Is Ricky Williams unretiring for the Chargers?

After finishing his final NFL season with the Baltimore Ravens, Ricky Williams decided to retire and call it a career.

After an interview on 103.1 FM, a radio station in Austin, Texas, Williams indicated that he would be willing to come back to play for the San Diego Chargers.

Williams ran for 444 yards on 108 carries last season and will be turning 35 in a few months. You know what that means by NFL standards. He’s done.

Even though Williams hasn’t had the normal wear and tear of the average NFL running back, I really don’t think he would be able to carry the load if Ryan Mathews were to be hurt for an extended period of time.

It would be kind of heartwarming to see Williams come home to San Diego, but it probably won’t happen. The Chargers are better off looking for younger, cheaper options.

Philip Rivers wants Peyton Manning in Denver

You can’t fault Philip Rivers’ competitive nature, even as the team around him looks like it’s falling apart. The San Diego Chargers missed the playoffs last season and conceded the AFC West crown to the Tim Tebow led Denver Broncos. Now Rivers would love to see the Broncos bring Peyton Manning aboard. Not because he has a personal vendetta against the guy. It’s because he says it’s good for the division to stop being looked at as the weak sisters of the NFL. And he loves the thought of battling Manning twice a year.

“It would make it that much tougher to win the West,” Rivers said on San Diego’s XX 1090 radio, via the Denver Post. “All the sudden, at least from a media’s perspective, it would become a division that’s not lost in the shuffle like it’s been in years past. I kind of hope that that’s the case just because it’s always fun to play a Peyton Manning-led football team. To play him twice a year that would be a battle like crazy to win the division. I hope it happens. One thing you know about him, he’s going to be thorough and make the best decision for him that gives him the best chance to go win. And if that ends up being Denver then it will be exciting.” 


And another hurdle for your slow starting team to overcome. If I’m Rivers I’m begging John Elway to leave Manning alone and let him go elsewhere. How about concentrating on how the Chargers can avoid a slow start or midseason swoon that ruins their season.

Smith And Turner To Get The Ax

According to a report in the San Diego Union-Tribune, San Diego Chargers Team President Dean Spanos has decided to fire General Manager AJ Smith and Head Coach Norv Turner at the end of this season. Turner and Smith have been tied together for the numerous regular season flops and playoff failures. Spanos feels he “has no choice” but to go in another direction. Turner is definitely gone after the season, but Spanos is reported to be wrestling with the decision to fire Smith, so it’s possible that he might be spared.

“The decisions are not made,” said one team source, “but everything is lined up.”

 

Norv’s Reply

Rex Ryan told the press that he would have two rings if he would’ve been named coach of the San Diego Chargers in 2007. We all know hindsight is 20/20 and Ryan might’ve been the man to get the job done in San Diego.

The man who coached the Chargers, Norv Turner, had a reply for Ryan after he called and apologized for his “mistaken” comments.

“It really was between he and I. I think we’ve had enough coaching drama in the league the last few days and we don’t need any more,” Turner said.



“I hadn’t seen his quote and I was a little bit surprised by the call,” Turner said. “And then after I saw the quote, I didn’t have a chance to ask him this, but I was wondering if he had those rings with the ones he’s guaranteed the last couple of years.”

That’s what long suffering Jets fans are asking.

  

Rex Ryan Is Full Of Himself

It’s old news that New York Jets head coach Rex Ryan is full of bluster. Normally he’s talking up his team and predicting Super Bowl wins. Now he’s crsoosed the line.

With the Jets getting ready for a key AFC matchup against the San Diego Chargers, Ryan thought it would be a good idea to open his trap and stir up the hornets nest again.

Ryan said that if he were hired by the Chargers back in 2007, he’d have a couple of Super Bowl rings.

“Well, I think I would have had a couple rings,” Ryan told San Diego reporters today when asked about how things would have unfolded if he were hired by GM A.J. Smith. “I’m telling you, those teams were loaded. There’s no question about it. But things happen for a reason. Obviously, Norv Turner has done a great job there. And A.J. (Smith) and everybody. That’s a great franchise. He was probably the best guy for the job at that time.”

Now that is a slap in the face. I know he tried to cover for it at the end of the quote, but the indictment he levied against Norv Turner was that he’s not a good enough coach to lead a team to a Super Bowl. Now I think that Turner isn’t the greatest coach in the world, but let the fans spit that knid of venom.

Of course Ryan said the comments were a “testament to what the Chargers have built” and not a slight against Turner and made a call to Turner to clarify his statement.

Rex knew he was in deep and needed to clear it up. He needs to concentrate on his own team and live up to the expectations that he has bestowed upon them. Yes Rex it’s time to deliver a championship that you’ve benn promising the past two years.

