SB Nation - LaDainian Tomlinson

San Diego Chargers vs. Tennessee Titans Series at a Glance

Jimmy — Tue, 22 Dec 2009 20:43:26 -0000

We are getting a little bit of a jump on this post this week because of the Friday game. The Chargers lead the all time series between these two 23-16-1 and have won the last 6 meetings. Jeff Fisher is 0-5 in his career against San Diego.

The last regular season meeting between these two was on December 9th, 2007 when the Titans blew a big lead late in the game and eventually lost on a LaDainian Tomlinson 16 yard touchdown run in overtime. That game is remembered for a lot of things including a hit that sidelined Shawne Merriman that he is still upset about, and a horrible call for the Chargers on 4th down when Chris Chambers clearly did not catch the ball but it was ruled that he did.

The Titans traveled to San Diego in the playoffs later that season and lost 17-6 in a game where the Titans offense wouldn't have moved the ball against smash's FRA squad.

Since this is "Thursday Night Football Special Edition on NFL Network" we will get to hear the announcing tandem of Bob Papa and NFL expert Matt Millen.

NFL press release info after the jump.

SAN DIEGO CHARGERS (11-3) AT TENNESSEE TITANS (7-7)

SERIES

	CHARGERS	TITANS
SERIES LEADER	22-13-1
STREAKS	Past 5
COACHES VS. OPP.	Turner: 4-1	Fisher: 0-5
LAST WEEK	W 27-24 vs. Bengals	W 27-24 (OT) vs. Dolphins
LAST GAME	12/9/07: Chargers 23 at Titans 17 (OT). San Diego TE Antonio Gates catches tying TD pass with 9 seconds left & RB LaDainian Tomlinson runs for 16-yard game-winning TD in OT.
LAST GAME AT SITE	12/9/07
BROADCAST	NFLN (6:30 PM CT): Bob Papa, Matt Millen. Westwood One Radio: Ian Eagle, Randy Cross, Laura Okmin (Field reporter). SIRIUS: 124 (WW1), 125 (SD). XM: 124 (WW1), 102 (SD).

STATS

PASSING	Rivers: 287-444-3,891-25 (T2C)-9-102.8 (1C)	Young: 127-210-1,619-10-4-92.5
RUSHING	Tomlinson: 205-670-3.3-10	Johnson: 301-1,730 (1L)-5.7-11 (T3L)
RECEIVING	Gates (TE): 75-1,071-14.3-6	Johnson (RB): 44-446-10.1-2
OFFENSE	355.1	360.6
TAKE/GIVE	+7 (T2C)	-1
DEFENSE	330.1	365.4
SACKS	Phillips: 7	T. Brown: 5
INTs	Cromartie, Jammer: 3	Finnegan: 5
PUNTING	Scifres: 45.2	Kern: 45.1
KICKING	Kaeding: 129 (1L) (42/43 PAT; 29/32 FG)	Bironas: 108 (3C) (33/33 PAT; 25/29 FG)

NOTES

CHARGERS: Club will play 1st regular season game on Christmas Day…SD has 4-2 (.667) all-time record in Friday games. Game is club’s 1st on Friday since 29-13 win vs. Cin. on 9/6/68…Aim for 10th win in row…Seek to extend NFL record of 17 consecutive wins in Dec…Incl. postseason, Chargers aims for 7th straight win vs. Ten…In 9-game win streak, QB PHILIP RIVERS has completed 179 of 261 (68.6 pct.) for 2,372 passing yards w/18 TDs vs. 6 INTs & 110.5 passer rating. Rivers (3,891) needs 119 passing yards to surpass career-high of 4,009 in ’08…RB LA DAINIAN TOMLINSON (136) needs 1 rush TD to surpass EMMITT SMITH (1990s) for most rush TDs in single decade. In 4 career games vs. Ten. (incl. postseason), Tomlinson averages 101.5 rush yards per game (406 total) & has 5 rush TDs in those 4…TE ANTONIO GATES (1,071) needs 31 rec. yards to surpass career-high of 1,101 in ’05…WR VINCENT JACKSON aims for 3rd consecutive game w/100+ rec. yards…CB ANTONIO CROMARTIE had INT in last regular season game vs. Ten…TITANS: Franchise is 2-1 on Christmas Day…Game is club’s 1st on Friday since 25-24 loss at Boston Patriots on 11/6/64…Aim for 6th win in row at home…Team ranks 2nd in NFL w/162.6 rush yards per game…QB VINCE YOUNG is 5-0 as starter at home in ’09 & has completed 79 of 121 passes (65.3 pct.) for 1,090 yards w/7 TDs vs. 2 INTs & 106.4 passer rating. Young had career-high 3 TD passes last week…RB CHRIS JOHNSON (9) aims to become 3rd player in NFL history to rush for 100+ yards in 10 consecutive games (BARRY SANDERS, 14; MARCUS ALLEN, 11). Johnson (2,958) needs 42 rush yards to reach 3,000 for career…WR JUSTIN GAGE tied career-high w/2 TD rec. last week…Defense has 8 INTs in past 2 games…CB NICK HARPER & MICHAEL GRIFFINrecorded 1st INTs of season last week…CB CORTLAND FINNEGAN had INT in last meeting against Chargers (WC on 1/6/08).

Shallow Thoughts & Nearsighted Observations

Ted Bartlett — Tue, 22 Dec 2009 13:30:15 -0000

More photos » by Chris Schneider - AP

3 days ago: Denver Broncos head coach Josh McDaniels, right, talks to quarterback Kyle Orton during a break in the action during the third quarter of of an NFL football game against the Oakland Raiders in Denver on Sunday, Dec. 20, 2009. (AP Photo/Chris Schneider)

Browse more photos »

Happy Tuesday, friends, and welcome to Shallow Thoughts & Nearsighted Observations. I am writing this lead-in on Black Monday, and I'm still not in a very good mood, as you can imagine. I'm going to try to make the best of it, and drop a good column despite the bad feelings. We'll see, because I still haven't watched this infuriating game a second time yet. No guarantees. For now, let's get on with it. Ready..... BEGIN!!!!

1. So, I am not too thrilled, as you might imagine. I don't think anybody particularly is, but this game solidified a thought in my mind about the Broncos, that I've been close to, but never fully there this season. It kind of makes me feel like a fool actually, because way back, when I was the only credible analyst in the world predicting 11-5 for the Broncos, my main reason for thinking it is what I had wrong.

The Broncos offensive line is the weakness of the team, and I thought it was the strength. When I envisioned beating Baltimore and Pittsburgh, it was because I thought the Broncos would be able to block them. I've frequently observed the struggles of one guy or another, but the real conclusion we need to reach is that this group leaves a lot to be desired. Nice Thing to Say About Jay Cutler Alert: I think we all underestimated how much his quick release, mobility, and pocket awareness helped prevent sacks last year.

This year, they've given up sacks at key times, often when it's been obvious that they had to throw the ball. That has been the minor part of the problem. The major part is that they've struggled to drive-block all season, and lately, they've struggled to effectively zone-block, too. Russ Hochstein is terrible, and really hasn't been any kind of improvement over Ben Hamilton. Casey Wiegmann has regressed this year from his previously high standard and gets pushed backward too much. I haven't been too thrilled with the play of Chris Kuper over the last month either, and Tyler Polumbus has proven to be just a backup and special teams player.

I think this season turned when Ryan Harris got hurt. He's one of the best RTs in the NFL, and between he, Kuper, and often Daniel Graham, the Broncos had a good ability to open holes in the running game to the right, outside. Now, the Broncos get pushed backward too much, and are very susceptible to run blitzing against their zone schemes. In the short term, they can help themselves with plays like backside smoke screens off outside play action, inviting/exploiting the run blitzing. In the long term, though, they interior of the line badly needs to be upgraded, because the Broncos will always struggle against physical fronts if it doesn't.

Now, the Broncos do still control their own destiny, even after losing two in a row. They can beat Philadelphia too, if they can protect Kyle Orton, and run the ball effectively. I really think that the Eagles' tendencies toward throwing the ball a lot play to the Broncos' strength on defense. Like Kima Greggs said, sometime things gotta play hard. The Broncos wiped the field with the Giants, who are very similar to the Eagles, so let's not lose hope that they can do it again. Remember, every game is an independent event, and what happened last week is irrelevant to what may happen this week. Go Broncos!

2. Information From My Eyes, Raiders at Broncos-

a. This is kind of information from my ears, but I can't stand Gus Johnson. I know a lot of people like him, but to me, he sounds like he learned his technique from the WWE's Jim Ross (whose name I had to look up, in case you're wondering). Can't you just picture Gus wearing a cowboy hat and yelling "He hit him with a steel chair?!"

b. While I am dogging CBS announcer team guys, Steve Tasker sucks pretty bad, too. He lacks a command of the rules, and it just doesn't seem like he prepares very hard. He makes blanket statements like, "The Broncos have lost 5 of 7 since Kyle Orton's finger got healthy, and they started throwing more." No reasonable person in the world would blame those losses on Kyle Orton, but there goes Tasker, joining the Peter King train.

PK: In six of the past eight weeks, Kyle Orton hasn't put up more than 17 points on the board. Yikes.

It's like the rest of the team is just McNulty's breathing machine. Tasker played the game for a long time, as a spunky, high-effort, overrated special-teams gunner. He should know that a lot is going on on the field that has nothing to do with the QB, and he should be the first person making that point. Hell, there are people who think he belongs in the Hall of Fame (PK evidently being among them, unlike his take on Floyd Little). Tasker should be the "look at the little things" guy, and instead, just mostly stays quiet as Gus Johnson announces the next elbow drop from the top rope, only opening his mouth to mention correlations where there's no causation.

c. Mitch Berger's punt at the end of the first quarter may have been the ugliest in NFL history. It was just atrocious, for those who didn't see the game.

d. Casey Wiegmann had his worst game as a Bronco on Sunday, in my opinion. He was on roller skates all day, going backward. I appeciate the guy's durability and smarts, but I don't think the coaching staff will want to go into next season with him as the starter.

e. The officials let Chris Johnson get away with a clear pass-interference penalty on a key 3rd down in the 3rd quarter. He facegaurded Jabar Gaffney downfield, and rode him out of bounds with his body. Let Tasker tell it, it was a perfectly legal play. He didn't remember the 5-yard chuck rule, I guess. This play was egregious.

f. Andra Davis played great on Sunday, especially on the goal-line stand. He was all over the field all day, and made a bunch of plays.

g. Mario Henderson played better than I've ever seen him play for the Raiders, especially in the running game. He was downfield driving Broncos defenders backward. He also held up very well in pass protection, but was helped by Charlie Frye's focus on getting the ball out quickly.

h. Vonnie Holliday was very good in the pass-rushing game for the Broncos, and Robert Ayers had good moments, too. The only really good rush Elvis Dumervil had, he got called for roughing the passer.

i. Don't let me see anybody blaming Alphonso Smith for the winning TD. He was picked, clear as day, by #86 for the Raiders. In a poorly officiated game, it was another obvious penalty that wasn't called. It was offensive pass interference all the way, and he was out of position for the tackle, making it very difficult. It's true that Smith has struggled as the season has gone on, but that play wasn't his fault.

j. Finally, a word about JaMarcus Russell. He can make every throw a QB ever has to make. When he came into the game Sunday, I was actually worried about it, because he has much more physical ability than Charlie Frye. I'm not ready to say he turned a corner, but I'm sure he engendered some additional belief in his coaches and teammates than he'd been previously seeing. He got it done, given the circumstances, so all you can do is tip your hat to the guy.

