What was exciting to me about the Big Game, other than winning of course,  was the dominant performance of the rush offense.  Reading the recent posts of YPC for the Tedford era, I was not math major but if you average more than 5 yards per carry - wouldn't that lead to a first down every two or three downs if you just consistently ran?  Obviously, those stats are bolstered by the big play homerun runs that Best and Vereen have been so prolific at breaking but pounding the rock consistently increases the odds of having more of those - doesn't it?  Having felt the highs and heartbreaking lows of Air Levy, Air Ayoob, Air Longshore, and now Air Riley, I personally long for putting our hopes with the best Cal players on the field and the QBs ain't them. 

During this Big Game for the first time maybe since Aaron Rodgers waited in the draft green room too long, I felt confident that the offense was going to consistently move the ball on a quality opponent (i.e. not Washington St. or CSU.)  The heavy dose of Wildbear mixed in with some other run plays in different formations and the short passes with Riley rolling out and making simple reads or running seemed unstoppable.  The offense actually matriculated the ball down the field with over 9 play drives that ate up seemingly whole quarters, physically wore down the opposing defense, kept the other offense off the field, kept the Bear defense fresh, and deflated the morale of the opposing team.  This, I believe, is what made OSU and Stanford successful the past couple of years (especially against SC) and it is immensely less risky than relying on a less than stellar QB and inconsistent WRs that often 3 and out and places a heap of pressure on the defense (given that you can rely on Alamor's Special Teams Coverage to give up a huge play at least once per game - please Ted, please one time!). This approach has been somewhat of a trend in the NFL with the two-back sets of Tennessee and Carolina who have RBs with game breaking speed.       

Is this approach going to be an anomaly or the new Bear black?

It seems as if the only two places that Nocioni lines up are the bar stool and the three point line.  He is this year's Donte Greene.  When nobody played defense, the Kings relied on Artest and then Nocioni as the only ones with conscience enough not to matador.  I don't think Nocioni is that great of team defender and he tries hard but isn't athletic or tall enough to shut down most NBA threes.  He's a minute eater who lives and dies on one shot --he's just in the way of developing the other guys and at this point, I actually think he might be worse on both ends.  He's kind of a black hole; if he gets the ball over the line, you know its going up no matter the situation. Udoka has more upside and is more athletic.  i'd rather see more of him, Cresspi, Greene, Cisco when he comes back, and even K9 as a three. 

This is for sure the kiss of death but a national colleges sports writer from Rivals/Yahoo picks Cal as having the best chance of winning its conference in both football and basketball.  In a ferociously competitive college sport landscape dominated by perennial powerhouses like Texas, North Carolina, Oklahoma and Florida, which actually accomplished both a few years ago, the little school from Berkeley has actually entered the conversation.  I'm not sure Cal is ready for all this; I'd like to stay ranked around #10 until the USC game and not fall off the hype machine as hard as we did two years ago.  A Rose Bowl, even if it comes from being second best in the Pac-10, is enough for me.

Since when did Kevin Acee become the judge and juror on Chargers personnel?    It's bad enough that he and Tim Sullivan are writing Merriman obituaries for the Monday edition (the news came in at like 3 am and the paper comes out at 4 am, so these stories must have pretty much been pre-written based on existing opinions Edited: the arrest happened at 3am on Sunday morning, the paper came out at 4am on Monday morning)  Now he's on ESPN commenting on how Merriman is for sure gone and Merriman's too-thick bad file?  Acee's UT story states how well he (Acee) "knows" AJ yet, as we know now, Acee's predicted 53-man roster was way off with over 5 oversights (it really seems that Acee and AJ have a vulcan-mind meld.)  All of this to support Acee's personal "scoop," that Merriman is for sure gone at the end of the season (Acee mentions on ESPN that it might be sooner, Merriman can be had for under the Richard Seymour price of a first-rounder.)  Couldn't it be possible that AJ is playing the beat writer like he has in the past?  No, impossible, AJ always wants the UT to have the scoop because that is in the best interest of the Chargers football organization.

