For Immediate Release January 1, 2008

Transcription

1 2007 AFC Wild Card Playoffs SAN DIEGO CHARGERS (11-5) vs. TENNESSEE TITANS (10-6) Qualcomm Stadium (70,000) San Diego, California Sunday, January 6, :30 p.m. PST SCHEDULE & RESULTS Sun. Sept. 9 CHICAGO W 14-3 Sun. Sept. 16 at New England L Sun. Sept. 23 at Green Bay L Sun. Sept. 30 KANSAS CITY L Sun. Oct. 7 at Denver W 41-3 Sun. Oct. 14 OAKLAND W Sun. Oct. 21 Bye Sun. Oct. 28 HOUSTON W Sun. Nov. 4 at Minnesota L Sun. Nov. 11 INDIANAPOLIS W Sun. Nov. 18 at Jacksonville L Sun. Nov. 25 BALTIMORE W Sun. Dec. 2 at Kansas City W Sun. Dec. 9 at Tennessee W OT Sun. Dec. 16 DETROIT W Mon. Dec. 24 DENVER W 23-3 Sun. Dec. 30 at Oakland W Sun. Jan. 6 TENNESSEE 1:30 p.m. Home games in CAPS All Times Pacific OPEN PRACTICE & MEDIA AVAILABILITY TIMES Open Practice Coach Turner Open Locker Room Wed. Jan. 2 1:15-1:45 pm 3:00 pm 3:00-3:45 pm Thurs. Jan. 3 1:15-1:30 pm 3:00 pm 3:00-3:45 pm Fri. Jan. 4 11:00-11:15 am 12:30 pm 12:30-1:00 pm Sat. Jan. 5 No Availability Sun. Jan. 6 Chargers vs. Titans 1:30 pm Conference Calls: Media Center on Wed. Jan. 2 Titans Head Coach Jeff Fisher (10:15 am PST) and center Kevin Mawae (10:45 am PST). Players are available for interviews following each practice during the interview period. LaDainian Tomlinson and Philip Rivers will speak at the podium on Mondays and Wednesdays only. Cameras are not permitted inside the locker room. Contact the public relations office at (858) to verify practice and interview times. TV & Radio Broadcast Information CBS Sports, KFMB-TV (Ch. 8 in San Diego), KCBS-TV (Ch. 2 in Los Angeles and Orange County) Jim Nantz (play-by-play) and Phil Simms (analyst) Westwood One Radio (National) Dick Enberg (play-by-play), Dennis Green (analyst) and Scott Kaplan (sideline reporter) KIOZ-FM, Rock (San Diego), 710 ESPN (Los Angeles), Sirius Satellite Radio (Ch. TBD) and the Chargers Radio Network Josh Lewin (play-byplay), Hank Bauer (analyst) and Jim Laslavic (sideline reporter) XERCN-AM 1470 (Spanish) Jorge Villanueva (play-by-play) and Efren Dominguez (color commentary) For Immediate Release January 1, 2008 The NFL Playoffs return to San Diego as the AFC West Champion San Diego Chargers, winners of six in a row, host the Tennessee Titans in an AFC Wild Card Playoff Game on Sunday, Jan. 6 at 1:30 p.m. PST at Qualcomm Stadium. CBS will send its No. 1 team of Jim Nantz and Phil Simms to San Diego to call the action. The Chargers are one of the NFL s hottest teams. They ve won six straight and 10 of their last 12. Their six-game win streak is the NFL s second-longest behind undefeated New England. In finishing the year 11-5, the Chargers earned their second straight season with 11-or-more wins and their ninth in team history. The Chargers 46 wins in the last four years are the third most in the NFL behind only New England (52) and Indianapolis (51). The Chargers are 7-1 at home in They were a perfect 8-0 at home in Since their only home loss of 07 to Kansas City in Week 4, the Chargers have won six in a row at home, outscoring their opponents by more than 19 points per game (192 to 76). The Chargers 15 home wins in the last two years are tied with Indianapolis for most in the NFL. The Chargers have won five-straight in the series with Tennessee, including a win in overtime on Dec. 9 when LaDainian Tomlinson, the NFL s 2007 Rushing Champion, scored on a 16-yard run in overtime to cap a 14-point fourth-quarter comeback. The Titans haven t won a game in the series since 1992, when they were the Houston Oilers. The Chargers have won the last three series games in San Diego by a combined 55 points, including wins of in 2004 and 40-7 in San Diego s defense is one of the NFL s best, particularly at home. The Bolts posted an NFL-best +24 turnover ratio for the season and they led the NFL with 30 interceptions (22 at home) and 48 total takeaways (31 at home). The Chargers run defense has been almost impenetrable at Qualcomm Stadium, where opponents are averaging only 76.6 yards per game and only one rushing touchdown has been allowed all season (fewest in the NFL). The last two times the Titans played in San Diego in 04 and 06, they were held to 72 and 55 yards rushing, respectively, and did not score a rushing touchdown in either contest.

