Lions fans, Jack Bauer of All Sports feels your pain. If you somehow haven’t yet heard what happened, here’s quick recap:

The Lions trailed 19-14 inside of :30 and backup quarterback Shaun Hill tossed a quasi- “Hail Mary” pass on third down inside Bears’ territory into the endzone, which was spectacularly “caught” by Calvin Johnson. As Johnson came down to secure the ball, he took two steps as he was falling over, and started to stretch the ball out as he rolled over after the second-step and appeared to slam the ball down to the ground in celebration of the play.

Upon video review, Head Referee Gene Steratore ruled that Johnson did not completely possess the ball despite taking two steps because he “lost control of the ball” as it came to the ground as he put it on the ground.

If there is a positive here, Steratore got the call right by the rule book. While the rule forcing Steratore to deny an obvious de facto touchdown is absolute garbage, I do feel better about the situation because it is a rule issue as opposed to officiating. For the past two seasons, I have regarded Steratore as the best official in the NFL, and as someone who is quick to call-out poor officiating, I would have been depressed if one of the few good officials in all of sports had blown a game deciding call.

I understand this may not make Lions fans feel any better and the result of the game is absolutely one of Jack’s personal fouls from Week 1, there are far worse ways to get jobbed out of a win.

Moving on from the Lions, I have to mention my team, the Philadelphia Eagles. After a pathetic performing Kevin Kolb went down due to a concussion at the end of the first half,  Michael Vick stepped in and performed masterfully in almost leading the Birds back from a 20-3  third quarter deficit. Jack Bauer of All Sports is calling this personal foul on Andy Reid. Here is my analysis of what is brewing in Philadelphia:

After the 2009 season, Andy Reid would not budge from his belief that Kevin Kolb was ready to start. Consequently, Reid had no choice but to trade away Donovan McNabb and his contract due to expire after 2010, and get something in return. I believe Reid had been planning for this day to come after the 2008 season, so he shocked the sports world by bringing in Michael Vick. Vick, despite his newsworthy history, is a quarterback similar in style to McNabb, and has a lifetime winning record and two career playoff wins. If Kolb struggled and Reid decided he needed to give Kolb a break from the starting role, Vick would be a perfect replacement.

For the past few seasons, Reid has convinced the public, especially the Eagles fan base and organization, that Kolb is the future and will lead the Eagles to football’s promised land. In his first game as the full-time starter on Sunday, Kolb was horrible and then got hurt. Enter Vick. The Eagles rally around him, and Vick performs at his former pro-bowl level, nearly leading the team back from a three score deficit against a very strong Green Bay defense. Reid’s worst nightmare has come true.

If Kolb is not cleared to play in Week 2 against the Detroit Lions and Vick performs strong for a second-straight game, Reid will be forced to let Vick continue starting to maintain control of his team. If Reid were to not continue to start the quarterback who had shown he gives the Eagles the best chance to win, he would never recover in the locker room and the court of public opinion. Right now, Reid is praying as hard as he can that Kolb is cleared to play.

Reid is a poor in-game coach, but a very sharp mind. His decision to return Kolb to the game for the Eagles final possession of the first half after suffering a concussion may have been predicated on the above scenario. The quagmire the Eagles and Reid now face after only Week 1 is because of Reid. The future of the Eagles the next few seasons, and Reid’s job security, may now hinge solely on Kolb’s ability to play Week 2. Jack is not a doctor, but no one recovers 100% from a concussion in one week, and if Kolb is the future of the Eagles, Reid should not gamble with his health. But Reid has now backed himself into a corner where his credibility in the organization, and ultimately his job, may depend upon playing Kolb at less than 100% health and without a full week of practice.

Finally, as a San Diegan, I am compelled to address the embarrassing loss a clearly talent-superior San Diego Chargers team took from the Kansas City Chiefs on Monday Night Football. Norv Turner can’t coach, period. But I am calling this personal foul on General Manager A.J. Smith.

A.J. Smith replaced Marty Schottenheimer after the 2006 season with Norv Turner not because the Bolts went 14-2 in the regular season and didn’t advance in the playoffs, but because Smith is a power-hungry ego-maniac. Schottenheimer is a strong- willed personality, and constantly he and Smith clashed since he was hired in 2002. After the 2006 season’s disastrous ending, Smith had a reason to fire Marty. Enter Norv Turner, a career losing record as a head coach, to lead a team ready to reach the Super Bowl. This is perhaps one of the most puzzling coaching hires the past ten years, but it makes sense when one considers A.J. Smith’s personality. Turner would be subservient to Smith, unlike Marty, which was what Smith wants.

The Bolts did reach the AFC Championship the first season under Turner, but that was with Marty’s players, playbook, and coaches. The talent-rich Chargers have suffered embarrassing home playoff loses the past two seasons. Turner is a terrible coach, but Turner is who he is. It is Smith’s fault the keys to a Corvette were giving to an accident prone driver who only drove Yugos as a head coach.

Side note: The Chargers’ offense looked anemic without WR Vincent Jackson in the lineup.  QB Phillip Rivers was scrambling the whole night to find receivers. Jackson might be not be the smartest person off the field, but the Chargers offense will have a hard time keeping the lights on without him for an entire season. A.J. Smith, just pay the man already. You’re ego will survive, you have Norv Turner as your puppet!

