right reasons. He’s no show boat just a workman that performs when you need him the most and wow can he make some plays(http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7dwsA7nhYpU).

Jacksonville is at home and did play them tough on the road earlier in the first game of season in a hard fought 12-14 game at Indy. This one might start out close but Indianapolis will do what they always do pull away in the second half. The Jaguars best weapon in Maurice Jones-Drew will have a harder than expected time against this improving run stopping defense. The Jaguars also are last in the league in sacks which means no pressure on the leagues best passing attack of this decade not going to pretty is my guess.

Now about this pursuit for perfection? I can’t see the colts loosing to anyone on their schedule not to the Jags tonight or, the Jets, or the Bills, so perfection it is. The funny thing is “So What” the Playoffs are a whole other monster where all this success in regular season is an even bigger failure in the post season. All the Glory of this perfect season will start to tumbling down when they realize they are in a 0-0 battle ground The Playoffs. Now in this battleground nothing of what you did before matters and all that remains is that you got in. Where ever team wants the ultimate prize and I would argue some more that the colts who have been there before.

 I sure do hope they go undefeated because all this success of the regular season will hurt even more with the downfalls of the post season. I can already see there fate as they come out of the bye week for them, they will look up too see the same old fear the Super Chargers.   Who by this time will have been putting together a win streak of there own 1-0 in the playoffs and will give them a good exit out of the playoffs.  Now I am not just saying this for no reason, I mean we will all be a there to watch the Philip Rivers show.  

 Christmas came a bit early this year.

Somehow, the planets aligned and suddenly all of my Christmas events came together on one day.  It ended up that the day was Sunday.  And that meant there would be no football. 

As a musician, it was a great day.  At 12:00, I was scheduled to sing a solo at church.  At 3, I had a Christmas Party for my students.  And at 6, I was back at church for a Christmas concert.  But as a football fan, it meant that I was going to miss most of the action. 

My first glimpse was driving to the party.  It was about 1:30 and I caught the Bengals game against the Vikings on the radio.  Brett Favre and the Vikings were taking care of the Bengals.  I immediately knew I picked that one wrong, but soon I forgot about it and got to the party.  It was at a local restaurant, and I could see there was a football game on in the bar, but there was no chance at getting over to it. 

By 6, I was at a warm-up for the concert.  Some people were talking about how the Colts and the Saints remained undefeated, although later I found out the Saints did not cover.    Later I saw a young man at the concert in a Chargers jacket and jersey.  The Chargers have won an NFL record 16 games in a row in December.  They were underdogs against the Cowboys who never win in December.  It was easy money.  Unfortunately, somehow I took the boys. 

After a day of missing football, I got home in time to catch the end of the Eagles beating the Giants.  I knew I had three losses in the Saints, Bengals, and Cowboys, but expected the day to be a complete disaster.  It turned out I went 11-3 for the day.  Maybe it will be a Merry Christmas after all.

It’s hard not feel a bit of compassion for the city of Cleveland and its sports fans. They are haunted by the prospect of LeBron James’ imminent departure to the Knicks, they had to watch their two former pitching aces (Cliff Lee and C.C. Sabathia) lead other teams to the World Series and the Browns…..we’ll they seem to be setting a new bar in terms of futility for an NFL franchise.

The cruel irony is that the sports teams of Cleveland have been successful at times but the good times have been fleeting and inevitably followed by greater disappointments. Careers have been made dashing the hopes and dreams of Cleveland sports fans. The images of Michael Jordan making “the shot” during the 1989 playoffs or John Elway leading “the drive” during the AFC championship game are just a few that come to mind. And more recently you had the Browns’ surprise 2007 season where they posted a very respectable 10-6 record and it looked like the franchise had finally turned the corner. They followed that up with a miserable 2008, Romeo Crennel was fired, Eric Mangini was brought on and things keep looking worse and worse. Right now they are looking at the very real possibility of a 1-win season, lifelong fans are organizing protests and the owner recently had to make a public apology for putting such a lousy product on the field. What I’m getting at is this – if anyone deserves a bone it’s those poor bastards in the dog pound. That’s why it pains me to say that the surging 8-3 Chargers are coming into town on Sunday to deliver a beatdown.