3. Information From My Eyes, Other Games-

a. I continue not to care whether the Colts go 16-0, and I didn't get to see much of the game, due to a 10:30 PM ET conference call with some guys who work for me in Pune, India on Thursday. Ho hum, the Colts won.

I was all over the Cowboys beating the Saints, though, and I did watch that game. The Cowboys had to be tired of hearing all this stuff about how they can't win in December, and the Saints had been trying to give away a game for about a month. The Saints had a really hard time protecting Drew Brees, especially LT Jermon Bushrod. For the guy who shares a hometown with him, the jury is in for me. He's an RTO playing out of position on the left side. I think the Saints were too greedy, and didn't do enough to help him with DeMarcus Ware.

b. I made some Cowboys fan mad back in October when I proclaimed Anthony Spencer to be just a guy. Cowboys fans need to be told when their players aren't as good as the hype around them - because the hype is so strong, most of them believe it. Anyway, Spencer was fantastic on Saturday night. He was setting the edge in the running game, and he got Drew Brees 3 times, losing one to a questionable penalty in the secondary. It was the best I'd ever seen Spencer play in the NFL, and if he can keep playing like that, the Cowboys are suddenly really difficult to handle in the playoffs.

c. I was very impressed with Tony Romo's play Saturday, and it's nothing new lately. He's been playing terrific football, with 8 TDs and 0 interceptions in his last 4 games. Lazy, uninsightful MSM idiots who fixate on meaningless trends were falling over themselves to say that Romo couldn't win in December. To most of these people, the other 52 guys on a team are like garnish on the side of the plate. It's obscene how stupid that all is.

d. The Cowboys did the right thing, cutting the cord with Nick Folk. He's been terrible this season, and when you can't count on your kicker to make a 27-yard field goal, you have big problems. Of course, the guy they replaced him with, Shaun Suisham, lost his last job for missing a 20-something-yard FG against New Orleans, to put the game away, too. Kicker seems to be an issue for Dallas every year, and they really need to address it on a going-forward basis.

e. The Lions are still playing hard, I'm sure try to secure jobs for next season. They really gave Arizona a run for their money on Sunday, but came up short, to the disappointment of my buddy Chris Dillon, who was in attendance. I was pretty impressed with the play of Maurice Morris, but I've seen him flash like this a lot of times in his career, and then do nothing a week later. The guy I always like the look of is Drew Stanton, who was a second-round pick, but never got a chance to play for some reason. He had some good moments Sunday, and looked more useful than Daunte Culpepper.

f. The Cardinals can't be blowing double-figure leads if they want to get back to the Super Bowl. I was telling my brother the other day that I thought the NFC Champion would once again come down to Arizona against Philadelphia, but the Cardinals lacked crispness for a second week in a row. They'd do well to get their act together.

g. There were a lot of interesting things to see in the Cleveland-Kansas City game, which was surprising. I had no intention of paying any attention to it this weekend, but it ended up being the first game I watched when I got home Monday evening. First things, first. I've never been a big Jerome Harrison fan, but he obviously played out of his mind on Sunday for the Browns. I have seen a lot of him over the last few years, so I remain skeptical of him. Prior to Sunday, if I had to describe Harrison in a sentence this would have been it: "He's a third-down back who lacks much power, speed, or explosiveness, and shouldn't particularly scare anybody." I think his career day was equal parts the best day of his life and the significant inflation factor that comes from running against the Chiefs.

h. The Chiefs had to feel pretty good about most of their offense's performance Sunday. Matt Cassel looked outstanding, and was hurt by about 10 drops by his receivers. Dwayne Bowe was particularly feeling in touch with his inner dropsies. Maybe it was rust from his steroid vacation? Anyway, Cassel was a positive sign again, after a couple bad weeks, and the good things he did had the look of things that would work against good teams, too.

i. If you'd asked me six weeks ago about Jamaal Charles, I'd have questioned his size and power, and also his running instincts. I always saw him as a guy who missed creases and ran into tackles. The coaching he's presumably been getting seems to have clicked lately, because he's making tacklers miss more than I've ever seen. He looks really good running out of the shotgun, which he did a lot of in college at the University of Texas. He's not a bell-cow RB, but teams aren't looking for those so much anymore. He can be a very effective 50-50 tandem guy, especially if the Chiefs could find a Michael Bush-type player to complement him.

j. You know how you can look at somebody and tell when they seem to be physically uncomfortable? That's how Mark Sanchez looked to me on Sunday, in the cold of New York, kind of like a woman looks when she's constipated. I thought his ball traveled a bit better through the wind than it did a month or so ago, when he played in his first bad weather, but his clear lack of physical comfort worries me, and should worry the Jets. Sometimes, a guy who grew up in warm weather embraces the cold, and has success in it. Brett Favre immediately comes to mind. If Sanchez goes back to SoCal in the offseason to chill out, that will be a bad sign in my mind. He ought to stay in New York, and get used to the weather. You may think I am overstating this, but he's going to have to play a ton of games in the cold throughout his career if he's going to be a 10-year Jet.

k. The Shallow Thoughts fantasy team continues to save its best work for the playoffs in the Official MHR League, and was dominant Sunday, led by Aaron Rodgers' huge day. I'm now one game from a championship. Not bad for a guy who doesn't like fantasy football, and a team which was counting on Larry Johnson and Derrick Ward to be stud RBs. I've gotten solid work from both Laurence Maroney and Jason Snelling at times, which has helped. I thought of Snelling, because I have really come to like his game on the real field. He runs hard, catches the ball well, and picks up the blitz. He's a good backup to Michael Turner, and when they're both healthy, they can really alternate physically pounding a defense.

l. I'll tell you right now, Falcons FS Thomas DeCoud is going to be on the All-ST&NO Favorites team I'll be releasing next week. He ought to be in the Pro Bowl for the NFC, but that's almost certainly not going to happen. He's very mobile and smart, and he always is in great position. What sets him apart from other good safeties, though, is that he can catch the football, and he did once again on Sunday, with his third interception of the season. I like matchup safeties, and I'm a big fan of DeCoud, going back to the 2008 Draft.

m. Kerry Rhodes got benched recently, and he looks to me like he's playing with a lot more ferocity and toughness lately. Rex Ryan had him coming on a bunch of blitzes Sunday, and the Jets did a great job all day against the Atlanta offense. If they had gotten better play from Sanchez this season, the Jets would have run away with the AFC East, because that defense is real. Assuming Sanchez improves in the future, this is going to be a team to be reckoned with in the years ahead.

n. I said something nice about Jay Cutler earlier, and now I'm going to go into semi-apologist mode for him, ever so briefly. Neither of the first two interceptions he threw Sunday were really his fault. On the first, Devin Aromashadu failed to get across the face of Domonique Foxworth on a slant route, which is his job. That's 100% on the WR to execute, especially when the play called for Cutler to look right first, and come back left on time, semi-blindly. On the second pick, the RT failed to cut Jarret Johnson on a 3-step drop, and Johnson jumped up in the passing lane and made a play. I've made this point before recently, but on a 3-step drop, the DE must be cut to the ground to clear the passing lane, and the player (I think it was Kevin Shaffer, but couldn't tell for 100% sure) failed to execute. Cutler's third pick was on him, but it was a tough throw moving to his left. He threw that one right to Foxworth. If the Bears want to do a smart thing, they'll try to hire Jeremy Bates away from USC. I don't necessarily think Bates can coach Cutler out of his well-established bad habits, but he at least knows how to put him in position to be most successful.

o. It's so difficult to deal with the height of the Chargers WRs and Antonio Gates. I don't know if I really know the right answer for stopping them. I think you need to play physical with them, and try to cover them man-to-man, but that's easier said than done. It's got to be better than letting them run the sideline against cover-2 with no re-route from a CB, though. I think Johnathan Joseph and Leon Hall did pretty well Sunday, and the Chargers still got the win when it counted. San Diego is overrated in some areas, but they're underrated at WR.

p. I'd be shocked if LaDainian Tomlinson is back with San Diego next season. He was obviously a great player for a long time, but he's noticeably not the same guy he used to be. When a RB starts to lose it, you can see it in his leg drive when somebody hits him. LDT is going down a lot easier than he ever did in the past. He's like Arizona Cardinals-era Emmitt Smith right now, despite having a much shorter career than Emmitt.

q. I really liked Mike Tomlin's reasoning behind his onside kick strategy Sunday. I'm taking this from Peter King's MMQB, as I'm not sure if these comments were said exclusively to him, or were something he picked up from the team's PR people.

"I'll be very bluntly honest with you, based on the way the game was going in the second half, first of all I thought with the element of surprise we had a chance to get it, but if we didn't get it and they were to score, then we would have necessary time on the clock to score or match their score. Plan A didn't work, we got the ball but we were illegal, that was the correct call, but it kind of unfolded the way you envisioned it.

"We had 30 minutes of evidence that we could drive the ball on them, we also conversely had 30 minutes of evidence to show they could also drive the ball on us. That's why we took the risk when we did. We were just trying to win the football game. There was time left in that game that had we kicked that ball away and the half had gone the way that it'd gone, they were converting third downs. They would have moved the ball down the field on us, we wouldn't have had necessary time to respond. I'm just being honest, but it starts with feeling pretty good about the element of surprise and having a good chance to get that ball, but that part of it didn't work out.''

That makes sense, right? Even if you don't get the ball, you're cutting down the amount of time the Packers will take to score, and leave your own team enough time to answer. I generally can't stand the Steelers or their highly-ignorant fan base, but I have Tomlin's back on this one. After all, it played out exactly like he thought it would, if they didn't recover the kick. Nothing proves you right like being right, right?

But then PK chimes in with his commentary:

How the mighty defense has fallen. Wow. Mike Tomlin throwing his D to the wolves.

