What do San Diego Chargers linebacker Shaun Phillips,
French World Cup-winning footballer Zinedine Zidane and Hall of Fame
basketball coach Bobby Knight have in common?
They've all head-butted someone in their lifetime to stir up controversy.
Perhaps San Diego kicker Nate Kaeding should have found someone or something
to strike his cranium against after missing three field goals in Sunday's
17-14 home loss to the New York Jets in the Divisional round of the AFC
Playoffs. Kaeding had been nearly perfect during the regular season, nailing
32-of-35 attempts, and had not missed a field goal inside of 40 yards in 69
straight tries before the loss that had the Chargers' 11-game winning streak
after a 2-3 start rudely interrupted.
It didn't have to end this way, and Phillips -- not Kaeding -- gets the blame
for using his head in all the wrong ways late in the third quarter. The
already-established linebacker lost his cool with the Chargers clinging to a
7-3 lead, as he head-butted Jets offensive tackle D'Brickashaw Ferguson to
move New York even closer to the goal line on its drive. A few plays later,
Phillips and the Chargers lost the lead for good when Jets rookie quarterback
Mark Sanchez, who had 20 interceptions in the regular season, fired a
touchdown strike to tight end Dustin Keller.
Phillips may have thought San Diego's high-powered offense had nothing to
worry about, but oh contraire, since that wasn't the case in any capacity
against the Jets' top-ranked defense.
"These games come down to a few plays," said Chargers head coach Norv Turner,
who was signed to a three-year contract extension through 2013 on Monday.
"There were some great efforts out there. Defensively I thought we did an
awful lot of good things. We made mistakes that we normally don't and we
didn't do enough good things."
Unfortunately an uncharacteristic day filled with mistakes and penalties for
the Bolts closes out what was another promising season, while New York's
Cinderella story continues in Indianapolis this weekend.
The Chargers have whiffed into this funk before, when then-head coach Marty
Schottenheimer compiled a 14-2 record in 2006 before bowing out in the second
round of the playoffs. The poor postseason display led to the eventual firing
of the veteran coach, and it looked as if the Spanos family had another mess
on their hands after Sunday's result.
Turner has been no stranger to criticism during his tenure in the NFL and
should be able to shrug off the jabs with ease by now. The Chargers obviously
wanted to stay competitive under this crop of players and gave the oft-
maligned head coach a new deal after he posted 13 wins and the team's fourth
consecutive AFC West title.
"I'm extremely proud of the job Norv has done with this team," said Chargers
president Dean Spanos. "In three seasons he's led the team to three division
titles. I'm confident that if we strengthen our roster and continue to provide
Norv the assets he needs, this team will have continued success."
A key to San Diego's success in 2009 was protecting the football and
preventing the big play on defense, until it really counted on Sunday.
The bitter loss will sting for a while for the fans, players and front office
as they all ponder with what might have been for this team. There's no
question San Diego was a popular favorite to not only represent the AFC in the
Super Bowl, but maybe even win it with its high-powered offense led by Pro
Bowl quarterback Philip Rivers. But as the hair band Poison put it, "every
rose has its thorn, just like every night has its dawn."
Rivers was intercepted twice on Sunday after getting picked off just three
times in his last eight regular-season games, and managed just one touchdown
pass despite racking up 298 yards through the air. Yes, Rivers could have
played a better game, although one must also have to give credit to the New
York defense.
"I think they are a very good defense," said Rivers, who finished the regular
season with 4,254 yards, 28 touchdowns, nine interceptions and a 104.4 passer
rating. "You can't take that away from them. They only gave up an average of
14.8 points during the year. We moved the ball and challenged them in ways
they haven't been before, but we just didn't turn those into points."
Points were a rare species for the Chargers on Sunday after they were a dime a
gross during the regular season.
One player who continued to live up to the billing was wide receiver Vincent
Jackson. An impending free agent, Jackson enjoyed a career year with 1,167
yards and nine touchdowns on 68 catches, and continued to be productive in a
losing fashion by making seven more receptions for 111 yards versus the Jets.
Never mind that he was handcuffed by a traffic cop for playing loud music
before the loss, Jackson emerged on the scene in 2008 and gracefully
transformed into one of Turner's main offensive weapons.
One weapon that seemed to be defused this entire season was running back
LaDainian Tomlinson, who many speculate may have played his last game as a
Charger on Sunday. "L.T." said things like 'I've had a heck of a time' and
'enjoyed the ride' when asked after the game about his status for next season,
when he's still owed millions on his current contract.
Tomlinson couldn't have had a worse year to try to prove that he is worth the
exorbitant amount of cash he's due next season, rushing for a career-low 730
yards on 223 carries. Despite scoring 12 touchdowns on the ground, Tomlinson,
whose receiving numbers slipped as well, was plagued by various injuries which
limited his production. He's also 30 years old, and many coaches around the
league are wary of having a big-time back at that age. We'll have to wait and
see where the future Hall of Famer ends up in 2010.
If Tomlinson does end up elsewhere, the Chargers will have to rely on the
draft for depth at running back, because backup Darren Sproles is too small
and inexperienced to carry the load. Even though the offensive line played
relatively well this season, San Diego has to find another ball carrier if it
opts not to pay Tomlinson.
Turner said on the team's official site that he has the type of players on
this roster to overcome adversity and keep the future of the organization
bright. Keeping a veteran player like Tomlinson would definitely justify that
statement, but that's up to the team. The former NFL MVP still has some tread
left, but may need a few kicks to test durability elsewhere.
One defender who may lacking in the grit department is linebacker Shawne
Merriman, who played 14 games this season after undergoing reconstructive
knee surgery the year before and hasn't been the same ever since. The
ferocious Maryland product's numbers were down significantly from previous
healthy seasons, even though he missed a pair of games in 2009. The Chargers
may want to keep an eye out for a linebacker in this year's draft, although
they have youngster Larry English in the fold. English, this past season's
first-round pick, had 36 tackles, two sacks and a forced fumble in his rookie
campaign and saw action in every game this season.
"This first year has been a huge learning experience for me," English said on
the team's site. "You have to take everything as far as the wins and losses,
the hard work, the blood, sweat and tears, and grow from it and come back and
be ready to do it again."
English is still young, but there may have been too much blood, sweat and
tears dispersed from this franchise over the years to make another run.
NEXT UP: 2010
The question often circulates throughout the San Diego area of whether the
Chargers can finally get through the playoffs and make a run at a Super Bowl
title, because it hasn't happened since they went 11-5 in 1994 and lost to San
Francisco on the NFL's biggest stage. Turner said he believes he has the right
players to get it done, and many will argue that point. Many will also contest
that Turner should have been canned following the debacle against the Jets,
but either way, he and most of San Diego's recognizable faces will be back
again in 2010. The longtime NFL coach is 32-16 since taking over for
Schottenheimer.
San Diego will obviously compete against its AFC West rivals (Kansas City,
Oakland, Denver) twice a year, while hosting Jacksonville, Tennessee, New
England, Arizona and San Francisco on next season's schedule. The Chargers
will visit Houston, Indianapolis, Cincinnati, St. Louis and Seattle. The
schedule is certainly not a favorable one, and the Chargers will have to play
big all season in order to repeat as division champions and playoff regulars.
That's business as usual for teams on pedestals.
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