          I hate to take any opponent lightly, the NFL is a tough league and every game is a challenge. However this one should be a walk in the park for the Bolts. The Chargers offense is rolling after a shaky start to the season. I watched last week when they put 43 on the Chiefs. Prior to that game they scored 30 plus on both the Broncos and Eagles. LaDanian Tomlinson looks poised to break Jim Brown’s rushing record in the former’s home stadium. He needs a mere 56 yards to reach that milestone. Given the fact that LT has a grudge against Brown over those Adrian Peterson comments before the season, I’d say that record is going down on Sunday.  Furthermore, the Chargers defense is playing with aggression and Defensive coordinator Ron Rivera has been designing some great blitz packages. Brady Quinn is not going to have much time to throw the ball and even if he does get many passes off, there’s no way the Cleveland receivers are going to match up against the Chargers secondary. The only real hope that Cleveland has is on special teams. Josh Cribbs is a fantastic kick returner and the Chargers’ special teams play has been suspect at times this season. However it’s pretty unrealistic to think that kick returns alone can win football games. I think this game is going to get ugly early. The Chargers have yet to lose in December under Norv Turner and I don’t see that streak ending anytime soon.

Wait, I know this sounds familiar. This is the one where two teams are battling for a division title right? One of them gets off to a fast start, their players start to get cocky, their fans get mouthy and everyone on TV picks them as the feel-good story of the year and the sleeper favorite to win the Super Bowl. Then everything falls apart and the season ends with disastrous losses and they miss the playoffs. Conversely, the other team sputters out of the gate, they drop some games early and it looks like the season is lost. Then the coaches make some adjustments, they win a few games, the players get confidence and they go on a late season run and enter the playoffs playing their best football. Sound familiar? Welcome to the AFC West Part 3. For the third year in a row the Broncos are on the precipice of a late-season collapse whereas the Chargers seem to be rebounding after another disappointing start. The only change in the script for this sequel seems to be that the collapse came earlier than expected this year.

On Sunday the Chargers go into Denver riding a 4-game win streak whereas the Broncos are in the midst of a 3-game slide. The argument can be made that this is one of the most important matchups of the weekend because it will basically decide who wins the division. If the Bolts win, they will have sole possession of first place in the AFC West with Kansas City and Cleveland as their next two opponents. That means that they could very easily be sitting at 9-3 going into December. As an interesting little side note – Norv Turner’s record with the Chargers is 9-0 for the month of December over the last 2 years. If Denver loses that means they will have dropped 4 in a row after a 6-0 start. Now 6-4 is not a bad record and a lot of teams out there would be happy to be at that point after 10 weeks of football (Oakland, St. Louis, etc….) The problem is that if they lose on Sunday the media will start to pile on them even more, they will be labeled as chokers and they’ll hear incessantly about past collapses. Plus they will still have to face the Giants, Eagles and Colts before the season ends.

So getting back to this Sunday’s game, how will this one play out? I think the most important factor will be the status of Kyle Orton’s ankle. If he’s able to play, I give Denver a shot. Despite their recent losses, they are still a good team, they will be at home and they already beat the Chargers once this year. However if Orton can’t play and Chris Simms gets the start, it’s going to get ugly. Another interesting side note – Simms’ passer rating in the Redskins loss was a 7.5. That’s not a typo by the way – that is a single digit passer rating. That is like a Rex Grossman number. Add to that the fact that the Chargers’ pass rush has come alive in recent weeks….well my spleen hurts just thinking about that. But what about Denver’s impressive defense that stifled the Chargers in their earlier meeting? I’ll acknowledge that they outplayed the Chargers when they met in October. They pressured Philip Rivers into bad throws and kept LT and Sproles in check. However a team that limited opponents to a total of 43 points in the first 5 weeks has now given up 30, 28 and 27 points in their last three games. When the season started, nobody knew what to expect of Mike Nolan’s defense and they caught a lot of teams off guard with their blitzes and packages. After 9 weeks of football, everyone has studied the tapes, pinpointed weaknesses and found ways to exploit them.