Sigh. Like they say on ESPN, C'MON MAN! You know what you are if you trust a defense that hasn't gotten it done all day? You're a moron who deserves to lose. I really think that this is the most idiotic conventional wisdom in football, that you have to trust your defense, no matter what. The Steelers got sliced up all game, and didn't deserve to be trusted. Tomlin had the pulse of the game exactly right. Hell, if I am him, I want my defense to know that I don't trust them in that moment, and step it the hell up in practice, and in the next game. Trust is earned, not freely given.

r. Here's a news flash for Peter King. Bryant McKinnie is not a very good player, especially in pass protection. You should never judge the quality of an offensive lineman on whether they get voted to the Pro Bowl, or were picked in the first round of the draft. McKinnie is solid against the run, but he's slow-footed, and he struggles to protect against good pass rushers. Julius Peppers did dominate McKinnie Sunday night, but it's less of a special feat than PK would have you believe.

s. I think the Panthers might have something with Matt Moore. He's not the most polished player, but you can tell he has some real talent. I'm not basing that on his results, per se, but more on the way the ball leaves his hand and flies through the air. If I were John Fox, Jake Delhomme wouldn't see the field again this season unless Moore got hurt.

t. Don't worry about Brett Favre arguing with Brad Childress on the sidelines. It doesn't matter, and these things happen all the time. I don't think the Vikings quite have what it takes to win a championship, but it has nothing to do with Favre and Childress not seeing eye-to-eye in one game. I think the only good player on their offensive line is Steve Hutchinson, and the rest of them are average to below-average. I also think Adrian Peterson isn't playing very well lately, and I wonder if he's banged up, because I don't see the suddenness and power I am used to from him lately.

u. The Giants really got their defensive line going Monday night. I guess it helps to play the Redskins, who can't block anybody. I was pretty surprised by the bad play of the Redskins defense, which has been tough all year. This game was so lousy, I barely paid attention to it after the first half.

v. Why couldn't the Redskins have run THAT variation of the Hunter Smith pass against the Broncos? That was a charlie foxtrot from the start.

4. For a straight single man, I'm a pretty good dresser. I figure I'm average looking, and I could stand to drop a few pounds, so I try to help myself by making smart wardrobe decisions. I have some common sense rules, I favor versatility and have a good feel for matching, and I never, ever wear trendy, overpriced crap like Ed Hardy. I'd give myself a B-plus to an A-minus.

So I am watching the NFL Network pregame show Sunday, and I can't help but notice the gear of the well-known sartorialist Michael Irvin. He had a pretty bad suit, and I remembered a draft a few years ago, maybe 2006 or 2007, when Irvin was working for ESPN. My ex-wife walked in, and saw him, and she was all about fashion. He was wearing a brown suit, with a brown shirt, and Christine says, "He looks like a big piece of poop." I couldn't help but agree.

So, horrible suit back then, pretty bad suit Sunday, funny memory. Then, the crew took off their jackets to do a technique demonstration, and I saw the worst part of Mike's gear. His shirt had epaulets!!! (I generally hate multiple exclamation points, but epaulets make it appropriate.) If you were in the military, chances are you know what epaulets are - if not, check it out here, where they spell it differently than how I learned in the Navy.

Okay, Mike? Unless you're going to a Troop Meeting, and making Eagle Scout, no epaulets, okay? There's no good reason in the world for a normal man's shirt to have them. Just say no to pretentious clothing. I wouldn't be surprised if Ed Hardy toolbag-in-chief Christian Audigier designed Irvin's shirt, too. The orange oompa loompa spray tan would look weird on Irvin, so it would be hard to carry the complete look.

I bet those guys' shirts have epaulets. By the way, I got that pic from the coolest Facebook fan page ever.

5. So there's big news that I have to share. I am retiring ST&NO. Next week, on December 29^th, 2009 I will post my last one ever, at least as far as I am planning now. New Year, new ideas, new LASIK eye surgery on January 15^th, so I won't be nearsighted anymore. The title just wouldn't make sense anymore, and like Russell Jones, I keeps it real. I plan to move my work in a bit of a different direction in the next year, and beyond.

Since I started writing ST&NO last January, I've tried to make it league-wide. Some MHR people have expressed appreciation for that, and I think some would like my work better if it was all Broncos, all the time. It's gotten more and more league-wide in nature during the course of this regular season - at first, kind of by accident. Later, I started to realize that I wanted to position myself for a more national platform, and I've gone with it more intentionally. I thank John Bena for always letting me write whatever I want, as I've been able to drop stuff that makes me happy.

In the marketplace of ideas, there's been a lot of evolution in how fans get football information. It used to be, you could watch your local market game, the Cowboys (America's Team), and a West Coast game, and then whatever was on Monday night. Now, you can watch any game you want, if you're willing to pay $400 a season for the privilege. Twenty years ago, you had your local rag newspaper, picking up some AP reporting, and having a couple Woody Paige-style columnists. I remember sitting in the front hall of my mom's house every Monday morning, reading the recaps and poring through the box scores. Now, you can go on the internet and read whoever you want. It's a brave new world, that continues to change all the time, and a guy like me has to continually evaluate my best positioning in it.

When there were just the rags, the strong written content was at the micro (team) level, mostly because it was the only particular written content, outside of a multi-sport skimmer like Sports Illustrated or The Sporting News. With the wide proliferation of the internet in the mid-90s, your average Len Pasquarelli and John Clayton emerged at ESPN.com, and the Worldwide Leader threw a ton of resources at football, taking the quality back to the macro level. In the early to mid 00s, it became much easier for people with no access to players and coaches to get information, and also to self-publish. Web 2.0 gave some people with real talent the chance to take the quality back to the micro level, where it really belongs, to a large degree.

Well, I'm a macro kind of guy who has been working at a micro level. I actually have personal friends who've told me explicitly that they won't read ST&NO because it appears on a Broncos site. It's just too much for some people to get past. You'll remember the story about the "repugnant" guy/girl from a couple weeks ago. The person's biggest burn was:

If you were as brilliant and talented as you think you are you'd be doing something other than running a niche website no one other than diehard Broncos fans gives a damn about.

As I told the critic in my response, I am very, very proud of MHR. It's the best Broncos site in the world, and I'm really proud to have been part of its rise, and call myself a member/alumnus of the site. From John, to the staff, to the community, it's really incredible what we have here, and I will always support and promote it. I'm struggling a bit to cut to the chase, which is unlike me, but you can probably tell by now that I am announcing my departure from the MHR staff.

I've decided to launch my own football site, with a stated goal of bringing MHR-style quality to the macro level. I looked at trying to convince a lousy MSM site like CBSSports.com to pay me for running my content on their site, and even went so far as to ask a friend to make an inquiry on my behalf. I've backed away from this idea, however, as I read about Bill Simmons' frustrations with ESPN's penchant for censoring his work. Everybody knows that wouldn't work for me. I'm taking the Oprah approach, instead, and owning my own outlet. I'm pretty close to being ready to launch, but not quite close enough to share details yet. Tune into next week's triumphant ST&NO finale, and you can get all the information about it.

There's such widespread suckitude at the national level, that I feel like I have to step directly into their arena, loudly and with both feet, if I really want to go after them. I'm here to tell you, I've got something for Peter King, Mike Florio, Clayton, Pasquarelli, Don Banks, Pete Prisco, and all the rest of them. Let there be no ambiguity. I am in it to win it at the national level, and I'll be applying everything I learned here at MHR, and every other resource I can muster to help make it happen. Sound the horns, because it is most definitely on.

It's Tuesday morning as I write this last part, time to post ST&NO, head to the office, and do another call with Kuldeep and Suresh in India. Have a great week, friends, and I'll see you next Tuesday for the final edition of this column. The ST&NO concept will definitely live on at my new site, but I'll be excited to have each of you with me next week, as we close this chapter of the story, and start writing the next one. Thanks for being MHR community members, and for reading my work every week. This site is going to continue to be great, and I'm just hoping to expand the universe a little faster than the reputation of the Most Interesting Man in The World, for a change. Thanks in advance for your support. :)

Cincinnati tries to overcome adversity for an encore as the Cardiac Cats

Kirkendall — Mon, 21 Dec 2009 17:29:39 -0000

More photos » by Lenny Ignelzi - AP

2 days ago: Cincinnati Bengals players, wearing a number 15 decal on their helmets, clasps hands just before the opening kickoff of the NFL football game against the San Diego Chargers Sunday Dec. 20, 2009 in San Diego. (AP Photo/Lenny Ignelzi)

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You have to acknowledge, even appreciate, how the Bengals played their guts out after Chris Henry's death, who was a friend and a teammate, just days before. Nevertheless, you don't have to like the result. During the final series, the Bengals secondary left the sidelines undefended, saying to San Diego's offense that it's open for you to stop the clock... after catching the pass, of course. A defensive unit that's largely been the strength of this football team, uncharacteristically faltered during the game's final, and very critical, drive. With 12 seconds left during a tie game, Chargers wide receiver Malcolm Floyd ran a 15-yard out route. Right there, the sidelines, wide open, run out to stop the clock. Please, take it. Philip Rivers hit Floyd in stride, stopping the clock and picking up enough yardage so Nate Kaeding could kick the game-winning 52-yard field goal.

But as much as much as I want to criticize the Bengals for losing their second straight game, their third loss in their past five games and inching closer to a Baltimore Ravens team that's won exactly one game less than Cincinnati, I can't. I simply can't. Cincinnati gave it their all. They faced enormous adversity throughout the day. Hell, throughout the week. With 6:21 left in the third quarter, the Bengals offense committed three consecutive presnap fouls, penalizing themselves into a first-and-25 scenario on their own seven-yard line. Cincinnati then called a timeout. A timeout? Now? What else could you do but laugh hysterically? They couldn't recover and went three and out. After Nate Kaeding kicked a 33-yard field goal to give the Chargers an 11-point lead, Cincinnati made their run, right? No. After back-to-back runs by Cedric Benson to gain four yards rushing, Carson Palmer throws an incomplete third down pass. Punt.

At this point it appeared like Cincinnati was drained. I'm not saying that they were giving up. Just drained. Emotionally. Physically. Everything. Like no matter how hard you ran, you couldn't pick up speed. A dream, where you keep falling while being chased by an evil witch. Or my ex-girlfriend. We've all been there when we've had days at work in which we're exhausted, having lost all patience and motivations. Then Keith Rivers intercepts a pass intended for Antonio Gates. Then Chad hauls in a backwards pass out of the backfield and picks up 26 yards. Then Carson Palmer found and nailed Laveranues Coles in the endzone for a touchdown. Then Carson Palmer converted the two points on a called quarterback sneak.

Suddenly Cincinnati scored a game-tying field goal with 57 seconds left in the game after driving from their own three-yard line. But in the end, it wasn't meant to be. They're still the cardiac cats and they played the tune they've played all year. So acknowledge and appreciate your Bengals for their efforts. As for the result, that's another matter.

It didn't start like it was supposed to start. Darren Sproles returns the game opening kickoff 45 yards to the Chargers 45-yard line. Why is this important aside for field position? Quite simply, we had no idea how the Bengals would react Sunday after Henry's death. San Diego running back LaDainian Tomlinson was left uncovered out of the backfield through the first drive, catching two passes for 19 yards without a defender in the area. Tomlinson picked up another 15 yards on the ground on a drive that went 55 yards on 11 plays, ending with a three-yard touchdown pass to tight end Antonio Gates. That was the first touchdown allowed by the Bengals on an opening drive since October 19, 2008 against the Pittsburgh Steelers.

