-0-

“Chargers Football…Reality & Raw Emotion”

-0-

You saw it, we all saw it, those of us who cover the Chargers, follow the Chargers, love the Chargers or hate the Chargers.

You saw it, this horrific (5-11) season of turnovers, injuries and underachievemnt.

We also saw what happened in the post game press conference, their heart and soul leader, quarterback Philip Rivers, choked up with emotion making comments after the last game of the season, and possibly his last game ever wearing the Lightning Bolt on his helmet.

Rivers, nearly brought to tears, discussing the frustration of losing, the struggles with turnovers, crushed by the pressure of being a winner but no longer able to produce the way this star quarterback has in the past.

Never once did I ever think that Philip Rivers would be talking about leaving, playing for someone else, or wearing someone else’s jersey next season.

But this is where we are at this point, after his 23-touchdown…23-turnover season.

A season stained by 7-turnovers in the red zone-end zone this year.

A season where fans wearing the enemies colors, Silver & Black (Raiders)…Green & Gold (Packers)….Purple (Vikings)….Black and Gold (Steelers) over-ran the stadium in Carson taking away the designation ‘home game’ on the Chargers schedule

A season crippled by losses to a Steelers team with a 3rd string street free agent quarterback; a loss to an injury ravaged Raiders team that could not score touchdowns; a loss to a rookie QB-Drew Lock-who had never played in Denver.

Add in, they should have lost to the Colts on opening day if kicker Adam Vinatieri hadn’t missed 3-kicks.  Should have lost too to the Bears if Eddie Piniero doesn’t miss a chip shot kick at the end of the game.

Look at the Chargers roster this season, all this talent.  Realize they could have been–should have been (3-13) rather than the sickening (5-11) they finished up at.  What a gross thought.

Add on to the disaster infront of us.  It was just not Rivers’ 20-interceptions and 3-lost fumbles.  It was the Melvin Gordon fatal holdout that wiped out 6-weeks of contributions.  The devastating injuries along the offensive line.  The sickness that nearly claimed Russell Okung.  The loss of Derwin James for two thirds of the season.  The loss of a starting cornerback, the drug suspension of another.  The knee injury that ate up half the season of the tight end.

It was misery upon misery, all that piled on top of the guy who is supposed to carry the franchise, Philip Rivers.

So now we have the exit meetings for the players, Monday and Tuesday.

There will likely be coaching changes to Anthony Lynn’s staff.

Doubtful there will be any front office changes, not to President John Spanos’ job, or AG Spanos as CEOs of this dreary mess.

And surely nothing happens to Dean Spanos, architect of the 1st Family of Football with another last place finish attached to the family resume.

Philip Rivers left it all on the field every Sunday.  He bared his heart and left his emotions at the podium for everyone to see after the last game loss in Kansas City.

There is no hope for this franchise if they let that quarterback go.
Rivers has been the beacon of football competence on this franchise run by so many family incompetents.

Quality person…quality player.  He deserves better than this, to have his career end this way.

Chargers football finishes (5-11), reality and raw emotion, right infront of us to see.

==============================

-0-

“College Football–Can You Top This”

-0-

Super stars and super performances.  That’s what college football was all about Saturday night.

For the record, LSU and Clemson will meet in the National Championship game in two weeks.

What a weekend.

LSU just keeps on rolling  as Heisman Trophy star Joe Burrow made play after play, and his Tigers just overwhelmed Oklahoma and its start QB-Jalen Hurts.

Burrow finished his night with (493Y) passing and 7 touchdowns, that’s right, seven scores against an Oklahoma Sooners team that was without its top pass rusher because of suspension.

Hurts couldn’t do it by himself, finishing with (221Y) passing but minimal amounts of rushing yards, in what turned out to be a really bad (63-28) beatdown

But Burrow was everywhere, in the pocket, moving the pocket, making all types of pinpoint throws and running when he had to.

Just asking Ed Ogeron why his quarterback was still playing in the 4th quarter when he was decked on an ugly facemark penalty tackle.  LSU is good.

Clemson might be better.  For the first time all year, they trailed, and trailed badly, down (16-0) to the best defense in college football, what Ohio State presented.

But QB Trevor Lawrence kept running the football on read-options, and then started throwing.  Big plays, followed big plays, and next you knew, the Buckeyes lead had turned into a Buckeyes deficit.

OSU did rally back and actually take the lead late in the 4th quarter, but Lawrence took his team 94-yards for the go ahead touchdown, and then the Tigers defense picked off Justin Fields in th end zone with (:34) left to seal the win.