There’s still a lot of football to be played this season and nothing is a given in the NFL. Even if the Chargers win on Sunday they still have some hurdles to face before the season ends. But movies tend to follow formulas and I think we all know how this one will end.

The San Diego Chargers have long been viewed as big fish in a small pond. Beating up on the Raiders and Chiefs assure them of four wins a season. If they split with the Broncos they are already heading toward a playoff spot. Of course, once they make it and meet up with the likes of the Steelers, Colts, or Patriots things don’t go as easily as they do when the Chargers are feasting on the AFC West.

But, something is different this season. At least that appears to be the case following the past two weeks. The Chargers may have derailed the reeling playoff hopes of the Giants and sent the Eagles into a two game tailspin.  Hell, if the Chargers were in the NFC East they would be tied with the Cowboys looking down upon the Giants and the Eagles. Since Dallas is as Eastern as Oklahoma City is Northwestern in the NBA perhaps the Chargers should petition to be moved to the division that houses the Giants, Eagles and geographically challenged Cowboys.

For awhile it looked like the Chargers may be struggling just to tread water in their own division before ripping off a four game win streak that included the two NFC East opponents. Yes they did drop one to the Steelers and lost game one to the Broncos, but their wins over the NFC East were not flukes. They squeaked by the Giants, but topped the Eagles by 10 points. That includes having to buckle down once the Eagles scored 14 in the third quarter. The Bolts held the Eagles scoreless from there on in and managed to walk away with the win on a day when Donovan McNabb had 450 yards passing.

A balanced attack is serving the offense well as they spread the ball around both in the air and on the ground. Rivers threw for 251 yards that also resulted in two touchdowns. That type of economy is called ball control when you win games. Using 205 passing yards to produce 3 TDs against the Giants is even more economical. Limiting Eli Manning, the guy who snubbed the franchise by stating if drafted he won’t play, to 251 yards was both good defense and pay back for someone who opted for greener pastures; even if those pastures are composed of artificial turf.

While it can be argued that coach Norv Turner’s familiarity with the Giants and the Eagles could have been an advantage it must be noted that when he shared the same division with both teams it was rarely in his favor. In the weeks to come Norv will get to reacquaint himself with two teams he has even closer relations to, the Cowboys and the Redskins. A sweep of the NFC East table could send the Chargers into the post season looking like something they haven’t resembled in quite some time; a team to be contended with in the playoffs. If they still come up short to the likes of the Colts maybe they should consider a move to the NFC East.
 

 Commentary on the Chargers' 31-23 victory over the Eagles

 After narrowly escaping the Meadowlands with a win last week, the Chargers returned home to face the streaky Philadelphia Eagles. Like last week, the difference in the game seemed to be converting on scoring opportunities in the red zone. The Chargers were able to score 4 touchdowns from inside the 20, while the Eagles had to settle for field goals on 3 different occasions in the red zone. 

Donovan McNabb had a great day today, completing 35 of 55 passes for 450 yards and two touchdowns, but could not put his team in the endzone when it mattered most. Jason Avant also had a career day with 8 receptions for 156 yards. Although the Eagles got within one score of tying the game in the 4th quarter, the numbers on the scoreboard indicate a fight that was more equally matched than it was. 

The Chargers looked good on offense today, but it was the running game that proved to be the driving force behind their touchdown drives. Ladainian Tomlinson had his best game of the year, leading the Chargers with 96 yards and 2 touchdowns on 24 carries. There were instances in today's game that reminded me of LT at his prime: breaking tackles, making sharp lateral cuts and scoring touchdowns. This type of effort from the running game will be crucial down the stretch in December when the weather makes a turn for the worse.

This win for the Chargers was also huge because it gave them a share of first place in the AFC West with the Denver Broncos, who lost 27-17 to the Washington Redskins. Denver and San Diego will face off next week for the outright lead of the division.  

