San Diego Chargers: What a Difference a Sunday Afternoon Makes

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San Diego must have been elated with the civilized start time as the Bolts beat the fading Giants 21-20.  Not only are the Chargers slow starters each season, they are also not exactly "morning people," given their rate of success on East Coast visits.

The Chargers were all but written off.  Where did this team come from?  Merriman has flipped the light switch back in his favor, helping spark the entire D; LT and Norv are embracing and working together on play calls; Rivers' throws weaved through the Giants secondary; and never mind the Red Zone problems— this team has turned the corner and is finding a way to win. 

With all the criticism levied upon Turner, it is amazing to see that the true measure of  coach and team— heart— cannot be measured. 

Witness Lovie's Bears yesterday— it is clear he has lost the "locker room," and his days as a defensive guru (if not head coach), are clearly numbered.  During three less-than-perfect years in San Diego, the O-guru, Norv, has never gone off message, and it is paying dividends again.

Sunday's game was played across the Hudson from the world's largest, and allegedly toughest, media market. It is ironic that before this game the media naysayers primarily resided on the left coast.  As bad as the criticism of the Bolts has been here, can San Diego now expect a bevy of support? 

All the critics labeled the Chargers underachievers, yet in the aftermath of this Bolt win, it is the New York (football) Giants who are allowed to play the injury card— as an excuse for their slide. 

The Chargers lost the center of their lines on both sides of the ball in the first game of the season. Yet the Chargers were given no such "out," no time to adjust by the local media, or any NFL pundit, for that matter.

Certainly there is room for improvement for the D and in the running game, and a supply of stick 'em for the receiving corps, however, as predicted by this columnist, look for great things to come in San Diego in the second half of the season. 

The storyline going into the Meadowlands was the '04 draft saga, featuring Eli vs. Phil.  Which team got the best QB? Now that we know that answer, the new question is: Which five win team do you like for the playoffs now? 

In the words of the immortal Gipper Reagan, it's morning, er ah, it's evening in America!

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