Chris Chambers looking to get even with Chargers

Chris Chambers must be licking his cops.

A flop through seven games with the San Diego Chargers this year, he’s been a star in three games with the Kansas City Chiefs.

And don’t you think Chambers would love to get even when the teams play Sunday at Qualcomm Stadium?

Chambers set up KC’s overtime upset of Pittsburgh last week with a 61-yard reception in OT.

He’s itching to do the same against a Chargers team that is not exactly strong against the pass.
Matt Cassel is finally starting to fit in as the Chiefs QB and Jamaal Charles is certainly an all-purpose player to be reckoned with.

The Chargers? They’ve won five straight ... and no QB is playing better lately than Philip Rivers.

San Diego will celebrate its 50th anniversary Sunday by honoring the top 50 players in team history (well, Walter Sweeney certainly should have made the special teams squad.)

But will the Chargers be celebrating about 4 pm?

Prediction:
Chargers 24, Chiefs 21

Pittsburgh is tough as Steel vs. Chargers

You can almost always expect the best NFL match-up of the week to be on Sunday Night Football on NBC.

This week is no exception when the San Diego Chargers travel to play the Pittsburgh Steelers.

San Diego has yet to win in 13 regular season games in Pittsburgh, but it did win the 1994 AFC Championship game in the Steel City. That gave the Chargers their only Super Bowl appearance (no big deal to the Steelers with six Super Bowl titles!)

We all know that San Diego has had trouble running the ball this season. Even if LaDainian Tomlinson returns Sunday night, it won’t make much difference. Pittsburgh takes away the run and forces you to pass, no matter who you are.

That’s where the Chargers excel. Philip Rivers leads the league in passing yardage, and Vincent Jackson is turning into a monster this season. (Once the Chargers replace Chris Chambers with Malcom Floyd in the starting lineup, they’ll be even more effective.)

The Steelers will once again be without safety Troy Polamalu, which will weaken their defense. But don’t be surprised if Ben Roethlisberger has once of his patented game-winning drives (remember the last Super Bowl?) at the end.

Prediction:
Steelers 24, Chargers 20

As for the upset special, we all know Brett Favre will be seeking revenge when the Minnesota Vikings host the Green Bay Packers. But don’t you think the Packers will seek revenge, too, on a QB who hasn’t exactly been respectful to them either?

Prediction:
Packers 31, Vikings 23

Jamal Williams' loss could bring Chargers down

The loss of Jamal Williams to a triceps injury could be devastating to the San Diego Chargers in 2009. The demotion of Chris Chambers could be a positive if it happened.

More than anyone (including Shawne Merriman when he was healthy), Williams is the key to the Chargers’ defense. At nose tackle, he’s normally taking on two people and freeing up someone else to (hopefully) make the tackle.

From 2005-07, Williams’ peers recognized him as an All-Pro. That was no surprise. The only surprise was that he did not get named a Pro Bowler sooner in his career.

The impact of Williams was certainly never displayed more than in the 2002 season. The Chargers were 8-4 and probably on their way to the playoffs before a cheap shot by Denver Broncos offensive lineman Steve Herndon ended Williams’ season. Without Williams, the Chargers lost their last four games and headed home for the postseason.

It was no coincidence that when Williams went down, so did the Chargers.

As for Chambers, his best days at wide receiver seem to be behind him. He’s gone from 82 receptions and 11 touchdowns for the Miami Dolphins in 2005 to 33 catches and 5 TDs for the Chargers last season … and this year looks worse so far.

Chambers caught just 2 of 10 passes targeted to him (20%) in last week’s 31-26 loss to the Baltimore Ravens. The remainder of the team caught nearly 80% of the passes thrown their way.

It’s too bad Williams had to go … but looking more and more like Chambers might need to do the same.

Referee Ed Hochuli ... dumbest man in the NFL!

Referee Ed Hochuli clearly looks like the strongest referee in the NFL.

After Sunday, it’s safe to say he is all brawn and no brains.