2 TABLE OF CONTENTS Introduction, Schedule & Results, Media Schedule... 1 Table of Contents, Spanos Family gives $1 million to fire relief... 2 Success Starts at the Top, Streaking to the Finish... 3 What to Look For Chargers-Titans Series History, Chargers-Titans Connections... 6 AFC West Standings, Chargers Record When, Injury Update... 7 Turnover Ratio Statistics... 8 LaDainian Tomlinson Notes Philip Rivers Notes...12 Nate Kaeding Notes...12 Honors and Awards...13 Game Summaries Chargers on Radio, PR Contact Information, Chargers.com & Chargersmedia.com...22 Rosters Depth Chart...26 Coaching Staff, Team Captains, Pronunciation Guide...27 Roster Notes...28 Starting Lineups Team and Offensive Statistics Defensive and Special Teams Statistics...31 Miscellaneous Stats...32 Tale of the Tape, Team NFL Rankings Comparisons...33 Week-by-Week Offensive and Defensive Rankings...34 Touchdown Drive Summaries...35 Drive Summaries following Takeaways...36 The Last Time Transactions Noteworthy Offensive Performances Noteworthy Defensive Performances Noteworthy Special Teams Performances Participation Chart Cumulative Season Statistics San Diego Chargers Postseason History San Diego Chargers Postseason Individual and Team Records Game Stats and Flip Card Chargers at Oakland, Dec. 30, Game Clips Chargers at Oakland, Dec. 30, SPANOS FAMILY GIVES $1 MILLION TO FIRE RELIEF Following the October wildfires that ravaged San Diego County for the second time in four years, Alex and Dean Spanos announced a commitment of $1 million to aid victims of the wildfires and also to support the community s firefighting efforts. The Spanos family made a similar donation of $1 million to the Chargers Fire Relief Fund following the destructive wildfires that ravaged San Diego in In addition to the Spanos donation, the National Football League contributed $250,000 and volunteers collected another $75,000 in donations from fans attending the Oct. 28 Chargers-Texans game at Qualcomm Stadium. Before the Chargers faced the Indianapolis Colts on Nov. 11, Colts Owner Jim Irsay also made a $25,000 donation to the Fire Relief Fund. Donations went directly to the Salvation Army and to the families of injured firefighters. For the Texans game, quarterback Philip Rivers also opened up his personal luxury suite at the stadium to the family members of four Cal Fire Firefighters who were injured while battling the fires. 2

3 SUCCESS STARTS FROM THE TOP Chargers President and CEO Dean Spanos received a Game Ball in the locker room from Head Coach Norv Turner after the Chargers defeated the Detroit Lions, 51-14, on Dec. 16 to win their second-consecutive and third AFC West Championship in the last four years. Dean took over as the Chargers President-CEO in 1994, and under his reign the team has won four AFC West titles, been to the playoffs five times and the Super Bowl once (XXIX in 1994). Spanos hired Turner to coach the Chargers on Feb. 19, On New Year s Day 2008, Spanos signed General Manager A.J. Smith to a five-year contract extension through Smith has stockpiled the Chargers roster with outstanding talent, including the October acquisition of wide receiver Chris Chambers from Miami. Chambers, who just missed out on a 1,000-yard season, has found a comfort zone with quarterback Philip Rivers and has at least two catches in every game since joining the Bolts. The Chargers are 18-6 (.750) in AFC West play the last four seasons (since 2004). They have won two straight division titles and three of the last four, and since the NFL realigned the divisions in 2002, the Chargers are the only AFC West team to win back-to-back titles. This season, Norv Turner won 11 games for the first time in his coaching career. Turner and Bobby Ross (1992) are the only coaches in team history to win the AFC West in their first season. In winning the AFC West this season, the Chargers defeated all three of their division opponents away from home. It s the first time that happened since 1994 when the Chargers beat the Raiders, Broncos, Chiefs and Seattle Seahawks away from home. With the season on the line, the Chargers were 5-0 this year in December. They capped off the month having won 10 straight games in December, improving their December record to 15-4 since The Chargers scored 412 points this season, their fourth-straight year of scoring It s now the longest stretch of 400-point seasons in team history. The last time it happened three years in a row was back during the seasons. The Chargers coaching staff is one of the League s best at preparation and game-planning. Offensively, the Bolts were the NFL s secondhighest scoring team in the first quarter (119) and its third-highest scoring in the first half (235). At home this year in the first quarter, the Chargers were the NFL s very best, outscoring their opponents 81-0, becoming only the second team in the league since 1982 (Tampa Bay, 2001) to hold its opponents scoreless at home in the first quarter. That 81-point scoring disparity in the first quarter at home is the largest in NFL history. The old mark (79 points) was set back in 1921 by the Buffalo All- Americans (83-6). Defensively, the Chargers allowed the NFL s fourth-fewest points (tie) in the first quarter (47) and the third-fewest in the first half (131). The Chargers coaches also proved they are among the NFL s best at making halftime adjustments. Offensively, the Chargers led the entire NFL in touchdowns (nine) and total scoring drives (11) on their first offensive possession of the third quarter. Defensively, the Chargers ended their opponents first drive of the third quarter with a punt or a turnover 12 times in 16 games, tied with Miami for the secondhighest total in the NFL behind Indianapolis, which did so in 14 of 16 games. At home, the Chargers defense allowed only 10 touchdowns (rushing and receiving), tied with Pittsburgh for the fewest in the league. Following the Chargers Dec. 30 season finale in Oakland, Turner awarded each member of the Chargers coaching staff with a Game Ball. STREAKING TO THE FINISH BOLTS RIDE SIX-GAME WIN STREAK INTO POSTSEASON The Chargers head into the postseason riding a six-game win streak, the NFL s second-longest active streak. The Bolts have put up some impressive numbers during this stretch. Below is a look at those figures, along with where they rank in the NFL over these six weeks. Points Scored (183 = 30.5 ppg)...2 nd Total Yards allowed (264.5 ypg)...2 nd Points Allowed (75 = 12.5 ppg)... 1 st Quarterback Sacks (23 = 3.9 spg)...1 st Point Differential (108 = 18 ppg)... 1 st Turnover Ratio (+15)...1 st Rushing Yards (143.8 ypg)...2 nd Time of Possession (32:26 avg)... 3 rd Rushing Yards Allowed (85.8 ypg)... 4 th 3

