*** OFFICIAL *** Chargers @ Green Bay - Week 3 - GameDay Thread

Yeah baby now that is what I am talking about .... Go Chargers !

Chispa... those are some nice big balls yer swangin' there... did Shammy set ya' up with that?

GO BOLTS!!

Time to kick some ***.

Talent-wise, there's no way this game should be close. Even if Green Bay was completely healthy.

We need to win, and win convincingly.

http://www.nctimes.com/articles/2007/09/23/sports/professional/chargers/23_26_009_22_07.txt

In stormy Green Bay, Bolts look to pour on cheese

By: MIKE SULLIVAN - Staff Writer

GREEN BAY, Wis. ---- The Chargers were welcomed to America's Dairyland with a thunderous Friday night rain storm as repeated bolts of lightning dotted the sky. Could it be an omen that electricity is about to return to their offense?

The first two games of the season have resembled a power outage for the team that led the NFL in points scored last season. Entering today's contest against the Green Bay Packers at historic Lambeau Field, the Chargers are near the bottom in all the key offensive categories.

Looking to run with reigning MVP LaDainian Tomlinson? So far, other teams have grounded the running game so successfully that only Miami has gained fewer rushing yards than the Chargers.

Airing it out with Philip Rivers? Must be a no-fly zone with only tight end Antonio Gates cleared for takeoff as the Chargers sit tied for 27th in passing yards per game.

Overall, the Chargers (1-1) are 29th in total offense (232 yards per game) and 24th in scoring offense (14.0 points per game) and in serious need of a fast start today as they meet up with the revived Packers (2-0).

"I think that's something that we really need to do, seeing that we haven't scored any points in the first half the first two games," Tomlinson said. "I think it's critical that we get some points on the board early in the game."

Tomlinson points out that only two games have been played and that there's no need to panic.

On one hand, the opponents were the Chicago Bears and New England Patriots, two of the league's tougher teams. And in the case of the Patriots, a very angry team after the "Videogate" controversy that led to heavy criticism of coach Bill Belichick.

On the other hand, teams expected to contend for the Super Bowl don't wilt at the sight of any other team.

The Chargers flat out weren't competitive against New England.

The residue of the 38-14 loss to the Patriots can't be washed away by the powerful storm in Wisconsin. A storm full of points and first downs is what's needed.

Oh yeah, and a victory.

"I think we'll bounce right back," Rivers said. "Sometimes getting hit in the mouth ain't all bad. It can make you respond in the right way."

Based on their preseason billing as one of the top NFL teams, the Chargers will clearly be under the microscope today. But the lenses are pointed inward as well.

At midweek, Tomlinson peeked back at the New England debacle and surmised that "the Patriots beat us and gave us a good whupping, but that's probably what we needed at the time." In other words, if the Chargers are thinking last season's 14-2 mark gives them the right to sail through this season, then a horrific 24-point loss on national television might be a well-timed reality check.

"I would say that might be a good way to put it if I'm trying to figure out where he's coming from," general manager A.J. Smith said of Tomlinson's remark. "When you feel you're a good team and expectations are high and then all of a sudden you have a national stage and you go in there and don't play well and get whupped, it just sends you a message.

"First of all, you just got beat by an excellent team and an excellent coach. Obviously, they were angry at many, many things that were going on in their lives, and you go strolling in there as a football team trying to get your second win.

"It was humiliating and embarrassing. You get excited and you fail. That's the bottom line."

Blowout losses and one-point losses count the same in the standings, so a veteran executive like Smith knows that a team must quickly move on. The players are of the same mind-set as they enter hallowed Lambeau Field.

"Right now, whether it's offense, defense or special teams, we all know we need to play better," defensive end Luis Castillo said. "As players, we've taken that responsibility. There's no time to sit and lull on the last game. You have to move on.

"We have way too many games to play to sit here and get bogged down on one game. We're going to get better. We'll play better. Now we worry about the Packers."

Totally agree. We need to destroy the Pack for 2 reasons: 1) for our own mental well being, and 2) so that all the people who jumped off the wagon last week can kiss our asses.

http://www.signonsandiego.com/sports/chargers/20070923-9999-1s23chargers.html

Bolts can't let tundra turn into icy slope

By Kevin Acee
UNION-TRIBUNE STAFF WRITER

September 23, 2007

GREEN BAY, Wis. – Whatever their issues are, whether they be ephemeral or unending, gaping holes or infinitesimal fissures, the Chargers are taking steps to make sure this season of promise doesn't bleed out before October.
They seem to honestly believe what happened seven days ago in the chill of a New England night was a variance rather than a harbinger. But that doesn't mean there aren't warning signs of things amiss.

Among the measures this week was a call by offensive coordinator Clarence Shelmon during a meeting to rediscover the passion that fueled this franchise's remarkable renaissance. Three years ago they were hungry, unknown. Desire, in part, gave momentum to a three-year run as one of the NFL's most successful regular-season teams.

Now there have been all those contracts signed – with all those zeroes. What happens going forward will be due to men who either do or do not want to win for winning's sake.

No one is using that nasty word – complacent – and many in the organization are, in fact, going to great lengths to point out how hard they played until the end against the Patriots.