Hochuli’s incompetent officiating clearly cost the San Diego Chargers a 39-38 loss at Denver.

All of America could plainly see Broncos’ quarterback Jay Cutler fumbled the ball away to San Diego in the game’s waning moments, which should have closed out a 38-31 win.

But Hochuli let his muscles get in the way of his vision by ruling it an incomplete pass and blowing his whistle; costing the Chargers the ball and blowing the game.

"That’s not acceptable," Chargers’ coach Norv Turner rightfully said more than once in the aftermath.

Oh, sure, the Chargers still could have held the Broncos from the 10 – or stopped a two-point conversion – to win the game a second time.

But once you’ve won the game, why have to win it a second time?

And what was with the instant replay not working in the first quarter?

All of America could see on TV replays that San Diego’s Chris Chambers was obviously down after catching a pass. Hochuli’s crew called it an interception, which was news to TV viewers but not the incompetency in the replay booth.

That was bad enough. Hochuli’s ridiculous call at the end was the worst thing some of us have since the Holy Roller 30 years ago by the Oakland Raiders.

There’s no excuse for Hochuli’s incompetency ... or the Chargers’ 0-2 start!

Chargers playing it smart this summer

Give the Chargers credit for playing it very smart this training camp.

So many teams complain how they get beaten up in camp with only 80 players on the roster.

The Chargers have alleviated this by holding guys out of practice and/or games at the first sight that something might be wrong.

Consider the list held out of last Saturday’s 7-6 exhibition loss at St. Louis:

Offense: QB Philip Rivers; RBs LaDainian Tomlinson and Andrew Pinnock; OL Marcus McNeill and Nick Hardwick; TE Antonio Gates; and WRs Chris Chambers and Vincent Jackson.

Defense: DL Luis Castillo and Jamal Williams; LB Shawne Merriman; and DBs Quentin Jammer and Antonio Cromartie.

With even half of these players active, the Chargers certainly would have whipped an inferior St. Louis team. But what’s the point in an exhibition game?

The Chargers appear to be saving guys so that they may have a better chance of being healthy at the end. If they are to make a Super Bowl run, this definitely will be a major issue (remember the injuries that hampered the team in last season’s AFC Championship loss to New England?)

If there is a downside, it may be that players are not as far along when the regular season starts.

But the bigger issue is who will be ahead when the season concludes.

Chargers: Super close, or Super Bowl?

The Chargers are going to be one of two things this season:

Either they will continue being the Don Coryell-style Chargers of the old days, or they will finally become the Indianapolis Colts.

The Coryell Chargers?

Like the current edition, they had great talent, went well into the playoffs but never made the Super Bowl.

The Colts?

They couldn’t beat the New England Patriots for years before finally besting them in the AFC championship on their way to a Super Bowl title two seasons ago.

The Chargers certainly have the firepower with LaDainian Tomlinson, Antonio Gates, Philip Rivers, Chris Chambers, et al on offense. And the defense is top-notch with the likes of Jamal Williams, Shawne Merriman and Antonio Cromartie.

Perhaps the biggest question mark the Chargers face as rookie training camp begins today focuses on injuries.

Center Nick Hardwick, tight end Gates and nose tackle Williams are all still nursing hurts from last season. Their progress could determine early-on how well the Chargers do.

It would be shocking if the Chargers don’t make the playoffs. The other three teams in their division … the Denver Broncos, Oakland Raiders and Kansas City Chiefs … are all in down cycles.

The Chargers of the 1980s or the Colts of 2006?

We’ll see; come January and February.

Chargers find there are catches to winning in playoffs

The Tennessee Titans based their chances against the Chargers on stopping LaDainian Tomlinson and Antonio Gates in Sunday’s wild card playoff game.

That they did … but win they didn’t.

So why were the Chargers able to pull out a 17-6 victory for their first playoff win in 13 years?

