Wake Up Merriman!

What is going on with San Diego's defensive star Shawne Merriman? Ever since his knee surgery last season he has not been the same explosive player that the Chargers are used to. I'm not sure if his knee is still bothering him or not, but he is not playing with the passion he once had. He led the league in sacks three years in a row and now he hasn't had one sack in the first six games. Many fans will speculate, "Well he is double covered..." So what? he was double covered and sometimes triple covered before his surgery and he still got to the quarter back. Shawne Merriman is a different player than he was. I hope that he realizes its all or nothing out there and he needs to perform. I look forward to seeing him maybe get his first sack against Oakland at home on Sunday. It would be really nice for the fans to get to see "Lights Out." We all miss it. Don't get me wrong, I am a huge Merriman fan, but he needs to step it up. I must admit he came really close a couple of times to getting a sack in KC. If your a fan and your going to the game on Sunday...give Merriman a "Lights Out" chant, and maybe he will wake up and destroy Jamarcus Russel repeatedly. Wake up Merriman!! GO BOLTS!!!

A Sad Day in San Diego

Week six for the San Diego Chargers started out with much optimism as they looked to pick up two games on their division rivals, The Denver Broncos. It was a very heated game as anyone watching could see. There was jawing going on between the Bolts and Denver before the game even started. The Bolts came out strong in the first quarter (excluding the first drive). The defense seemed to have woken up and was not letting Denver's highly praised offense get any points. LT was looking sharp for the Chargers as he was running like the LT of a few years ago. He was getting first downs and making plays. Even San Diego's offensive line was doing a good job protecting Rivers the first half. The Offense was driving the ball and the fans anticipated victory. The problem San Diego had the first half was SPECIAL TEAMS. We don't hear about the Chargers Special Teams unit doing a bad job, but tonight they gave Denver two touchdowns. One on a kickoff return and the other on a punt return. The Bolts go into half time ahead 20-17. The third quarter rolls around and San Diego's defense seems to have come out strong again, but a questionable PI by Ellison gives the Broncos a first down. The offense wasn't looking as good the second half because the Broncos cranked up the blitz and the O-line wasn't protecting Rivers. Then San Diego's defense starts to get picked apart by Orton and the game gets stressful when the Broncos take the lead. The defense started showing some of the same problems they had against Pittsburgh: they got lazy on pass coverage, there were too many penalties, and there was not enough pressure on the QB. Overall, the Broncos dominated the 2nd half of the game. Defense wasn't making the tackles again and gave up too many yards. The good news is, Nate Keading is a great field goal kicker. That said, one can never expect the kicker to win games. It is too stressful of a kick for anyone (especially when its a 55 yard attempt). The only way the Chargers will make playoffs this season is if they get on their winning streak immediately and don't lose another game, and hopefully the Broncos start losing. We will see what happens here the next couple of weeks. If not, maybe we will get the wild card pick, but I doubt it. I don't want to go into too much detail about the problems tonight because it is too soon and I am hurting inside right now, as is every San Diego fan. Well..."There's always next year." I am getting really tired of that phrase. I can only hope for a mental shift in San Diego that will make them perform to their highest potential. Goodnight San Diego, good luck falling asleep tonight. GO BOLTS!!!

Chargers vs. Broncos Preview

As we know, the San Diego Chargers have a good record against the Denver Broncos at home. What I am hoping for is that San Diego took a significant amount of time to really evaluate and correct their problems during the bye week. The Broncos are having a great season, but I believe that the Bolts can beat them easily if they play well. Expect Denver to try to establish their running game early. The Chargers need to keep pressure on the line and not give them anywhere to go by making tackles and stuffing the runner. There should also be a lot of pass attempts from Denver because Kyle Orton is having a great season. San Diego's secondary really needs to step up their game and make plays and stay on the coverage. If the Chargers can make big plays on both offense and defense early in the game, they should get great crowd support and enough momentum to carry them through to victory. If San Diego can't stop Denver's drives early on, they could lose the enthusiasm of the fans early and "Home Field Advantage" would not be that great of a factor. San Diego offensively needs to open up the field early in the game with a lot of passing to their talented receivers. This could cause the Broncos strong secondary feel the pressure and spread out the coverage so that LT and Sproles can hopefully run more effectively. San Diego should also consider play action and some tricky offensive plays. A couple years ago they had LT throw the ball...I'd like to see that again. The Defense needs to keep consistent pressure on Orton throughout the entire game and force him to make bad plays. They also need to MAKE THE TACKLE. I can't tell you how many times they would have forced opposing teams three and out if the initial tackler there could make the tackle. If the Bolts can do these things effectively then Monday should be a great victory for them. If not, their season will be looking dim as the Broncos gain two ore games on them. I believe San Diego realizes the importance of this game and I think that they will perform well. It will be interesting to watch on Monday night. GO BOLTS!!!

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Chargers vs Steeler's Thoughts

Where to start??? Overall the game was a nightmare. I think it is evident that the defense needs some serious work. The good news is that the bye week came at the perfect time for the Bolts to get healthy and hopefully work hard on their most obvious problems. It doesn't seem right that the charger's talented offense can score 28 points in the last 17 minutes of the game and 0 points the rest of the time. It seems that Norv is playing reverse "Marty Ball." Norv starts every game SLOW....usually 3 and out on first possesion. Then they get behind, they make a heroic comeback that sometimes works but not always. Marty used to start out with a bunch of points in the beginning, but then they would stop scoring and the opposing team would make a comeback that sometimes worked (Not usually). My point is...Charger games are very stressful for true Charger fans. The coaching is a serious problem and Norv is definitely a "YES" man who needs to toughen up and get his team in shape. He said it himself..."too many of the guys are trying to do too much and don't do their job." Well Norv, "THAT IS YOUR FAULT!" It is up to the coaches to make sure the players do their job. I must say that Special Teams has done a fantastic job, offense has its good moments, and defense is horrible. Where is the pass coverage??? Chromartie needs to get a grip and do his job without game-losing penalties. He should watch Jammer and learn what a CB is supposed to do. Also, what is up with the horrible lines. The O-line can't make a hole for the RB and has a hard time protecting the QB. The D-line gets pushed around by the other team. It is embarrassing sometimes. I still love the Chargers, but I hope they can pull it together. These are my thoughts for this game. Check back after the Denver game for more thoughts. GO BOLTS!!!

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