Archives for November 2005

‘Coach Mike Mularkey is sticking to his plan to wait until Friday to announce whether J.P. Losman will start in Holcomb’s place. For Losman, it would be his first start since opening the season 1-3 and being replaced by Holcomb, a journeyman backup.’

‘"Sometimes effort can overcome talent. said Chris Kelsay. I’m not saying we don’t have a talented defense, but sometimes effort, and if you are going with your hair on fire every play you are going to make up in areas that you lack in the phases of the game. If we can continue to grow in that area and continue to put forth the effort that we did last week, good things are going to happen."’

‘”All the other people that think they’re not the best have a problem,” McGahee said this week. “If I go out there with a mind-set like, `Dang, he’s better than me,’ then I’m going to go out there and stink.”‘

‘From 1985-91, Jerry Gray was a Pro Bowl defensive back for the Rams. Now it looks like Gray, Buffalo’s terrific defensive coordinator, is going to have a chance to become the Rams’ next head coach.’

‘The Bills will need to key in on Tomlinson and force the Chargers to beat them with a downfield passing game. Even though San Diego boasts the best TE in the league (Antonio Gates) Buffalo’s 2nd ranked pass defense should be able to keep the Chargers passing attack in check and force a couple of interceptions they way they have all season long.’

‘Holcomb was not ready to take on anyone Wednesday. He was knocked out – literally – on a second-quarter sack. He also chipped his bottom two front teeth. “I was out for a split second and then I woke up,” he said. “It was one of those things where you’re wanting to get up, but your brain is telling you, “Uh-uh.’ It took me a couple more seconds to realize where I was.”‘

‘Buffalo Bills punter Brian Moorman was named the AFC Special Teams Player of the Week for his performance against the Kansas City Chiefs.’

‘A spokesperson for Kelly Enterprise said neither Kelly nor the company would have any comment on the subject. A source close to Kelly said the former quarterback sees nothing wrong with the connection.’

‘They are committed to it, having rushed 276 times (eighth-most in the NFL) and thrown just 237 passes (fifth-fewest).’

Bills unlikely to abandon the run against Chargers (San Diego Union Tribune)

The back stops here (San Diego Union Tribune)

Players seek Alworth’s autograph (San Diego Union Tribune)

Chargers look to turn over new trend (North County Times)

Hardwick is in the center of practice (North County Times)

‘Bambi’ drops by Chargers practice, gets his jersey retired Sunday (AP)

Inside slant (The Sports Xchange)

Strategy and personnel (The Sports Xchange)

Notes, quotes (The Sports Xchange)

No running allowed (Chargers.com)

Alexander leads, Tomlinson, Gates top five in Pro Bowl balloting (Chargers.com)

Chargers to wear throwback uniforms against Bills; San Diego Food Bank to collect non-perishable goods (Chargers.com)

Several Chargers make push to Pro Bowl (Chargers.com)

‘Did Losman make a statement that his four weeks in exile were enough and he’s ready to take back the starting job for the rest of the season? “No. Two little throws? One little game? No,” Losman said Wednesday. “We have some veteran players on our team, and one little game is not going to spark them to pick a side, and it’s not going to spark me to say something that I need to be the guy. Whatever they ask of me, I have to be ready.”‘

‘”I’m going to give it another day with Kelly and see if he practices tomorrow,” said Mularkey, who wasn’t sure whether Holcomb would be able to do so. “Concussions, they gradually go away, and I’m going to see if another day, giving him off, helps him tomorrow.”‘

‘In other words, the defense needed to toss a lifeline, and it did, gaining back some of the swagger it had lost after ranking No. 2 in the NFL the past two seasons.’

‘Holcomb hadn’t suffered a concussion since his freshman year at Middle Tennessee State in the early 1990s. Not only did he suffer a concussion, he chipped his two lower front teeth, hitting LG Mike Williams’ knee then the ground after a hit by Chiefs DE Jared Allen. “It was a double whammy,” Holcomb said.”‘

‘OL Mike Williams would like to go back to playing right tackle after his disastrous debut at LG last Sunday against Kansas City, but that’s not going to happen right now. Coach Mike Mularkey likes the job converted TE Jason Peters is doing and still thinks Williams has a future in the middle of the line. “It’s just a matter of getting comfortable,” Mularkey said. “I think the comfort level of being on the left side, some of the keys in protections and things like that, is just getting reps at it. It’s not like you’re in training camp where you’re getting as many reps as you can during a week of practice. Hopefully the more he gets the better he gets.” Williams will back up Bennie Anderson at LG against San Diego, meaning the fourth overall pick in the 2002 draft is now a reserve player making $7.3 million.’