4 WHAT TO LOOK FOR The Chargers led the NFL this season in interceptions (30), total takeaways (48) and turnover ratio (+24) it s the first time a Chargers team has ever led the NFL in interceptions and takeaways and it s the first time they ve led the NFL in turnover ratio since 1993 the Chargers scored 128 pts off turnovers this season, second-most in the NFL when the Chargers and Titans met in December, Tennessee actually won the turnover battle (3-to-2) and scored more points than the Bolts after turnovers (10-3), but the Chargers won the game, it was the only time this season the Chargers won a game when losing the turnover battle and when they were outscored following turnovers the Chargers 48 takeaways in 2007 are the most in the NFL since Baltimore had 49 in Thanks in part to their prowess in forcing turnovers, San Diego s defense led the NFL in opponent passer rating (70.0), the first time the Chargers have ever led the NFL in that category when the Bolts and Titans faced off in December at LP Field, the Chargers held the Titans two QBs, Vince Young (38.1) and Kerry Collins (42.4) to a combined 36.6 passer rating that day, the Titans QB combo went 14 of 24 passing for 119 yards with no touchdowns and two interceptions. One of the Chargers picks on that December day was recorded by Antonio Cromartie, who became the firstever Charger to win the NFL s interceptions title with 10 Cromartie recorded all 10 of his picks in the last 11 games of the season seven of Cromartie s 10 picks came in home games, including a career-high three against Indianapolis on Nov. 11 he had three multi-pick games on the season. LaDainian Tomlinson rushed for 146 yards and a touchdown when the Chargers and Titans met in December it was his second-career 100-yard game against Tennessee, having rushed for 147 yards and a score against them in 2004 in three career games against the Titans, Tomlinson has rushed for 364 yards (121.3 ypg) and four touchdowns Tennessee ended the season with the NFL s fifth-best run defense, holding its opponents to 92.4 yards per game as a team, the Bolts rushed for 148 yards during that December meeting, tied for the third-most yards an team rushed for against the Titans this year since their Week 13 meeting though, Tennessee s defense has only given up a total of 203 rushing yards (89 at Kansas City, 68 vs. NY Jets and 46 at Indianapolis). Tomlinson finished the season with over 100 yards rushing in four of the last five games, including the 146-yard effort against the Titans he s looking for his second-career 100-yard game in the playoffs (123 vs. New England in 2006). In eight home games this year, Tomlinson has rushed for 821 yards (103 ypg) and scored 10 touchdowns during the Bolts current sixgame winning streak, the NFL s rushing champion has racked up 679 yards (113 ypg) and six touchdowns. Tomlinson also has an impressive streak coming in to the Titans game in which he has recorded a run of at least 10 yards in 27 consecutive games it s the longest such streak in the NFL when the Bolts and Titans played in December, Tomlinson had a 32-yard run on the Chargers first offensive play of the third quarter to help kick-start a field goal drive. Wide receiver Chris Chambers, who will be making his playoff debut on Sunday against Tennessee, has at least two catches in every game since joining the Chargers in an Oct. trade from Miami the Bolts are 8-2 since his arrival he comes into the playoffs having caught touchdown catches in back-to-back games for the first time this season and he s had at least 49 yards receiving each of the last five games Chambers, who missed a 1,000-yard season by just 30 yards, had 90 yards receiving on four catches when the Bolts and Titans met in Dec., his second-highest yardage total since joining the team in that game, Chambers had a huge 19-yard catch on a fourth-and-five play during the Bolts late fourth-quarter game-tying touchdown drive Chambers is averaging 15.9 yards per catch for the Bolts. The Chargers offensive line, featuring starters Jeromey Clary, Mike Goff, Nick Hardwick, Kris Dielman and Marcus McNeill, has only given up three sacks in the last three games, while opening holes for the team s running backs to rush for 541 yards (180 ypg), including a season-high 274 against Detroit on Dec. 16 look for the line to redeem itself after allowing a season-high five sacks against the Titans on Dec. 9 in 10 games this season, the Chargers gave up zero or one sack and three times they rushed for over 200 yards for the season, the Chargers offensive line only allowed 24 sacks, tied for eighth-fewest in the League. 4

