The Chargers have skidded into the bye week, with a 5-game losing streak attached to their tail, like a tin can being dragged along by a dog. They have 10-losses in their last 13-games. There will be no January playoff games here.

The numbers are horrid, and all we get from Mike McCoy at his weekly press briefings, are the same clichéd quotes, and defiant answers to questions he doesn’t like.

The numbers do not lie. The defense is now giving up 372-yards a game, now ranked 20th in the NF, much damage done to them by bad teams you would think they could beat..

Despite the presence of a great quarterback, they still cannot win, having given up 28-touchdowns this season, while scoring just 23.

He’s not junking the “3-4” defense, despite getting gashed for big yardage plays every weekend, a total of 39-plays this year of Plus-20-yards.

That defense has just 16-sacks and only 9-takeaways in 9-games this year., but the defense does not change.

McCoy remains adamant they are not misusing RB-Melvin Gordon, and has no intention of taking blocking tight end David Johnson and loading up with a ‘big backfield’ or maybe an I-formation, to play to Gordon’s strength, where he starred out of the I-formation at Wisconsin.

The roster is a mess, with a team playing shorthanded. You wonder, with the desperation situation in the offensive front, why they did not put guard Johnnie Troutman on the 8W-Injured Reserve list, with the right of recall. Eventually they put him on the season long IR-list, and cannot bring him back. Ditto with the handling of LB-Tourek Williams broken foot

They never do anything bold. Didn’t make a push to get legendary pass rusher Jared Allen. Didn’t consider bringing back Dwight Freeney. No interest in the highly productive Wes Welker. Never looked at massive Browns NT-Phil Taylor. None of them could help this sorry bunch?

McCoy maintains his team is just a couple of plays away from being a much better record, if they had just made a play here-or-there. Of course nothing ever gets better, they keep losing close games, and they never make the plays.

Remember they struggled before finally beating a horrid Detroit team. They should have lost to the 2-win Cleveland Browns. They may be (2-7), could have been (0-9) and surely nowhere’s near McCoy idealistic thought, might be (7-2) “if we made a play here or there”

The injuries pile up but he refuses to admit that has anything to do with this record, as if it would sound like an ‘excuse’ rather than a legitimate ‘explanation;.

McCoy spent a chunk of time talking about his passion to excel as a coach, speaking glowingly of the passion of what few veteran players he has on his roster.

Defiant and Defeated, the rest of the season looks dreary in San Diego. With a stubborn coach who isn’t man enough to admit mistakes, not willing to change things up, or smart enough to see the cup half empty rather than half full.

The numbers do not lie, or as Bill Parcells would say, ‘you are what your record says you are’. Mike McCoy refuses to see it that way. He looks like he’s going down with his ship.

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The whole nation has now gotten to see what Chargers fans have seen for the last year and a half, the unraveling of a franchise.

Bad teams, made bad mistakes, make bad plays, and lose, and so the Bolts now have a 5-game losing streak, sitting at (2-7) on the season, having lost to another bad team, the Chicago Bears.

It started with the street alley beating they took from the Raiders, and it’s gotten worse since. A bad loss to Baltimore, and now this, losing to a virtually all rookie Bears team.

And it was another last minute setback, like so much of this season has become.

Four more players went down with significant injuries. By halftime, Philip Rivers had lost virtually all his down the field receivers. The defense kept blitzing, kept giving up big plays, and died on the field.

Jay Cutler took Chicago on a 93-yard drive, covering 15-plays, and 8-minutes. Then he drove them again, using big ‘chunk’ plays to get them the winning touchdown, thanks to a marvelous 1-handed Zach Miller TD catch. Of course, he was wide open in the secondary.

There were the assortment of Chargers mistakes, including the stupid spike the ball penalty by receiver Stevie Johnson, the flag against offensive guard DJ Fluker, three penalties on three plays earlier in the game. Donnie Inman fumbled a completion, then dropped a pass. Trustworthy Danny Woodhead dropped two passes also.

Rivers took 10-hits and back-to-back sacks late in the game, and even Superman at quarterback cannot get it done, when the team around him becomes Kryptonite.

Chicago survived its own calamites. It seemed they were in San Diego territory all night. A missed field goal at the 29; a fumble at the San Diego 15; a Cutler interception at the 30; another missed field goal at the 15; and 3-bad penalties themselves.