Get Your San Diego Chargers Wine

The San Diego Chargers have entered the wine business. The NFL team has combined with Napa Valley winemaker Anthony Bell of Napa Valley’s Bell Wine Cellars to create a Cabernet Sauvignon. The wine is to celebrate the fifty years that the team has played in San Diego

It’s called Legacy and I guess they call it a celebratory wine. To celebrate what, a legacy of choking in the playoffs? A legacy of slow starts to torpedo an otherwise fine regular season? I’ll let Chargers Executive Vice President and CEO A.G. Spanos explain it to you.

“We think our fans will enjoy having a bottle of Chargers Legacy wine for any occasion as well as on game days,” said Chargers Executive Vice President and CEO A.G. Spanos. “We want nothing but the best for our fans.”

“Producing a special wine like Chargers Legacy is similar to winning football games,” Bell said. “It’s a team effort that requires patience, determination, a lot of blood, sweat, and tears, and great talent.”

Isn’t that statement a contradiction of sorts. The Chargers have had a team with great talent, only to waste it and lose a game they have no business losing in the playoffs. Or they find a way to lose a home playoff game. Or they waste it with their slow starts in the regular season. Do you want me to go on?

The Chargers aren’t the first team to sell wine. The New York Jets came out with “Jets Uncorked” last year. How appropiate. They might have wanted to call it “Rex Ryan uncorked”. 

If you want to do the best by Charger fans, don’t worry about selling wine at the stadium or in a grocery store, worry about trying to get a Lombardi Trophy in the trophy case. That would be truly celebratory. 

R.I.P. Don Coryell

Ex San Diego Charger coach Don Coryell passed away from unknown causes at age 85. The offense known as “Air Coryell” was a precursor to a lot of the offenses ran today. Coryell is known as a pioneer of the aerial attacks that he ran in the 70s and 80s with the San Diego Chargers. Back then they were one of the most exciting teams to play the game.They never won the Super Bowl or even went to one,but you can’t deny the long range impact that Coryell and the Chargers had on the game. He was definitely an innovator of the game. Hopefully he will get his due by getting enshrined in the Hall of Fame.

For the Chargers it’s the same old story of what if.

It’s a week before the Super Bowl and I can’t help but wonder why the San Diego Chargers aren’t going to be playing in it.The stars seemed to be aligned for them this season.You know,win the AFC West,get a home game possibly against someone that you have a favorable track record against(Colts).Then it all comes crashing down against an underdog New York Jets team with a rookie quarterback,no less.  
  Then I thought about their postseason history,since I’ve been a football fan.I’m a fan of my hometown Detroit Lions.Don’t laugh,I know the jokes are coming.But I’ve always had a soft spot for the Chargers.I don’t know why.Maybe it was the lightning bolt uniforms that reeled me in.Or maybe that the Oakland Raiders,who were notoriously dirty back then, always got over on the Chargers(the holy roller game and the 55-21 Monday night massacre come to mind).They always seemed to have a good regular season,only to come up short in the playoffs.Here’s a rundown of the Charger playoff misery that their fans had to endure.I’m a Lions fan so I more than feel your pain.

1979-The Chargers finally breakthrough the death grip the Raiders had on the AFC West and win the division.They get a home game against the Earl Campbell led Houston Oilers.But the Oilers were without their starting quarterback,Dan Pastorini.They trot out Gifford Nielsen and the Chargers lost a 14-10 third quarter lead,losing 17-14 on a 47 yard touchdown pass to Mike Renfro.The first of many disappointments.

1980-The Chargers win the AFC West again.Once again they get a home game as they draw a tough Buffalo Bills team.The Bills jump out to a 14-3 lead,but the Chargers storm back with 17 in the second half to win 20-17.Having home field advantage against th wild card Raiders should have been enough to catapult them to their first super bowl berth.The Raiders,led by Jim Plunkett,who was backing up Dan Pastorini(this guy must have been haunting the Chargers back then),came into Jack Murphy Stadium and jumped the Chargers to the tune of 28-7.Once again the Chargers mount a comeback,only to fall short 34-27.Two weeks later they watch the rival Raiders celebrate a win over the Philadelphia Eagles in Super Bowl 15.Once again the Raiders get over on the Chargers.

