Bring in the Bottled Lightning

Dickens would be proud of this San Diego Chargers team

IF CHARLES DICKENS were alive and living in San Diego (renting a small flat in Kensington and typing on a Mac), we’d ask him to write the story of the Chargers’ season past. He’d have no shortage of pathos, pain, adversity, courage, redemption and pure joy with which to spin one of his epic morality tales. It was indeed the best of times and the worst of times for the Chargers, who struggled early amid great expectations but ultimately redeemed themselves in Dickensian fashion.

The perceived villain in this story’s early chapters, new head coach Norv Turner, was prematurely characterized by media and even by fans as the team’s Ebenezer Scrooge. The coach of seasons past, Marty Schottenheimer, came back to haunt Turner after his team fell to 1-3. Fans chanted “Marty, Marty, Marty” as Norv and the beleaguered Bolts ran off the field after an embarrassing loss at home to the Kansas City Chiefs. Turner, who’s not overly outgoing but knows football—and who, like Bob Cratchit, is kind, loyal and underappreciated—ignored the din while stoically insisting his team would get better.

It did. By the end of the regular season the Chargers were running on all cylinders, and Turner’s vindication was complete. His image had evolved in a few short chapters from brooding interloper to a beloved Fagin guiding his young, skilled thieves, who led the league in takeaways and captured the AFC West crown. San Diego went on to win its first two playoff games since beating the Pittsburgh Steelers and advancing to the Super Bowl in 1995.

The season was a tale of two cities. For the first 10 games, San Diego fans moped as their heavily hyped team disappointed. But down the stretch, another San Diego rallied around as its team showed as much heart as talent. By year’s end, these Chargers had silenced critics, exorcised ghosts and won eight straight.

This was the 49-year-old franchise’s best team. Neither the Super Bowl bunch nor any of the great Don Coryell teams had this much talent or depth on both sides of the ball. Neither the legendary 41-38 overtime playoff win in Miami in 1982 nor the shocking 17-13 playoff upset of Pittsburgh in 1994 was more impressive than this team’s improbable and dramatic 28-24 road win against Peyton Manning and the defending Super Bowl champion Indianapolis Colts in the second round of the 2007 playoffs.

And then, in the AFC championship game, the Chargers came up against the New England Patriots, considered by many at the time to be the greatest team in NFL history. Still, the Bolts might well have won had their best players been healthy. The Patriots were unbeaten, but not unbeatable.

For those still grumbling about LaDainian Tomlinson’s decision to sit down for most of that New England game, let this be said: Tomlinson, the artful dodger who twisted his way to a second straight NFL rushing title, is a warrior who has played through painful rib and groin injuries. Alas, even a running back with L.T.’s heart can’t go on one knee. The unwarranted criticism of the league’s best and classiest player represented the worst instincts of the media jackals. It was especially shrill and hollow coming from such a no-heart showboat as Deion Sanders.

Tomlinson and Turner aren’t the only Dickensian characters in this grand tale. Darren Sproles, the Chargers’ Tiny Tim, is a gifted young overachiever who came of age this year as both a return man and running back. And quarterback Philip Rivers, who, like Dickens’ Pip, grew up before our eyes, showed his steel by playing on two gimpy knees in the AFC championship game. He should be healthy in time for training camp, and will return with a new confidence and something yet to prove.

The Chargers did exactly what general manager A.J. Smith predicted: They peaked at the end of the season. Certainly, it’s disappointing the 2007 Chargers didn’t go all the way. But they are now among the league’s elite, and prospects for next season are bright, indeed, with most starters returning.

The stadium question persists, and San Diego fans can only hope the home team stays home in San Diego County next year. But fans are nonetheless excited about their football team, and expect it to win the Super Bowl next time out. As Dickens says, “Bring in the bottled lightning!”

Do you like what you read? Subscribe to San Diego Magazine »