“Kickass!”

“Heaven.”

Seven years and 13 games later, these are how some of my loyal readers who happen to be rabid Raiders fans are feeling after Oakland’s 35-27 win over the San Diego Chargers this past Sunday.

On a sunny Sunday afternoon at the Oakland-Alameda County Coliseum, Raiders fans were able to smile with pride in the same way that they did on Sunday, September 28, 2003.  That’s not a typo … September 28 … 2003!  Think about that.  There are children living in the Oakland metropolitan area who have never witnessed the Raiders beating the Chargers.  Their parents have lived in the shame that they’ve subjected their pride and joy to an ownership of colossal proportions.

(Okay, let me stop dumping on Raiders fans because that’s not what this piece is about.)

There are no words in the English language to describe the feeling of getting a win over a team that has treated you like Vic Morrow treated LeVar Burton in “Roots”.  As a fan of a team who were property of another in the late 80s/early 90s – see Eagles/Cowboys rivalry and my disdain for almost anyone from the state of Texas – I honestly feel for these fan bases in the same way that I feel for high school freshmen who get mercilessly picked on by seniors on their first day.

This look on Raiders fans' faces has been familiar when they face the San Diego Chargers.

It’s bad enough Raiders fans get picked on for having a zombie for an owner, a guy who punched out an assistant as a head coach and a quarterback who just never seems to get a break (seriously, the Raiders should have been starting Gradkowski after JaMarcus Russel’s second season).  They have to deal with the realization twice a year that they will never get a certain 228 pound monkey named Philip Rivers off their back.

Many of my Raiders readers probably woke up the same way they have been for the last seven years when it is “Chargers Weekend” up in Oakland.  They’re hopeful for a win, but prepared for inevitability.  Why would it be any different?

Five minutes into the game … it’s 12-0 Oakland after back-to-back blocked San Diego punts.  (If Chargers special teams coach Steve Crosby isn’t a checker at VONS by the time this article is complete, I’ll be amazed, by the way.) Raiders fans are starting to rejoice like Red Sox fans did after Johnny Damon hit his first of two home runs in game 7 the ’04 ALCS causing Chargers fans to panic similar to the ’04 Yankees.

Special teams was about the only thing to cheer about since the offense was only running on half power.  Gradkowski was 1-7 for 14 yards, but Michael Bush was gashing the Chargers early finishing with 104 yards on 26 carries.  A Mike Tolbert fumble with about 2:40 to go in the first kept the momentum going Oakland’s way until Nnamdi Asomugha forgot how to play cornerback, apparently (Malcolm Floyd: 154 yards receiving in the FIRST HALF).  An Antonio Gates touchdown here, a Mike Tolbert touchdown there and it was business as usual at the half with the Chargers up 17-15.

Even though the Raiders were only down by two, the Chargers had the momentum going into the second half, and even with Jason Campbell in at quarterback – a man who as it seems I misguidedly praised before the start of the season – there was some positivity in the Black Hole.

Seriously!?! Anyone wanna cover #80? Anyone at all! - (SOURCE: Yahoo! News)

7:38 left in the third quarter – Malcolm Floyd is running free.  “Ohhhh, s*&!”.  Chargers lead 24-15.  If you look at the replay of that touchdown, I think you can actually see Floyd taking a dump on the Raiders secondary at about the two yard line before trotting into the end zone.  That’s how wide open he was!

Down 24-15, I saw something out of the Raiders that I honestly haven’t seen in a long time in this series – resiliency.  Right about then is where the old Raiders would have shown up and lay over, but Jason Campbell and Michael Bush channeled their inner Owen Hart (circa Nation of Domination) with an impressive 13 play, 97 yard drive that was basically just the Raiders giving Norv Turner and the Chargers the good old “Hawaiian Peace Sign”.

San Diego of course responded with a quick drive leading to a Nate Kaeding field goal to make it 27-22, but again, the Raiders and their fans showed some unseen resiliency.  Finally!  We have a Jason Campbell sighting that made him one of “My Guys” this year.  On the Raiders ensuing drive, Campbell called on the spirit of Jeff Hostetler to help him go 5-5 for 43 yards.  Michael Bush rumbled into the end-zone with 3:39 left to put the Raiders up 28-27.

Facebook pretty much puts it in perspective as these were some of the status updates I received after:

“OMG RAIDERS!”

“Could this be it?  Could this finally be the one?!?”

“If the Raiders come back and win, I will donate blood to Al Davis.”

As joyous of an occasion this was for Raiders fans, calm needed to be exercised.  After all, they were in this situation last year on Monday night after JaMarcus Russell found Louis Murphy late to give the Raiders the lead.  These were still the Chargers, the team that owns you, and this was still Philip Rivers, a guy that with 3:33 left had 366 yards passing.

Raiders fans had entered the “Bob Uecker Zone” (a moment where you just know something bad could happen).  Rivers rushes for 14 on first down.  Next play, Rivers throws to Floyd for 13.  After an incompletion, back-to-back completions of five and six gave Raiders fans a sinking feeling.  Then, it finally happened.  Something FINALLY went Oakland’s way.  Rivers hit by Michael Huff – sorry, folks, his arm was empty when it went forward – Branch picks it up and goes 64 yards for the clincher.

Rejoicing.

Happiness.

Tears.

Not sure if DT Tommy Kelley is crying in this picture, but even if he is, he gets a pass. (SOURCE: Yahoo! News)

Exercising demons is one thing, but doing it in a manner that was just so uncharacteristic for this team made it even more special to fans.  One of my best friends described the moment as “hyphy” which is what I’m assuming he got after the win (he’s probably hung over from celebrating as I write this), and why not?  The Oakland Raiders gave their fans something they hadn’t gotten in a long time.

Probably the best way to sum up the feeling of an entire fan base comes from my man, Gonzo, who said:

“It feels like I’m 16, and I just lost my virginity.”

Yup.  These are Raiders fans, and they’re also some of my readers.

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.

Detroit Lions Select Matthew Stafford 1st Overall

- Roger Goodell makes his first appearance at the podium before much time ran out. Matthew Stafford just was booed by the crowd. Memo to Donovan McNabb. SHUT UP ABOUT 1999.

- Jack’s Thoughts: “Thank you Detriot for not wasting 15 minutes of our life and allowing St. Louis to be on the clock and speed this up.”

New York Jets Trade Up to Select Mark Sanchez

- Jack’s Thoughts: “Yours truly, in my mock draft, just scored one on the national field by correctly calling for the Jets to take Sanchez via moving up in the draft. Take that Mel Kiper!”

Oakland Raiders Select Darius Heyward-Bay

- Well that’s defintiely a surprise! Over Crabtree? Must be the Raiders. Why not trade back for him if he’s your man, Al Davis? He would’ve still been there at least in the mid-first round if not late first round. The G-Men can’t be thrilled at this one considering they were heavily rumored to want to trade up a few picks for him. Will they move up for Crabtree now?? Stay tuned.

Chargers Select Larry English

- Jack’s Thoughts: “The AFC West race is heating up and it’s only late April. The bigger moron on draft day, the Raiders’ Al Davis or the Bolts’ GM A.J. Smith. Why on earth would Smith take an average outside linebacker (Larry English) from a mid-major conference over Clay Matthews from USC if that’s the route Smith wanted to go??? The Bolts have a ton of depth at LB, even with Merriman a potential question mark coming off knee surgery. This move by Smith rivals the stupidity of Al Davis not seeking value for his pick and taking Heyward-Bey at #7 over Crabtree.”

Post Draft Thoughts on the Eagles Selections