   First of all, Larry English has played less than two halves of two preseason games while missing extensive time with injuries and Chargers "experts" are ready to write him in permanently as a Merriman replacement, who had the most sacks in the NFL for the time he's been in the league (minus last year).  After everyone acknowledges the problem with the Chargers is lack of pass rush, just inserting Larry "Almost three sacks during preseason" English is definitely the long term answer.  Really? I love the way English looks on tape versus the small school competition but that's not the same as the NFL --it seems to me the same was said of Jyles Tucker after some preseason work and a huge contract extension, and I don't remember him or Phillips being quite the same as Merriman last year.  AJ has a great track record but San Diego media give him too much credit a lot of times.

Secondly, can we at least wait for the facts of the case before crucifying Merriman yet again?  Tila Tequila may not be someone I would want to chill with but if she was really drunk (which does not seem out of the realm of possibility given her reality show exploits) and Merriman tried to prevent her (he says his friend) from driving (which seems like a smart thing given the DUI problems of Chargers like Vince Jackson, Jamal Williams, Steve Foley, etc.) then isn't he doing the right thing?    Is he not way bigger than her and might it not look wrong?  Does she seem a bit hot header at times?  No matter what you think of her, she is still Merriman's friend. Isn't restraining her better than having her out on the 56 or 5 running into people or killing herself?  It almost sounds like Mothers Against Drunk Driving ad.     

Finally, what exactly is this list of Merriman transgressions?  Please let me know which ones I'm missing. One, four game suspension for steroids that Merriman says were mistakenly in supplements (bad, but not unlike Rodney Harrison, Steven Cooper, Luis Castillo.)  Two, agreeing to fly into Fox Studios and taping a weekly TV football analysis show on his own time after practice.  (Maybe hectic but doesn't seem to hurt the franchise, thinking of life after football and cashing in a bit on celebrity.)  Three, twittering and on internet and TV too much (but not unlike Cro, especially LT who is ubiquitous, or others if they had the opportunity.)  Four, worst of all, not agreeing to have his knee surgically repaired after being recommended by the team doctor (this one obviously killed the team but maybe a case of trying to tough it out for the team and not miss any time.)  Five, wearing a mohawk and doing the "Lights Out" dance.  Taunting did give the Chargers a bad reputation as being young punks for a few years but last time I checked Shaun Phillips is still grandma bowling, LT does his waiter flip, Coop does his Joey Porter anti-kick and Phillip chatters incessantly (albeit a bit toned down.)  Shawne even didn't do the dance for a while to appease critics and then fans and other players called for it because the Chargers lost some of their swagger without it. If nothing else, he is entertaining and isn't that what football is suppose to be.

I think Merriman is not perfect but he's important to the Chargers.  More than just his physical presence, he is the emotional leader and the only one who brings a real sense of toughness.  He is the Chargers' swagger and while it might not always be right, the Chargers need that.  I'm not sure if he stays long term, but let's not pretend that he is easy to replace or the Chargers are better without him.  As important as he is to the team and given the fact that his trangressions unlike a lot of NFL players never really hurt anyone else, I wish more players, fans, coaches, writers, and personnel people, I'm looking at you AJ and Spanos family, would come to his defense once in a while or at least give him the benefit of the doubt.

Okay, first I heard that Jake Peavy told his Alabama brother, Rivers, first that he was agreeing the trade this time and that Rivers would need to man the leadership of San Diego sports franchises alone. Then reading the UT's article about Rivers needing to work on throwing to running backs as his area of weakness, I have some suggestions for Phillip since I guess he or Norv have none for himself.  Admittedly I've been a Phillip skeptic for a while and he has gotten better but to say that throwing to running backs is all that he needs is ludicrous and insulting to the rest of the team that aspires to a Championship.

1. A Champion is more worried about winning than his stats.  I am so sick of hearing that Rivers had the fourth highest QB efficiency rating ever last year from both Rivers and Norv.  The team was 8-8 and while that was not Rivers fault primarily, he did throw costly interceptions in at least 4 games that everyone acknowledges should have been Ws.  I use to hate Roethlisberger and taunted Pitt fans endlessly before our playoff loss and the Superbowl but watching his work I get it.  He often throws for 150 yards and one or two TDs but he doesn't care about his statline and he does enough to win.  He's willing to take a backseat to the running game if that's what will win the game.   While the Chargers running game and defense was obviously challenged last year, I want to see that all those "this is now Phillip's team and not LT's" comments don't get to his head and that Phillip is willing to let his stats take a hit if that's the kind of game the Chargers need to win.  

