Time for a pilgrimage...

San Diego, CA

It seems as if the Chargers that started the season 2-3 have charted a new course. The new-look Bolts have righted their ship, won six straight games, and set sail for Miami. The latest win, a 43-14 conquest over the Chiefs indigenous of Kansas City, seemed like an organized banquet for a hungry Chargers defense.

Although Thanksgiving has just passed us by, San Diegans must feel confident with their team owning a 9-0 record during the Christmas month under head coach Norv Turner. In a season that has celebrated so many Chargers of yesteryear, a veritable pilgrimage to The Big Game would be a welcome sight to more than just Gale Gilbert. It was he alone that suffered five straight Super Bowl defeats, (4 with Buffalo, then in '94 with SD) but it is now the ownership and Chargers fans together that agonize with each missed opening. It has been well chronicled over the past few years that San Diego has possibly the most talented team in the league, yet find themselves falling short in the playoffs year after year.

Falling short may be a dying trend for San Diego. Sunday, the Chargers got more than bargained for from their defensive unit. One which still ranks near the leagues worst in run blocking, and rests middle-of-the pack in almost every other defensive category. On this day four defensive take-aways led to 28 points for a potent San Diego offense. Coach Turner's squad scored a league high 43 points in the Week 12 win over Kansas City. The last five points could have easily been attributed to the defense as well. The Chargers forced a fourth-quarter safety, and the final field goal came as a result of the Chiefs ensuing kick-off. Coming off as a bit indifferent following one of their best statistical games of the season, defensive coordinator Ron Rivera's bunch, seem to feel certain there is still room for improvement.

"We can tackle better and we know we can get a better push in the middle," said linebacker Stephen Cooper. "When we do get to the quarterback, we know that we have to bring him down. We've missed quite a few sacks. We know that when we have the opportunity we still have to make plays. We know that we can get better."

As far as I'm concerned, that is exactly the kind of talk you want to hear from one of your team leaders. That veteran attitude is precisely what will propel the Chargers to greatness in the near future. San Diego is currently tied with Dallas for seventh in the NFL, recording 28 sacks. The Minnesota Vikings are first with 40 total sacks. Having men like Stephen Cooper in the lineup may shake up those statistics.

Now, again taking up the notion that San Diego has a genuine opportunity to reach the promised land this year, it will undoubtedly be in part to a balanced team. Everybody knows that football is a three part game. Offensive, defensive, and special teams units alike must be firing at full bore to compete on the biggest stage. With the sudden resurgence of the Chargers defense, it has almost been swept under the rug how well the other units are playing. San Diego has a superb special teams unit with Kassim Osgood, Jacob Hester, and the always timely kicking of punter Mike Scifres. As of late, you can add the Chargers run game to the mix. Playing on the Pacific shores, they seem to have found their sea legs once more.

LaDainian Tomlinson is cruising through milestones weekly. His 8 TDs are good for 7th in the league, and in the previous two weeks, L.T. has climbed over Marcus Allen and Edgerrin James, to take control of 10th place in the NFL's All-Time leading rushers list. His 12,257 career rushing yards (8 years) are a scant 22 yards behind Marshall Faulk and tread on the heels of the great Jim Brown by 55 yards. Brown, who inhabits the 8th spot on the All-Time list, is a special assistant coach to the Cleveland Browns. He will most likely be in attendance for next Sunday's matchup.

The 1-10 Browns maintain one of the leagues worst records. To spread the icing on the cake, Tomlinson will surely play inspired football with one of his longtime mentors watching from across the gridiron. A 29th ranked Browns run-defense will be hard pressed to stop him.

L.T. photo credits- Chris Carlson/AP