12/28/8 Hochuli Free Day!

Tampa, FL

Raymond James Stadium was supposed to be the last stop on the Chargers season. It ended up being just the last road game. San Diego, playing focused and confident charged out of Tampa with a 41-24 romping of the Buccaneers. The Chargers were just too committed and too focused to let this one slip away. After the game all the Bolts could do was sit back and root for the Bills, needing a Denver loss to have a shot at the playoffs. While soaking in ice baths, the Chargers wishes were granted. In 17 degree weather the visiting Bills put the Broncos on ice 30-23. This game has been months in the making for Chargers players and fans alike. It was a blown call by the officiating crew that led to a Denver victory in Week 2. Crew chief Ed Hochuli has since apologized to the Chargers and the league. "Affecting the outcome of a game is a devastating feeling. Officials strive for perfection - I failed miserably."said Hochuli in response to his blown call. He could only hope for over three months that somehow that call would become a moot point. Hochuli, a Christmas baby, will get his gift a few days late.

        

Back in Tampa, it was all about the quarterback snubbed from this years Pro-Bowl game. Philip Rivers, the leagues top rated passer, threw for 287 yards and four touchdowns. He had TD passes to Manumaleuna, Gates (twice), and Sproles. San Diego's offensive seemed to have it's way with Denver's 28th ranked team defense. L.T. rushed for 90 yards and became just the third player all-time to record 1,000 yards rushing through the first 8 seasons of his career. Only Barry Sanders and Curtis Martin have done it previously, Martin doing it 10 straight years to start his career. When Antonio gates joined the action catching his first TD of the day, a 15 yard strike from a scrambling Rivers, he also put his name in the record books. Gates with 51 touchdowns in his young career was the fastest TE to 50, doing so in 92 games. The old record was set by Jerry Smith, who used 100 games to reach that feat.

"That's the San Diego Chargers that we anticipated on being at the beginning of the year," Gates said. "Tampa Bay, with all due respect, there was nothing they could do about it once we had the rhythm like we had today."

A rhythm the Bolts look to keep leading into next Sundays rematch with the Broncos for the Division.

There is a saying in football that there's a reason they play the games. If you were only to see the box score, you'd have done yourself a disservice. The stat lines were almost identical across the board. Total yards, passing, rushing, time of possession, even penalties were all almost identical. The story on the field was much different, especially in the second half. The Chargers defense stepped up with two sacks and two fourth quarter interceptions. The second interception was a pick six by Chargers rookie Antoine Cason. One of the highlights of the Chargers fourth quarter outburst, Cason returned the ball 59 yards for his first NFL score. Quentin Jammer deflected the pass intended for Ike Hilliard. Jammer also had the hit of the game. Just four plays before the interception Jammer unloaded a cold shoulder on a diving Jeff Garcia. The Tampa QB was scrambling for a first down and ended up with a gash above his nose from his helmet crashing down on his bridge. Garcia played the remainder of the game with blood dripping down his face. 

The Chargers now play host to the Denver Broncos at Qualcomm stadium this Sunday. The NFL, earlier today announced the game would be pushed back to an 8:15 eastern time zone start. This is part of the flex scheduling that allows the league to highlight it's best weekly matchups. The Chargers look to shine in front of a national audience. San Diego can silence critics with a win. A strong outing by Philip Rivers could also show his doubters what he is all about. He was left out of the top five in voting for AFC QB's in the fan poll.