2.  The other thing that made Roethlisberger a better quarterback than Rivers last year was third down efficiency and how he extended plays.  When it is 3rd and long in 4th quarter drives, Big Ben finds a way to make plays even if he is not the world's most elusive.  He wills it and shrugs off tacklers.  His offensive line was terrible for most of the year.  Phillip's "phonebooth" skills have gotten much better than when he first came in but what does he do once he eludes and buys extra time, he invariably throws it away.  Yes, an incompletion is better than an interception but what made Ben a champion just like a Favre or Elway or Manning is that he made huge plays with the extra time.  The Superbowl drives and the drives against the Chargers in the playofs were filled with Big Ben buying extra time and setting up huge plays for Santonio Holmes or Ward or Miller.  Maybe Chargers receivers need work in coming back to the ball but Phillip has got to lead the league in throwing the ball away often on third down.

3. The deep ball needs to be tighter, quicker and less like a dying quail.  Yes, Phillip got better at it last year but how many times has Vincent Jackson had to camp five or ten yards beyond the deepest secondary guy to wait for a Rivers quail to get to him.  Yes, Vincent is 6' 4'' and has a leaping advantage as does Gates and Floyd but it is unexcusable and when he does drop a few, which he does, it is not all his fault because that has got to be one of the loneliest positions in football waiting to be decapitated because your QB's awkward throwing mechanics and athleticism.  Drew Brees never had a rifle arm but got markably better as a Charger and probably had more completed bombs than anyone last year because he worked hard on his core strength (abs, quads, lower back) and sets himself to throw.  Rivers has got to see this as a weakness and should, as Rivers says he did, study what Drew did to be such a true professional.

Since draft balls and regime change is all that Kings fans have to hang their hat on these days, it occurred to me that we are getting ahead of ourselves but then I wasn't so sure.  With the speculation about Byron Scott or Eddie Jordan, comments seemed to also lead to speculation as to which kind of player the coach would like to build his franchise around whether Griffin, Rubio or god forbid Thabeet (which I believe is Tanzanian for bust.)  In evaluating Griffin and Rubio, it seemed important to determine how they would fit into an offensive and defense scheme which is impossible to know with having a coach.  It is assumed that Petrie and Coachie would prefer a Princeton scheme but that is no certainty given the Maloofs. 

Okay the paradox of AJ Smith's recent picks has finally struck me.  A.J.'s instincts tell him to look for a "nasty" football player which can be defined as one who finishes blocks to the whistle, explode through blocks with violent hands, or hit with ferocity with the best Chargers examples probably being Dielman and Merriman (who are not by coincidence among the most popular Chargers.) 

Whenever AJ or his staff like Spanos or Rayes describe a player, their favorites are always punctuated with some form of nasty.  IE a comment like he plays with a "nasty" streak which they used to describe English, Vasquez and Martin.    But with the spate of off-the-field issues where nine or more Chargers (Kiel, Foley, etc.) had problems with the law during the course of a year or two, now all their player eval comments are always tempered with "no-red flags off the field."  AJ always says that he's embarrassed when off the field stuff happens (like Vincent Jax and Jamal this summer) and takes personal responsibility.  But can you really control what grown men do off the field?  Can they really separate nasty on the field with saint off of it so neatly?

Lore has it that Mike Tomlin got the job with the Steelers because he said in his interview, "Football is a violent game and the team that plays most violently usually wins."  In watching the Superbowl, league MVP James Harrison had the historic game sealing 100 yard interception return but he also was caught on film punching a down Cardinal which Madden called for an ejection.  Pitt DB Ryan McFadden had at least two head hunting hits over the middle that warranted fines and clearly, the Steelers took some cheap shots during their playoff game against us.  

Belichek seems to kind of relish taking a malcontent like Randy Moss and Corey Dillon and showing them the Patriot Way.  He isn't afraid to draft the red flagger like Brandon Merriweater or Brandon Tate this year (who does not smoke weed in college.)  He is confident in his team's culture and leadership; it doesn't seem the Chargers feel the same way.