1981-This was the year it was supposed to come together for the Chargers.They rolled into the 1981 season as one of the favorites to get to the Super Bowl.Then the rest of the league figured something out.The Chargers for all their aerial antics,couldn’t stop anyone on defense.Another thing was that no one counted on the Cincinnati Bengals coming out of nowhere to be the class of the AFC.1981 was a slight disappointment.They won the AFC West for the third year in a row.But there were no home games for the Chargers to fall back on.They went to Miami to battle the Dolphins in one of the most epic playoff games of all time.After jumping to a 24-0 lead,they let the Dolphins back in it to close the gap to 24-17 at the half.Both teams traded punches and wound up being tied at 38 at the end of regulation.Kellen Winslow blocked a Miami field goal attempt that would’ve won it for the Dolphins.Both exchanged missed field goals in overtime.Then Rolf Bernirschke nailed a 29 yarder that earned them a trip to Cincinnati.They would face a Bengals team,that whacked them 40-17 earlier that season,but had a chance to avenge the loss.One problem.It was too cold.Known as the Freezer Bowl,it was played in -59 degree wind chill.-9 degrees air temperature.Going from 88 degree heat and humidity to extreme cold was too much for the California boys.Plus I always believed that the Miami game took a lot out of them(remember Winslow being carried off the field?).They wound up losing 27-7 and waiting until next year.

1982-In a strike shortned season the Chargers finished 6-3 and earned a first round game against the Steelers, who were a little past the glory days.Being on the road had always been a trouble spot for the Chargers back then.It showed as the Steelers ran out to a 28-17 lead.The Chargers,led by Dan Fouts,made a fourth quarter comeback to notch a 31-28 victory.The win set up a rematch with Miami.The Chargers were destroyed in the “epic” rematch,34-13,once again exposing a poor defense.They wouldn’t return to the playoffs for 10 years and one of the best teams in NFL history never made it to a Super Bowl.

1992-After 10 years away from the postseason the Chargers rebounded from an 0-4 start to win the AFC West.They came in with a bang pitching a 17-0 shutout over the Kansas City Chiefs.Once again they end up in Miami and once again were dominated, losing 31-0.Overall,not much was expected from this team,so not a lot of disappointment as there was in past years.

1994-Finally,a breakthrough!They win the AFC West once again.This time they get the Dolphins at home.After falling behind 21-6,they Chargers dominate the second half and win 22-21.They get a shot on the road against the favored Pittsburgh Steelers.The Steelers looked like they would be headed to the big game after being staked to a 13-3 lead in the third quarter.Quarterback Stan Humphries led the team to two fourth quarter touchdowns and a 17-13 win.That would get them their first AFC championship and trip to the Super Bowl.Going against a heavily favored San Francisco 49ers squad,the Chargers were outmatched from the start and lost 49-26.

1995-The Chargers returned to the playoffs to defend their AFC title as a wild card entrant.Playing at home against the Indianapolis Colts,this was supposed to be a win for the home team.The Colts had other ideas.Led by running back Zack Crockett(who?),the Colts ran away from the Chargers for a 35-20 win.This was a disappointing finish to the season since so much was expected coming off an AFC championship season.

2004-The Chargers return to the playoffs after a 9 year drought.They grab another AFC West crown and get a home game against the New York Jets.Falling behind 17-7 the Chargers tie the game only to miss a field goal attempt that would’ve won the game.They fall 20-17 in overtime to start the 2000’s string of playoff misery that mirrored the late 70’s and early 1980’s.

2006-The Chargers entered the playoffs with home field advantage throughout.That didn’t seem to matter to the defending champion New England Patriots.After being ahead 21-13,Tom Brady led the Patriots to a 24-21 win that was frustrating on many levels,from the fans,players,and coaches.After this latest heartbreak,Marty Schottenheimer was shown the door and dismissed from his head coaching duties.They brought in Norv Turner to see if he could get the job done.

2007-The Chargers are the AFC West champs and face the Tennessee Titans and claim a 17-6 win.Earning a shot against the favored defending champion Indianapolis Colts on the road.They go toe to toe with the champs before getting the ko in a 28-24 win.That would get them a shot at avenging the loss to the New England Patriots.With star running back LaDanian Tomlinson sitting out most of the game the Chargers fall one game short of the Super Bowl,falling 21-12.

2008-Although they won the AFC West,the Chargers underachieved and finished with an 8-8 record.They somehow manage a home game against the Indianapolis Colts.After being behind most of the game,they manage to tie it with a last second field goal.They take the overtime kickoff and drive for the winning touchdown.They go on to play the Steelers and take an early lead.After that the Steelers dominate the rest of the way for a 35-24 win that wasn’t as close as the score indicated.

2009-Present day.The Chargers run away with the AFC West title.They’re favored against the wild card New York Jets at home.Once again the Chargers blow a shot at a possible Super Bowl and fall 17-14 to the Jets.This would mark the latest disappointment in the playoff history of the San Diego Chargers.

They’ve always been close,right at the doorstep of greatness.Somehow they always manage to come up short when it matters most.This seems to be when they have some of the best players in the NFL and can’t come up big.AFC West titles seem to be the most this team can garner.