My prediction: Chargers 34, Denver 28

Go Bolts! 

 Commentary on the Chargers' 21-20 defeat of the New York Giants

by Jon R. Forrest

 When Eli Manning refused to play for the San Diego Chargers when they selected him during the 2004 NFL Draft all respect for him was lost by diehard Bolts fans such as myself. Today, however, much of the contempt that was directed toward Manning was overshadowed by the play of Phillip Rivers as the Chargers ventured into the Meadowlands and narrowly escaped with a come-from-behind 21-20 victory over the Giants. Sweet redemption.

The back-and-forth battle between Phillip and Eli was initiated when Rivers threw a 10 yard touchdown pass to Vincent Jackson in the back of the endzone on the first play of the second quarter.  Due to the tough defensive line of the Giants, the Chargers were forced to throw the ball early and often in order to establish any type of offensive drive. 

Manning answered the call of Rivers, however, when he lead the Giants down the field on a drive that consumed nearly 11 minutes (the longest drive timewise since  Phil Simms was at the helm as quarterback in the early 90s) and 80 yards. The drive was capped by a 6 yard pass to Steve Smith, who currently leads the NFC in receiving. The Giants got some tough running from Brandon Jacobs along the way, as he repeatedly drug piles of Charger defenders to tack on a few extra yards after initial contact. 

After being even at the half, neither team could really get anything going until Rivers struck again with a 2 yard touchdown to Kris Wilson. When the Charger defense held the Giants to a field goal on their next drive, it looked like San Diego had the momentum in their favor. Although Rivers had less yards than Manning at the beginning of the fourth quarter, it appeared that he had the edge because he had lead his team to 2 touchdown scores while the Giants had to settle for a field goal. The momentum would shift to the home team, however, when the Chargers could not escape their own goal line and punted to Dominic Hixon, who returned the ball all the way to the San Diego 39 yard line.

Eli Manning has a knack for taking advantage of other teams' mistakes, which he proved when he put the Giants ahead with an 8 yard touchdown pass to Kevin Boss with 9 minutes left in the fourth quarter. The drive only took 6 plays, but more importantly took the wind out of San Diego's sails temporarily as time winded down.

On the next drive, Rivers was intercepted by Terrell Thomas, who took the ball all the way to the San Diego 4 yard line with 3:14 remaining in the game. Already up 17-14, the Giants looked to have the game well under control until a holding penalty brought them from the 1 to just outside of the 10 yard line. This penalty proved to be costly as the Charger defense stiffened up and forced Lawrence Tynes to kick a field goal with 2:07 left, putting the Giants up 20-14 and leaving the door open for Phillip Rivers and company to make a comeback.

The Giants defense, who had improved dramatically from the last 3 weeks, chose a wrong time to fold. Rivers picked them apart and lead the Chargers 80 yards down the field with precise passes and brilliant playcalling from upstairs. With 21 seconds remaining in the game, Rivers hit Vincent Jackson on a corner route for the game-winning touchdown for his second score of the game and an emphatic response to all of the dramatic Manning vs. Rivers undertones that were swirling around this game all week. 

Although the Chargers had more turnovers in this game, the main reason that they prevailed today was the fact that they capitalized on the rare opportunities that were given to them. When it came down to the wire, San Diego scored touchdowns and New York settled for field goals. Eli Manning may already have a Super Bowl under his belt, but that is in the past. Today Phillip Rivers proved to be more of a winner and showed Charger fans why we should have chose him in the first place. Well played, Phillip. Well played.

“Soft and Disgraceful” were the choice words used by General Manager A.J. Smith to describe the Chargers’ play through the first four games of the 2009 season.

And after giving up a whopping 497 yards of offense to the Pittsburgh Steelers last week, I’d say his assessment is fairly accurate. Although the Pittsburgh game didn’t turn out to be a complete and total humiliation on national TV, it was still pretty lopsided.

The Chargers came back to make it interesting near the end, but I figure most viewers had turned the game off by that point and the image of Rashard Mendenhall running wild was cemented in most minds. Slow starts are nothing new to the Chargers, I pretty much figured they would be 2-2 going into the bye week.