5 Philip Rivers is on a nice roll as the Chargers head into the postseason in leading the Bolts to wins in their last six games, Rivers has completed 100 of 165 (.606) for 1,100 yards with 10 TDs and only three INTs for a rating of 93.0 Rivers career passer rating (86.6) is the highest in team history (min. 500 pass attempts). When the Chargers and Titans met in Dec., tight end Antonio Gates left the game for a period of time after taking a big hit and landing on his back as great players do, he shook off the injury and he came back to score the game-tying touchdown with nine seconds left in the fourth quarter Gates finished the game at LP Field with a team-leading six catches he comes into the playoffs off another six-catch performance in last Sunday s season finale at Oakland, his best performance since the Titans game. Gates finished the year just one TD shy of the third 10-touchdown season of his career he would ve been the first tight end in NFL history (according to Stats, Inc.) with three seasons of 10-or-more TD catches Gates, Tony Gonzalez and Wesley Walls are currently the only TEs in NFL history with two 10-TD seasons. Safety Clinton Hart finished the season on a roll with two interceptions in the season s final three games he had a career year for the Bolts, finishing the season with career highs in tackles (109) and interceptions (five), and also recording his first sack since 2003 Hart was second on the team with 11 stops last Sunday in Oakland, recording his 100 th tackle of the season on a one-yard tackle for loss. Linebacker Shawne Merriman will be chomping at the bit to face the Titans on Sunday he had two sacks when the teams met at LP Field in December, but had to leave the game in the second quarter with a knee injury Merriman closed out the 07 season with a sack in Oakland against JaMarcus Russell, his team-leading 12.5 sack of the year Merriman s sacks against the Titans last month were his first-ever against Tennessee in 2006, he had the first-and-only interception of his career against the Titans the Bolts are 10-1 in games when Merriman has 2+ sacks. Since the Chargers selected Merriman in the first round of the 2005 NFL Draft, he s led the team in sacks each of his three seasons, with 10 in 2005, 17 in 2006 and 12.5 this year as a team this year, the Chargers had the fifth-most sacks in the league (42) last year, the Bolts led the NFL and had the second-most in team history (60) since Merriman s arrival in 2005, his 39.5 sacks and the Chargers 149 team sacks are the most in the NFL. Fellow linebacker Stephen Cooper heads into the playoffs having recorded double-digit tackles in 13 of the Bolts 16 games this season he led the team with 16 last Sunday in Oakland and had 10 when the Chargers met the Titans in Dec.Cooper had a season-high 19 in one of the biggest games of the year, a Nov. 11 NBC Sunday Night Football showdown against Indianapolis Coop was the Chargers team leader this season with 179 tackles for the year. Defensive end Igor Olshansky capped off the finest season of his career with his first-ever interception in the 07 season finale at Oakland it came on the Raiders first offensive play of the game and nine plays later, the Bolts scored a touchdown to take a 7-0 lead Olshansky became the 10 th different Chargers player to intercept a pass this season speaking of 10, Olshansky had a career-high 10 tackles when the Chargers and Titans met in Dec.Igor finished the regular season with a career-high and defensive-line-leading 69 tackles, 19 more than his previous high (50) from last season he also set a career-high with 3.5 sacks and tied Shaun Phillips for the team lead with three forced fumbles. Despite being named a first-alternate, Mike Scifres had another Pro Bowl-caliber season for the Chargers his 46.1 average was the second-highest ever recorded in team history behind Darren Bennett (46.2 in 2000). All season, Scifres gave opponents a long field to work with, landing 36 of his punts inside the 20, second-most in the NFL Scifres finished the regular season as the NFL s third-leading punter in terms of net average (39.6), narrowly missing out on becoming only the second punter in team history to post a season net average of he had only 29 punts returned this season, fourth-fewest among the league s Top 25 punters Dennis Partee (40.6 in 1971) is the only punter in team history to finish a season with a net average of six times this season, opponents had either zero or negative punt return yards against the Chargers Chicago (0), Kansas City (0), Oakland (0), Indy (-5), Baltimore (0), Detroit (0) and Denver (0). Scifres hit at least one 60-yard punt in seven of the Chargers last 10 games, including a season-long 70 yarder Nov. 25 against Baltimore. 5

6 CHARGERS-TITANS SERIES HISTORY Two of the original eight American Football League franchises, the San Diego Chargers and Tennessee Titans (formerly the Houston Oilers) have been linked since the formation of the AFL in Since then, the two franchises have met 38 times, including two AFL Championship Games and an AFC Divisional Playoff Game. The Chargers lead the all-time series (.577), but are 0-3 in postseason play The Oilers moved to Tennessee in 1997 and changed their name to the Titans in San Diego has won five straight in the series. A recap of the complete series history is below at Houston L at Los Angeles W at Houston* L at San Diego W at Houston L at San Diego* L at San Diego L at Houston L at San Diego W 27-0 at Houston W at San Diego W at Houston W at San Diego W at Houston W at Houston W at San Diego W 13-3 at Houston L at San Diego W at Houston W at San Diego T at Houston L at San Diego W at Houston L at Houston L at San Diego W at Houston W at San Diego** L at San Diego W at Houston L at San Diego W at Houston L at San Diego L at San Diego L at Houston L at San Diego W at Tennessee W at San Diego W at San Diego W at Tennessee W OT * AFL Championship Game ** AFC Divisional Playoffs CHARGERS-TITANS CONNECTIONS Chargers Head Coach Norv Turner was the defensive backs coach at USC when Titans Head Coach Jeff Fisher played in the Trojans secondary Turner also coached wide receivers during Fisher s time in Los Angeles Fisher and Chargers Inside Linebackers Coach Ron Rivera were teammates with the Chicago Bears Titans Assistant Head Coach/Linebackers Dave McGinnis was Rivera s position coach in Chicago Chargers Defensive Coordinator Ted Cottrell and Secondary Coach Bill Bradley worked with Titans Wide Receivers Coach Fred Graves in Buffalo. Chargers FB Lorenzo Neal spent two seasons with the Titans and was a member of the club s 1999 AFC Championship squad QB Billy Volek played for Tennessee from CB Drayton Florence played at Tennessee-Chattanooga from Chargers practice squad linebacker Terna Nande was drafted by the Titans in Chargers LB Tim Dobbins is a native of Nashville and prepped at Glencliff High School Assistant General Manager Buddy Nix maintains a home in Chattanooga and spent nine seasons as the head coach at the University of Tennessee-Chattanooga Special Teams Coach Steve Crosby spent four seasons as the offensive coordinator and wide receivers coach at Vanderbilt Offensive Line coach Hal Hunter also spent four years on West End Avenue where he coached tight ends and the offensive line for the Commodores Norv Turner was the head coach of the Oakland Raiders when Titans QB Kerry Collins played for the Silver & Black. Chargers Managing Editor-Website & Publications Casey Pearce interned with the Titans in a similar capacity in Chargers CB Quentin Jammer and Titans FB Ahamard Hall and LB Gilbert Gardner all hail from Angleton, Texas During Philip Rivers freshman season at NC State, he was tutored by Titans Offensive Coordinator Norm Chow, who held the same position with the Wolfpack in 2000 Titans assistant special teams coach Marty Galbraith was promoted to Chow s position when Chow left Raleigh for USC, allowing Galbraith to work with Rivers during his sophomore and junior seasons Chargers wide receiver Malcom Floyd s older brother Malcolm played wide receiver for the Houston/Tennessee Oilers from Titans Head Coach Jeff Fisher is a native of Woodland Hills, CA and played collegiately at USC Offensive coordinator Norm Chow held the same position at USC from Assistant Head Coach/Running backs Sherman Smith spent the final two seasons of his nine-year NFL playing career with the Chargers ( ) Assistant Secondary Coach Marcus Robertson is from Pasadena. Titans C/G Eugene Amano is a San Diego native he attended Rancho Bernardo High School. 6

