As the NFL season reaches it’s mid-point we can look at the teams from the great state of California and analyze what they’ve done so far and speculate how the rest of their seasons will shape up. Odds are that the the 49ers are going to be the team of California.

49ers
One of the most promising and favored teams to win it all, going by the NFL Spread, at the start of the 2012 season, the San Francisco 49ers have one best overall defensive units in the with a strong front composed of pro bowl defensive lineman and ageless wonder Justin Smith. Along with Smith two All-Pro middle linebackers in NaVorro Bowman and Patrick Willis. The offense is led by once thought to be bust quarter back Alex Smith now flourishing under the tutelage of head coach and ex NFL quarterback Jim Harbaugh, and workhorse running back Frank Gore. The second half of the season looks to be favorable as the 49ers take on mostly NFC West rivals, en route to what will likely be a trip for the second year in a row to the playoffs.

Chargers
Moving over the to the AFC West the 4-4 San Diego Chargers have a shaky grasp on 2nd place. After a Monday night debacle which saw the Chargers blow a 24 point lead against division rival Denver I n which quarterback Phillip Rivers threw 5 interceptions, coupled with a lowly loss to the Browns 7-6 where they were unable to get into the end zone. These losses put head coach Norv Turner on the hot seat which was cooled for the time being as they whooped the Kansas City Chiefs 31-13. If Rivers can keep the turnovers to a minimum and the defense continues to play stout and force turnovers there is reason why the Chargers shouldn’t be able to challenge the favored Broncos to win the AFC West and make some noise in the playoffs.

Raiders
The Oakland Raiders also of the AFC West have been coming on strong as of late after getting off to a 1-3 start they have been able to win two of their last four losing to only the currently and only undefeated team, Atlanta Falcons by a field goal. If it were not an outstanding effort by Tampa Bay rookie sensation Doug Martin racking up 251 rushing yards in what turned out to be an offensive shootout the Raiders would be in great shape. Not be over looked is the play of quarterback Carson Palmer who has been able to find talented receivers Denarius Moore and Darrius Heyward-Bey early and often to give the Raiders a feared passing attack which they will need in order to make up for the loss of their main rushing threat Darren McFadden. With favorable matchups in the second half of their season it is more than possible to see the Oakland Raiders clinch a Wild Card birth.

LaDainian Tomlinson says he believes he has played his last game with the San Diego Chargers.

His comments come after more than a month of saying he did not know what would happen.

The NFL’s most valuable player in 2006 has two years remaining on his contract. He is due a $2 million roster bonus March 5 and would be paid $5 million in total salary in 2010.

Tomlinson tells the newspaper he doesn’t know when the Chargers will release him and that his agent, Tom Condon, might call the club to expedite the process.

Condon didn’t immediately respond to a phone message from the AP.

“All discussions about the future will take place later this month. No decisions have been made,” Chargers spokesman Bill Johnston wrote in an email to The Associated Press.

Tomlinson has become one of the most beloved athletes in San Diego history during a nine-year career but his production and speed have been decreasing.

Click here to read the full article – By Associated Press of ESPN.com

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The embattled Chargers safeties yesterday played, well, the way they’re supposed to.

“We made tackles, we covered the right people and we got pressure on the quarterback,” free safety Eric Weddle said. “ . . . Everyone was doing their job. When everyone does that, you can see what we’re capable of.”

Blitzing at least 10 times among them, the safeties accounted for an interception, a sack and a quarterback hurry. Add in safety-turned-nickel back Steve Gregory’s half-dozen blitzes, interception, sack and hurry, and it was a day to be encouraged by and learn from.

The secondary has acknowledged being out of sync and not trusting each other.


Click here to read the full article – By Kevin Acee and Tod Leonard of UNION-TRIBUNE

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Chargers outside linebacker Shawne Merriman wasn’t pleased to read a comment from general manager A.J. Smith that the team’s play at times this year has been “soft and bewildered.”

The Chargers lost 38-28 at Pittsburgh on Sunday night, falling behind 28-0 and allowing the defending Super Bowl champions to pile up 497 yards of offense. San Diego is 2-2 going into its bye week, and already is two games behind the Denver Broncos in the AFC West.