The victories against Oakland and Miami were a given, the loss to Baltimore was close and most people assumed the Steelers would win. The things I didn’t count on were the injuries to Jamal Williams and Nick Hardwick, the virtual disappearance of Shawne Merriman, Antonio Cromartie and Chris Chambers and the fact that the Broncos are 4-0 right now.

So is it time to panic yet? Was A.J. Smith justified in calling out his team? Can the Chargers come back and win the division? I would say no, of course and most definitely to those three questions.

First of all, we are only a quarter through the season and a lot of football is left to be played. The Chargers are a good team and despite those key injuries, they still have some depth. Last year was a textbook example of how this team can start off horrible and still salvage thing with a mid-season turnaround. Keep in mind that both the Ravens and Steelers were in the AFC Championship game last year, it’s not like the schedule has been a cake walk thus far.

Secondly, A.J. Smith had every right to call out his team as soft. Most fans in San Diego would readily agree with him. Is doing it through the media the best way to go about it? Perhaps not but what’s done is done. I know that Shawne Merriman took offense to those comments and that might actually be a good thing. Maybe if he had spent more of the preseason concentrating on football rather than clubbing around town with Tila Tequila we would have a better record. Who knows? If being called out in public gets him back to playing “lights out” then I have no problem with Smith airing his dirty laundry like that.

Finally – can the Chargers win another AFC West Championship? I think that goal is still totally within reach. Keep in mind that the Broncos tend to start strong and finish weak and the Chargers do the opposite.

Furthermore, Denver is entering the Murderer’s row part of their schedule whereas the opponents will get easier for the Chargers in the next few weeks.

Momentum is fickle and a few losses to one team and a few victories to another can change the whole landscape of a division. I predict a very different scenario by the time November rolls around.

This might be more wishful thinking than reality but here it goes. I actually think the Chargers have a decent shot in this game. 

The Steelers have won the last 13 meetings against the Bolts in Pittsburgh and the logical bet is that they will make it 14. However I think they are more vulnerable right now than they have been in the recent past and here’s why.

First and foremost is the absence of Troy Polamalu. With the possible exception of Ray Lewis, Polamalu is arguably the best defensive player in the NFL. With him out, the Steelers’ secondary is much more susceptible to the pass and I expect Philip Rivers to take full advantage of that.

The Chargers receiving corps is looking better and better, I think Vincent Jackson is due for a breakout game in front of a national audience. Secondly, the weather will most likely not be a factor. If you are from a warm weather city and you have to play at Pittsburgh, you definitely want to do it as early in the season as possible. I’ll take the early October weather in the Steel city over late December any day of the week.

Third, the Steelers are in a bit of a slump, I mean come on, they lost to the Bengals last week. You could make the case that they are suffering from a Super Bowl hangover and have become a bit complacent and distracted. After all, Ben Roethlisberger is going to be moonlighting as a professional wrestler the day after the game.

Finally, I think this game will be won in the air as opposed to the ground and that favors the Chargers. Both LaDanian Tomlinson and Willie Parker are banged up and so I don’t see either being a huge factor. The Steelers have a good passing game, but their real strength seems to be the run, especially if they can get an early lead and control the clock with the ground game.

I remember the playoff game last year and the time of possession was really lopsided in the Steelers’ favor. If the game turns into a shootout I think the Chargers might have a slight advantage.

Even with all that being said, the Chargers will have to play a very good game to come home with a victory. I have more respect for the Steelers organization than any other franchise in the league. They are off to a slow start but they are way too good not to turn things around eventually. I’m just hoping that it takes another week or two before they turn the corner on the season.    

Shock and Awe. Overwhelming. Heart pounding. Screaming-and-digging-your-nails-into-your-skull.

Call it what you want...the NFL did not disappoint last week. 

Opening week in the NFL has always delivered the kind of drama and suspense that football fans can hang their hat on. While there is typically some rust to shake loose and kinks to iron out, teams and players don't disappoint in giving fans either hope or despair as they look forward to the next fifteen games.