7 Chargers Offensive Line Coach Hal Hunter coached the offensive line at North Carolina when Titans LB David Thornton played for the Tar Heels. The following players were college teammates: Chargers LB Marques Harris and Titans RB Chris Brown at Colorado Chargers OT Shane Olivea and LB Matt Wilhelm with Titans S Donnie Nickey and TE Ben Hartstock at Ohio State Chargers LB Shawne Merriman and Titans DT Randy Starks at Maryland Chargers LB Jyles Tucker with Titans RB Chris Barclay and CB Eric King at Wake Forrest Chargers CB Antonio Cromartie and Titans WR Chris Davis at Florida State Chargers LB Shaun Phillips and C Nick Hardwick with Titans LB Gilbert Gardner at Purdue Chargers LB Brandon Siler and Titans CB Reynaldo Hill at Florida Chargers QB Philip Rivers and Titans LB Stephen Tulloch at NC State. FINAL 2007 AFC WEST STANDINGS Team W L T PF PA HM AY AFC NFC DIV Chargers Denver Kansas City Oakland At home: 7-1 On the road: 4-4 In September: 1-3 In October: 3-0 In November: 2-2 In December: 5-0 Scoring first: 8-3 Opponent scores first: 3-2 Leading at the half: 8-2 Trailing at the half: 2-3 Tied at the half: 1-0 Leading After 3Q: 10-1 Trailing After 3Q: 1-3 Tied After 3Q: 0-1 Team rushes for 100+ yards: 8-1 Team rushes for less than 100 yards: 3-4 Opponent rushes for 100+ yards: 3-4 Opponent rushes for less than 100 yards: 8-1 CHARGERS RECORD IN 2007 WHEN + Turnover ratio: Turnover ratio: 1-4 = Turnover ratio: 0-1 Team passes for 250+ yards: 1-2 Team passes for less than 250 yards: 10-3 Opponent passes for 250+ yards: 3-3 Opponent passes for less than 250 yards: 8-2 Team scores 20+ points: 10-1 Team scores less than 20 points: 1-4 Opponent scores 20+ points: 1-5 Opponent scores less than 20 points: 10-0 Outdoors: 11-4 Indoors: 0-1 Day games: 9-4 Night games: 2-1 Natural grass: 11-3 Artificial playing surface: 0-2* *New England and Minnesota INJURY UPDATE The Chargers did not reported any injuries from Sunday s game in Oakland: Linebacker Marques Harris (thumb), fullback Lorenzo Neal (leg) and defensive tackle Jamal Williams (hip) did not play against the Raiders due to injury. All three will have their status for Sunday s game against the Titans updated later in the week. 7

8 2007 TAKEAWAY-GIVEAWAY RATIO This season, the Chargers led the NFL with 30 interceptions, 48 total takeaways and a +24 turnover ratio. Antonio Cromartie paced the defense, leading the NFL with a team record 10 interceptions. Cromartie returned one of his interceptions 70 yards for a touchdown against Houston. Even more impressive than the touchdown Cromartie scored is the ones that he s prevented. On Nov. 11 against Indianapolis, Cromatie had an interception in the end zone on a pass intended for Reggie Wayne. The Bolts ended up winning that game by two points. And on Dec. 2 in Kansas City, Cromartie had two interceptions in the end zone, preventing 14 Kansas City points in a game the Chargers won by 14 points, Both his interceptions against the Chiefs came while covering veteran receivers, Eddie Kennison and perennial Pro Bowl tight end Tony Gonzalez. Cromartie is in only his second NFL season and he wasn t even a starter until the team s Nov. 11 game against Indianapolis. The Bolts recorded at least two takeaways in 14 of the team s 16 games this season and had 42 takeaways in the last 13 games. Below is a breakdown of the team s takeaways-giveaways for TAKEAWAY-GIVEAWAY CHARTS Takeaways Pts. Giveaways Pts. Date Opponent Int. Fum. Total From Int. Fum. Total From Net W-L 09/09 Chicago W 09/16 at New England L 09/23 at Green Bay L 09/30 K.C L 10/7 at Denver W 10/14 Oakland W 10/28 Houston W 11/4 at Minnesota L 11/11 Indianapolis W 11/18 at Jacksonville L 11/25 Baltimore W 12/2 at Kansas City W 12/9 at Tennessee W 12/16 Detroit W 12/24 Denver W 12/31 at Oakland W Totals

