Recently in Chargers Category

SAN DIEGO -- Two seemingly unrelated events Wednesday may have thrown a monkey wrench into the fevered speculation of the past few weeks, which has the Chargers all but headed from San Diego to a planned downtown Los Angeles football stadium backed by Philip Anschutz.

The Chargers essentially re-upped for one more season in San Diego by notifying Mayor Jerry Sanders they would not exercise the buyout clause in their Qualcomm Stadium lease next spring.

Meanwhile, Anschutz Entertainment Group CEO Tim Leiweke was telling a group of business leaders at a downtown LA luncheon that the clock was running, and that the NFL, the city and an interested team essentially had a three-month window to make a commitment.

According to Jon Regardie, executive editor of the Los Angeles Downtown News, Leiweke told the group that the architectural review of the retractable domed stadium project had begun, but that three things must happen by next February.

Regardie wrote:

First, he said, negotiations already under way with the city have to be finalized. L.A. officials, he said, are in talks regarding the plan to tear down the West Hall of the Convention Center. He said he expects to reach an agreement on those issues early next year, and to begin the entitlement process for the stadium in January.

He also said AEG wants to identify a team that would move to Los Angeles. He said the goal is not to "steal" a team from another city, but to target franchises whose financial situation will require a move. He added that AEG, which owns the Los Angeles Kings and has a one-third stake in the Lakers, is prepared to "invest" in a football team.

That last, incidentally, was the issue that prompted the recent round of feverish speculation in the first place, when the Chargers made it known that majority owner Alex Spanos was prepared to sell his 36 percent individual stake in the team for estate tax purposes. Most folks just assumed AEG to be the logical buyer, but that hasn't happened yet.

Additionally, as Brooks Melchior of the SPORTSbyBROOKS blog pointed out, FIFA's decision last week to award the 2022 World Cup to Qatar instead of the United States was a setback. Anschutz was a key backer of the US Soccer effort and an Anschutz-owned downtown stadium was expected to host World Cup matches and likely the final.

Without that carrot, the reclusive billionaire's enthusiasm for the project may have waned.

Meanwhile, the Chargers made their one-year commitment to San Diego in the form of a letter to Mayor Jerry Sanders. And while Spanos talked freely to the San Diego Union-Tribune about the difficulty of making a commitment beyond that, his only comment to the rest of the media came in the form of a statement disseminated by the club:

"We are grateful for the Mayor's support, along with the attention our efforts have received from CCDC (Center City Development Corporation) Chairman Fred Maas and members of the City Council. In 2011 we will continue our work of the last almost nine years now to find a stadium solution that works for both the team and the public."

SAN DIEGO -- It is fortunate that the Chargers face the Kansas City Chiefs this Sunday, in what has become an absolute must-win game. This way, tight end Antonio Gates has a full week to nurse his plantar fasciitis, sitting out practices and saving his energy for game time.

"I would have to be really, really hurting for me not to go," he said. "But it's still obviously a work in progress over the long haul to get myself healthy and get back to where I need to be."

But next week, when the Chargers play the 49ers in a Thursday night game on the NFL Network, they may have to do it without Gates, their leading receiver.

"That would probably be my biggest challenge thus far," he said. "Could I play a game tomorrow? No. And tomorrow's Thursday. I'm just going to see how it plays out, how it goes. That's been on my mind because the turnaround is so fast.

"My focus is on Kansas City, and whether or not I play on Thursday or not, that's going to be tough. Real tough."

If the games were reversed, and the Chargers were playing the 4-8 49ers this Sunday and the 8-4 Chiefs four days later, Gates said he might very well have had to consider sitting out the first game to prepare himself for the second.

"I think that would be an option, definitely," he said. "Things happen within the weeks. You can't assume things based on how you feel now, going into next week. But I definitely couldn't go tomorrow. I just couldn't do it.

"This game is real important, and my focus is on this one game. I'll see where it takes me from there. The medicine and all that stuff starts wearing off on Wednesday. So to say I'm just going to be walking around limping and then get out there and play, that would be something I'd really, really have to consider.

