TNF: Chargers Making Another Run?

Vincent Jackson, Thursday Night Hero

I hate how every year Norv Turner somehow magically ends the season with a huge winning streak to get into the playoffs. It makes the beginning of the season seem useless, almost meaningless (like MLB games), and a team that was possibly one of the worst can get a highly coveted home-field playoff game. I guess luckily for them, the Chargers are in the AFC West, so they’re never out of the hunt…

Anyway, it looks like the Chargers are surging again at the right time and should continue that streak tonight against the 49ers. Sure, the Chargers lost to the Raiders this December, but the 49ers are an entirely different team out of the Bay Area. Alex Smith‘s resurgence in Seattle last week won’t make a repeat performance against a stout Chargers defense, and Brian Westbrook will struggle to make the big plays he made last week. Strange to say, but Westbrook is no McFadden. Rivers will overcome the loss of Antonio Gates & Malcom Floyd and hook up with Vincent Jackson & “the rest” of his receivers to eat up the 49ers in what should be another lopsided affair. It took going all the way to week 15, but tonight’s outcome will help give Singletary some closure on his playoff hopes. How sad the NFL West divisions truly are. Chargers win 30-10.

*Update* So, it looks like the Chargers’ playoff hopes look a lot healthier than Antonio Gates on the sidelines (and the 49ers’ hopes). The Chargers made an early statement by stopping the 49ers on a 4th and goal, and that statement carried throughout the rest of the game. The Chargers dominated on both sides of the ball, and Vincent Jackson made enough plays to help any team win, including your fantasy team. The final score was just as lopsided as I thought, 34-7.

DEEP SLEEP: Shaun Hill

Sidney, did you get my text?

Let’s clarify a bit. My DEEP SLEEP pick of the week has very specific criteria:

1. They must be available in most leagues – I’ll try find you a guy who’ll probably show up on every other fantasy site’s waiver-wire adds the next week. Hear my reasoning, exercise a little faith, and add them when I say, in order to avoid the hype-hysteria that is sure to come.
2. They must be more than a mere bye-week filler – I’m not going to find you a guy who’ll be good for only 1 week. That takes rather average analysis, so I’ll leave it to the average man. I’m here to give you substance and thoughtful projected values for the remainder of the fantasy season.
3. They must be unpopular among major media outlets – This is a mixture of the last 2 points, but if everybody else is already talking about it, you probably don’t want to hear about it again. And besides, if everybody’s talking about it, your opponents probably already heard it.

Now that we got that out of the way, I’d like to revisit my picks prior as glowing examples of DEEP SLEEP. Two weeks ago, it was Jacob Tamme, and in his first 2 starts, he amassed 172 yards and 2 TDs – that makes him the #1 TE for the last 2 weeks. With Manning’s Midas Touch, Tamme’s doing a great job filling in for an injured Dallas Clark. Without any doubt, he has become an easy Top-3 TE. Woe onto those who foolishly passed him by – he won’t be cheap from here on out. Now, last week’s pick was Sidney Rice, and although he didn’t play, there is still good news to look at for those of you who picked him up: Brett Favre threw for 446 yards and 2 TDs. That’s more than just a good omen for when Rice gets back onto the field, especially considering how much Favre likes him. He might play week 10, but for sure, starting week 11, Sidney Rice should produce high-end WR2 numbers on a consistent basis. If you didn’t pick him up to bolster your fantasy play-off roster last week, you can almost certainly know he won’t be an easy add this week.

Convinced? Itching for more? Get your fix after the jump…

And The TE/Chargers Sorrows Continue

"But, it's not fair!"

According to multiple reports, Antonio Gates‘ status for this upcoming weekend is in limbo. He will probably be given the “Doubtful” tag, which in Norv Turner’s world, means “Warming The Bench.” He injured his right foot with plantar faciitis, and from the sounds of it (whatever plantar faciitis is), he’s in a lot of pain. He couldn’t walk at all on Monday and attended practices this week in a motorized scooter – not even on crutches! I can only feel bad for this guy, especially since he is one of my favorite players, as his historic 2010 season takes a slight hit. He figuratively carried the entire Chargers team as injuries (and a useless first-round RB) piled up around him, and without Gates, I’d be surprised if the Chargers would even be 3-5. This is a major test for the Chargers against Houston, where Gates would have had a field-day with the worst passing defense in the league. Now Philip Rivers turns to his beloved Patrick Crayton and Seyi Ajirotutu to find comfort and meaning. I think it goes without saying that it’s highly unlikely Norv Turner‘s notorious turn-arounds are going to find the Chargers this year. Who knows? Maybe that’s a blessing in surprise for San Diego fans if Turner ends up getting fired!

Fantasy impact after the jump… 

The Apple Doesn’t Fall Far From the Tree

I’m sick of seeing talented, huge-potential players being held back by their coaching staff and/or upper management. Isn’t the NFL supposed to be the best players playing at their best level, generating the best competition so one team can claim they are truly the best of the best? Yet, time and time again, a team’s failures can be largely linked to the people who never even step on the field. Here is my list of coaches and GMs that I think need to go. Feel free to agree or disagree in the comments.

1. Mike Singletary – HC, San Francisco 49ers
   As a Bay Area native, I’ve obviously witnessed the legends of the 49ers organization – I even got to meet the great Bill Walsh, for crying out loud (does serving him garlic fries at a Stanfurd football game count?)! So needless to say, it’s been a huge disappointment over the last decade watching the once-immortal red and gold deteriorate into this abysmal 1-6 team in 2010. With all the off-season hype surrounding the talented group of 49ers, you have to wonder, where did all of that go? Singletary is deluding himself, sort of in an insane way, by declaring constantly that the 49ers will make the play-offs this year. After firing OC Jimmy Raye, Singletary has set up the blame for this season’s failure to fall solely on his own head. When you have Frank Gore, Vernon Davis, Alex Smith, Michael Crabtree, Patrick Willis, Taylor Mays, and Takeo Spikes, how could you go wrong? Look at the 2010 Tampa Bay Buccaneers and try to name more than 5 players on their team. Without the all-star cast that the 49ers have, Buccaneers’ HC Raheem Morris has given his team opportunities to win. As a Cal alum, I still feel jaded when I look back to the 2005 draft, when Aaron Rodgers dropped all the way to the Packers, while the 49ers took Smith with the 1st overall pick. But the more I think about it, the more I realize Rodgers would probably not be even a shadow of who he has become had he joined the 49ers organization… and for all of these reasons, Singletary (and more?) has to leave. Even Tom Cable is a better coach. Ouch.