Waiting For The Other Shoe To Drop

As I am sure you have figured out by now, I am more than a little obsessive.  I am also more than a little narcissistic.  So I sometimes find myself quoting my own words.  At this point, I am more concerned with my possibile devestation over LT getting a ring than it actually happening.  I went back into the Halls Of Justice to find something I wrote in March of last year:

Of course, the New York Jets are not our problem.  When asked which team I hate the most right now, I always answer the San Diego Chargers.  Of course, if the Jets take our broken parts and win with them, it is even more salt in our already painful wounds.  One of my friends asked me about LT and I compared it to Cal Ripken if he had never won a ring in Baltimore.  Then imagine he had been signed by the Red Sox, before they had ever won anything.  Right now, the Jets look pretty good.  They are certainly acting like they bulletproof by inviting the HBO cameras into their training camp.  Even though their coach is only talking about his own team and not directly about the opposition, they’ve made themselves a big target.  But if they can get the most out of their guys (and our old guys), they deserve that much more credit.  Sadly, our problems are not with the Jets, Colts, Steelers or Patriots.  I don’t need to tell you that, FAITHFUL READER.

I have to stick with that attitude right now.  I won’t be watching the AFC Championship game because I can’t handle getting that upset with a game that we aren’t even playing in.  I am expecting the Jets to win and more concerned with minimizing the already large amount of anger and frustration I feel regarding professional football.  The fact that the Chargers are nowhere near the Super Bowl is where all my anger needs to be. 

I saw a couple of other interesting points on various forums a I was searching for some solace on Monday:

“Watching the teams in the playoffs and the level the winners are playing at I realize we may just be a flawed franchise. Im going to stop being bitter and cheering against our old players.”

“The entire Jets team played solid, rose to the occasion, did not crumble under pressure but thrived off it, no turnovers, no dumb penalties, played focused and determined to win. So, pretty much everything the Chargers never do once the playoffs start.  They definitely earned it.”

The best expression I read regarding our constant shitting of the bed in the postseason was “tripping over our own dicks.”  Damian Brennan of Ireland summed up the problem with the Chargers right now.  The Steelers, Ravens and Jets can all beat us up.  The Pats cannot, but we are unable to beat them up.  These are all teams that we have been unable to beat in January.  We haven’t played Baltimore, but I don’t think anyone here thinks we would have beaten them anytime when it mattered.  LT beating these teams now isn’t tthe issue.  The issue is that we can’t do it.  Everything else is just salt in the wound.

I saw this in Kevin Acee’s “Male Sack” today.  I was surprised it didn’t have to do with the Chargers moving to LA:

Kevin, Another example of how a fiery/disciplined coach can get the most out of his team. A second year head coach and quarterback just took down arguably the best prepared team in football. I would argue the Charger’s talent level is at or better than the Jets, yet here we are out of the palyoffs. Why is Dean Spanos satisfied with his coach when year after year they do not show up for the big games? Is it him or the talent AJ has acquired? Keeping Norv because he gets along with AJ is not a the way to build a championship team. If AJ can’t get along with someone who may challenge him then maybe the problem is him. Just venting.

A: Fair enough, considering the Chargers interviewed Rex Ryan and the Chargers aren’t in the playoffs and the Chargers lost in the AFC Championship game at New England … But the argument is tired. You’re hitting your head against a wall for at least another year. Either enjoy your team, root for a lockout, root for them to go 4-12, whatever. But I have no answer that will make you happy at this moment … I could tell you the same things I’ve been saying for months, but that is not what you want to hear.

Basically, we’re fucked.  The issue is that the only consistent message the Bolts have sent is that AJ makes the decisions.  For Spanos to use 3 missed field goals as an excuse for last year, but for his annointed GM to choose to keep that very kicker illustrates that.  I know Brain Schottenheimer said last year that he wanted to give a Super Bowl ring to his dad.  Does that mean that Marty should have stayed?  Hell, no.  He said all the iright things, but players weren’t listening.  That’s half the coach’s job right there.  AJ claims not to watch the playoffs if we are not in it, but he better be watching now.  Clearly, the teams that remain display all the qualities that we currently do not have.  I am also not saying that Rex Ryan would have made the Chargers into what the Jets currently are.  But teams hire, fire, trade and cut guys based on their performance in the biggest spots.  The Chargers appear not to.  This is why people worry that they only care about turning a profit.  The speculation over a possible move to LA doesn’t help that perception.

Incidentally,

There are 10 teams that have been to the Super Bowl (in years shown) and lost each time:

• Minnesota Vikings (0-4) 1970, 1974, 1975, 1977
• Buffalo Bills (0-4) consecutively 1991-1994
• Cincinnati Bengals (0-2) 1982, 1989
• Philadelphia Eagles (0-2) 1981, 2005
• San Diego Chargers (0-1) 1995
• Atlanta Falcons (0-1) 1999
• Tennessee Titans (0-1) 2000
• Carolina Panthers (0-1) 2004
• Seattle Seahawks (0-1) 2006
• Arizona Cardinals (0-1) 2009

There are 4 Teams that have never played in a Super Bowl :

• Cleveland Browns
• Detroit Lions
• Houston Texans
• Jacksonville Jaguars

Except for the Falcons, none of the Super Bowl losers got blown out—besides us.  People say they always root for the underdog in the Super Bowl.  Having been in Miami on 1/29/95, I can tell you that we were not the people’s favorite.  I guess everyone wanted Steve Young to get the “monkey off his back.

RLW