But those who endured the 2005 season, when great hopes turned into a muddy mess, are wary.

“We need to get our edge back,” one veteran said.

So today the Chargers trudge into Lambeau, where so much history has happened and where they hope to forge their own providence.

“It's real important,” Philip Rivers said. “Winning is contagious, and winning brings confidence to everybody. We need to play well and win, and people will start to forget about this like it never happened.”

Privately, they are considering this a must-win. Publicly, they will only flirt with such an absolute statement.

“I would expect this football team to bounce back, play well and realize what we've got to do,” General Manager A.J. Smith said.

“Every week is a critical game,” coach Norv Turner said. “But there is no question our guys feel that way, and it's important to go out and play our best. . . . I expect us to play hard and play well. We've got a lot of good football players. Every team is tested, and we're being tested right now.”

It bears remembering that the Indianapolis Colts lost to Tennessee and then lost big to Jacksonville on successive Sundays late last season and went on to their first Super Bowl title.

A playoff berth will not be won or lost here on the tundra.

Two teams each of the past two years have started 1-2 and made the playoffs. In 2004, three teams did so, including the Chargers.

But winning today is about more than where it will place the Chargers in the standings. The playoffs are a long way off. For many reasons, the Chargers need to bounce back, make the proverbial statement.

“We do, we do,” defensive end Luis Castillo said. “It's a pride thing. It's, 'Lets get back on track.' It's, 'Let's prove there is no falloff.' ”

Given their struggles in the first two games – scoring points, stopping an outstanding quarterback, stalling good pass rushers, making tackles – the way the Chargers play today is significant.

A fast start would be welcome, considering they have yet to score in the first half.

“I think it's something we really need to do,” LaDainian Tomlinson said. “I think it's critical that we get some points on the board early in the game.”

Certainly, their worst loss in three seasons and fourth-largest margin of defeat since 2000 has them thinking now is the time to ebb the negative vibe.

“After the show we put on last week, this is definitely a big game for us,” linebacker Stephen Cooper said. “It was a wakeup call. We've got to show up every week. Primetime, everybody watching, to go in there and that happens, it was a kick in the face. We just have to do what we need to do now.”

Said safety Clinton Hart: “We have to redeem ourselves. In the eyes of a lot of people we're not what we're supposed to be.”

There has been a lot of talk among the Chargers players about what has been missing and what has been constant. They started to feel the pressure of colossal expectations – unprecedented for this franchise, in fact – early in the preseason. And talking about handling it is different than actually handling it. They know they have not done a good job so far.

“We've got to come out and turn it loose,” center Nick Hardwick said. “We are playing tight. We know we're good. We have all the skills, all the ability, and we're trying to play perfect. It's not a perfect game. It's just a game where you have to turn it loose and play with high energy.”

http://www.signonsandiego.com/sports/chargers/20070923-9999-1s23gameday.html
GAME DAY ROSTERS

http://www.signonsandiego.com/sports/chargers/20070923-9999-1s23gameday.html
STATS

AJ played a big part in getting us away from the "One game at a time" mindset.

He kept saying "I don't care what our record is, as long as we make the playoffs". He must have said that 100 times, I got sick of hearing it.

The players followed suit, and Norv Turner didn't do anything to get them refocused.

So now they have been slapped in the face. Time to slap back with a double-digit win. Let's do it.

Why ?

The GameDay thread is a good way to break up all the rah-rah posts with good reading material which many may not have seen before kickoff.

I don't do it during the actual game but right now as peepers are slowly opening and posters are getting their morning fixes, it is a good way to read the gameday skinny in one thread.

Just because Concudan has been banished to la-la land does not give you the right to take his place. :icon_evil:

Receivers need to get into the game..only seven receptions in 2 games. LT also needs to run well...1.9 yards per carry doesn't win MVP awards.

Corners need to bring their A-game against Favre.

Hay, I appreciate it Trumpy. I barely ever go to the UT for articles, because most of the pertinent stuff is linked here anyways.

No worries.

Screw JINXES. Spit in its' face. Tempt fate and master your own destiny. The belief in JINXES is a form of primitive mind control and usually propagated by the low browed society.

Your cheerleader looks like John Elway.

It all starts with the fat boys. Our defensive front 7 has looked like **** for the most part and if that is not clicking, it is tough to critique the secondary plus the fact if the coaches are not relaying the signals in a timely fashion, anarchy ensues.

I am hoping Farve comes out in a two minute drill right off the bat to see if our coaching staff has indeed adjusted or has the ability to say "oh **** lets get the nickle and dime packages in the game NOW"

I'd hit it.

:icon_smile:

Trump, isn't that just basic stuff that ANY head coach at the NFL (or even college level) should be able to handle?

I'd like us to go more Martyball to start the game, get Michael Turner some carries a lot earlier. Control the flow of the game with the run and quiet the crowd.

Rivers tends to get too geared up, let him settle down instead of going to the air immediately.

Is it too early to start drinking? :icon_eek: :icon_party:

Gawd I hope we play to our abilities and win today.

It's never too early to start drinking.

Especially for the East Coasters.

I got people coming over in a little while. Gotta make a store-run for pork chops and eggs.


And beer.


Go Chargers!!!!!!