LaDainian Tomlinson is the MVP of the league. There may not be a better RB. He's also equally as great a person. If the Chargers do go on to win on Sunday I will have no qualms with rooting for his team to win it all. I did afterall pick SD to make it to Miami back in August! For the Patriots to beat the #1 team they'll need to play above & beyond their level all season. Winning the turnover battle goes without saying. Offensively I believe they need to continue to spread the ball to as many receivers as possible. Without a consistent go to guy they have to take advantage of any mismatches in the SD secondary(probably the weakest position). Brady will be under fire, so utilizing the screen pass effectively will keep the LBs from teeing off. In the redzone we pound them with a heavy dose of Dillon & Maroney. Defensively we have to disrupt LT's cutback lanes with our DL. The LBs simply aren't good enough to tackle LT alone. And if he get's into the secondary we might as well say good night. Utilizing a spy or 2 on LT coming out of the backfield would be my plan of attack. Bruschi is probably too long in the tooth for that duty, but perhaps the younger Banta-Cain would be up to the task. Hitting LT at the line should alter his path enough to confuse the young Rivers into a mistake or 2. However I worry that the defense is simply not going to be able to account for LT & Gates at the same time. The secondary is still w/o Harrison & against this offense that might be too much to ask. Prediction: Bolts 27 Pats 24
There is a reason that there isnt a go to guy. Pats Offense is mainly about a team. Pats going into San D. and San Diego have no idea what the pats going to do. The first time we played them, kevin faulk did not participate, and also tedy brus. Now with Mike Vrable on the inside, with speed and power to contain LT, and other can help out. Juust remember the Chargers are weak in defensive pass. Well the Pats also, but Phillip River will be test by Bill Belichick. Note: Kevin Faulk and Chad Jackson are the main key for the Pats Weapon.
I certainly think we have a shot, but realistically I think the Chargers have just too much talent for us to overcome on Sunday.
I'm not cocky about this game at all but I am confident. I'm not saying the Pats will win but I feel like they CAN win if they play their hearts out like they have in the past. Do you guys remember the invincible 15-1 Steelers of the 2004 season? They were perfect at home, they broke our 21 game winning streak between the '03 and '04 seasons, and they were the superior team in terms of overall talent on the field and on paper. IIRC, we did the unthinkable and beat them 41-27 so there is no reason to be down about this game. The Pats can do it and they will if they play like they want ring #4.
its definately gonna be a really good close game, i'll be rooting for the Chargers... for obvious reasons
<div class='quotetop'>QUOTE (Pats_Fan420)</div><div class='quotemain'>I'm not cocky about this game at all but I am confident. I'm not saying the Pats will win but I feel like they CAN win if they play their hearts out like they have in the past.</div> I agree. Bill B will have a scheme & contingencies in place. It all depends on execution which is even more crucial now that RH37 is out. Like Jets, I too am rooting for the team from dirty waffle.
Come on guys. I thought you all Pats Fan. Shawn Merriman with a steriod problem and he havent had any those niddles lately and it is going to affect his abilities. Hes not that stronger. Plus their first matchup against the Pats Matt light didnt play, which he protect brady blind spot. Also kevin faulk didnt play, which stop them from screen. And also have this in mind. Charger record playing against weak teams, and weak team scored atleast 3 touchdowns. Hey jets fan.. why dont you move to San diego. Hahhahaha.. The jets might move there. hahah
Monday, September 11 7:15 pm Oakland Raiders W 27-0 Sunday, September 17 1:15 pm Tennessee Titans W 40-7 Sunday, September 24 BYE Sunday, October 1 10:00 am Baltimore Ravens L 13-16 Sunday, October 8 5:15 pm Pittsburgh Steelers^ W 23-13 Sunday, October 15 1:15 pm San Francisco 49ers W 48-19 Sunday, October 22 10:00 am Kansas City Chiefs L 30-27 Sunday, October 29 1:05 pm St. Louis Rams W 38-24 Sunday, November 5 1:15 pm Cleveland Browns W 32-25 Sunday, November 12 10:00 am* Cincinnati Bengals W 49-41 Sunday, November 19 5:15 pm* Denver Broncos^ # W 35-27 Sunday, November 26 1:05 pm* Oakland Raiders W 21-14 Sunday, December 3 10:00 am* Buffalo Bills W 24-21 Sunday, December 10 1:15 pm* Denver Broncos^# W 48-20 Sunday, December 17 5:15 pm* Kansas City Chiefs W 20-9 Sunday, December 24 1:15 pm Seattle Seahawks^# W 20-17 Sunday, December 31 1:15 pm* Arizona Cardinals W 27-20
<div class='quotetop'>QUOTE (Pats3timeChamp)</div><div class='quotemain'>Come on guys. I thought you all Pats Fan. Shawn Merriman with a steriod problem and he havent had any those niddles lately and it is going to affect his abilities. Hes not that stronger. Plus their first matchup against the Pats Matt light didnt play, which he protect brady blind spot. Also kevin faulk didnt play, which stop them from screen. And also have this in mind. Charger record playing against weak teams, and weak team scored atleast 3 touchdowns. Hey jets fan.. why dont you move to San diego. Hahhahaha.. The jets might move there. hahah</div> Did you see Merriman's stats after the suspension? Those roids or lack of them didn't hurt him at all. We may or may not win but this will be one hell of a game.
