The San Diego Chargers decided they didn’t have a need for receiver Chris Chambers anymore. The Bolts gave up a second round draft pick just two years ago to get Chris from the Miami Dolphins. But after 31 games, his time in San Diego is finished. I guess the handwriting was on the wall, though. With the emergence of receivers Malcom Floyd and Legedu Naanee, Chris was being fazed out of the Chargers passing game. And the starting lineup. In seven games so far this season, Chris only had nine catches for 122 yards and one touchdown.
In a statement today, …read more

San Diego Chargers running back LaDainian Tomlinson has been ruled out of his team’s home opener against the Baltimore Ravens tomorrow. But before it seems like LT is hurt all the time, keep in mind this will only be the second time—albeit two of the past three games dating back to last season’s Divisional playoff game against the Pittsburgh Steelers—he has not been in the starting lineup in his NFL career since he was drafted by the Chargers eight years ago.
LT sprained his ankle in a 24-20 win over the Oakland Raiders last Monday night. He managed 55 yards on …read more

San Diego Chargers linebacker Shawne Merriman was arrested this morning and accused of choking his girlfriend (a reality TV “star” on some MTV show) Tila Nguyen (aka Tila Tequila), as she tried to leave his suburban home. Tila signed a citizen’s arrest warrant charging Shawne with battery and false imprisonment. Shawne, on the other hand, was taken into custody and booked and then later released. It was not known whether he posted bail or was released on his own recognizance. Police determined that Tila had been drinking and it’s likely Shawne will say he was trying to prevent her from …read more

The San Diego Chargers made a verbal commitment to quarterback Philip Rivers when they let Drew Brees escape to New Orleans three years ago. Today they made a financial commitment, giving Philip a six-year contract extension good for $92 million ($38.5 million is guaranteed). Clearly, this is the quarterback of the future for the San Diego Chargers.
The deal makes sense. Philip is one of the top five quarterbacks in the NFL and his 36-18 record (including the playoffs) proves it. So the Bolts were determined not to let him get away. And they put him in a happy place for …read more

The San Diego Chargers fined cornerback Antonio Cromartie $2,500 for tweeting a complaint about the quality of the food at Bolts training camp last week. While the National Football League readies an official game day Twitter policy, players are being warned of the repercussions of their online existence—like in Green Bay, where the team has promised a $1,701 (huh?) fine for tweeting during team functions. But in San Diego, the Chargers took it to a whole other level by nailing Antonio (aka “crimetime31“) for merely expressing his opinion.
Here’s what Antonio had to say in the offending tweet (if you can …read more

San Diego Chargers linebacker Shawne Merriman has fully healed from the knee surgery that caused him to miss most of last season. And with three full seasons behind him, he’s back with a vengeance and eager to show people how he’s living in the present:
“People haven’t seen the best of me, not at all. In the past, I would tell someone, ‘I’m about to go out and just kill it this year.’ Now, I want people to just watch. I had enough doubters around before, and some people felt like I was just talking (trash) or just …read more

San Diego Chargers tackle Jeromey Clary earned the top figure in the NFL’s “Performance-Based Pay” system that awards players for playing time based upon their salary level.

Approximately $105 million of Performance-Based Pay was distributed to players in the system for their performance during the 2008 playing season. Jeromey was a 2006 sixth-round draft selection from Kansas State and earned $405,859 in additional pay.
Performance-Based Pay was created as part of the NFL’s 2002 Collective Bargaining Agreement extension with the National Football League Players Association. The system creates a fund used to supplement player compensation based on a comparison of …read more

National Football League Blogcast, NFL Blogcast
The NFL announced its 2009 Kickoff Weekend primetime television schedule today — including a Monday night “AFL 50th” doubleheader — and the Thanksgiving Day national TV tripleheader.
In a tradition that began in 2004, the Super Bowl champion annually hosts the NFL Thursday night season kickoff the following year. This September 10 at 8:30 PM ET on NBC, the Super Bowl XLIII champion Pittsburgh Steelers will host the AFC South champion Tennessee Titans, who had an NFL-best 13-3 record last season. The Sunday night primetime game (8:30 PM ET) on NBC will feature a division …read more

National Football League Blogcast, NFL Blogcast
Running back LaDainian Tomlinson and the San Diego Chargers agreed to a renegotiated contract late yesterday (three years, the dollar amount was not immediately available) that will not only give the Bolts salary cap room but will also keep L.T. under contract through the 2011 season. This puts to rest nearly two months of speculation that LaDainian’s days in San Diego were numbered. L.T. was understandably happy the drama was finished:
“I love San Diego and being a part of this team with my teammates. My number-one priority was to stay here in San Diego. I …read more

National Football League Blogcast, NFL Blogcast
Rumors of LaDainian Tomlinson leaving the San Diego Chargers are so far just that — rumors. But LT addressed the situation on his personal Web site — LaDainianTomlinson.com — this past week, saying:
“I have been getting a lot of messages on my site regarding me leaving San Diego. I feel that I need to make it very clear that I have NO intentions of leaving San Diego. San Diego is where my career started and where I’d like it to end. I have nothing but love and the utmost respect for this …read more