The age of passing is back, Bengals score their first points of the game. Carson Palmer and the Bengals responded by converting two third downs longer than eight yards to go; a 12-yard pass to Andre Caldwell, a 14-yard pass to Chad Ochocinco. Palmer and the Bengals passing game looked vastly improved, very much in synch and evidently comfortable. However, their inability to score touchdowns in the red zone continued, leaving four points on the field after Shayne Graham converted a 26-yard field goal.

Bengals take a 10-7 lead with an emotional 49-yard touchdown by Chad Ochocinco. Cincinnati's offense returns to the field, after scoring a field goal on their first possession, followed by an outstanding defensive effort allowing only one first down. After Cedric Benson picked up seven yards behind the hulking body of Andrew Whitworth, Palmer was sacked by Kevin Ellison, who blitzed off the right edge. A millisecond before a delay of game was called, Marvin Lewis called a timeout to prevent a third-and-18. Instead, Palmer, on third-and-13, found an uncovered J.P. Foschi over the middle who conquered all and picked up 14 yards and a first down. How does did Foschi look? Benson picked up five yards on the ground on back-to-back runs, which set up third-and-five at the Bengals 39-yard line. Brian Leonard, lined up in the slot on the left, ran a short out, caught the pass and thanks to his godlike field awareness, dove for the first down. On second-and-four at the San Diego 49-yard line, Chad Ochocinco lines up wide left, scorches the defense with a that-looks-really-easy sprint down the left sidelines, hauling in a perfectly placed pass by Carson Palmer for a 49-yard touchdown reception.

Johnathan Joseph gives the Bengals their first turnover of the game. On third-and-nine at the Chargers 46-yard line with 10:42 left in the first half, the Bengals defense brings seven rushers, one of whom is Chinedum Ndukwe. Breaking free, Ndukwe drills Rivers just as the quarterback made a deep throw. Johnathan Joseph located the rainbow pass before Chargers receiver Malcolm Floyd and intercepted the pass. Cincinnati would go on to give up a sack, run on second-21 at their own 15-yard line, then later punt.

Vincent Jackson and the Chargers take the lead with a 21-yard touchdown pass. With 7:25 left in the second quarter, Antonio Gates catches a dinky short pass. With nimble stalwarts tasked with challenging Gates, the tight end changed directions forcing Jonathan Fanene, who sat in zone coverage, and Rey Maualuga to overshoot, picking 13 yards and the first down. On the next play, Gates ran a crossing pattern from left to right, caught the pass, shifted, spun, juked and nimbly forced Morgan Trent to miss another tackle, picking up 12 yards and another first down. Several plays later, Vincent Jackson got separation from Leon Hall, faked a post, which caused Hall to break in. Instead Jackson broke out and ran towards the left side of the endzone, catching a touchdown pass on a dive.

Redzone issues continue; Bengals score a field goal to reduce Charger's lead before half time.With three minutes left in the first half, the Bengals called Larry Johnson's number three times on four plays, picking up 38 yards rushing in the process. Palmer threw a needle to Laveranues Coles with 1:14 left in the half over the middle on a slant, picking up another 21 yards. Cincinnati's offense picked up 67 yards on seven plays in two and a half minutes. After that, it was the same story we've seen in the second half of the season. The inability to score touchdowns in the redzone. After spiking the football to stop the clock, Palmer threw back-to-back incomplete passes to J.P. Foschi forcing Shayne Graham to convert a 25-yard field goal.

A bit of advice: Stop going into the redzone!

Mental mistakes on offense returns to start the second half. Thanks to Shawne Merriman's jump offsides, the Bengals were left with a third-and-one at their own 34-yard line with 13:14 left in the third quarter. Benson pounded the point of attack, picking up the first down. However, Cincinnati's offense broke down with mental mistakes after Laveranues Coles made caught a 17-yard pass. Illegal formation. Pass deflected at the line of scrimmage. Delay of game. Bengals are forced with a third-and-21 at their own 46-yard line. Palmer finds Foschi over the middle for an 11 yard gain. Bengals punt.

Big defensive stand; preventing Rivers from picking up the first down. After two runs picking up nine yards midway through the third quarter, the Chargers line up big formation at their own 29-yard line. Philip Rivers takes the snap and sneaks up the middle. Cincinnati's defense stacked the line, expecting the trickery of a sneaky quarterback, holding Rivers from converting the first. Chargers punt.

Bengals: Momentum.
Josh: Is a bitch.

Palmer's interception and blown coverage by the Bengals secondary leads to a 34-yard touchdown by Vincent Jackson. Chad Ochocinco lined up on the right, ran 10 yards and broke in. Chargers cornerback Quentin Jammer anticipated the route, stretched his arms and picked off the pass. On second down, Rivers found Vincent Jackson running free down the left sidelines. The Bengals secondary blew the coverage, with Leon Hall allowing Jackson to release upfield without safety help. Jackson easily scored the touchdown, taking a 21-13 lead.

Bengals offense has an epic breakdown -- before their first snap. Here is a list of items by the Bengals with 6:21 left in the third quarter.

False start by Dennis Roland
Illegal substitution
Delay of Game

Then the Bengals take a timeout. The epitome of how this team loses focus is showcased here in a way we haven't seen before. Before their first snap on their third offensive possession in the second half leads to 15 lost yards before taking their first snap.

Cedric Benson misses the handoff when Palmer decides to check down to a draw in shotgun formation.

Palmer dumped off a surrender-pass to J.P. Foschi on third-and-19. Bengals punt. Mercifully.

Tomlinson picks up 36 yards on a screen; Chargers take a 24-13 lead. With 4:27 left in the third quarter at their own 27-yard line, Rivers fakes the handoff to Tomlinson who sits to the left waiting for the screen pass. After the catch, Tomlinson sprints. And sprints. He's still sprinting. Hell, I'm parched with all of the sprinting. He's still running. Finally Tomlinson is tackled at the Cincinnati 37-yard line, picking up 36 yards. After a no-gain by Sproles, Rivers finds Jackson over the middle, catching his first non-touchdown reception of the game. On third-and-six at the Bengals 15-yard line, Rivers throws a rainbow pass to Vincent Jackson near the front left pylon. Leon Hall jumped with Jackson, separating the ball from the receiver causing an incomplete pass. The Chargers' Nate Kaeding converts the 33-yard field goal and the Chargers take a 24-13 lead. Leon Hall may have struggled throughout most of the game, but he made a play that saved four points; a deficit that makes the Bengals comeback all but impossible later.

And then the Bengals write the story about how comebacks after epic breakdowns happen. With 14:11 left in the game, Rivers lobs a pass to Antonio Gates. The football bounced around a jiffy and Keith Rivers hauls down the pass for the interception. On the first play, Palmer fakes the end around to Chad Ochocinco and then flips the pass to Chad out of the backfield, who runs left, right, forward, backward, diagonally, and picks up 26 yards down the left sidelines. Bengals at the Chargers seven-yard line. Oh, no. Redzone. After a five-yard pass to Jeremi Johnson, Palmer throws the football to Laveranues Coles towards the right side of the endzone. Coles catches the touchdown and the Bengals cut the score to 24-19. Bengals elect to go for the two-point conversion. Quarterback draw. Palmer scores. Just as we expected. Bengals down by three points.

The bookend of the Dhani. After Dhani Jones dropped Tomlinson for a one-yard loss with 12:32 left in the game, Rivers finds Jackson for a 15-yard gain on second down. After Keith Rivers sacked Rivers for an eight-yard loss, Chinedum Ndukwe was called for illegal contact and an automatic first down. After Maualuga stopped Tomlinson for a three-yard gain, Philip Rivers finds Malcolm Floyd running down the middle for a 20-yard gain. After Rivers completes two dinky two-yard passes for four yards, Dhani Jones slams into Floyd, who caught the pass out of bounds. Chargers punt. Dhani. The man that a lot of people want to run out of town so Rey Maualuga can start at middle linebacker.

And this time the game wasn't decided by another Andre Caldwell fumble... somewhat. Benson picks up ten yards down the left sidelines. J.P. Foschi is called for holding, bringing the Bengals back to their own three-yard line with 6:49 left in the game. Foschi says, "my bad boys, I'll make it up." On first-and-12, Palmer hits Foschi over the middle picking up 21 yards. On third-and-four at their own 30-yard line, Palmer hits Quan Cosby for five yards and the first down. Bengals moving. They're motivated again. They're the cardiac cats again. Palmer hits Foschi on a first down pass at their own 35-yard line, running across the field, picking up 15 yards. First down. Palmer is forced to rollout to the right with 4:39 left in the game, finds Cedric Benson, who picks up another 11 yards. He finds Benson on the next down for another eight yards.

Bengals driving... awesomely. The AFC North and possibly the second seed on the line. Benson gets the hand off and picks up 12 yards on second-and-two with 3:14 left in the game. Man, oh man. I can feel it. They're going to take it.

Then...

False start on Foschi. Palmer throws a quick pass to Andre Caldwell on the left. Tim Dobbins nails Caldwell, who losses the football. No, not just loses the football. The football shoots out of a canon about 20 yards backwards. Palmer dove on the fumble.

Cincinnati is stuck with second-and-36 at the Chargers 45-yard line. Palmer takes the shotgun snap, looks deep. Finds no one and hits Foschi on the left sidelines for a limited six-yard gain, leaving third-and-30. Cosby, lined up third wide receiver in from the right, crosses the field and picks up 22 yards, setting up game-tying field goal by Shayne Graham. I opened my eyes after the attempted kick and the field goal was made.

Bengals tied the game on a 12-play, 79 yard field goal drive. Granted, the Bengals tied the game. But how much easier would it have been to sustain the drive and picked up the first down if not for Caldwell's fumble? We still like the guy. But c'mon.

But Rivers and the Chargers offense set up Nate Kaeding's 52-yard game winner. With :54 seconds left in the game, starting at their own 20-yard line, the Bengals defense played soft coverage, especially considering the edges. Rivers completed four of five passes (the fifth being a spike) for 46 yards setting up a Nate Kaeding 52-yard field goal, that he nailed.

If you were not a fan of either team, this football game was very entertaining. If you're a fan of the Bengals, you have to appreciate how tough they played. But the same things bit Cincinnati as they have all year. Penalties. Turnovers. Lack of redzone production. Mistakes. Mistakes. Mistakes.

Cincinnati takes on the Kansas City Chiefs next week, who gave up 351 yards rushing to the Cleveland Browns.

Bolts & Dolts: Bengals at Chargers

John (obviousman) — Mon, 21 Dec 2009 12:21:04 -0000

More photos » by Chris Park - AP

2 days ago: Cincinnati Bengals quarterback Carson Palmer is caught by San Diego Chargers safety Kevin Ellison for a ten yard loss in the first quarter of an NFL football game Sunday, Dec. 20, 2009 in San Diego. (AP Photo/Chris Park)

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Alright, we're doing it a little different this week. I'm doing Bolts & Dolts without re-watching the game, because this is a team/game/post driven by emotion, and after re-watching I may come back and add or change something. S'alright? S'alright.