"To play back-to-back would really be hard, considering what I've been dealing with so far. Now I don't know. Maybe after this week I'll feel a whole lot better, due to the rehab and everything I'm doing. But as of right now, I don't have a clue on how that's going to play out."

The ideal, of course, would be for Gates to take some extended time off, but that's not going to happen as long as the Chargers still have a shot at the postseason.

"Every game, if you watch over the last two games, I've done more in a game," he said. "Somehow it still feels like it's the same. When you do more, you put more pressure on it. You run harder, you cut harder, and it feels like it felt like the prior week, because you've actually done more on it.

"I just feel still sore. I'm limping around on Wednesday like I just did it, because I put more pressure on it and I'm expected to try to do more every single week. It gets stronger, but yet the recovery is just a give and take."

.

SAN DIEGO -- The Chargers finally put together a sustained offensive drive toward the end of the quarter, but bogged down in the red zone and had to settle for Nate Kaeding's 33-yard field goal with 44 seconds left.

Darren Sproles, who took that helmet-to-helmet hit in the first half, has a concussion and isn't playing any more today. Antoine Cason is now returning kicks.

And even with Sproles out, Ryan Mathews still has not played a down today.

SAN DIEGO -- The only newsworthy notes out of the inactives list and starters list, for the Chargers: Vincent Jackson and Steve Gregory are inactive, and Mike Tolbert started ahead of Ryan Mathews today.

The inactives:

Chargers: WR Patrick Crayton, SS Darrell Stuckey, SS Steve Gregory, RB Curtis Brinkley, G Louis Vasquez, DT Cam Thomas, WR Vincent Jackson, DE-DT Travis Johnson.

Raiders: QB J.T. O'Sullivan (remember him?), third quarterback; CB Walter McFadden, RB Michael Bennett, CB Chris Johnson, LB Bruce Davis, G Daniel Loper, G Bruce Campbell, WR Nick Miller.

O'Sullivan, who had been the Chargers' third quarterback before being released earlier this season, was signed Friday by the Raiders after Bruce Gradkowski was placed on IR.

SAN DIEGO -- After throwing an interception to short-circuit a second-half comeback last week against New England, Indianapolis Colts quarterback Peyton Manning figured to be one mad quarterback coming into this Sunday night's game against the Chargers.

And that testiness came out Wednesday, somewhat surprisingly, during the generally bland conference call interview with the opposing city's media.

Tom Krasovic of AOL Fanhouse had the transcription of Manning's exchange with a San Diego writer, who framed his question by saying the Chargers were 4-1 against Indianapolis (since 2005) and asking if that had made this more of a rivalry.

Manning called him on that "4-1" statement, which omitted Indianapolis' 2004 victory, then added: "It's a preparation thing, right? Get your stats correct before you come with this question."

SAN DIEGO -- Vincent Jackson had pretty much avoided the media for the three weeks since he swallowed his pride and returned to the Chargers, accepting a $240,058 contract -- after turning down a $3.268 million tender in June -- in order to accrue the six games he needs to qualify for unrestricted free agency after this season.

Now that he's officially on the roster and expected to be activated for Sunday night's game at Indianapolis, Jackson met the media following Wednesday's practice. This is how it went:

How to explain what the team has done with a cavalcade of different receivers because of injuries:

"Everybody's stepped up and hasn't made excuses, and Philip's done a good job taking control of this team, being a good leader and making it work with whoever steps up."

How difficult was the time away?

"It was tough, but I did everything I could do to prepare and be ready to play football when the time came."

Some people questioned that there was maybe some bad blood between you and the front office, but with you and your teammates, it's always been good. There's no doubt of how close you are with Philip Rivers and your teammates.

"Absolutely. These guys welcomed me back as soon as I got here, and it's been nothing but positives. And I'm excited to play the rest of this season."

The last time we saw you on the football field, it was the playoff game, and you kicked a flag and got an unsportsmanlike conduct penalty. That's a lasting memory a lot of people have of you. What have you learned since then?

