Showing posts with label Ladainian Tomlinson. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Ladainian Tomlinson. Show all posts

November 12, 2008

Charging On With The Week...


Well, I'm over talking about the same shit. I refuse to beat a dead horse. Even if that dead horse is Ben Roethlisberger.

Instead, why don't we talk about the San Diego Super Chargers.

When I think about these guys, the first thing that comes to mind is Ladainian Tomlinson. Actually, the first thing that really comes to mind is Silverback hurdling LT.

But after LT, I think about Antonio Gates, Darren Sproles, and I guess, Philip Rivers. LT, obviously a force, off year or not. Just like Peyton Manning, I refuse to ever take LT lightly. Gates is pretty much a guaranteed threat. Philip Rivers is eh, decent I guess, and Sproles may seem a little odd, but hear me out (below).

Oh, they've also got Chris Chambers and Vincent Jackson, you say? Big deal, man. Neither of those dudes scare me. Although I gotta say, with Vincent Jackson coming in at 6'5", it might be a pretty tough day for the 6'2" Ike Taylor. But really it shouldn't matter because I don't even want to see Philip Rivers release a football. Can't throw if someone's already knocked you on your ass, can you?

Anyways, it's going to sound weird, but I'm actually a little worried about Darren Sproles. Just think about how much trouble the Steelers have traditionally had with Maurice Jones-Drew, this season's game notwithstanding. On kicks or just running the ball, Jones-Drew has torched us both ways. And Sproles is probably faster than Jones-Drew (although not according to their respective 40 times at their respective Combines). So especially on kick offs, but also catching the ball out of the backfield and/or picking up a carry here and there, I'm not altogether convinced that Sproles isn't someone who could give us a hard time.

Of course, LT is pretty much the beginning and the end for the Chargers. So we're more likely to see his visored head coming at us. The good news there is, in his last three games against us, he hasn't cracked 100 yards yet. He's come real close once, with 91 yards and 2 TDs back in 2003. And this year, he's only surpassed the century mark twice - against the Raiders and Saints...not exactly the league's top Defenses. So maybe that's a good sign for us?

But, here's the deal. Ok, I know we don't have a whole lot to be confident in, this team is awful, blah blah blah, whatever. The fact is the Steelers stars are still the Steelers stars and thus have an ever-present potential to destroy an opponent. And the Chargers should be no exception. They're 4-5. But they're a weak 4-5. Their four wins came from games against the Jets, the Raiders, the Patriots and most recently, the Chiefs (who I don't need to remind you they almost lost to). And they're giving up an average of about 24 points per game. So I'm a little apprehensive about starting to shit myself in fear just yet.

Then again, most of this current Steelers team has only played the Chargers twice in the past four seasons. As a result, I doubt we have that much familiarity with them, which could make them dangerous...ish. And of course, there's also Bruce Arians...

Chargers, anyone? Win or Loss?

And here's one more, because I can...