There are problems everywhere, a battered roster, to a bad defense, to an owner who wants to leave, after poisoning the relationship with the city and fans.

At times this looked like a preseason exhibition game in August, not a game with meaning in November. And just think, the Bolts still have to play Denver twice, Kansas City twice, and go to Oakland to meet the Raiders.

They’ll get a very high first round pick by virtual of the roster that Tom Telesco has put together. The season is starting to resemble the Ryan Leaf (1-15) season, and who could have ever thought you’d say that about a team that has Philip Rivers as his quarterback.

I am haunted by two things. Seeing Rivers get knocked around and trying to rally this team, is like watching Dan Marino in Miami, when he got beat (62-7) in his final game against Jacksonville.

And I see an eerie comparison to what happened 20-years ago this past weekend. Art Modell announced he would move the Cleveland Browns to Baltimore, and they never won a game again after that announcement.

This mess is not on Philip Rivers; it may not be even on Mike McCoy. It’s bad football, bad injuries, bad leadership, and now the whole nation has seen the demise of the San Diego Chargers.

Enjoy Monday Night Football.  You probably won’t enjoy the atmosphere at Qualcomm Stadium though, unless you wear Blue and Orange-Da Bears colors.

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It doesn’t feel right at all to you.  It feels downright fraudulant.  In fact, considering who was involved, it’s borderline disgusting.

The NFL is scrambling after Senator John McCain exposed them in their latest money-grab, the Pay-for-Patriotism advertising campaign.

It’s another item to add to the checklist of shady business dealings executed by the NFL, Roger Goodell, its ownerships, including Dean Spanos.

McCain unearths information that as part of the Department of Defense’s marketing plan to recruit people into the military, the Government spent 6.8M in taxpayers dollars over a 4-year period, to advertise in NFL Stadiums.

The Chargers received 435,000 in advertising buys thru the DOD, as the Military became an in-stadium sponsor of Chargers home games.

What we saw were great emotional military displays, fly overs, full field flags, salutes to Wounded Warriors, military honored in skyboxes, featured on the big screen scoreboard.  All things designed for us to extend an emotional thanks for all who have put themselves in harms way against global terror.

Now we find out it was staged.  It was a sponsored advertising campaign.  It was the NFL teams charging big money rates for the military to sponsor all this.  Pay for the Patriotism display at selected home games.

It’s shameful, that the mega-profit owners of NFL teams, have to stoop so low to create this ‘love the soldier’ image at home games, when it reality, it is ‘love your money’, and here’s an idea.

I have no doubt this came out of the NFL league office, some marketing executive creating this special emotional attachment imagery to an in stadium promotion. all the while making sure teams got a cut of the DOD advertising budget.

The Chargers are no less guilty than any other NFL team.  Assume Robert Kraft and Jerry Jones and many others, in addition to Spanos felt good about the on-field presentation, and even better about the profits they made.

In an era when we weep for those who died, and those who suffered life changing wounds by serving their country, does this not make you sick to your stomach?  It should.  It would if one of your family members was a victim of snipers, or shell fragments or the trauma.

The NFL, without regard to moral obligation, just seems to go on and on.

A year ago, there was the scandal about how much the NFL profited from the Breast Cancer weekend, where everyone wore pink, everyone stood up for women victims of breast cancer, only to find out the NFL and its manufacturers took a large volume of the money taken in, rather than send it on for cancer research.

Need we remind you of the Dallas Super Bowl ticket scandal in the Cowboys stadium, the ticket prices for seats that didn’t exist, or were constructed with limited views just before game day, that led to lawsuits.

And though they never admitted to anything, we have the 935M concussion lawsuit for all those players with CTE, brain damage, Alzheimers-Dimentia, and those who committed suicide.  You don’t really believe out of the goodness of their heart, the NFL owners just decided to write a check do you, or was it because they knew, and their was evidence out there, that was going to show up in lawsuit discovery?

Power and greed corrupt.  I’ve believed it for a long time.  It seems we are revisiting that issue again with the “Pay for Patriotism” promotion that has been uncovered.  .

Roger Goodell says his office will investigate.  They may order the money returned, or maybe donated to Military families in need.

