San Diego Chokers
It lacked the high drama of last week's game,
but the San Diego Chargers managed to pull off
another stunning defeat today. Facing the Baltimore
Ravens on their home turf in Qualcomm Stadium, the
Chargers gave up opportunity after opportunity in
what is quickly becoming their signature style.
Cementing their place near the bottom of the
league, the team increased their losing record to
0-3.
Perhaps the biggest disappointment of the season
so far (besides the team's overall performance) has
been David Boston, the high-profile wide receiver
acquired during the off-season. Like most of the
big acquisitions the team has made in recent years,
he has performed far below expectations. In the
first game, he made virtually no plays. He sat out
the second game with a sore foot. Today, he only
made one mildly impressive play, and that was as a
running back. If the organization's going to see
much return on their $27 million investment, Boston
better get busy.
Last year, the big newsmaker was cornerback
Quentin Jammer, who generated as many headlines for
missing training camp as he did for his supposed
talent. With a season plus three games as a
Charger, he's been as lackluster a player as most
of his teammates. And before Jammer, the
big-name-turned-bad-player was Ryan Leaf. Who can
forget the disappointment of a quarterback who
spelled "team" with an "I"?
The chronic failure of the San Diego
Chargers—they've lost 10 of their last 12
regular season games—leaves more than enough
blame to spread around. But, as with virtually any
organization, one must look first to the top. A
sports team, a corporation, a platoon is only as
good as its leadership. With the massive number of
personnel changes—at all levels of the
organization—that the team has undergone in
the last few years, one has to question the wisdom
of the leaders making so many bad calls. The
Chargers may have needed new blood, but they didn't
need bloodletting.
Like the thousands of fellow Chargers fans in
this city, I'm used to a team that "chokes" more
often than it "charges" (though each defeat stings
anew). But a sports fan can only take so much.
Perhaps it's fortuitous for the team that they're
on the road until October 27. Another defeat or
two, and the fans will be ready for revolt. The
Chargers had better win a game or two before they
come back to town, or the streets will run with the
new blood the organization has worked so hard to
infuse.
©2003 Michael
Strickland ALL RIGHTS
RESERVED
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