2009 began with jaw-dropping individual performances starring Drew Brees, who picked up where he left off last year and fired 6 TD passes, and Adrian Peterson who racked up 180 yards rushing and three TD's despite needing IV's, vomiting, and repairing a gash in his forearm to get him through the game.

Several teams showed their fans and the league that 2008 was not a fluke. Pittsburgh, Baltimore, NY Giants, New Orleans, and Philadelphia continued their firepower and toughness while Minnesota, Dallas, and Seattle showed heart and promise despite playing weak opponents.

If you are the kind of person who relishes in team meltdowns, then you were ecstatic to see Buffalo, Oakland, and Chicago destroy an excellent opportunity to knock off a powerhouse. Denver and San Francisco provided further entertainment when the Niners stunned the defending NFC Champions on their turf, and the Broncos scored in the final seconds on a tipped pass that turned into an 87-yard TD in Cincy.

Week 2 is upon us, and it doesn't look like there is anything to keep you away from the TV once again, including the debut of the Dallas Cowboys in their Texas palace, Cowboys Stadium, as they take on their arch-rival, NY Giants.

Carolina Panthers (0-1) at Atlanta Falcons (1-0): FOX, 1pm EST - If you're a Panthers fan, then you have plenty to worry about as the team heads south. Jake Delhomme and Co. looked dreadful last week vs. Philly, and things won't get much easier vs. Atlanta who looked impressive on both sides of the ball at home against Miami. The Falcons are 8-1 at home under coach Mike Smith.

Minnesota Vikings (1-0) at Detroit Lions (0-1): FOX, 1pm EST - Last week, Detroit had the honor of facing a missile launcher in the potent Drew Brees who lit them up for 6 TD's. This Sunday, the Lions have the distinct honor of hosting a Tasmanian Devil on crack in Adrian Peterson who violated Cleveland for 180 yards and 3 TD's. Being subjected to this kind of abuse should be against the law.

Arizona Cardinals (0-1) at Jacksonville Jaguars (0-1): FOX, 1pm EST - Starting with the 2000-01 NY Giants, only one Super Bowl runner-up has made the playoffs the following season. Arizona was stunned by the Niners last week at home and will now travel to the East Coast where they lost five times last season. An 0-2 start will not set well with these Cardinals, but this Jags team will be pumped at home.

New Orleans Saints (1-0) at Philadelphia Eagles (1-0): FOX, 1pm EST - Every success comes with paying a price. Philly crushed Carolina last week, but it cost them QB Donovan McNabb who broke a rib. He and two offensive linemen are out vs. a Saints team that is wired with C4 on offense and enjoyed feasting on a rookie QB last week. Eagles QB Kevin Kolb starts his first game.

St. Louis Rams (0-1) at Washington Redskins (0-1): FOX, 1pm EST - On October 19, 2008, the Rams shocked the league by clubbing Dallas 34-14. That was their last victory and have since lost 11 in a row including last week's disappearing act vs. Seattle 28-0. Expect Washington to hassle Marc Bulger all day due to a weak line while Jason Campbell and Co. feast on the Rams secondary.

Cincinnati Bengals (0-1) at Green Bay Packers (1-0): CBS, 1pm EST - If you live in the Green Bay area and looking for work, check with the security detail at Lambeau Field. Bengals WR Chad Johnson (Ochocinco...whatever) has predicted that he will do the Lambeau Leap if he's able to miraculously score a TD. Blue uniforms should be plentiful in the end zones as should points scored by The Pack.  

Oakland Raiders (0-1) at Kansas City Chiefs (0-1): CBS, 1pm EST - You might want to consider setting your TiVo for the National Rugby League game between the Brisbane Broncos vs. St. George Illawarra Dragons tomorrow and then watching it Sunday.