9 TOMLINSON WINS SECOND-CONSECUTIVE RUSHING TITLE LaDainian Tomlinson rushed for 1,474 yards this season, just the fourth-best total of his career, but it was enough to capture his second-straight NFL rushing title...he became the first back since Indianapolis Edgerrin James ( ) to win back-to-back rushing titles LT is the only player in team history to ever win the league s rushing title. As a team, the Chargers rushed for 2,039 yards, their NFL-leading sixth-straight 2,000-yard season. Tomlinson also won the NFL s rushing touchdowns title with 15 it was his third rushing TDs title he s only the second player since the merger (1970) to lead the league in rushing touchdowns three times, joining Emmitt Smith who won it in 1992, 94 and 95. Tomlinson finished second in the NFL with 1,949 total yards from scrimmage, 155 yards behind Philadelphia s Brian Westbrook LT won the NFL s scrimmage yards title in Tomlinson racked up 63 scrimmage yards against Oakland on Sunday to push his career total past 14,000 yards he finishes the season with 14,025 and is the 21 st player in NFL history to get to 14,000. Tomlinson ended the season with a 56-yard rushing game in Oakland, giving him just enough yards (10,650) to move past former 49er, Eagle and Seahawk Ricky Watters (10,643) and into 18 th place on the NFL s all-time rushing list LT SEVENTH ON ALL-TIME TOUCHDOWNS LIST Tomlinson closed out the 2007 season scoring his 129 th career touchdown in the finale against the Raiders. He ranks seventh on the NFL s alltime touchdowns list behind Dallas Terrell Owens (131) and former Minnesota Viking Cris Carter (131). The updated all-time list is below. 1. Jerry Rice Emmitt Smith Marcus Allen Marshall Faulk Terrell Owens Cris Carter LT LT MOVES UP TO 18 th ON ALL-TIME RUSHING LIST Tomlinson finished the season ranked 18 th on the NFL s all-time rushing yardage list. The League s top rushers are listed below. 1. Emmitt Smith , Walter Payton , Barry Sanders , Curtis Martin , Jerome Bettis , Eric Dickerson , Tony Dorsett , Jim Brown , Marshall Faulk , Marcus Allen , Franco Harris , Thurman Thomas , Edgerrin James , John Riggins , Corey Dillon , O.J. Simpson , Fred Taylor , LT ,650 LT LOOKS TO OVERTAKE MARCUS ALLEN With 115 career rushing TDs, Tomlinson should pass San Diego native Marcus Allen (123) for second place on the league s all-time rushing TDs list in A look at the all-time list is below. 1. Emmitt Smith Marcus Allen LT

10 LT s TEAM-RECORD WATCH Tomlinson currently owns or shares a total of 20 team records. They are regular-season records unless listed otherwise. Career Touchdowns 129 Single-Season Rushing Yards 1,815 Career Rushing Touchdowns 115 Single-Season Rushing Attempts 372 Career 100-Yard Rushing Games (regular season) 44 Single-Season Total Yards from Scrimmage 2,370 Career 200-Net-Yard Games 12 Single-Season Receptions 100 Career Rushing Yards 10,650 Single-Game Rushing Touchdowns 4* Career Rushing Attempts 2,365 Single-Game Rushing Yards 243 Career Total Yards from Scrimmage 14,025 Single-Game Rushing Attempts 39 Single Season Points Single-Game Postseason Rushing Attempts 26 Single Season Touchdowns 31 Consecutive Games with a Touchdown 18 Single-Season 100-Yard Rushing Games 10 *Tied with Clarence Williams and Chuck Muncie Single-Season 200-Net-Yard Games 5 85t...vs. Kansas City, Dec. 17, vs. Denver, Dec. 1, t...vs. Minnesota, Nov. 9, t...at Cleveland, Oct. 19, at Seattle, Dec. 24, 2006 vs. New York Giants, Sept. 25, at Oakland, Sept. 11, 2006 LT s LONG RUNS t...vs. New England, Sept. 29, vs. Kansas City, Nov. 30, vs. Minnesota, Nov. 9, t...at Oakland, Sept. 28, at Cleveland, Oct. 7, t...at Buffalo, Dec. 3, vs. St. Louis, Oct. 29, t...at Indianapolis, Dec. 26, t...at Detroit, Dec. 7, t...vs. Green Bay, Dec. 14, vs. New York Jets, Sept. 19, vs. Jacksonville, Oct. 10, t...at Denver, Nov. 19, 2006 LT s 10-LONGEST RECEPTIONS 41...vs. Pittsburgh, Oct. 10, t...at Kansas City, Oct. 22, at Denver, Oct. 7, at Jacksonville, Nov. 18, t...at Oakland, Oct. 16, 2005 In 2007 when LT Rushes for more than 100 yards: 5-1 Rushes for less than 100 yards: 6-4 Carries 20 or more times in a game: 6-2 Carries less than 20 times in a game: 5-3 Scores a touchdown: 8-4 Scores no touchdowns: 3-1 Throws a touchdown pass: 1-0 Scores two or more touchdowns: 4-0 Makes a play of 70 yards or longer: 0-0 Rushes for more than 200 yards: 0-0 Records 200 combined yards: 1-0 THE CHARGERS RECORD Dating back to his rookie season in 2001 when LT Rushes for more than 100 yards: 35-9 Rushes for less than 100 yards: Carries 20 or more times in a game: Carries less than 20 times in a game: Scores a touchdown: Scores no touchdowns: Throws a touchdown pass: 5-2 Scores two or more touchdowns: 31-4 Makes a play of 70 yards or longer: 5-1 Rushes for more than 200 yards: 4-0 Records 200 combined yards:

11 LT THE QUARTERBACK In Week 1 against Chicago, Tomlinson threw his seventh-career touchdown pass, hitting Antonio Gates on a 17-yard halfback-option pass for a touchdown in the third quarter. LT now has thrown the second-most touchdown passes by a non-quarterback in NFL history. Walter Payton holds the NFL record with eight. Below is an updated look at each of his seven career TD passes, along with his updated career passing statistics. 09/28/03 21 yards to Drew Brees at Oakland 10/22/06 1 yard to Brandon Manumaleuna at K.C. 09/25/05 26 yards to Keenan McCardell vs. N.Y. Giants 11/26/06 19 yards to Antonio Gates vs. Oakland 10/16/05 4 yards to Justin Peelle at Oakland 09/09/07 17 yards to Antonio Gates vs. Chicago 10/30/05 17 yards to Eric Parker vs. K.C. Career Passing Sacks- Pass Att.-Comp. Yards Pct. TD Int. Long Lost Rating TOMLINSON S 2007 RUSHING TRACKER vs Chi NE GB 132 vs KC 67 DN vs OK 90 vs HO MN 76 vs IN JX 77 vs BAL KC TN 116 vs DET 107 vs DEN OAK 11

12 THE CHARGERS RECORD WITH PHILIP RIVERS AS A STARTER In 2007 Career Passes for more than 250 Yards Passes for less than 250 Yards Passes for more than 300 Yards Passes for less than 300 Yards Throws three or more touchdown passes Throws two or fewer touchdown passes Completes better than 60 percent of his pass attempts Completes less than 60 percent of his pass attempts Posts a passer rating over Posts a passer rating of less than At home On the road Outdoors Indoors Day games Night games Natural Grass Artificial Turf vs. AFC teams vs. NFC teams NATE THE GREAT Year Team Total 2004 San Diego San Diego San Diego San Diego Totals Surface Total Home Away Outdoors Indoors Grass FieldTurf AstroTurf Rain Snow Indoor Games: 9/12/04 at Houston; 10/17/04 at Atlanta; 12/26/04 at Indianapolis; 12/18/05 at Indianapolis; 11/4/07 at Minnesota Field Turf Games: 10/17/04 at Atlanta; 11/6/05 at New York Jets; 12/18/05 at Indianapolis; 10/1/06 at Baltimore; 11/12/06 at Cincinnati; 12/3/06 at Buffalo; 12/24/06 at Seattle; 11/4/07 at Minnesota AstroTurf Games: 12/26/04 at Indianapolis Rain Games: 12/5/04 vs. Denver; 1/8/05 vs. New York Jets; 12/24/05 at Kansas City; 12/31/05 vs. Denver; 12/24/06 at Seattle; 11/11/07 vs. Indianapolis Snow Games: 12/19/04 at Cleveland 12

13 BOLTS SEND EIGHT TO PRO BOWL Running Back LaDainian Tomlinson, fullback Lorenzo Neal, tight end Antonio Gates, cornerback Antonio Cromartie, guard Kris Dielman, defensive tackle Jamal Williams, linebacker Shawne Merriman and special teams ace Kassim Osgood were all voted to the AFC Pro Bowl squad when it was announced on Dec. 18. Tomlinson, Neal and Gates were selected as starters. Cromartie and Dielman are first-time recipients of the honor. The players, coaches and fans each had an equal hand in the voting. In addition to the eight Lightning Bolts already making their reservations for Honolulu, four other Chargers could still make the trip. Punter Mike Scifres, who currently ranks third in the NFL in net punting average, was voted the first alternate. Center Nick Hardwick, offensive tackle Marcus McNeill and return specialist Darren Sproles received enough votes to earn second-alternate positions. PRO FOOTBALL WEEKLY NAMES WEDDLE TOP ROOKIE Pro Football Weekly editors recently named rookie safety ERIC WEDDLE as one of the NFL s best newcomers. Weddle, a 2007 second-round pick, has seen action in all but one game this season, lining up with regularity on both defense and special teams. TOMLINSON TOUGHEST TO TACKLE The Sporting News ran a recent poll in which NFL defensive players from around the league were asked who the toughest player to tackle was among their peers. LaDAINIAN TOMLINSON was a runaway winner, earning 19 votes. Minnesota s ADRIAN PETERSON (six votes) was second. NORV TURNER CHOSEN AS MOTOROLA NFL COACH OF THE WEEK NORV TURNER was selected after leading the Chargers to a win over the Houston Texans to bring their record to 4-3 and to bring them into a tie for first place with the Chiefs in the AFC West. Turner steered the Bolts to victory, keeping his team focused following the devastating fires that ravaged San Diego and throughout Southern California, including a three-day midweek sabbatical for the team to practice in Arizona. Turner was selected as Motorola NFL Coach of the Week from among three finalists by voters on NFL.com. The other finalists were head coaches TONY DUNGY of the Indianapolis Colts and ROD MARINELLI of the Detroit Lions. In January, voting will be held on NFL.com to determine the Motorola NFL Coach of the Year. TURNER also earned Genius of the Week honors from USA Today.com following the Chargers 41-3 dismantling of Denver Oct. 7. CHARGERS HIGH SCHOOL COACH OF THE WEEK Since 1997, the San Diego Chargers have participated in the NFL High School Coach of the Week program. Each week during the season, one coach will be named the high school coach of the week and receive a $1,500 donation to his school s football program courtesy of the Chargers, the NFL and the US Army. At the end of the season, the Chargers cap off the program by selecting a coach of the year, who will receive a $2,500 donation for his school s program. All of the coaches of the week and the coach of the year will be honored at the Chargers Dec. 24 home game against the Denver Broncos. In addition to the cash award for their school, each coach receives a coach of the week hat and a framed coach of the week certificate from the team. Below are all of the 2007 High School Coaches of the Week. Week 1 Desi Herrera (San Marcos HS) Week 7 John Carroll (Oceanside HS) Week 2 Al Hood (Kearny HS) Week 8 Sergio Diaz (Scripps Ranch HS) Week 3 Gary Blevins (Mira Mesa HS) Week 9 Damian Gonzalez (Poway HS) Week 4 Dan Williams (Vista HS) Week 10 - Tom Karlo (Mt. Miguel HS) Week 5 Chris Hauser (Mission Hills HS) Week 11 - Eric Jorgensen (Rancho Buena Vista HS) Week 6 Judd Rachow (Chula Vista HS) Week 12 Rob Gilster (Valley Center HS) 13

