Lori Posted December 1, 2006 Share Posted December 1, 2006 SAN DIEGO CHARGERS (9-2) at BUFFALO BILLS (5-6) SUNDAY, DECEMBER 3, 2006 – 1:00 PM ET RALPH WILSON STADIUM, ORCHARD PARK, NEW YORK CBS: Gus Johnson, Steve Tasker ***GAME BLACKED OUT IN BUFFALO MARKET*** DIRECTV NFL Sunday Ticket: Channel 711 (no HD) RADIO: Buffalo Bills Radio Network PLAY-BY-PLAY: John Murphy COLOR ANALYST: Mark Kelso SIDELINE REPORTER: Paul Peck San Diego Chargers Radio Network PLAY-BY-PLAY: Josh Lewin COLOR ANALYST: Hank Bauer SIDELINE REPORTER: Jim Laslavic Sirius Sunday Drive: Channel 152 (Buffalo feed) / Channel 130 (San Diego feed) ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------ REGULAR-SEASON SERIES RECORD: San Diego leads, 19-9-2, but the Chargers haven’t won in Buffalo since 1985. They’re 2-2 overall at Rich/Ralph Wilson Stadium. PLAYOFF RECORD: Bills lead, 2-1. The Chargers were the opponent in both of Buffalo’s AFL Championship wins. LAST MEETING: November 20, 2005 – Chargers 48, Bills 10 At first, I was disappointed I had to work during this game… but as I listened to the score mount, I decided I wasn’t missing much. (Not sure I ever did make it all the way through the tape later that night.) The Bills concentrated on containing LaDainian Tomlinson, and actually held him under 100 total yards. Unfortunately, by selling out to stop the run, they left Drew Brees plenty of room to work. He spent the afternoon playing catch with wide-open receivers, finishing 28-33 for 339 yards and throwing touchdown passes to four different players. LAST TIME IN BUFFALO: December 15, 2002 - Bills 20, Chargers 13 A chilly, drizzly, nasty day in Orchard Park. The Chargers DBs must have known they couldn’t cover Eric Moulds and Peerless Price, because they spent the entire afternoon tackling them downfield before the ball got there. That didn’t do much for Drew Bledsoe’s stats - he ended up 11-33 on the day, for a meager 107 yards - but the yardage gained on the multiple interference penalties helped Buffalo drive to three first-half scores and a 13-10 lead that held up well into the fourth quarter. Enter old friend Doug Flutie, sent in to relieve struggling rookie Drew Brees. One juggling 47-yard catch by Curtis Conway and a couple of short gains later, Steve Christie’s 53-yard FG tied the game with 5:45 remaining. The two teams traded quick three-and-outs; Buffalo then put together an efficient 64-yard drive to the go-ahead touchdown - a 26-yard Travis Henry sprint down the right sideline - with 0:52 left on the clock. Flutie managed to move the Chargers close enough to try a couple of throws into the end zone, but Antoine Winfield knocked the last one down as time expired. ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------ CHARGERS OVERVIEW (2006 RANKINGS) OFFENSE (#5 total yardage, #2 rushing, #14 passing, #1 scoring): No matter whether the starting quarterback is Drew Brees or Philip Rivers, the San Diego offense continues to revolve around the man lining up behind him in the backfield, LaDainian Tomlinson. L.T. is this generation’s version of Thurman Thomas, equally at home taking a handoff or catching passes (and even throwing one now and then). He’s currently on a streak of five straight 100-yard games; another one on Sunday would put him well over the 1200-yard mark for the sixth time in as many seasons, a record equaled only by Eric Dickerson. Want more numbers? Two weeks ago against Denver, he became the fastest player to score 100 touchdowns (89 games), topping Jim Brown and Emmitt Smith (93). Is Tomlinson the best running back ever, as some pundits have suggested? Still a little early for that, and difficult to argue against the merits of such legends as Brown and Walter Payton… but he’s forcing his way into the debate. Doesn’t hurt that he’s got Lorenzo Neal, one of the best blocking fullbacks in the league, leading the way, either. While there was much debate about whether or not the Chargers were making the right decision in letting Brees leave last offseason, Rivers is acquitting himself well in his first year as the starter. He’s completing 65% of his passes, not turning the ball over, and has led the team to touchdowns on a remarkable fifteen straight trips into the red zone. Oddly, none of Rivers’ 15 touchdown passes has ended up in the hands of starting wideouts Eric Parker or Keenan McCardell. But