Pick a word to describe it.  Disgusting, Dirty, Corrupt.

Playing off the emotions of the fans and the flag, while pocketing big profits.

It would be nice to see a formal NFL apology, on every NFL TV-broadcast on a given week, when all this is sorted out.

The NFL reaching a new all-time low.

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The Chargers have skidded to the mid-season of the NFL schedule, a team going in the wrong direction with an owner trying to go take his franchise out of town. A midseason report card on the (2-6) Bolts.

Owner…Dean Spanos used to be a special guy…active in the community….available….now reclusive…borderline despicable because of what he has allowed Mark Fabiani to do in the community on his behalf….and his franchise is falling apart on the field…..Grade (D)

General Manager…Tom Telesco still gets passing grades because the top of his draft boards have brought quality players here…but you need more than an occasional impact player….Only 4-of-17 draft choices have had positive impact on team. By January, the Chargers will have won just 1-playoff game with Rivers at quarterback in 7-years. His free-agent signings and cash outlays for bonuses are a disaster….Has turned Chargers into the Colts-great quarterback-soft team….Grade (D)

Coach…Mike McCoy…..Guess we’ll never know how good this team could have been and how good he could have been with his creative genius since injuries have destroyed the team…..But injuries are part of the NFL and he is (20-20) now in two and half seasons with that quarterback….He must win next year to keep the job….Still believe Frank Reich can be good with weapons….John Pagano era should be over…I said day they hired McCoy-best guy going into the best situation…..Situation going in wrong direction…Grade (C).

QB…Philip Rivers….Without him this would be the Detroit Lions or Jacksonville Jaguars, but I fear his career is headed the way Dan Marino’s went, losing (62-7) in his final game….Everything about the player and person is special…Grade (A)

RB…Melvin Gordon is learning on the job, about fumbles, hits, blocking etc…Still great upside with his explosive talent…..Who knows how good he is because he has no help upfront…but then again neither does Todd Gurley and look at his numbers coming off knee surgery with the Rams…Danny Woodhead does all he can with his God-given talents….Grade (C)

WR…Keenan Allen has a fine career ahead of him now that he has learned what it is like to be a pro…Malcom Floyd in farewell tour….rest of receivers have been pedestrian-though Stevie Johnson needs to get ball more…Add in productivity of Antonio Gates-Ladarius Green and group is good …Grade (A)

OL….A disaster from tackle-to-tackle…Have to question long-term health of King Dunlop….DJ Fluker playing with great heart….everyone else injured…Stunning Orlando Franklin misses 1-game in career in Denver-then has three different injuries in San Diego in eight weeks…Pass protection shaky-run blocking awful…Not all their fault because they are hurt…Grade (D).

DL…This is not player problem-it’s organizational problem…have failed to address defensive front in past five drafts at top of draft board….Corey Liuget cannot do it by himself….none of young players they brought in is a difference maker….Grade (D).

LB…You see flashes and say Melvin Ingram and Jerry Attaochu can create havoc in the blitz package…Virtually nothing from the Inside backers….Mantei Te’o injury issues for 3rd year in a row-he’s no Luke Kuechly is he…..Donald Butler never been the same since early career…Grade (C).

DB…Jason Verrett has stayed on the field and grown into shutdown corner…Eric Weddle, in contract year, has missed more tackles than I have ever seen…Brandon Flowers woke up an old man who cannot run anymore….Jahleel Addae is great at blasting people after the catch and run is made…Grade (D)

Special Teams…Josh Lambo is rock solid…Mike Scifres not what he used to be-age-injury…Jacoby Jones unemployed-leaving with lots of their money….Other teams get guys who make big returns-not this franchise….Kick cover units almost as disgraceful as return units…Grade (D)

Franchise….This won’t be a (1-15) type season like the Ryan Leaf era, because they have two wins so far, but this is a miserable feeling around this team, its leadership, its football people….Atmosphere at Stadium turning sour with fans selling their tickets-next road game for Chargers will be Monday night ‘home’ game vs Bears….Flash back to the season Art Modell announced he was moving the Browns to Baltimore-Cleveland didn’t win a game after that…..Chargers don’t seem to be the same either with all this ‘move to LA mojo’…..Grade (D)