New England Patriots (1-0) at NY Jets (1-0): CBS, 1pm EST - In the past, if anyone slapped the Patriots insults or threats, it was like kicking a sleeping lion in the mouth. This time -- maybe not. These two teams hate each other, and some of the Jets, including head coach Rex Ryan, have slung words towards the Patriots expressing their fearlessness. But, they do actually have the tools and panache to stun the Belichick Boys who are hurting on defense.

Houston Texans (0-1) at Tennessee Titans (0-1): CBS, 1pm EST - There were high hopes for the Houston Texans to ride their potent offense and swelling defense into the playoffs this year, but this isn't the way to start that journey. They were humiliated by the Jets on their own home turf and now travel to the Music City to take on a Titans team that is seeing red, and rested, after losing to the world champions in OT 10 days ago.

Tampa Bay Buccaneers (0-1) at Buffalo Bills (0-1): FOX, 4:05pm EST - Speaking of "seeing red." Something tells me that the Bills will have red and pewter in their cross hairs this Sunday as they look to unleash their fury on the Bucs after letting the Patriots come from behind last Monday night. Tampa should serve Buffalo well with their seared secondary facing T.O. and Co. This is Tampa's first trip to Buffalo ever.

Seattle Seahawks (1-0) at San Francisco 49ers (1-0): FOX, 4:05pm EST - Both of these teams entered their season openers drunk on high hopes and enthusiasm. Those pursuits were justified as the Seahawks shutout the Rams while the Niners stunned the defending NFC champ Cardinals on the road. These victories consisted of great defense, big plays, and QB moxie. This will be a great battle.

Pittsburgh Steelers (1-0) at Chicago Bears (0-1): CBS, 4:15pm EST - If you are a conceited, gun-slinging veteran QB who has been asked to carry an NFL institution on your shoulders, losing to a bitter division rival is not the way to start. Jay Cutler was horrendous vs. the Packers last week throwing 4 INT's, and things don't get any easier with the world champions coming to town for the first time since 1995. Bears LB Brian Urlacher is out for the year with a dislocated wrist, and Chicago has not won a game without him in the lineup since 1999.

Cleveland Browns (0-1) at Denver Broncos (1-0): CBS, 4:15pm EST - The challenge of getting off on the right foot continues in Mile High. Rookie head coach Josh McDaniels must capitalize on last week's miraculous victory in Cincy with a big win in his home debut. On the other sideline, QB Brady Quinn must bounce back from his uninspired performance vs. Minnesota and prove to coach Eric Mangini that he made the right choice naming him the starter. Denver is 20-5 vs. Cleveland.

Baltimore Ravens (1-0) at San Diego Chargers (1-0): CBS, 4:15pm EST - For most of the franchise's history, the Baltimore Ravens' defense has been their bedrock. Not anymore. Offensive coordinator Cam Cameron's balanced attack was on full display in their win vs. KC. San Diego stunned Oakland last week but only after letting the Raiders offense...yes, the Raiders...rack up 366 yards. They also paid the price with some significant injuries to L.T. and the offensive line.

NY Giants (1-0) at Dallas Cowboys (1-0): NBC, 8:20pm EST - Whenever these two fierce rivals face each other, the battle is always epic. However, Sunday night is not about these gladiators. The national spotlight will be on the Coliseum. Cowboys Stadium debuts on the national stage and is expected to be filled with over 100,000 unruly and fervent citizens. Don't go anywhere Sunday night.

Indianapolis Colts (1-0) at Miami Dolphins (0-1): ESPN, 8:30pm EST, MNF - There was a day when this matchup would be core material for any stand-up comedian. A powerful, intimidating Colts team vs. a scatter-brained Dolphins squad. Both teams have since gone through dramatic change in leadership and/or philosophy leading to this battle which could very well be decided on who wins the turnover battle. Indy has not lost a regular season game since Week 8 of last season.

STANDINGS

Chris Mortensen: 14-2

Keyshawn Johnson: 14-2

Mike Ditka: 13-3

Adam Schefter: 12-4

Cris Carter: 12-4

Eddie Chinn: 12-4

Peter King: 12-4

The San Diego Chargers enter the 2009 season with a team that has the best chance to make the Super Bowl and definitley win it.