SAN DIEGO -- Not that the Chargers are creatures of habit or anything, but we've seen this act before.
Monday night's throttling of Denver, 35-14, was their third win in a row -- reminiscent of past seasons when they've come from the lower reaches of the AFC West to make a playoff run.
The Chargers (5-5) say they don't do this on purpose, always swearing at the beginning of the year that they are determined not to get off to a slow start.
Then they fall on their faces, and proceed to come roaring back.
Monday's win was their seventh consecutive in November. They haven't lost a December game since 2005 -- and are on an 18-0 streak in that month.
That doesn't make them very comfortable. Linebacker Shaun Phillips said it was a mistake to think history will save them.
'If we're thinking about last year, we've lost already,' he said.
Said Philip Rivers, 'We can't assume we'll stay on a roll and find our way into January. We are, in a way, in playoff football already. We almost can't afford a step back at this point.'
Even so, the schedule looks favorable from here on out. There is a tough game at Indianapolis this week, then the two division showdown games against Oakland (5-5) and Kansas City (6-4) -- both at home.They finish home to San Francisco, at Cincinnati and at Denver.
They will likely be favored in five of their last six games -- which would put them at 10-6 if form plays out.
Strange team. Again.

SAN DIEGO -- The Chargers padded their lead on their first possession of the second half when Darren Sproles took a short pass from Philip Rivers with a step on safety Brian Dawkins, and then just accelerated. Nobody caught him, and 57 yards later he was in the end zone for a 28-7 lead after Nate Kaeding's conversion.

Later in the period, Kaeding -- who was short on a 52-yard field goal in the first half -- lined up for a 53-yarder, before Norv Turner reconsidered and called timeout. Instead, he had Mike Scifres punt, on fourth and 4 at the Denver 35.

It turned out to be a key play. Scifres put the punt out of bounds just inside the Broncos' 5. The Broncos stalled, and their punt gave San Diego advantageous field position at their own 47. Twelve plays later, Rivers found Jacob Hester for a 3-yard touchdown pass and a 35-7 lead.

SAN DIEGO -- After his first dynamic drive, Denver quarterback Kyle Orton has been quite ordinary: 9 for 18, 87 yards, one interception, three sacks (two of them by Shaun Phillips).

The Chargers, meanwhile, have put themselves in an enviable position.

They went up 14-7 on Mike Tolbert's 1-yard run early in the second quarter, after Philip Rivers drove them 86 yards in five plays, including passes of 16 and 49 yards to Patrick Crayton -- the latter including a truly impressive 15-yard stiffarm that gained him extra yardage -- and a 15-yard facemask penalty on Denver's Ryan McBean.

And a 40-yard Rivers-to-Crayton scoring play made it 21-7 with 2:05 left in the half. Crayton caught a short pass, did a neat little stop-and-go move that sent safety Brian Dawkins flying by, and then outraced everyone else to the end zone.

It may have been costly, though. Crayton was holding his wrist and had to go to the locker room for evaluation after that touchdown catch.

But the Chargers not only enter the second half with the lead, they get the ball first.

SAN DIEGO -- It took Denver 2:55 to score first, with Kyle Orton moving the Broncos downfield in six plays before Knowlshon Moreno's 4-yard scoring run -- the shortest gain of the drive -- for a 7-0 lead.

The Chargers tied it with 2:14 left in the quarter on Philip Rivers' scoring pass to Malcom Floyd, his first catch in his first game back from injury. But that score was set up by Mike Scifres' 29-yard pass to Mike Tolbert on a fake punt, getting the ball to the Broncos' 30.

It was, as some have suggested, one way to make sure Scifres didn't get a punt blocked.

SAN DIEGO -- If the field in front of the south end zone looks a bit chewed up on tonight's ESPN telecast of the Chargers and Broncos, looks are not deceiving.

San Diego State's last home game Saturday against Utah, in the rain, resulted in some damage between the 30 and 25-yard lines, between the 20 and 15, and a yard or two into the end zone.

The other side of the field, in contrast, seemed relatively unscathed aside from one blemish inside the 15-yard line.

SAN DIEGO -- The Chargers actually found a use for kicker Kris Brown, even with Nate Kaeding again healthy and ready to kick.

Ready for this? He's tonight's third quarterback.

As long as it keeps him employed, I doubt he'll complain.