First, the game. This game ranks up there with the Giants game for me. It's an opponent of equal talent, and a lot of times in the past the Chargers have lost to teams that are just as good as them by not doing the little things. This season, through plenty of adversity (namely, injuries), the team has continued to do the little things that keep you in the game and give you a chance to win the game at the end. Because of that, today's first Bolt might be the most well-deserved one ever.

Bolts

Norv Turner. There's this recurring conversation I seem to have with my friends and family every year about Norv Turner. In a nutshell, the conversation is "The team just doesn't seem ready to play at the beginning of the season or at the beginning of games. That's coaching." Sure, fine, although the team has been much better this season at starting off games strong.

However, that's negative thinking. Three straight division titles, nine straight wins and seventeen straight wins in December (not all of thus under Turner, but still). That's coaching too. Three straight seasons where the team has started slow and could've quit on him but never did, that takes coaching. No coach is unblemished, and with Norv the good certainly outweighs the bad. I'm not ready to declare Norv the greatest Chargers coach ever, but if you look at where he is now it's hard to argue that he's not on his way to getting there.

Offense

Philip Rivers - 24/38, 308 yds, 3 TDs, 2 INTs. Only Philip would be able to manage a 92.9 QB Rating in a game in which he was picked off twice. This is why he's the active leader in QB Rating. It wasn't the best game for him, but he sporadically had some perfect throws and (as usual) came alive to save the day in the fourth quarter. His MVP resume is getting stronger while Brett Favre's is getting weaker.

LaDainian Tomlinson - 117 all-purpose yds, 3.7 YPC. It was a very efficient day for LT. He was used in the passing game when the Bengals were focused too much on the receivers, and he looked strong in the running game (as did the offensive line) nearly all game. It wasn't dominating, but it was efficient. By the way, has LT ever smiled this much in one season? He looks like he's having a ball this year.

Vincent Jackson - 5 catches, 108 yds, 2 TDs. First it was VJ that was free because of Antonio Gates, then it was Gates that was open because of VJ. Now, and credit Norv Turner for this, the team has found a perfect balance of both. Defenses have to find a way to cover both guys on every play otherwise there's going to be a big play. Credit Vincent for fighting through the little bit of adversity he's faced this year and coming back alive right when the team needed him most.

Antonio Gates - 4 catches, 33 yds, TD. Simply put, the best receiving TE in football. He cannot be covered by a CB, LB or most NFL Safeties. Unless you have somebody like Troy Polamalu or Tyvon Branch, be prepared to double-team Gates on just about every play. Gates almost lost his Bolt when he dropped the ball into Keith Rivers hands, but that ball was thrown behind him.

Malcom Floyd - 4 catches, 63 yds. I originally had Floyd down in the "Almost Bolts" and then realized that he had a better game than Gates (or at least close to it). I love how Malcom has become Philip's new favorite 3rd down target, and I love how there's never any doubt that he caught the ball if he's gotten his hands on it.

Floyd is a free-agent after this season, and a few days ago somebody said they thought another team would spend too much money on him and he wouldn't be back next season. I hope, for the sake of Philip Rivers and Malcom Floyd, that's inaccurate. These guys have been together since the start of their careers, creating chemistry on the 2nd string team in practice, and bring out the best in each other.

Defense

Tim Dobbins - 11 tackles, 1 forced fumble. Yes, yes, that was me saying "Dobbins sucks" in the first half. The truth is, the Chargers played Dobbins a lot because he's great against the run. The Bengals did the right thing in calling pass plays that would force him into coverage, where he's not-so-good. His tackle numbers are half because he was very good against the run and half because he was tackling his receiver after giving the guy an easy catch. What earned him a Bolt was getting the closest thing to a turnover on the most important play of the game.

Eric Weddle - 8 tackles. Great to see Weddle hasn't lost anything in his two weeks off. He was still in the middle of every play, and providing great downfield coverage.

Kevin Ellison - 6 tackles, 1 sack. I love Ellison's size. When the Bengals put a TE/RB out wide, Ellison always lined up with him in man coverage. He has the speed to stay with them, and the strength to give them a big bump on the line. I haven't seen him playing a lot of zone coverage (that seems to be Oliver's specialty), but in man he's stellar. I think he's earned the starting SS spot for 2010.

Defensive Line. Okay, none of them were really demanding a double-team (which is why the pass-rush was non-existent) so they weren't a huge help in rushing the QB. However, they were stellar at stopping the run. Alfonso Boone, Travis Johnson and Vaughn Martin each had periods of the game where they dominated their section of the line. If you take away the two "cut-back" runs (27 yards for Larry Johnson, 26 yards for Chad Ochocinco), the rushing numbers look significantly better. Holding Cedric Benson to just 53 yards (and no TDs) is something to be congratulated for.

Special Teams

Nate Kaeding - 2/2 FGs, 3/3 XPs. Was there even any doubt? There wasn't for me. The second Malcom Floyd caught that ball and put the Chargers on the 35 yard line, I knew they had won the game. Just as Gates is the best receiving TE in football (and arguably the best overall), Kaeding is the most accurate kicker in football (and arguably the best overall). Lucky for the Chargers, both guys are having career years at the same time.

Dolts

Offense

There were no offensive Dolts this week.

Defense

There were no defensive Dolts this week.]

Almost Bolts

Mike Scifres - The Bengals had time for one more drive to win or tie the game. Scifres punts, his gunners are blocked, and the ball still goes out of bounds on it's own at the Cincinnati 5 yard line. Any time you can force a team to go 95 yards to score the winning TD, you're making it very difficult for them. He would've been the hero of the game if the Bengals didn't go down the field and tie it.

Quentin Jammer - Jammer is one of the first plays that could've been a Bolt or a Dolt. His interception against Chad Ochocinco was beautiful, but overshadowed in my mind by the numerous times he was beaten on out routes. His goal-line play against the Bengals TE at the end of the game was a big reason why the Chargers won, but what will stick out to people is the easy interception that went through his hands on the previous play. It certainly wasn't Jammer's best game, but he responded well to being thrown at (which doesn't happen often).

Kris Wilson - Jeff will be able to better point this out in his post later this week, but I thought the team really came alive on Wilson's catch. For those that didn't see it, Kris has his helmet torn off and kept fighting for the extra yard. It got to the point where the defender literally pulled Wilson down by the back of his head (it looked like a for-sure neck injury), and Kris popped right back up with an angry stare. This all happened about a foot in front of the Chargers sideline, which went bananas after the play.

I like Wilson's toughness, blocking and soft hands. This is probably way too early, but I could see him replacing Brandon Manumaleuna next season as the team's backup TE/FB.

Kassim Osgood - Not just the best special team player in the league, but quite possibly the smartest. Nobody knows special teams better than him, and nobody works harder at it. I know it's not possible, but I really hope he's wearing a bolt on his helmet next season.

Almost Dolts

Steve Gregory - Just like Tim Dobbins, Gregory was targeted and thrown at all day. The Bengals were smart enough to not throw short-passes at his receivers, because that's Steve's specialty, and instead hit the receiver at the point where they've gotten past Gregory but before they've gotten to the safeties. It was a good gameplan that the Bolts are sure to see more of going forward. Unlike Dobbins, Gregory wasn't able to stand out with any big plays.

Pass Rush - I've been over this, but I'll go over it again. 2 sacks is not enough, but this is not the fault of Shawne Merriman, Shaun Phillips or Larry English. The defensive line needs to cause more of a disturbance for the QB when he's sliding up in the pocket. I think we may see more of Vaughn Martin in the next couple of weeks because, even though he's still not great or very consistent, there were times where he was pushing around offensive linemen like they were children. If he can force offenses to pay attention to him, you'll see the OLBs racking up the sacks in droves once again.

Game Preview: Bengals at Chargers

John (obviousman) — Fri, 18 Dec 2009 13:44:16 -0000

Before I get to the game preview, let me take a minute to mourn Chris Henry. From everything I've read and seen since his accident, Chris had turned his life around and was a model citizen for the Bengals this season. As a football player, Chris was always a threat to make a big play. He was Malcom Floyd, possibly with more speed. As long as he kept his head on straight, he had a successful career and life ahead of him.

Even when Chris wasn't able to stay out of trouble, the one thing that I always noticed was that his teammates were behind him 100%. They loved him, and didn't consider him a trouble-maker in the least. They seemed to think of him as more of a wide-eyed kid who had his heart in the right place and would eventually learn who and what to stay away from.

So this isn't a Cincinnati team that's lost a player who was signed this year, or one that nobody particularly liked until this season. Chris Henry was a part of the Bengals family, and how the players are able to react on Sunday will be the true determining factor of who wins the game. Everything below is stats and info about how the team performed without this emotional burden. It says nothing about the team that will take the field against the Chargers.

When the Bengals Have the Ball

Overall Offense

Contrary to what you may think, this is not the explosive offense the Bengals had with Carson Palmer, Chad Johnson and T.J. Houshmandzadeh a few seasons ago. The Bengals rank 20th in offensive yards per game and 19th in points scored per game.
Being 23rd in yards per play means the Chargers have to worry less about giving up the big play against the Bengals than if they were playing the 49ers, Redskins or Jaguars.
The stats above are no big surprise for a team that focuses it's energy on running the football. The proof that they do it well is in their 13th ranked 3rd down conversion percentage. Cedric Benson has helped Cincy get a lot more 3rd and shorts than 3rd and longs.
As many of us saw in their game against the Vikings, the Bengals have a penchant for shooting themselves in the foot. They have racked up the 9th most penalty yardage in the league, and their turnover margin is a fairly mediocre +1. This is exactly why they lost to Oakland, and why they haven't been able to get sound victories over the Browns (twice) or Lions.

Passing Offense

The Bengals, who throw about 1 less pass per game than the Chargers, rank 23rd in passing yards per game. Being 18th in yards per play means that, despite having a big-armed QB in Palmer, the Bengals' passing game does not get many big plays.
Carson Palmer has been less careful with the ball this season as had Philip Rivers, throwing 17 TDs against 10 interceptions. His QB rating for the season is 84.8, or just about average.
Confirming my suspicions, the Bengals rank 23rd in pass plays of 20+ yards and 24th in pass plays of 40+ yards.
One thing the Bengals' passing offense does well is protect Palmer. He has been sacked just 23 times this season, making the Bengals the 7th best in that category.

Rushing Offense

The Bengals rushing attack, mostly carried by Cedric Benson, is averaging 132.8 yards per game. That's good for 6th in the league.
Being 19th in the league for rushing TDs shows that the Bengals struggle to pound the ball the ball into the endzone to finish drives. That fits right in with the Bolts' "bend but don't break" run defense.
The Cowboys are tied for 8th in the league in running play of 20+ yards. With Eric Weddle coming back this week, I'm much less concerned about big plays out of the Bengals' run game. Also, the Bengals are more of an inside running team, whereas the Chargers have struggled the most with runs to the outside.

via i.a.cnn.net

Overall Defense

The Chargers allow the 12th least yards per game, and rank 12th in lowest yards allowed per play. They are ranked 14th in least points allowed per game.
The Bolts' problem on D continue to stopping 3rd down conversions, but they did a very good job against Dallas and have moved up to 22nd best in the league.