I think that this concern looking for a Boy Scout helped result in the reaches for Weddle and Hester the past two years.  I believe it had something to do with the pass on Mauluaga and possibly Oher, which might have been a good thing.  

But I think this AJ's conflicted attitude is also a big reason why there seems to be a rift with Merriman.  Merriman is demonstrative and a showboat but also provides energy and an attitude that the Chargers solely need.  He maybe doesn't always go team first off the field but he's a heck of a talent. 

Frankly, I think the Chargers will go further with someone like a Dielman or Merriman being the face of franchise than somebody media friendly like LT or Phillip Rivers.  Let' s face it other teams always perceive of the Chargers as soft and only with Merriman ending the careers of Priest Holmes and Wayne Chrebet did that start to change.  I hope that English, Vasquez and Martin signals a return to nasty and a willingness to consider the best football player available.  

I'm not sure I'll be a fan of a sanitized, Merriman-less Chargers.  Football is a violent game and lets not pretend otherwise.  America's finest city shouldn't play like the nicest on the field.

For the sabermetrics baseball fan, the SB Nation contributor has just analyzed the Padres with its Lousy Lineup optimizer.  I don't pretend to know what it all means but it concludes that Adrian should be hitting 5th as the best hitter, Giles 1st because of his OBP, and Hundley 9th for the LaRussa put the pitcher 8th reason.  I don't see the logic but if the Pads start scoring like the way they did last year maybe its worth a shot.  It fails to account for Gerut and Hairston platooning. 

Seeing the James "Sandman" Irvine vs. Drew McFeddries fight on the card for UFC 98 made me secretly pine for a one-shot, hit me with your best shot a thon where each slugger would just take a shot to the chin and then get a chance to deliver one until one fell down. All these guys are basically looking for one-shot and get put out about as often they put someone else out, sometimes during the same fight.   Sandman put out Houston Alexander and then Anderson Silva put him out with one shot while holding his leg. McFeddries dropped Sakara and then got dropped by Cote.  I think Rampage probably punches the hardest in MMA but he's not knocked out and he has slightly more game so I wouldn't qualify him. Sadly the Iceman might qualify for the tournament now. 

Here's my Entrants for my One-Shot Wonder Neanderthal Tournament (God bless them, they are always entertaining and probably will never get cut):

James Irvine

Pete Sell

Scott Smith

Patrick Cote

Drew McFeddries 

Houston Alexander

Tank Abbott

Kimbo Slice

Who did I miss?

Understandably Jason Thompson and Spencer Hawes give starved Kings fan some silver lining to an otherwise terrible two years.  But at the same time, let's not let our lack of talent and coaching rose color what we have.  This site seems to view it sacriligeous to say anything disparaging "the future" frontcourt - including drafting Blake Griffin, the obvious #1 pick.  Thompson is willing to bang with good athleticism from having had a late growth-spurt and a workable mid-range game but fouls more than anyone in the league.  Hawes has 3 pt. range and solid post moves and has improved his defense but tends to succomb to physical play. 

They seem like good fits for the Princeton style offense of passing big men in the high post.  They are likeable young players that seem to listen to coaching (unfortunately, the coaching outside of Coachie may have left something to be desired especially on the defensive end.)

With these two works in progress starting for the second half of the year, the Kings still possessed the worst record in the league.  If these two were to be coming out of the draft now, Hawes may be a fourth or fifth pick and Thompson around 10.  They are not #1 picks.  It is possible that their extended minutes (and those given to Nocioni and Garcia) might have hampered the use of Diogu or Greene.  It is possible that Diogu might actually have a more advanced game or that Blake Griffin would represent significant upgrades.  Let's be willing to admit it!

Frankly, Francisco Garcia, I am not sure should be a starter in this league at the 3 and Nocioni should not be more than a role player.  Both seem inconsistent.  Kevin needs to still prove he will play both ends.  Beno is nothing but a backup with self-esteem issues.

The pieces are there to make huge strides next year but a coach (Why not Tom Thibodeau (with Coachie running the O since Eddie Jordan doesn't coach D) and the 2 first round picks will need to lift the franchise.  Anybody else see that Sacramento's own and former Kings assistant Scottie Brooks got a multi-year extension in Oklahoma City and wonder how it would be different if he got the job instead of Theus?