In other news, Legedu Naanee did not make the active roster. Neither did Antonio Gates. And neither did Ryan Mathews. In other words, the bye week was not enough healing time.

And Philip Rivers will again be throwing to the Friars Rd. Irregulars, aside from Malcom Floyd, who did make the active roster. Patrick Crayton will be the other starting wideout and Randy McMichael will be the starting tight end.

Also, safety Steve Gregory is inactive.

The inactives:

Chargers: K/QB Kris Brown (third quarterback), WR Legedu Naanee, RB Ryan Mathews, SS Darrell Stuckey, SS Steve Gregory, TE Antonio Gates, TE Kris Wilson, DE-DT Travis Johnson.

Broncos: QB Brady Quinn (third quarterback), CB Andre Goodman, RB Laurence Maroney, CB Cassius Vaughn, LB Robert Ayers, OL Stanley Daniels, OL Eric Olsen, LB David Veikune.

Thursday's highlights from Chargers Park ...

With Malcom Floyd practicing fully and Legedu Naanee coming along a little slower, quarterback Philip Rivers should have a more accomplished set of receivers to throw to Monday night against Denver. (Of course, tight end Antonio Gates' status is up in the air and could remain so all the way to game time.)

But it has reached the point where it almost doesn't matter who Rivers is throwing to. He has passed for a league-leading 2,944 yards, averaging 327.1 yards a game. If he throws for at least 308 yards against the Broncos, he'll set the NFL record for most passing yards in the first 10 games of a season, besting Drew Brees' 3,251 in 2008. He is on a pace to break Dan Marino's single-season record for passing yards of 5,084.

And the way Rivers tells it, there is no adjustment in getting Floyd and Naanee back, just as there was no adjustment when they were hurt.

"I don't think there's a play we've been hesitant to call or a play we'll call more so, now that they're back," he said.

"I think that's the beauty of the system we have and Norv and the offensive staff's ability: Every guy has an opportunity, every guy can get in on every play. A couple of guys go down and we just keep the ball rollnig.

"It's been impressive what those guys have done, and collectively what the group has done. And now you go into the stretch run, and whoever's in there on any given play, we'll have confidence in."

Neither Gates nor running back Ryan Mathews practiced Thursday, and elsewhere on the Chargers' injury report there are a number of players taking it slowly, even with a bye week and an extra day's preparation this week before Monday night's game against Denver.

Safety Steve Gregory (shoulder), defensive end Travis Johnson (shoulder), tight end Kris WIlson (back) and Naanee (hamstring) all had limited practice participation Thursday.

"Malcom is making the progress I'd like him to make but I'm not sure he's completely turned it loose," coach Norv Turner said. "Legedu has yet to make it through a full practice. You get stuck trying to get everyone the reps they need.

"I'm comfortable with what we're doing and where we'll be on Monday night, but it's a little more difficult to prepare. There are a lot of moving parts."

However, kicker Nate Kaeding (groin) participated fully -- as much as a kicker does, anyway -- and said he expects to be 100 percent Monday night, after missing the last three games with an injury he suffered in pre-game warmups Oct. 17 in St. Louis.

If Kaeding is fully healthy, that could be the end of the line for Kris Brown, signed Oct. 21 to replace him. Brown was 4 for 5 on field goals, his only miss a 50-yarder at the end of the New England game that would have tied the score -- and was a 50-yarder only because of a false start penalty on Louis Vasquez.

As of this afternoon, there were 1,500 general tickets available for Monday night's game at Qualcomm Stadium. Those must be sold by 5:40 this afternoon to prevent a local TV blackout.

If the game is shown in Southern California it will be on ESPN. San Diego's Channel 8 will pick up the telecast as well, but there will be no over-the-air telecast in the Los Angeles market.

* * *

Even though the Chargers (4-5) and Broncos (3-6) are at the bottom of a tight AFC West, there are enough holdover players on both sides that the rivalry spirit of recent meetings remains. For much of the decade, when the teams have played it has been for division supremacy.

"This year is no different, other than that every team's in the race," Rivers said. "I think all division games have a sense of rivalry, and certainly we've had some comparative, spirited gmaes over the years. I'm sure this year won't be anything less."