Lawrence the thrower, also became Lawrence the runner and Ohio State could not stop him, not when he threw for (259) in the air, then ran for (107) more on the ground.  And his top back, Etienne, the (15009Y) runner, became Etienne the pass catcher (3R-1111Y).

It sent Ohio State home, and sends Clemson back to where it usually goes, in the championship game of college football.

It was a dazzling display of greatness as the country watched Joe Burrow continue his magical mystery tour final season.  And the  nation saw the heart and soul of Trevor Lawrence and the talent of riches that is the Clemson football roster.

In a topsy turvy fall of football, who could have imagined this championship might not contain legendary power Alabama, much less no Ohio State.

You might say, can you top this, but the fact it will be Ed Ogeron-vs-Dabo Swinney coaching the sidelines.  The fact it’s Burrow-vs-Lawrence.  Or Etienne-vs-LSU’s committee of running backs, anything is possible.

Can you top what we just saw?  Probably, only because it is Clemson and it is LSU coming up in the title game.

=====================

ReplyForward

-0-

“Showdown Saturday-College Football”

-0-

It may not be the National Championship game, but it’s as close as you can get to it, these final 4-teams set to square off in the semi=finals  of the playoffs.

In fact, it is as close to a perfect situation as you could want, and with so many good teams out there, the other major bowls have not been badly hurt.

Tomorrow’s menu features 4-fabulout quarterbacks, an array of great running backs, and one of the best defenses college football has ever seen.

OHIO STATE-CLEMSON…..This could have been a title game, but what fireworks are coming. as a semi final matchup.  The Buckeyes have the pre-eminent defense in college football, led by red setting pass rusher Chase Young and a load of talent at linebacker and in the secondary.  But the real spotlight will shine on the offense.  Ohio State is fueled by Georgia transfer QB-Justin Fields, big rangy, can throw deep, and can run.  He had (2,953P) and a stunning 40TD-1 Interception ratio.  And the ground game is fueled by RB-JK Dobbins (1,829R-20TD).  All that is impressive but Clemson is equally dynamic.  The Tigers in these playoffs is common place.  They are led by sophomore QB-Trevor Lawrence (3,172P-34TD) and possibly the best RB in the nation in Travis Etienne (1,500Y-8.2YPC-18TD).  Might this be a (55-52) game?  Anything is possible.

LSU-OKLAHOMA….A season to forever remember on the Bayou, this Ed Ogeron-Joe Burrow led Tigers season.  Burrow has the Heisman, (4,800Y-48TD), but he might not have his lead RB-Clyde Hilaire (1,290-16TD), -hobbled by a hamstring injury in practice last week.  But the cross section of wide outs are next to impossible to stop.  The Sooners are a one man gang, led by QB-Jalen Hurts, the Alabama transfer.  He rewrote every QB-record in the books in Norman, (4,889APY-51TD), an amazing feat when you consider the great array of QBs who have played at Oklahoma.  Both defenses will be under stress right from the get go. Last team to have the ball, might well win this one.

=================================

-0-

“Holiday Bowl–A Crown Jewel”

-0-

It’s one of the special things we have in our city, if you are a sports fan.

Yes we have Balboa Park, and the Pacific Ocean, the Hotel Del Coronado and the Zoo.

From a sports perspective, the Holiday Bowl is one of our historic Crown Jewels as it relates to events.

We have the Padres and the on-again off-again love affair with a baseball team that has had ups and downs.

We have the Aztecs with some very unique football history and more recently tremendous basketball success.

We had the Chargers, stolen away in the middle of the night, but forever revered dating to the Tommy Prothro-Don Coryell-Bobby Ross-Marty Schottenheimer days.

The Holiday Bowl is now our football identity, a small bowl game that began in 1978, one of 11-bowl games at that point.  Blessed by being the stand alone bowl game on ESPN, seen by everyone on cold winters nights natiowide.

This bowl game because a signature event because of its shootouts.

Who could forget the magical tour game of 1980, BYU-vs-SMU.  The Jim McMahon-led Cougars coming back time and time again to take, then retake the lead, from the SMU-Mustangs and their running back tandem of Craig James and Eric Dickerson.

When they were done, BYU had won(46-45).  McMahon put up astronomical passing numbers, (446Y) and led his team to 21-points in a span of (2:33) in the fourth quarter.

Not to be outdone, the Pony Express tandem of Dickerson and James combined for (335Y) rushing in the loss.  The whole nation saw it, and became enamored with explosive displays in late Decembers.