If you’re one of about 1.3 million people, you have the luck and good fortune to be living in San Diego, California.  It’s sunny and 70 degrees all-year round, and you can get on a bus to get to some of the best beaches in the United States (La Jolla Shores being my personal favorite).  There are only two things that make San Diegans a little gloomy: rainy season (typically January through March) and an early exit by the San Diego Chargers in the playoffs — also falling in that same time frame.

When the latter of the two happen, Mission Valley turns eerily quiet.  Jack Murphy Stadium¹ turns to a ghost town, and restaurants like Seau’s are full of Chargers fans who are looking for someone to blame.  It almost makes me feel at home in Philadelphia again² — where fans are already criticizing Andy Reid’s decision to stick with Donovan McNabb.

My Facebook and Twitter were littered with trends and topics that were executing Chargers personnel worse than Kurtwood Smith executed Peter Weller in Robocop.

Nate Kaeding this.

Vincent Jackson that³.

Agreeing with the Kaeding firing is easy, but there is one guy who should not be able to dodge another bullet.  Norval Eugene Turner, give your tickets to the man operating the coaches’ carousel at the carnival, and enjoy the ride.

There is precedent to fire Turner because of previous ineptitude from a head coach.  Marty Schottenheimer was fired in January of 2007 after going 14-2 and getting bounced by the underdog New England Patriots at home in the Divisional Round.  Turner took over, but not a single sports-writer saw this as a good idea for a team with a wide open Super Bowl window.  How did general manager A.J. Smith say with a straight face: “Hey, my team is this close to winning a Super Bowl.  Why don’t I bring in a guy who is 58-82 as a head coach, and hasn’t had a winning season since 2000?”  Seriously, how much hair was lost by Chargers fans trying to scratch their head to make sense of that logic?

Ok, I’ll be fair.  Turner DID go 11-5 in his first year before falling to the Patriots again — this time in the AFC Championship — with Phillip Rivers playing with one leg⁴.  In the second year of the “Tenure of Norv”, the only thing that kept Turner from the firing squad was a miracle finish to the season that saw the Chargers win four in a row to win the AFC west over the Denver Broncos⁵.  Just like 2007, injuries — this time to tailback LaDainian Tomlinson — kept the Chargers from winning a playoff game.

This year, Tuner and the Chargers had NO EXCUSES to not make it to the AFC Championship Game.  They won 11 straight, had a first round bye, and they were favored against the New York Jets complete with rookie head coach Rex Ryan and rookie quarterback Mark Sanchez.  What happened?  Five words: they weren’t ready to play!

Two things stand out.  Norv’s offensive strategy made absolutely no sense.  Why drop back and throw the ball 40 times against a defense that channels the spirit of late Philadelphia Eagles defensive coordinator Jim Johnson?  Did Norv just not see Cedric Benson run for 160 yards against this vaunted #1 defense?  You have Tomlinson AND Darren Sproles, and they combined for 57 yards on 15 carries.  Against a great blitzing defense like the Jets have, you have to run, run and then run some more.  San Diego didn’t do that, and Rivers was running for his life on all the third and long situations he was in.  Nothing changed in the second half at all.  Rivers was still dropping back to throw with not only no open receivers but with free blitzers as well.

Were any adjustments made?  Did Norv say anything to his team?

Equally as mind-blowing as the offensive strategy was the amount of dumb penalties in this game.  The Shaun Phillips head-butt in the third quarter was beyond stupid⁶.  Instead of 1st down just inside the 20 yard line, it was first and goal inside the five.  Sanchez throws to Dustin Keller … touchdown.  Jets lead 10-7.

You can’t totally put this game on Nate Kaeding — even though fans in Diego have already thrown him under the bus.  It didn’t seem as if Turner made any kind of adjustments in the second half.  He was out-coached by a rookie head coach/quarterback combination making their second playoff start.  The Chargers played like second class citizens, and some of the failure has to come down on Turner.  The Chargers fans have Ron Rivera on their staff, and he was a hot head coaching candidate not too long ago.  If Turner can’t get it done — and personally, I don’t think he can — then someone needs to get the keys to the car before their great young core of Rivers, Sproles and Merriman gets wasted and starts winning rings elsewhere.

Normally, I’m not one to call for a coach’s head, but I’m making an exception in this case on behalf of the fans of the San Diego Chargers.  If a coach with a pedigree like Marty Schottenheimer was fired for failures like this, a coach with a distinguished and proven resume like Norv Turner needs to be shown the door faster than Uncle Phil showed Jazz in the “Fresh Prince of Bel Air.”

¹ I refuse to acknowledge the incorporation of professional sports stadiums.  (i.e. Qualcomm will always be Jack Murphy.  Football gods don’t sell out.)

² Let’s be honest.  No fan base is rougher on its team than Eagles fans.

³ A bit ridiculous considering he had seven catches for 111 yards while being matched up primarily against Darelle Revis — the second best cornerback in football.

⁴ Rivers played the AFC Championship on what was later revealed to be a torn ACL.

⁵ A trend Denver continued this year.  After starting 6-0, the Broncos finished 2-8 and miss the playoffs.

⁶ On a scale of one to Forrest Gump, that play is about a Rain Man.