If nothing else, veteran players with long memories just add to the spirit.

"It's always fun when you play guys in your division," Rivers said. "You play division games, you're able to stay on your team and you play against their guys who have been on their team for a long time. That's what makes it fun, because you feel like you know them well and they feel like they know you well. It's that game within a game,"

The Chargers' first post-bye practice week began in earnest Wednesday, but there is no definitive sense yet of whether tight end Antonio Gates will be on the field for Monday night's game against Denver at Qualcomm Stadium.

Gates, who had been nursing a case of turf toe on his left foot since early October, tore the plantar fascia in his right foot Oct. 31 against Tennessee, and that injury kept him out of the Nov. 7 victory at Houston, the Chargers' most recent game.

The idea was that the bye week would allow for healing time, but Gates said Wednesday it's too soon to tell how he'll feel Monday.

"It's a rehabbing, healing process, man," he said. "It's brutal. I did some running today, but obviously I'm not running the way I would have to run on Monday. I just have to wait and see.

"... It's frustrating for me because I'm normally in a situation where I play and then I come back. But when you have that two-week rest, and you still have to rehab almost as if you've played a game, it gets frustrating because I want to be out there and I want to try to do things to help."

Complicating matters is that the Chargers, once 2-5, are now 4-5 and definitely not out of the AFC West race, with Kansas City (5-4) coming back to the pack. As Philip Rivers put it earlier this week, the Chargers are "a win away from first place and a loss away from last place. Everybody's in it and there's still a long way to go."

Under those conditions, Gates feels even more of a responsibility to be on the field.

''It's a situation where I want to be a part of it and I want to help, but I understand that there's a difference between helping and hurting your team,'' Gates said. ''I think that's a decision I'm going to have to make from this point on, day in and day out, as I try to get better.

"Am I a better player than Kris (Wilson) or Randy (McMichael), with the thing that I'm dealing with? That's something I'm going to have to decide on my own. That's something I have to feel. That's asking a lot, trying to go out and do something at 80, 85 percent and be better than Kris and Randy.''

And, Gates noted, this is different from the earlier injury, with which he was able to play Sundays by sitting out the practice week.

"It's not the pain tolerance," he said. "It's the fact that it is a tear."

There's other good news for a team that has had to use patchwork combinations of wide receivers the last few weeks because of injuries. Malcom Floyd is practicing, and Legedu Naanee is telling people that he, too, expects to play against the Broncos.

The Chargers game at Indianapolis on Nov. 28 will remain on Sunday night, the NFL announced Tuesday.

The NFL could have moved another game into the slot under its flexible scheduling policy, but the league said Tuesday it wasn't making a change in Week 12.

The Philadelphia Eagles-Chicago Bears and Tampa Bay Buccaneers-Baltimore Ravens games that day will move from 10 a.m. to 1:15 p.m. PST on Fox.

The Colts are 6-3 heading into this Sunday's AFC showdown at New England. The Chargers are 4-5 but only a game out of first in the AFC West heading into Monday night's home game against Denver.

And if your head, too, is spinning trying to keep up with the Chargers' latest personnel moves, imagine poor Adam Terry, an offensive tackle minding his own business who has been waived, re-signed and waived in a span of six days.

Terry was waived last Saturday so the Chargers could add wide receiver Gary Banks to the roster. He was re-signed Tuesday when Craig "Buster" Davis went on IR. And he was sent away again today when the Chargers signed wide receiver Kelley Washington.

(Think he might develop a grudge against wide receivers?)

Washington is an eight-year veteran who has played for Cincinnati, New England and Baltimore, and was released by Philadelphia just before this season began. He has 107 career receptions for 1,327 yards and 11 touchdowns and also has 28 career special teams tackles. Last season he caught 34 passes for 431 yards and two touchdowns for Baltimore.

The Chargers now have made 63 roster moves in 61 days since the original 53-man roster was established.