The Chargers are stacked on both sides of the ball, leading them on offense is the best quarterback in the league a year ago Phillip Rivers. Rivers has all the tools he needs to win football games from wide receivers Chris Chambers and Vicent Jackson, to one of the best tight ends in the league in Antonio Gates. Not to mention he can hand the ball off to LaDainian Tomlinson who had an off year last year but is expected to be back to elite entering this season.

You think thats it? dont forget about the little guy Darren Sproles who filled in for LT last year and was an electrifying back everytime he touched the football. He will be returing kickoffs and punts and filling in here and there when LT is tired. It will be hard for any team in the league to slow down this offense.

Now we changed possesion and switched to the Chargers great defense. The Chargers will be led on defense by Linebacker Shawn Merriman who is known as "Lights Out" across the NFL. Behind him is the San Diego's athletic secondary which include lockdown corners Quentin jammer and Antonio Cromartie, and saftey Eric Weddle.

Dont forget about the outstanding defensive lineman Luis Castillio who will supply the pressure on the opposing quterback on every single play. If all goes well and everyone does there job and no one gets injured there is no doubt in my mind this team will live up to the hype and win a Super Bowl.

I've been working out twice a day getting ready for my first training camp. I'm really anxious to get started. You hear some horror stories about how tough training camp is, but I'm ready for it. Everyone I talk to says it's all business and that I should catch any naps that I can during the day because they say you might not get much sleep with all the stuff going on.

I got to talk to Jacob Hester a little bit since he was a rookie last year and just went through it. He talked about the fact that camp is just a grind. It's good to know that I can go to him with any questions.

It's hard to explain to people how much I love playing football. I just can't wait to put the pads on and do it. The grind is actually what I'm looking forward to the most. I want to get motivated every day and see myself get better. My goal is to work hard and show everyone that I go all out every play. I think that if I show that I will find my way on to the field in some way during the season.

I'm also curious to see what camp life is all about in terms of the guys. I'll have to get a feel for everything. I'm curious to see how everyone acts around each other. I'm sure the PlayStation will come out at some point too.

I signed my first NFL contract the other day and it was a dream come true. I have wanted this for a long time and I am really excited to officially be in the NFL. I view it as a stepping stone in my career. It's one of those goals that you achieve before anything else. I signed my contract during the day then boarded a plane to my first training camp that night. It was a good day all around.

Camp started Monday for the rookies here at our training facility. I'm ready.

It's finally starting to sink in that I'm an NFL player now that I've gotten to be around all the guys.

We had our first mini-camp already and it was a great experience, but it hasn’t really registered yet that I’m a pro football player.

I think when I strap the pads on it will really click.

Going in the 4th round to the Chargers was amazing. It was such a happy feeling but I really can’t explain it. It was an experience I’ll never forget.

San Diego is far from my home in Miami, but it’s not too far from Colorado State. The weather is a lot more like Miami but it’s got that cool California breeze. I’m just excited about the whole deal.

I watched the draft with my family at Bokamper’s, a sports bar in the Miami area. I like it there and I became friends with the owner Kim Bocamper, a former Dolphins player who had me on his radio show a few times.

Before I knew it I was in San Diego for mini-camp.

At this point the coaches are just throwing us out there on the field to see what we can do. We were only there for 3 days, so we got the playbook in a nutshell. Next time I’m there it will be for a month and a half, so we can really get into the playbook in depth, watch some film, watch some more film and get into the offense.

It’s going to be amazing learning from a guy like LaDainian Tomlinson. I just want to soak up everything he does, he’s been on top for a long time and he can do it all, run, catch, even pass. He’s going to be a Hall of Famer so it has to be a positive experience for me.

I sat next to him at meetings and mostly we just made small talk. He was telling me some things about reading defenses. This summer I plan to spend a lot more time with him and I’ll have lots of chances to pick his brain some more.

Gartrell Johnson is a running back for the San Diego Chargers. He writes a blog for www.playerpress.com. Follow him on Twitter as gartrelljohnson.