Passing Defense

The Chargers rank 10th in terms of passing yards allowed per game, and are tied for 10th in yards allowed per pass attempt.
The Bolts' 11 interceptions ties them for 18th best in the league. Their 31 sacks ties them for 11th.
TThe Chargers are tied for 3rd in the least amount of passing plays of 20+ yards allowed. All season this has been a defense that does not give up big plays, and that has been the key in victories against the Cowboys and Eagles.

Rushing Defense

In terms of rushing yards allowed per game, the Chargers are 21st in the league. Their 4.3 Yards Per Carry allowed ties them with the Falcons for 18th in the league for that stat as well.
The 8 rushing touchdowns allowed by the Bolts ties them with the Bengals for 9th best in the league.
The Chargers are tied for 4th best in the league at stopping/preventing running plays of 20+ yards. They have allowed only 5 against them all season. They still have not given up a run of 40+ yards.
Those stats above are amazing. Even though the Chargers are very poor at stopping 5 yard runs, they are one of the league's best in preventing big runs and are really good at preventing rushing TDs as well. No wonder the lack of run D hasn't killed San Diego.

When the Chargers Have the Ball

via prod.static.chargers.clubs.nfl.com

Overall Offense

The Bolts are 13th in the league in offensive yards per game, but are still very efficient. They are 6th in terms of yards per play and 3rd in terms of points per game.
The Chargers' offense has gotten steadily better at converting 3rd downs all season. They've worked themselves up the ranks and are now the 9th best team in the league on 3rd down.
The Chargers are still the least penalized team in the league. Their turnover margin is +8, after forcing zero turnovers against the Cowboys. This team's identity continues to be one that does not shoot themselves in the foot, and takes advantage of the mistakes of their opponents.

Passing Offense

After throwing for one touchdown and one (dumb) interception in Dallas, Rivers now has 22 TD throws against 7 picks. That's a 3-to-1 TD/INT ratio, which is impressive when you see that Carson Palmer isn't even at 2-to-1 this season.
The Chargers rank 3rd in pass plays of 20+ yards, having 3 less than the undefeated Saints.
We've seen the offensive line get better at protecting Philip, and at the same time we've seen #17 get even better at avoiding defenders in the pocket. He did a lot of it against the Cowboys, and was only sacked once. Currently, the Chargers are 5th best in the league at protecting their QB.

Rushing Offense

The Chargers ground game, which was stifled for 3.5 quarters in Dallas, is averaging just 87.5 yards per game. That's good for 30th best in the league, or two slots better than the undefeated Colts. Their 3.2 Yards Per Carry makes them the least efficient running team in the league (two slots below Indy).
Being ineffective over the course of a game does not mean the Chargers aren't able to punch it in when they need to. Their "league worst" rushing attack is tied for 11th with 13 TDs.
The Chargers are tied for 24th in the league in running play of 20+ yards, and it still surprises me that they're that not worst in the league.

Overall Defense

The Bengals allow the 5th least yards per game, and rank 6th in lowest yards allowed per play. They are ranked 2nd in least points allowed per game. I think we just found out why they're a playoff team.
The Bengals are one of the best defenses on 3rd down, where they have the 7th lowest 3rd down conversion percentage against them.

Passing Defense

Cincy ranks 12th in terms of passing yards allowed per game, but are 6th in yards allowed per pass attempt.
The Bengals 15 interceptions ties them for 9th best in the league. Their 31 sacks ties them for 11th. So this team gets to the QB with the same frequency the Chargers do, but they get more picks and allow less TDs.
Although their defense is sound, there should be some opportunities downfield for Philip Rivers, Vincent Jackson and Malcom Floyd. The Bengals rank 11th in 20+ yard pass plays allowed, and their Safeties aren't great.

Rushing Defense

In terms of rushing yards allowed per game, the Bengals are 3rd in the league. Their 3.7 Yards Per Carry allowed ties them with the Eagles for 5th in the league. This is one of the strongest run defenses in the league, so don't expect a big game from LaDainian Tomlinson.
The 8 rushing touchdowns allowed by Cincinnati ties them with San Diego for 9th best in that category.
The Bengals are tied with the Colts for best in the league at stopping big running plays. They have allowed only 3 runs for 20+ yards all season.

Conclusion

This is a game of strength versus weakness. A strong Cincinnati running game against a weak San Diego run defense. A weak SD run offense against a strong Cincy run defense. This game will come down to a few things. One, as usual Philip Rivers will have to play at an MVP level. Luckily, that never seems to be a problem for him. Two, the Bengals will have to make mistakes with playcalling, penalties or turnovers. Three, the Bengals' adrenaline (and how long it can last) will determine what they can and cannot do on offense.

I'd say I'm not picking a winner for this game because there's too many unknown variables, but at this point I'd feel stupid betting against the team who never loses in December and is at home trying to clinch a playoff spot. Chargers win.

I Am Freaking Out Man

PSTIM1 — Fri, 18 Dec 2009 05:01:13 -0000

Tristan Cockroft - I just wanted to say his name somewhere in this post.

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So the fantasy playoffs have officially begun and I am going against Dallass Clark so I am already getting killed. I am already down 21 points, and as it stands today I am not sure if my QB is actually gonna play (Brady) and I am starting Maurice "who the fuck?" Morris due to Kevin Smith's exploded knee. I have had a good fantasy year (10-4) and I have never won a ring, and at this point I'd trade my first born child for a taste of fantasy glory. I have provided my fantasy matchup for ya'll to look at - please tell me I have a chance! And should I actually start Maurice Morris or should I go with Rim Thighpower (Tim Hightower)? Detroit fan's have you heard about how they are gonna use Morris and Aaron Brown? Please guys I need this...I need this.

Me: Team Name: PenisCopter (dont ask)

Tom Brady

Larry Fitzgerald

Chad Ochocinco

Frank Gore

Maurice Morris

Vernon Davis

Jets D

Nick Folk

My Opponent: Team Name: Cock Poon Moan

Matt 'Slob a Knob" Schaub

Randy "I give boss" Moss

Anquan Blowin Dudes (Boldin)

LT "licks taint"

Cedric Bendoverson (Benson - that one's not funny)

Dal "takes it up the" ass Clark

Cardinals D (I got nothing)

"Nasty" Nate Kaeding (he looks like such a pussy)

PS my scoring is rb's/wr's/te's get a point every ten yards rushing and receiving and 6 points for a td. QB's get 1 point for every 20 yards passing and 5 points for passing td's. Kickers get a point for fg's 2 points for fg's over 50 yds - nothing for xp's.

Poll

Will I Win or Lose?

Primer: Cincinnati Bengals (9-4) at San Diego Chargers (10-3)

Kirkendall — Wed, 16 Dec 2009 15:03:09 -0000

More photos » by Denis Poroy - AP

24 days ago: San Diego Chargers' LaDainian Tomlinson, left, and Antonio Gates celebrate after Gates' 19-yard touchdown-reception during the first quarter of an NFL football game against the Kansas City Chiefs, Sunday Nov. 29, 2009 in San Diego. (AP Photo/Denis Poroy)

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Game: Cincinnati Bengals (9-4) at San Diego Chargers (10-3)
Series Leader: Chargers, 18-10
Streak: Chargers have won four of the past five
Coaches vs. Opponent: Lewis: 1-1. Turner: 0-0
Broadcast: CBS (1:05 PM PT): Jim Nantz, Phil Simms. SIRIUS: 158 (Cin.), 123 (SD). XM: 112 (SD).
SB Nation: Bolts from the Blue
NFL.com: Game Center
Weather: Partly cloud with a high of 67 degrees [Weather.com]
Uniform: White
Television Coverage: Parts of Ohio, Arizona, California, Nevada, Pennsylvania and different spots around the nation. [506]

Cincinnati Bengals

Cincinnati, 4-2 on the road in 2009, can clinch the AFC North with a win.
With a win, Marvin Lewis will surpass Paul Brown for second-most wins in franchise history.
In his only meeting against the San Diego Chargers, Carson Palmer completed 31 of 42 passes for 440 yards passing, three touchdowns and no interceptions for a 131.1 passer rating.
Cedric Benson has over 1,000 yards rushing for the first time in his career.
On the road, Benson averages 90.6 yards rushing per game.
In his past two games, Chad Ochocinco has 21 receptions for 367 yards receiving and five touchdowns.
Chad needs 63 yards to record his seventh 1,000-yard season in his career.
Jonathan Fanene has a career-best six sacks in 2009.
Leon Hall needs one interception to surpass a career-high five picks in 2007.
Hall and Johnathan Joseph are tied for second in the NFL with 19 passes defensed.

San Diego Chargers

Chargers are looking to record their ninth straight win and look to extend an NFL record 16 straight wins in the month of December.
Quarterback Phillip Rivers is 16-0 as a starter in December with 3,498 yards passing, 28 touchdowns, eight interceptions and a 99.3 passer rating.
In his only meeting against the Bengals, Rivers recorded 338 yards passing, three touchdowns, no interceptions and 124.5 passer rating.
During the eight-game winning streak, Rivers has 15 touchdowns, four interceptions and a 113.5 passer rating.
Since 2000, running back LaDainian Tomlinson leads the NFL with 3,938 yards rushing and 37 rushing touchdowns.
Tomlinson (136) needs one rushing touchdown to surpass Emmitt Smith for most rushing touchdowns in a single decade.
In four games against the Bengals, Tomlinson has recorded 100 yards rushing or more in three games; averages 105 yards rushing against Cincinnati.
Antonio Gates (1,038) needs 64 yards receiving to surpass a career-high of 1,101 yards in 2005.
Vincent Jackson recorded his fifth 100-yard receiving game last week and needs only 11 yards to become first Chargers receiver since Tony Martin (1995-1996) to reach 1,000 yards in back-to-back seasons.
Linebacker Stephen Cooper leads the Chargers with 90 tackles.