SAN DIEGO -- Six players were unavailable for the first day of the practice week at Chargers Park, in preparation for Sunday's game at Houston: Kicker Nate Kaeding (groin), guard Kris Dielman (neck), receivers Malcom Floyd and Legedu Naanee (hamstrings), linebacker Brandon Siler (foot) and tight end Antonio Gates (toe).

Linebacker Larry English, in contrast, saw limited participation, his first action of any kind since having surgery on his foot Sept. 28. He isn't likely to play this week, though, with Coach Norv Turner saying it's more probable that English would play the first game after the bye, the Nov. 22 Monday night game against Denver.

How will he fit into the outside linebacker group?

"We need every guy we can have," Turner said. "Those guys played way too many snaps last week.At the end of the game when we're trying to put pressure on the quarterback, a bunch of those guys were spent. They didn't have a lot to give ... We need every guy we can get on the outside that can rush the passer."

* * *

The wide receiver corps has been a revolving door because of injuries, which makes it all the more amazing that Philip Rivers has been able to throw for a league best 2,649 yards as well as 15 touchdowns, second only to former teammate Drew Brees in New Orleans.

More shuffling is in the offing, with Craig "Buster" Davis going on IR Tuesday and erstwhile holdout Vincent Jackson -- in his first practice after signing his tender Friday -- eligible to be added to the roster for the Nov. 28 game at Indianapolis.

Was there any thought of taking a shot at Randy Moss? The Chargers had an opportunity to claim him on waivers but passed Wednesday, with Tennessee ultimately claiming him.

"We get our guys back," Turner said. "We're gonna get Malcom back, we're gonna get Legedu back, we're gonna get Vincent back, and our guys are playing good. So no, there wasn't."

* * *

As for Jackson, he was on the scout team Wednesday and evidently did a fairly good job of impersonating Andre Johnson, the Texans' 6-foot-3 receiving leader (15.3 yards a catch).

"That does everything for us," cornerback Antoine Cason said. "They're similar guys: big, strong, fast, can catch the ball, run good routes. Having Vincent out there with us is great for us to see."

Rivers said he got to throw one pass to Jackson.

"It was the last one of practice," he said. "But it didn't seem like he'd been gone very long, to be honest with you.

"It's nice to have him back out there again. He brings an energy and a personality, and adds a dimension to the team. It'll be nice to see him (in a game) in a few weeks."

* * *

Rivers, when reminded that Houston's defense statistically is last in the league overall and against the pass:

"Definitely, stats can be misleading."

That may have been an attempt to bulid up the Texans, but it was also an implicit recognition of the folly of the numbers.

The Chargers remain No. 1 in the league in total offense and passing offense, No. 1 in total defense and pass defense and No. 2 against the run.

Yet they're 3-5 and consider Sunday an immensely critical game if there is to be any hope of another comeback of the type they pulled off two years ago, when they came back from 3-5 -- and 4-8 -- to catch and pass Denver and make the playoffs.

* * *

Gates, unable to practice, has plenty of idle time on his hands while the rest of the guys are on the field.

Thus, he tweeted, "Wish my boy shawne merriman best of luck in buffalo" at 2:46 p.m., about 40 minutes before practice broke up.

Marcus McNeill waited to tweet his congratulations -- "wishing @shawnemerriman the best.. good luck w/ the new squad homie" -- until 5:40, presumably after the afternoon meetings had broken up.

SAN DIEGO -- When the Chargers face the Houston Texans Sunday in Reliant Stadium, it will be a homecoming for kicker Kris Brown, who was the leading scorer in Texans history during his tenure from 2002-09 but was released before this season began.

For what it's worth, his record in homecomings is good. He went to the expansion Texans from Pittsburgh, and in his first game as a visiting player in Pittsburgh in 2002, he kicked a 43-yard field goal into a swirling wind in the open end of Heinz Field.

That won't happen Sunday, he said. The wind, he meant.

"That's the nice thing about theirs," he said of enclosed Reliant Stadium, with its retractable roof. "Even when it's open the wind doesn't really flow through too much in there, if at all."

As for facing his old teammates, Brown said:

"I'm excited. It'll be different. I've got a lot of really good friends on that team, and there's a lot of really good guys in that locker room. But at the same time, we've got a lot of good players in this locker room ... We're gonna go out and do what we can to get a win."