Its been a long time. Plus he just had another week off. Trust me. without RIODs, by tomorrow it will change his strength. I hope the league test him right b4 the game...
When the Pats run: The run blocking has been excellent. The addition of Maroney has given the offense a new dimension. SD has not been stellar against the run. In order to counter the aggressiveness of Merriman & Co. running the ball, especially in the redzone will be crucial to a W. ADV=Pats When the Pats pass: Pass protection has been the biggest weakness for NE. With the amount of pressure the Chargers can bring it's going to be very difficult for Brady. Granted their DBs are probably the biggest weakness for SD. ADV=Bolts When the Bolts run: There is no doubt who the player to key on offense for SD is. LT is quite possibly the most explosive player ever. The Pats tackling has been inconsistent at best this season. Harrison's absence will be noticed on Sunday. ADV=Bolts When the Bolts pass: Rivers inexperience could be a problem for SD. The Patriots should be able to confuse him with multiple looks. Gates is a huge target however & could create mismatch problems. ADV=Pats Special Teams: This is where the deciding factor could be. Both Ks are young, but Kaeding has a couple of years in the league now. He's become a solid kicker for SD. The other issue is with the Pats return coverage. It's been horrid all season & in a game this closely contested field position could be the difference between 3 & 7. ADV=Bolts
I'm not counting the Patriots out just because they have been such a great football organization for years now, and I've always liked them. However, I'm very confident that the Chargers will walk away with the win, they are just the better overall team. I predict, a Chargers win 24-17.
Definitely going to be the biggest challenge the Chargers have faced all year, but I feel optimistic that they can pull out a victory. The biggest concern I have about this game is the Belichick factor...No doubt he has some sort of ingenious scheme in place to take away LT or confuse Rivers...The key for the Chargers it to execute effectively on offense in order to get out to an early lead..Because Brady has that quick release and knows where to find his receivers extremely well when given time, the Bolts need to force the Patriots into situations where they will need to throw the ball downfield, so our pass rush can really put the pressure on him. If the Chargers can consistently put the Patriots in 3 and long situations then they can unleash Merriman and Co., increasing the possibility of a fumble or interception..As long as Rivers knows that he doesn't have to be superman out there, and continues to play smart football within the offensive system by distributing the ball to LT and Gates like he has been doing the Chargers should be able to win this one. Bolts-31 Pats-21 Heres to an injury free game!:thumbsup:
This was an incredible game. Not the best played for sure, but it didn't lack in drama & excitement. Brady was off, but when we needed it most he made the plays. The Chargers certainly dominated the stat sheet, but the dumb penalties kept the Pats in this one. In the playoffs you can't lose your composure like that & expect not to pay for it. Play of the game to me was Rosevelt Colvin's INT. And I want to give Gostkowski credit for hitting his 1st pressure packed FG for the rookie. With Adam I had no hesitation, but with Steven I'm still nervous when he lines up for that kick. Hopefully he continues to be clutch.
<div class='quotetop'>QUOTE (bakes781)</div><div class='quotemain'>This was an incredible game. Not the best played for sure, but it didn't lack in drama & excitement. Brady was off, but when we needed it most he made the plays. The Chargers certainly dominated the stat sheet, but the dumb penalties kept the Pats in this one. In the playoffs you can't lose your composure like that & expect not to pay for it. Play of the game to me was Rosevelt Colvin's INT. And I want to give Gostkowski credit for hitting his 1st pressure packed FG for the rookie. With Adam I had no hesitation, but with Steven I'm still nervous when he lines up for that kick. Hopefully he continues to be clutch.</div> Ditto, great game overall. I thought I was going to have a heart attack there toward the end. I was shaky during the whole game. I guess I know that I'm a DIE HARD Pats fan now. Ghost WAS nervous before that kick, I could tell just by looking at his face on camera. He pulled through it though and I'm sure that kick boosted his confidence. I didn't like Tomlinson's attitude after the game and I especially didn't like it when he dissed Belichick. That was uncalled for and it showed his true colors. People who have class show it, they don't talk about it.