On Wednesday, Smith was quoted in The San Diego Union-Tribune as saying, “Everything is wrong with it right now. I’m not the least bit happy in a lot of areas. I’ve seen us be tough and physical to soft and bewildered.”

Merriman at first declined to comment, which would have been a first in his five-year career.

“I don’t know too much of that. That’s an opinion of a person, and it’s not needed,” Merriman said. “We know that we have to play better. We met for an extra hour and a half as a defense as a whole to discuss what we need to do and things we need to do to get better. And we’re going to make adjustments in this locker room as far as players and our attitudes and getting after people a little more. But all that extra (stuff) is not needed at all.”

Merriman said it would be easier to absorb such talk if it came from a teammate.

“The only opinions that matter to me are the ones in this locker room. Anything else, it doesn’t matter,” he said.

Merriman returned to the lineup this season after knee surgery sidelined him for the final 15 games of 2008, plus two playoff games. He’s been in and out of the lineup this season as he works to regain full strength, and has been affected by a groin injury he said he got from overcompensating for the knee injury.

The Chargers clearly missed Merriman’s spark last year, when they finished 8-8 and won the AFC West in large part because of Denver’s historic collapse. After beating Indianapolis at home in the wild-card round, the Chargers were exposed by the more physical Steelers in losing a divisional-round playoff game in Pittsburgh.

Merriman had 39 1/2 sacks his first three seasons; he’s still waiting for his first sack this season.

Merriman said the Chargers are lacking an attitude.


Click here to read the full article – By BERNIE WILSON of Findlaw.com

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LaDainian Tomlinson was back at practice for the first time since spraining his right ankle during the opener, an encouraging sign for a Chargers team struggling to run the ball.

Tomlinson said yesterday he hopes he can play in Sunday night’s game at Pittsburgh, where the Chargers haven’t won since shocking the Steelers in the AFC championship game following the 1994 season.

Tomlinson missed the last two games with the ankle injury, an absence that coincided with the Chargers struggling not only in the running game, but when they had the ball inside the opponent’s 20.


Click here to read the full article – By Associated Press of boston.com

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The Chargers are inching closer to playing the Baltimore Ravens without three key offensive starters.


Running back LaDainian Tomlinson, center Nick Hardwick and right guard Louis Vasquez all missed their second consecutive practice Thursday, decreasing the chance they’ll play against the vaunted Baltimore defense in San Diego’s home opener.

Hardwick and Tomlinson have sprained ankles, and Vasquez is nursing a sprained knee. On Friday, the Chargers will officially update the players’ status for Sunday’s game.

“The odds go against you,” coach Norv Turner said. “The guys that practice today have a better chance. For the other guys, their chances go down.”


Click here to read the full article – By Associated Press of NFL.com

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San Diego Chargers quarterback Philip Rivers, who has thrown for more than 10,000 yards in the past three seasons, has agreed to a new contract extension with the club.

The extension is for six years and is worth $92 million, a source told ESPN.com. About $38 million to $39 million is guaranteed. More importantly, the deal will keep Rivers off the free-agent market next spring, and will preclude the Chargers from having to exercise a franchise designation to retain him.

The agreement comes amid reports that the Chargers would have a difficult time reaching an extension accord with Rivers, a first-round choice in the 2004 draft.

Click here to read the full article – By Len Pasquarelli of ESPN.com

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Rookie outside linebacker Larry English is expected to be sidelined again when the San Diego Chargers play their second preseason game Saturday night at Arizona

English, the Chargers’ first-round draft pick, again was unable to work in team drills Wednesday because of a balky left hamstring that has cost him two weeks of training camp, including the preseason opener.
Chargers rookie LB Larry English is confident that being sidelined for much of training camp will have no impact on his ability to be ready for the regular season.
While his teammates went through the afternoon session, English toiled with trainer James Collins and did a series of mobility drills.
English said the injury is frustrating, but he doubts missing so much of camp will hinder him when the regular season starts.
“If it came down to it, I feel like I could play today,” English said. “It’s just one of those things where we are being cautious in the preseason and not trying to rush anything.”

Click here to read the full article – By Lenny Ignelzi of NFL.com

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