Was there a bad taste in his mouth, being released with an injury settlement five days after going on IR and three days before the season opener? .

"I was certainly disappointed," he said. "Throughout the whole training camp I really just focused on what I could do -- my attitude, my performance, how I handled the situation -- and I didn't really care about anything else.

" ... I don't know how they made their final decision, and I really don't care. They made their decision, and that's the direction they decided to go in, and whatever their criteria was, that was their criteria. I didn't have any control over it."

The Texans instead went with Neil Rackers, an 11-year veteran, who is 18 for 18 on extra points and 9 for 11 on field goals, with his longest a 47-yarder.

Brown, since he was signed Oct. 20 to fill in for the injured Nate Kaeding, is 5 for 5 on the extra points he has kicked (Mike Scifres messed up a hold last week against Tennessee) and 4 for 5 on field goals, banging a 50-yarder off the post at the end of the New England game after Louis Vasquez' false start penalty pushed him back an extra 5 yards.

"Kris is a great young man and a heck of a kicker," Texans coach Gary Kubiak told the Houston media. "I know it didn't work out this year, but I'm glad to see him get an opportunity and he's getting an opportunity with a heck of a football team. I wish him all the best, him and his family. He deserved that opportunity and I'm glad to see him get it."

Will the Texans fans give him an ovation, in recognition of his service from the expansion year forward? Maybe a video board tribute from the team?

"Over the course of my eight years there, I think I played in 165 total games, preseason and regular season," he said. "I feel like I contributed a lot to that organization and so forth. I don't know what the reaction's going to be, and to be honest with you, I can't allow myself to get caught up in that."

Oh, and about that opportunity ...

Kaeding (right groin) again was unavailable at the start of the practice week. At some point, Kaeding -- who has been the regular kicker here, when healthy, since 2004 -- will again be fit, and Brown probably will be politely asked to hit the road at that point.

He is, as you might imagine, declining to think that far down the road.

"I don't want to even think about it," he said. "Right now I'm just focused on what I've got to do Sunday, and really that's all I'm worried about. I'm not worried about anything other than that ... If I were to think about two weeks from now, or three weeks from now or whenever that time comes, then I'm doing myself a disservice and I'm,doing the team a disservice."

SAN DIEGO -- As the fourth quarter begins, all the momentum seems to be going the Chargers' way.

They pulled within 19-17 early in the quarter on Kris Brown's 35-yard field goal, after Philip Rivers was sacked on a third-and-9 play at the 11.

Later, a huge break. Rivers appeared to have thrown an interception, with safety Michael Griffin picking the ball off at the Chargers 18 and returning it for a Tennesse touchdown. But Griffin was called for defensive holding, giving the Chargers a first down.

Two plays later -- Mike Tolbert's 36-yard run and Rivers' 48-yard pass to Antonio Gates -- the Chargers had the lead, 24-19.

Tennessee's total offense in the third quarter: 25 yards.

SAN DIEGO -- Well, let's put it this way: The guys Philip Rivers will be throwing to today are, essentially, Antonio Gates, Patrick Crayton and a bunch of undrafted free agents. Malcom Floyd, Craig "Buster" Davis and Legedu Naanee are all on the inactive list.

In fact, Seyi Ajirotutu is listed as the starter, maybe getting the spot by default because he hasn't committed any egregious turnovers yet.

Naanee is listed as the third quarterback, meaning that if there's an extreme emergency (i.e., Rivers and Billy Volek going down), he'd take snaps out of the Wildcat formation. But he's not healthy enough to line up at wide receiver. Now stop and think about that for a minute.

That's what happens when you feel you have to waive your legitimate third quarterback (J.T. O'Sullivan) to patch holes at other spots, part of the incessant churning of the roster discussed in today's game advance.

Also, Kris Brown will be the kicker again, getting a chance to make up for his 50-yard shot off the upright at the end of last week's three-point loss to New England.

Today's full list of inactives:

Chargers: K Nate Naeding, WR/QB Legedu Naanee (third QB), SS Darrell Stuckey, OLB Larry English, LB Brandon Siler, DT Cam Thomas, WR Malcom Floyd, WR Craig "Buster" Davis.