then, when he has playmakers such as Tomlinson and two-time Pro Bowl tight end Antonio Gates to throw to, perhaps that’s not such a surprise after all. At 6-4 and 260 pounds, Gates is a matchup nightmare who leads the team in receptions for the third consecutive season. Brandon Manumaleuna, the other TE, is more of a third-tackle type, but 3 of his 12 catches have gone for touchdowns. And after watching film of Terrence McGee struggling to cover tall receivers, offensive coordinator Cam Cameron has to be devising plans to involve 6-5 Vincent Jackson and Malcom Floyd in the gameplan. After journeymen Roman Oben and Leander Jordan split time at left tackle last season, A.J. Smith decided to upgrade the position by drafting massive Marcus McNeill (Auburn) with the Chargers’ second-round pick. So far, so good: McNeill has played well, starting every game this year despite broken bones in both hands. The rest of the line returns intact; left guard Kris Dielman is the only player to miss a start this season. They’ve done a good job of protecting their young quarterback, allowing only 18 sacks in 349 dropbacks. DEFENSE (#9 total yardage, #7 rushing, #14 passing, #11 scoring): When Wade Phillips was hired to run the San Diego defense in January 2004, more than a few Chargers fans assumed he’d continue to run the 4-3 set, because he didn’t have the players to fit his beloved 3-4. Instead, as I predicted on one of their message boards, the team cleaned house on the defensive line and found players who did fit; Pro Bowl NT Jamal Williams and LB Donnie Edwards are the only two front-seven starters left from the Dale Lindsey era. The improvement has been dramatic: the Bolts’ run D shot from 26th in 2003 to 3rd in 2004, and led the league last season. The current rankings are somewhat misleading; the Bolts were #2 in total defense when the league gave Shawne Merriman his four-game vacation. Merriman, the reigning Defensive Rookie of the Year, returns for this game… just in time to take out his frustration on the Buffalo offense. Wonderful. Jacques Cesaire has started the last three games in place of left end Luis Castillo (high ankle sprain), and will probably be in the lineup again Sunday. Igor Olshansky is the right end; he doesn’t have great stats, but against Denver two weeks ago, he earned the thanks of defensive players around the league for retaliating against a Tom Nalen cheap-shot. (Memo to Bills offensive linemen: Igor doesn’t like cut-blocks, especially on “spike” plays. Nalen should have been suspended.) Edwards and Randall Godfrey hold down the ILB spots, freeing Merriman and Shaun Phillips to get after the quarterback. Both have the perfect size/quickness combo for rush OLBs, and they’ve combined for 18 of San Diego’s league-leading 41 sacks. Backups Carlos Polk, Marques Harris, and Matt Wilhelm have filled in adequately when called upon. If there’s one trouble spot on the Chargers defense, it’s the secondary, where starting corners Quentin Jammer (the fifth overall pick in 2002) and Drayton Florence (second round, 2003) have never lived up to the lofty expectations placed on them. Free safety Marlon McCree (Panthers) joined the club in the offseason and has been praised as a steadying influence, but I still have memories of Drew Bledsoe and Bobby Shaw toasting McCree early and often in a 2003 game against Jacksonville (and the Jags cutting him the next day.) Terrence Kiel is the strong safety, with last year’s starting FS, Bhawoh Jue, in reserve. SPECIAL TEAMS: Nate Kaeding has one of the easiest jobs in the league right now: because the Chargers are so proficient at finding the end zone, he hasn’t attempted a field goal in the last month. (When he has had to line up for something longer than an extra point, though, he’s been perfect from 40 and in.) Likewise, punter Mike Scifres hasn’t had much work lately. While he’s averaging a pedestrian 43.5 gross yards per kick, over half of his 41 attempts have landed inside the opponents’ 20, with only one touchback. Backup RB Michael Turner is the normal kick returner, but rookie DB Antonio Cromartie filled in admirably in Turner’s absence last week with a 91-yard runback against the Raiders. Parker handles punt returns. Both coverage teams are average, but haven’t given up any scores. ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------ OUTLOOK: This is a classic “trap” game for the Chargers: sandwiched among division games, cross-country flight, 10am Pacific game start. (Could it be a coincidence that both San Diego’s losses were also early games?) Plus, as previously discussed on the Wall, the Bolts don’t play many “weather” games. Their fans keep bringing up their last snow game, a 21-0 win in Cleveland two years ago… but conveniently fail to mention that the Browns had already fired Butch Davis, were playing out the string, and had just gotten smoked 37-7 in Buffalo the week before (in a game where the Bills sacked Brownie QBs 8 times, forced 5 turnovers, and allowed an incredible 17 total yards to the Cleveland offense, the fifth-lowest total in league history). Given all that, the Chargers are still the better football team right now. (Heck, they should be, considering all the early draft picks they’ve ‘earned’ in recent years.) If Buffalo manages to get an early lead, the upset might just be there for the taking… but if it comes down to the Bills porous run defense trying to stop Tomlinson and "Martyball", it could turn into a long afternoon for the hometown team. Don’t forget to pack your snow gear, see you in Lot 1 Sunday morning, and Go Bills. Links: NFL.com: injury report / Chargers depth chart / Chargers team stats / Bills depth chart / Bills team stats Official team website: Chargers.com ADD: latest info, courtesy of the San Diego U-T, has Castillo, McCree, and Turner all OUT for this game. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Nanker Posted December 1, 2006 Share Posted December 1, 2006 Let me be the first this week to say, Thanks Lori! You Da MAN! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
cåblelady Posted December 1, 2006 Share Posted December 1, 2006 Philip Rivers has never played in snow. Maybe we can borrow one of those snow machines from Holiday Valley. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Beerball Posted December 1, 2006 Share Posted December 1, 2006 Enter old friend Doug Flutie, sent in to relieve struggling rookie Drew Brees. One juggling 47-yard catch by Curtis Conway and a couple of short gains later, Steve Christie’s 53-yard FG tied the game with 5:45 remaining. The two teams traded quick three-and-outs; Buffalo then put together an efficient 64-yard drive to the go-ahead touchdown - a 26-yard Travis Henry sprint down the right sideline - with 0:52 left on the clock. Flutie managed to move the Chargers close enough to try a couple of throws into the end zone, but Antoine Winfield knocked the last one down as time expired. Hmmmmm...I don't remember them getting to our 15 yard line??? Thank you Lori! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ned Flanders Posted December 1, 2006 Share Posted December 1, 2006 Hmmmm....Tasker doing the game, and it is blacked out in WNY. Wonder if he'll be even more critical of the Bills! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
IDBillzFan Posted December 1, 2006 Share Posted December 1, 2006 Sadly enough, the Charger game I remember most was a couple of years ago in a tight game in San Diego. Flutie on the quarterback keeper to win it with time expiring. I look forward to the day when those kinds of losses are a distant memory for this team. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Lori Posted December 2, 2006 Author Share Posted December 2, 2006 Hmmmmm...I don't remember them getting to our 15 yard line??? Thank you Lori! 853442[/snapback] Nicely done... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Bill from NYC Posted December 2, 2006 Share Posted December 2, 2006 Great work once again Lori! It looks like Wade will make it tough to run on them tomorrow. I still like the matchup of Schobel vs. a rookie LT and a relatively inexperienced qb. Have Fun tomorrow, and GO BILLS!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
CFLstyle Posted December 3, 2006 Share Posted December 3, 2006 Sadly enough, the Charger game I remember most was a couple of years ago in a tight game in San Diego. Flutie on the quarterback keeper to win it with time expiring. I look forward to the day when those kinds of losses are a distant memory for this team. 853534[/snapback] I could've sworn we had a chance to win it then had a FG blocked... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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