Because once it was obvious Tomlinson couldn’t run (21 carries, 42 yards, 1 touchdown) and Gates (sprained left big toe) was injured in the second quarter, the Titans lost their game plan.

They had prepared so much for silencing Tomlinson and Gates that they forgot about San Diego wide receivers Chris Chambers and Vincent Jackson.

Chambers had six receptions for 121 yards; Jackson made five receptions for 114 yards and the go-ahead touchdown in the third quarter.

And once Jackson’s catch gave the Chargers a 10-6 lead, the game was over. It was obvious that Tennessee’s lame offense wasn’t going to score a touchdown if the game lasted until Friday.

"It's a relief, but at the same time, it's not like we're saying, 'OK, we won a playoff game, so let's get ready to lose,' you know what I mean?” Tomlinson said. “I'm already thinking about next week and how tough of a game we're going to have going to Indianapolis, facing the champs."

Yes, it’s going to get tougher for the Chargers. They have recorded seven straight wins – coming against five losing teams, along with two victories over Tennessee.

The Indianapolis Colts team they face on the road Sunday is the defending Super Bowl champion, mind you.

The Chargers have made a habit lately of being a strong second half team against weak teams. This week, they better play a strong first half or there may not be enough margin of error after halftime.

But at least the Colts learned one thing sitting on their collective couches Sunday: If you slow down Tomlinson and Gates, it might not be enough to beat the Chargers anymore.

A.J. Smith's new contract: Good! Bad!

The good news is the bad news for the Chargers.

The good news is that general manager A.J. Smith has been signed through 2014. And, yes, that’s the bad news.

On the good side, Smith seems to have a great ability to secure great players.

Trading Eli Manning on draft day 2004 for what turned out to be Philip Rivers, Shawne Merriman and Nate Kaeding was brilliant.

Bringing in Keenan McCardell in the middle of the 2004 season and Chris Chambers the middle of this season were both strokes of brilliance. Taking a chance on Antonio Cromartie in the first round of the 2006 draft looks superb right now.

Then there’s the personality.

Smith has run off such mainstays as Drew Brees, Donnie Edwards and Marty Schottenheimer with his piranha personality.

In the future, the Chargers can only hope Smith continues to make above average personality evaluations.

But on the other hand, he may even be more likely to run quality people off with his lack of people skills now that he has the longest-term contract in the organization.

We’ll see.

Is Chambers another McCardell?

This appears to be a repeat of the 2004 NFL trading deadline.

Back then, the Chargers acquired wide receiver Keenan McCardell from Tampa Bay when they were 3-3.

They would win nine of their next 10 games to finish 12-4 and reach the playoffs for the first time since 1995.

This time, the last-minute trade acquisition is wide receiver Chris Chambers from Miami at a time when the Chargers are 3-3.

Will they win nine of their next 10 again to finish 12-4?

Probably not, but it won’t take nearly that good of a record to win the weak AFC West.

Chambers brings the Chargers two sides. He’s known for making brilliant, game-winning type catches; but he’s also known for dropping more than a few passes.

He is kind of a more experienced version of Vincent Jackson, the Chargers’ current go-to wide receiver (if they have such a thing.)

Chambers, acquired from Miami for a second-round draft choice, earned a trip to the Pro Bowl following a 2005 season in which he hauled in 82 passes for 1,118 yards and 11 touchdowns. In six games with the Dolphins this season, he’s caught 31 passes for 415 yards. Chambers is a seven-year veteran who has a history with Chargers coach Norv Turner. In 2002 and 2003, Chambers’ second and third seasons in the NFL, Turner served as Miami’s offensive coordinator.

“Chris is an explosive, talented player and I’m thrilled to have an opportunity to work with him again,” Turner said. “He’s a very consistent player and he has big-play ability. We think he can add to what we’re doing on offense. The bonus for us is that he’s familiar with the system. It should be a quick and easy adjustment for him. We expect him to come in and be productive right away.”

With Eric Parker on injured reserve, Chambers better contribute right away if the Chargers are to build on two straight wins.