Titans: QB Rusty Smith (third QB), WR Justin Gage, CB Ryan Mouton, S Robert Johnson, LB Jamie Winborn, T-G Troy Kropog, G Ryan Durand, DT Tony Brown.

The constant churning at the bottom of the Chargers' roster continued Tuesday, as the club waived outside linebacker Cyril Obiozor and signed four-year veteran linebacker David Herron in yet another attempt to shore up their special teams play.

Herron, who made the Vikings as an undrafted free agent out of Michigan State in 2007 and started three games for Minnesota in 2008, played 10 games for Kansas City last year and made 11 special teams tackles. He has played 26 career NFL games and has 20 special teams tackles.

These are the team's 56th and 57th roster moves since the original 53-man roster was established on cutdown day.

* * *

In an unrelated announcement, but one that also speaks to the current condition of the franchise, the Chargers announced that 9,000 general tickets are still unsold for Sunday's home game against Tennessee, meaning the Chargers are looking at their third TV blackout in four home games this season unless those 9,000 seats are sold by 1:15 Thursday.

Additionally, 2,000 club seats are as yet unsold, as well.

SAN DIEGO -- With the ball at the New England 27 and the Chargers trailing 23-20 in the final minute, quarterback Philip Rivers' body language said he wasn't happy with the decision to kick a 45-yard field goal on fourth-and-two.
As it turned out a false start penalty made the kick a 50-yarder, and it was barely missed by new kicker Kris Brown.
Afterwards Rivers wouldn't say he preferred going for the first down and trying to drive for a game-winning TD.
'What I wish is that I had hit one of those passes on first down or second down to keep us going,' said Rivers, who just escaped the Patriots rush and hit Antonio Gates for an 8-yard gain on the third-and-10 play that was his last of the game.
-30-

SAN DIEGO -- New, emergency kicker Kris Brown's potential game-tying field goal in the final half-minute would have been from 45 yards, not 50, if guard Louis Vasquez hadn't had a false start.
Asked if it made a difference, Brown said, 'Absolutely not. That penalty doesn't change my approach one bit."
The ball sailed right and stayed there, smacking the right post about 10 feet above the crossbar.
'It felt good off my foot,' said Brown. 'It just stayed right down the right hash mark and didn't move.'

New England had 38 yards total offense in the first half. They had 79 on their first possession of the third quarter, keeping the ball for over 8 1/2 minutes and extending their lead to 20-3 on BenJarvus Green-Ellis' 1-yard touchdown run for a 20-3 lead.

San Diego's response? An offensive drive in which they didn't gum up the works appreciably, although Brandon Deaderick's 7-yard sack of Philip Rivers on a second-and-7 play from the Patriots' 10 probably cost San Diego a touchdown. They settled for Kris Brown's second field goal of the day, a 28-yarder on the first play of the fourth quarter, to cut the deficit to 20-6.

San Diego was lucky to hold New England to 10 points in the first half.

The Chargers committed four turnovers, including two lost fumbles on absolute bonehead plays: the lay-the-ball-down brain hiccup by rookie Richard Goodman early in the second quarter, and a play later in the period when Philip Rivers' pass to Jacob Hester was ruled a lateral. Hester muffed it, let it lay there, and Rob Nikovich recovered and returned it from the Patriots' 32 to the Chargers' 8, with Rivers' tackle saving a touchdown.

Only back-to-back sacks by Shaun Phillips and Antwan Barnes limited New England to a field goal after the latter turnover, giving the Patriots a 10-3 lead.

The defense is keeping the Chargers in the game. Another Patriots' probe in the red zone was stifled with two incompletions and another Barnes sack, and Stephen Gostkowski's 35-yard field goal made it 13-3 with 23 seconds left until halftime.

New England has a grand total of 38 yards total offense in 28 plays, and Tom Brady has just 11 net yards passing once 35 yards in sacks are deducted.

Still, the boos have been loud and plentiful from an increasingly surly Chargers fan base, as their team is looking at 2-5 if the offense doesn't get its act together soon.