San Diego, blessed by beautiful weather, was blessed too by an array of talent who played in the game.  Heisman Trophy winners, Barry Sanders and Blair Thomas.  Great quarterbacks like Steve Young, Robbie Boscoe and Ty Detmer.

Legendary coaches like Joe Paterno, Jimmy Johnson and more.

The Friday game matches the legendary USC Trojans vs the Iowa Hawkeyes.  A USC team with flash and splash on offense.  Iowa with a blue collar defense and typical Big 10-tough offense.

It’s a special event in our town.

The Holiday Bowl, hosted by great citizens wearing Red Jackets, doing things for the enjoyment of our community, and selling all the Picture Perfect Chamber of Commerce postcards for the rest of the nation to see.

Great history, great games, great leadership making it happen.

A crown jewel of an event in America’s Finest City.

============================

-0-

“Christmas Gifts to 1 & All”

-0-

Coming down the chimney dropping gifts beneath people’s trees.

RON FOWLER-PETER SEIDLER….A return on their Padres investments over the last couple of years and an end to the losing seasons and playoff droughts.  San Diego will be a vibrant baseball town and Petco Park will be the place to be once this team gets into a pennant race.  Padres games, already a destination point when the Mets-Yankees-Red Sox-Pirates-Reds-Giants and other show up, will be rocking and rolling to the tune of 3M-attendance once this team starts to win.

AJ PRELLER…Hope that the next wave of Cuban players he signs will pan out after spending 101M on draft picks and Caribbean players over a 3-year span.  So far, all that he has to show from his farm system is Joey Lucchesi, Cal Quantrill, Michael Baez.  Remember Fernando Tatis, Francisco Mejia, Chris Paddack and Dinelson Lamet came in trades.  Five years into the AJ regime, waiting on more returns.

JAYCE TINGLER…Best wishes dealing with a clubhouse that was void of leadership last year.  Some of the highest paid players became ‘independent contractors’, not necessarily great teammates. Andy Green was a good guy, in a bad situation, who lost a clubhouse that didn’t seem to care about anything than picking up its paychecks the back half of the sorry season.

TOM TELESCO….A gift wrapped box full of good health for a team that has been destroyed by injuries 3-years in the last four seasons.

ANTHONY LYNN…Patience to find a way to survive all these turnover plagued setbacks while having half a team out there around his once superstar QB-Philip Rivers.

PHILIP RIVERS…A franchise tag contract for next season, so he can go out on top rather than face the way Eli Manning’s final year ended up with the Giants.

DEAN SPANOS…A lump of coal, or maybe a coal truck dumping its load in his living room.  We can never forgive him for what he did to
America’s Finest City.

AZTECS…A thank you note to football coach Rocky Long for all he has brought to Montezuma Mesa, wins, class, dignity, leadership and a desire to help young players develop into men.  San Diego-you need to show up and support this quality product.

AZTECS..A ticket to March Madness to Brian Dutcher’s basketball team, unbeaten and now ranked, heading into the Mountain West Conference full schedule….May the full houses and the raging “Show” of student support in the End Zone seats return.

USD…Some way to better market a really good 1AA football team on a beautiful campus overlooking the Pacific.  San Diego fans have never embraced how good this program has become, with Dale Lindsey the latest coach to have great success…Would love to see USD actually move to 1AA football in the Big Sky Conference but that does not make financial success for the school on the hill.

GULLS…Cell phones with caller ID…Not answering the phone when the caller ID says “949”…it’s the Ducks calling to take your best players from you…we know that is what AHL hockey is all about…you just wish the hot draft picks could stay here a bit longer…Love to see the Gulls and 13,000-fans jamming the Sports Arena, the old gray lady, for AHL Calder Cup final playoff games.

SAN DIEGO STRIKEFORCE….A ticket to hiring better people to run an organization that failed miserably in a (1-13) maiden voyage season.

SAN DIEGO SOCKERS…A Ticket to a better league to play in with more credibility, in bigger markets,  than something that is semi pro.

SAN DIEGO LOYAL….A bottle of champagne to launch their first season in the spring in the USL…If Landon Donovan is involved it will be quality..but no one knows if the fans will react.

HOLIDAY BOWL…Hopes that the continued alignment with new conferences will bring them spectacular intersectional matchups that people around the country wish to see, remembering BYU-SMU and so many other great games back in the day.

LACROSSE-RUGBY…and other assorted fringe sports-hopes the product is good..you get some coverage…so fans who like those sports will show up.

Merry Christmas and thanks for checking my website each day.

=====================