TEAM RANKINGS

Offense	Bengals	Chargers
Total	322.5 (20th)	354.3 (13th)
Scoring	20.3 (19th)	27.8 (4th)
Third Downs	42% (13th)	42% (9th)
Rushing	132.8 (6th)	87.5 (31st)
Rushing TDs	9 (19th)	13 (t-11th)
Passing	189.8 (23rd)	266.8 (5th)
Passing TDs	17 (t-17th)	22 (t-10th)
Sacks Allowed	23 (t-7th)	22 (t-5th)
20-yard Passes	31 (t-23rd)	52 (2nd)

Defense	Bengals	Chargers
Total	295.5 (5th)	324.2 (12th)
Scoring	16.7 (t-2nd)	19.9 (14th)
3rd Downs Allowed	35 (7th)	40 (22nd)
Rushing	86.4 (3rd)	117.1 (21nd)
Rushing TDs	8 (t-9th)	8 (t-9th)
Passing	209.1 (12th)	207.1 (10th)
Passing TDs	14 (t-8th)	19 (t-18th)
Sacks	31 (t-10th)	31 (t-10th)
QB Rating	73.7 (6th)	84.9 (t-17th)
20-Yard Passes Allowed	35 (t-11th)	29 (t-3rd)
Interceptions	15 (t-8th)	11 (t-18th)

Special Teams	Bengals	Chargers
Kickoff Return	21.3 (26th)	23.2 (12th)
Punt Return	11.3 (5th)	8.2 (17th)
Punting (Net)	36.9 (23rd)	39.9 (t-7th)
Punts Inside the 20	20 (t-16th)	20 (t-16th)

2009 STATISTICAL INDIVIDUAL RANKINGS

Carson Palmer	Stat	Ranking
Quarterback Rating	84.8	18th
Yards Passing	2,641	18th
Touchdowns	17	t-14th
First Downs	136	15th
Average Yards/Att	6.8	19th
Completions	237	17th
Interceptions	10	t-15th
Times Sacked	23	t-17th

Cedric Benson	Stat	Ranking
Yards Rushing	1,065	8th
Attempts / Game	23.4	1st
Touchdowns	6	t-17th
First Downs	48	8th

Chad Ochocinco	Stat	Ranking
Receptions	65	t-19th
Yards Receiving	937	15th
Touchdowns	7	t-13th
20-yard receptions	14	t-10th
First Downs	50	t-7th

CAREER AGAINST THE SAN DIEGO CHARGERS

Carson Palmer

Date	Result	Comp.	Att.	Yards	TDs	Int
11.12.2006	L, 41-49	31	42	440	3	0

Chad Johnson

Date	Result	Rec	Yards	TDs
11.12.2006	L, 41-49	11	260	2
11.23.2003	W, 34-27	10	107	3
9.30.2001	L, 14-28	2	28	1

Cedric Benson

Date	Rushes	Yards	TDs
9.9.2007	19	42	0

Bolts & Dolts: Chargers at Cowboys

John (obviousman) — Mon, 14 Dec 2009 11:58:21 -0000

More photos » by Amy Gutierrez - AP

9 days ago: San Diego Chargers tight end Antonio Gates (85) pulls in a touchdown pass in the second half of an NFL football game against the Dallas Cowboys, Sunday, Dec. 13, 2009 in Arlington, Texas. The Chargers won 20-17. (AP Photo/Amy Gutierrez)

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When you factor in things like how the opposing teams have played in the games immediately before or after their showdown with the Chargers, you could make a case that this Cowboys team is the 2nd or 3rd best team the Bolts have faced all year. Although it's December, they're playing much better than they were in the beginning of the season (when the Broncos beat them) and it was going to take a complete game by the coaching staff and players to get a win.

Well, that was about as complete of a game as you can have in the NFL against a legitimate opponent. The defense, similar to the game against the Browns, seemed to play a soft zone in the beginning and end of the game. They struggled to stop any of the Cowboys three star RBs, and yet Dallas was only able to score one meaningful touchdown in the game. I have no idea how Ron Rivera keeps doing it, but he continually keeps points off the board.

The offense is currently unstoppable. It's clicking in a way it never has before, with Philip Rivers playing his best football and Norv Turner calling all the right plays at the right times. It helps when you have 5 guys on the field who are receiving threats on any given play. Even LaDainian Tomlinson, who isn't much of a feature-back these days, seems to become a better player near the goal line and whenever the Chargers need a big run for a first down.

It's a good time to be a Chargers fan. The division crowd, the playoffs and a first round bye are no longer just dreams.

Bolts

Offense

Philip Rivers - 21/32, 272 yds, 1 TD, 1 INT. Whomever is disappointed that Philip didn't have another game with a QB rating of over 130, please leave the room. This was not the Browns and it was not the Chiefs. This was a legitimate NFL defense with very few holes. The pass-rush was there all game, and kept Philip stepping up in the pocket and sometimes running for his life. The CBs played a great game, Mike Jenkins in particular. Rivers and his WRs were just better. Any time you can post a near 90 QB rating against one of the better defenses in the league, count it as a victory.

Vincent Jackson - 7 catches, 120 yds. Well, well, well....somebody's back. In reality, VJ never left. This game wasn't about him breaking out as much as it was the defense going with a different philosophy. In the last few games, the idea was to double Jackson on every play. That left things open for Antonio Gates. This game, the Cowboys did the opposite and VJ came through in a big way. Huge plays by him and Rivers are the reason this game wasn't lost. They kicked the team back into high gear after the injury to DeMarcus Ware.

Antonio Gates - 4 catches, 44 yds, 1 TD. Need a first down on third down? Need a TD from inside the 15 yard line? Go to the guy who is completely and totally uncoverable. Philip didn't need to force passes to him this game, and didn't, but when he needed that outlet to get the team out of a jam Gates was there. He always is.

Malcom Floyd - 3 catches, 40 yds. First off, his catch on the sideline was absolutely ridiculous. Second, Floyd is a Pass-Interference machine....which actually makes sense. His speed is not that great, so it's rare that you see him more than a half-step ahead of his defenders downfield. However, he has a reputation for catching everything and is the king of jump balls. So any CB covering him is close by, and knows that just getting his hands in Floyd's face isn't going to do a thing. Add in the fact that he's skinny (so it always looks like he's the one that got pushed) and he could get PI called against a CB nearly every time if he tried. It's great that Norv has figured this out, and knows there's no risk in throwing it to Floyd one-on-one downfield, and calls it when a big play is necessary.

Offensive Line - 1 sack allowed. Say what you want about the run-blocking. It's at least three times more important to keep Rivers upright and healthy than it is opening holes for LT and Darren Sproles. That was a fierce pass-rush, with lots of blitzing (I miss Phillips' recklessness sometimes), and the offensive line gave Philip just enough time and space to make plays. Even that one sack, you could argue that it happened because Rivers didn't move in the pocket when he should've. Great showing by everyone, and specifically the tackles. I don't know where Scott Mruczkowski and Brandyn Dombrowski fit into the future of the offensive line, but with them and Jeromey Clary and Nick Hardwick it would appear the Bolts have a plethora of talent up front for next year.

Defense

Brandon Siler - 5 tackles, 1 sack, 2 tackles for loss. That's it. Let there be no more doubt in anybody's mind. Brandon Siler is a Player, with a capital P, and has earned the right to start ahead of Kevin Burnett for the rest of the season. He makes the run-defense stronger, gets pressure on the QB when blitzing and is generally a force that can mess up any given play for the offense. Give him the most credit for the goal-line stand (his specialty), and give him credit for being strong in coverage all game as well.

Stephen Cooper - 3 tackles, 2 defended passes, 1 forced fumble. The best game of zone coverage Coop has played all season. I don't really care that he didn't pick off the passes he got his hands on, because I believe most of them were big 3rd down plays. Cooper had an OK game against the run as well, which is why you saw a lot more runs to the outside (away from him and Siler) as time went on.

Special Teams

Mike Scifres - 42.0 average, 2 (of 3) inside opposing 20 yd line. Follow this theory, dreamed up by my wife. With about 10 second left to go in the first half, Scifres came out for his first punt (that's kindof amazing). The punt landed inside the Cowboys' 5 and bounced into the end zone. When the camera showed Mike, he was screaming "Man, what the @#$&!" at somebody. I couldn't tell why, and my wife said "I guess he wanted somebody to down it. You know, for his stats." My response was "Screw his stats, it's the end of the half!" Well, if the following theory is correct, I'm the only idiot.

In the second half, Mike punted twice. Each time it was downed inside the Cowboys' 5 yard line by Kassim Osgood. After each time, Kassim stayed where he downed it, held the ball up and looked back at where the play originated from. I originally thought he was just doing it as a celebration, and to show the refs where he was. My wife was the one who said "I bet he's showing the ball to Scifres." If that's the case, and it makes the most sense, then good job by Mike to get on Kassim. That field position meant the world in the second half. Oh, and....

Kassim Osgood - 2 downed punts inside the Cowboys' 5. You could argue that, between Osgood and Mike Tolbert, the Chargers have two of the ten best special teams players in football. I'd certainly argue that point. The Bolts are going to have big shoes to fill on punt returns next season when Osgood is playing WR somewhere else.

Nate Kaeding - 2/2 FGs, 2/2 XPs. I love that stat that shows up every time he kicks now, the most accurate kicker in the history of the NFL. Kaeding is everything that everybody thought Mike Nugent would be. If you're within 45 yards of the goal post, it's a guaranteed 3 points. Beyond that, you still have a good chance.

Dolts

Offense

There were no offensive Dolts this week.

Defense

Defensive Line - 4.0 YPC allowed, zero sacks. This probably isn't their fault. There just isn't enough talent on the line to dominate anybody anymore. Still, each guy on the line was getting pushed around with ease and I don't believe any of them were demanding anything more than a single blocker. This is a big reason why Shawne Merriman and Shaun Phillips were held in check as pass-rushers and run-stoppers. The defensive line allowed a lot of easy runs up the gut, and didn't take up the blockers to free up LBs to stop the runs to the outside either. Whether or not they can do it, the Bolts may need the defensive line to play better than that to win any playoff games.

Almost Bolts

Mike Tolbert - Quite a weapon on offense, and quite a hitter on special teams. I'm left scratching my head as to why he didn't carry the ball once all game, but I'm sure Norv has his reasons. Perhaps, like me, he doesn't yet trust him to hold onto the ball in a close game?
LaDainian Tomlinson - Just what we've come to expect from LT. Smart running, timely big plays and a knack for never fumbling the football. Has anyone else noticed that he never loses yardage anymore? A handoff to LT these days is a guaranteed 2 yards or more.
Antonio Cromartie - He's gotta be the best man-to-man CB in the league right now. In man, he was untouchable. In zone, he was good but not great. The Quentin Jammer-Antonio Cromartie tandem is playing at the highest combined level ever right now. That's why you see teams putting their star WRs (like Miles Austin) in the slot, to get away from those guys.
Safeties - Nobody mistook these Safeties for Eric Weddle or Troy Polamalu out there, but the same philosophies were in place and played out. Paul Oliver, Steve Gregory, Kevin Ellison and C.J. Spillman did not allow big plays through the air and prevented big plays on the ground with sound tackling. I personally can't wait until Gregory can slide back down to the Nickel CB spot again and Weddle can start roaming centerfield like always. It's my belief that the run defense, as well as the man-defense on the slot receiver, is a lot better with Gregory down near the line of scrimmage.
Tim Dobbins - The poor man's Brandon Siler. He played well in goal line situations.
Larry English - He got the closest to Tony Romo out of the OLBs. As with most of this season though, English was close but couldn't make the play.

Game Preview: San Diego Chargers at Dallas Cowboys

John (obviousman) — Fri, 11 Dec 2009 14:38:27 -0000

More photos » by John Froschauer - AP

FILE - In this Jan. 6, 2007, file photo, Dallas Cowboys' Tony Romo, left, bobbles the snap as kicker Martin Gramatica steps in for the kick with 1:19 left in the game against Seattle Seahawks in an NFC wild card playoff football game in Seattle. Romo practiced as the holder for kicker Nick Folk on Wednesday, Dec. 9, 2009, and will do it Sunday against the San Diego Chargers. The last time Romo held for the Cowboys was in a playoff loss against the Seahawks. (AP Photo/John Froschauer, File)

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The Chargers playoff scenarios are still in play for this week! I didn't even bother to watch the Thursday night game because I thought rooting for the Browns would be hopeless. Boy, was that a mistake on my part. I'm really all for any situation where the Chargers don't have to play Pittsburgh in the post-season, where they're practically unbeatable.

Anyways, onto this week's game. This starts a rough stretch of games for the Chargers where they're facing two division leaders (Cowboys, Bengals) and two losing teams that are playing really good football lately (Titans, Redskins). This game is also the second-half of the Chargers' only back-to-back road games all season.

The Cowboys are a team that many of us have compared the Bolts to in the past. They have a reserved coach that's constantly on the hot seat, a high octane offense and never seem to live up to expectations. Also, much the same way the Chargers typically start the season slow, the Cowboys have a knack for ending the season with critical losses. So let's dive in and compare these teams to see just how similar they are in this week's game preview.

When the Cowboys Have the Ball

via mentalfloss.cachefly.net

Overall Offense

The Cowboys can certainly rack up yardage. They're 3rd in the league in offensive yards per game, 2nd in yards per play.
Being 10th in the league in points per game, with the amount of yards they get, can only point to one thing. Trouble converting red zone chances into touchdowns.
Typically, going hand in hand with trouble in the red zone you'll find trouble converting 3rd downs. So when you see that the Cowboys are 15th in the league in 3rd down conversion percentage, it should come as no surprise.
In an evenly matched game, many times the winner is decided by mistakes. As in, who wins the turnover and penalty battle. Well, the Cowboys' offense has racked up the 5th most penalty yards this season and has a turnover margin of -2. They're a team that will shoot themselves in the foot if you give them a chance.

Passing Offense

The Cowboys, who throw it a lot more than the Chargers (more on this in a second), are 7th in passing yards per game and 5th in yards per pass attempt.
Tony Romo has been about as careful with the ball this season as had Philip Rivers, throwing 20 TDs against just 7 interceptions.
The Cowboys rank 6th in pass plays of 20+ yards.
Romo, like Ben Roethlisberger, sometimes holds onto the ball too long as he tries to make a play that isn't there. That, plus a couple of injuries on the Cowboys O-line, has led to 27 sacks allowed this season. That puts them in the bottom half of the league in terms of protecting the QB.

Rushing Offense

The Cowboys three-headed rushing attack of Marion Barber, Felix Jones and Tashard Choice are averaging a little over 130 yards per game on the ground. That's good for 8th best in the league. Their 5.0 Yards Per Carry, however, makes them the 2nd most efficient running game in the league.
Being tied for 13th in the league for rushing TDs shows that the Cowboys either have no success running inside the red zone, or prefer to try to pass the ball in for six.
The Cowboys are tied for 4th in the league in running play of 20+ yards. This wouldn't scare any Chargers fan if Eric Weddle was playing, but without him the Cowboys running game could certainly get some big plays.

Overall Defense

The Chargers allow the 12th least yards per game, and rank 11th in lowest yards allowed per play. They are ranked 15th in least points allowed per game.
The Bolts' problem on D continue to be 3rd downs, where they are still ranked 26th in the league.

Passing Defense

The Chargers rank 8th in terms of passing yards allowed per game, and are tied for 9th in yards allowed per pass attempt.
The Bolts' 11 interceptions ties them for 15th best in the league. Their 30 sacks ties them for 8th.
This stat is huge when going up against the Cowboys. The Chargers are tied for 2nd in the least amount of passing plays of 20+ yards allowed. All season this has been a defense that does not give up big plays, and that continues even without Eric Weddle in the lineup.

Rushing Defense

In terms of rushing yards allowed per game, the Chargers are 21st in the league. Their 4.4 Yards Per Carry allowed ties them with four other teams for 21st in the league for that stat as well.
The 8 rushing touchdowns allowed by the Bolts ties them with three other teams (including FO's favorite team, the Eagles) for 11th best in the league.
Going back to the idea that this D does not give up big plays, the Chargers are 6th best in the league at stopping/preventing running plays of 20+ yards. They have allowed only 5 against them all season. They still have not given up a run of 40+ yards.

When the Chargers Have the Ball

via i79.photobucket.com

Overall Offense

The Bolts are 12th in the league in offensive yards per game, but are incredibly efficient. They are 5th in terms of yards per play and 3rd in terms of points per game.
The Chargers' offense has gotten better and better at converting 3rd downs ever since Chris Chambers was sent packing. They've worked themselves up the ranks and are now the 9th best team in the league on 3rd down.
In an evenly matched game, many times the winner is decided by mistakes. As in, who wins the turnover and penalty battle. Well, the Cowboys' offense has racked up the 5th most penalty yards this season and has a turnover margin of -2. They're a team that will shoot themselves in the foot if you give them a chance.
I left that in for comparison's sake. The Chargers' offense has accumulated the least penalty yards of any NFL team this season. The Bolts' turnover margin is +9. This is a team that does not shoot themselves in the foot, and takes advantage of the mistakes of their opponents. Reason for optimism.

Passing Offense

First, a shocking stat. If somebody were to ask you if the Chargers throw the ball a lot, you'd answer "YES!" quickly and emphatically, wouldn't you? Well, you'd be wrong. In terms of pass attempts per game, the Chargers rank 25th in the league. 25th! They throw it less per game than the Dolphins, Redskins, Steelers, 49ers and Giants!
It's kindof funny how similar Philip Rivers' and Tony Romo's stats are, both for this season and their careers. Everyone looks at Romo as a gunslinger and Rivers as an efficient QB, but I suppose that's mostly perception. Just about every stat is the same when you compare them. It's no different this year, as Rivers has thrown one more TD (21) and one less interception (6) than Tony.
The Chargers rank 2nd in pass plays of 20+ yards, having two more than Dallas.
Since Week 1, the Chargers offensive line has changed somewhat dramatically (2 new starters, several new backups) and has seemingly gotten better at protecting Philip each week. They've allowed only 21 sacks this season, and many of those game in the first 5 games. It's still good for 7th best in the league.

Rushing Offense

The Chargers ground game, powered by LaDainian Tomlinson and whoever else wants to give it a try, is averaging just 88.7 yards per game. That's good for 30th best in the league, or two slots better than the undefeated Colts. Their 3.3 Yards Per Carry makes them the 32nd most efficient running game in the league (four slots below Indy).
Being ineffective over the course of a game does not mean the Chargers aren't able to punch it in when they need to. Their "league worst" rushing attack is tied for 12th with 12 TDs.
The Chargers are tied for 23rd in the league in running play of 20+ yards, and it surprises me that they're that high. This is Philip Rivers' offense, and the running game is just for show.

via www.deion-sanders.com

Overall Defense

The Cowboys allow the 14th least yards per game, and rank 16th in lowest yards allowed per play. They are ranked 5th in least points allowed per game.
The Cowboys aren't too shabby on 3rd down, where they have the 14th lowest 3rd down conversion percentage against them.

Passing Defense

"America's Team" ranks 20th in terms of passing yards allowed per game, and are tied for 16th in yards allowed per pass attempt.
The 'Boys 8 interceptions ties them for 21st best in the league. Their 29 sacks ties them for 10th. The pressure is roughly the same as San Diego's, but the turnovers just aren't there.
The Cowboys, although they don't allow many points, do allow big plays in the passing game. They are ranked 13th for the least number of 20+ yard pass plays allowed.

Rushing Defense

In terms of rushing yards allowed per game, the Cowboys are 9th in the league. Their 4.2 Yards Per Carry allowed ties them with three other teams for 14th in the league. This is not the strongest run defense in the league, and the Yards per Carry is not much less than the Chargers D.
The 5 rushing touchdowns allowed by Dallas makes them 5th best in that category.
Much like their passing defense, the Cowboys do occasionally allow a big play to an opposing RB. They've allowed 8 runs of 20+ yards this season, tying them for just 18th best in the league.

Conclusion

After going through these numbers I'm more optimistic about Sunday's game. The running game has a chance to do something, and the offensive line should protect Rivers. Any time you put those two things together, it usually equals big points for the Chargers. Also, eliminating big plays from the Dallas offense will force them to avoid turnovers and penalties, which they haven't done a great job of so far this season.

Add in the Chargers record-breaking winning streak in December against the Cowboys' terrible record in the last couple of Decembers and there are a lot of things working in the Chargers' favor. If you're asking for a prediction from me, as a Chargers fan, I'm saying that the Bolts score a lot of points early to take away the Cowboys running game and end up winning a close game. Whether or not that happens remains to be seen.

Stat of the Day: LT the TD Machine?

John (obviousman) — Thu, 10 Dec 2009 19:12:53 -0000

More photos » by Amy Sancetta - AP

17 days ago: San Diego Chargers running back LaDainian Tomlinson (21) runs for 11 yards in the fourth quarter of an NFL football game against the Cleveland Browns, Sunday, Dec. 6, 2009, in Cleveland. The run moved Tomlinson past Jim Brown into eighth place on the all-time rushing list. Tomlinson now has 12,315 career yards, three more than Brown (12,312). (AP Photo/Amy Sancetta)

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Ask any Chargers fan how LaDainian Tomlinson is doing this season and you're bound to see a frown. He's not in the MVP conversation, not on pace for 2,000 yards and generally hasn't looked like the star running back we've all come to expect. However, when you look at the stats I think you'll be surprised with how effective LT has been since returning from injury. Let's look at his games in the month of November.

OAK - 18 carries, 56 yds, 2 TD
@NYG - 12 carries, 22 yds
PHI - 24 carries, 96 yds, 2 TD
@DEN - 20 carries, 73 yds, 1 TD
KC - 13 carries, 39 yds, 2 TD

Do you see what I see? 7 TDs in one month. 7 TDs in just 5 games. If you rate his games as pass/fail, you have to say that's 4 good games and only 1 bad one.

Tomlinson's return, and his rushing TDs, have coincided with the Chargers becoming a better team in the red zone. don't think it's a coincidence. LT still appears to have a nose for the end zone, scoring almost a touchdown and a half per game in the month of November.

Now....want to see a strange stat? In those 5 games, Tomlinson only had 3 catches. Actually, for the season (10 games), LT only has 11 catches. It's not his fault, but the weapons around him (the WRs, Mike Tolbert, Darren Sproles) are simply better receivers and usually do a better job at racking up YAC.

Plain and simple, the offense no longer revolves around LT and it no longer has to to survive. However, he's still an efficient RB in goal line situations.