14 GAME SUMMARIES WEEK 1: CHARGERS VS. CHICAGO The Chargers opened the 2007 season with a hard-fought 14-3 win over the Chicago Bears in Norv Turner s head coaching debut in San Diego for most of three quarters, the game was a slugfest with Chicago holding on to a 3-0 advantage untimely penalties, turnovers and dropped passes prevented the Chargers from getting on the scoreboard until they caught a break late in the third quarter when a Mike Scifres punt took an errant bounce and hit a Bears player Matt Wilhelm recovered the football and the Bolts were in business as four plays later LaDainian Tomlinson took a handoff from Philip Rivers and on a halfback option play threw a perfect spiral to Antonio Gates who scored from 17 yards out to give the Chargers a 7-3 lead then six plays later on Chicago s next drive, linebacker Stephen Cooper hit Bears running back Adrian Peterson after a two yard gain and in the process he stripped the ball from the Peterson the fumble was recovered by Clinton Hart and it gave the Bolts great field position at their own 44-yard line eight plays and 56 yards later, Tomlinson capped the drive with a seven-yard touchdown run and the Bolts would hold on for the 14-3 victory. Score by Quarters Q1 Q2 Q3 Q4 Total Chicago Bears San Diego Chargers Bears 2 14:13 R. Gould 27 yd. Field Goal [8-27, 3:54] Chargers 3 0:45 A. Gates 17 yd. pass from L. Tomlinson (N. Kaeding kick) [4-29, 2:05] Chargers 4 9:09 L. Tomlinson 7 yd. run (N. Kaeding kick) [8-56, 4:36] Attendance 67,837 WEEK 2: CHARGERS AT NEW ENGLAND The Chargers watched their record fall to 1-1 as the New England Patriots handed them a resounding defeat before a capacity crowd of 68,756 at Gillette Stadium and a national-television audience on NBC s Sunday Night Football New England scored a touchdown on the opening drive of the game and it set the tone for the rest of the night San Diego fell behind 24-0 at the half as Ben Watson caught a 7-yard touchdown pass, Randy Moss a 23-yarder and Adalius Thomas returned an interception 65 yards for a third score the Chargers turned the ball over three times in the game s first 30 minutes, leading directly to 10 Patriots points the Chargers attempted to make a game of it in the second half, scoring on a 1-yard TD catch by Lorenzo Neal midway through the third quarter, but the Patriots answered with Moss second touchdown catch of the night the Chargers scored again to cut the New England lead to and then recovered a fumble on the ensuing kickoff, but a three-and-out by the offense pretty much dashed the Bolts hopes as New England drove 91 yards for one final score to put away the game, linebacker Shawne Merriman turned in a big defensive effort for the Chargers, racking up two sacks, a forced fumble and a tackle for loss, but it wasn t enough as New England racked up 407 yards of total offense against San Diego s defense offensively, New England held the Bolts to 201 total yards on the night. Score by Quarters Q1 Q2 Q3 Q4 Total San Diego Chargers New England Patriots Patriots 1 12:14 B.Watson 7 yd. pass from T.Brady (S.Gostkowski kick) [7-69, 2:46] Patriots 1 3:55 R.Moss 23 yd. pass from T.Brady (S.Gostkowski kick) [10-75, 5:58] Patriots 2 10:01 S.Gostkowski 24 yd. Field Goal [10-50, 5:35] Patriots 2 5:17 A.Thomas 65 yd. interception return (S.Gostkowski kick) Chargers 3 6:43 L.Neal 1 yd. pass from P.Rivers (N.Kaeding kick) [16-72, 8:17] Patriots 3 2:56 R.Moss 24 yd. pass from T.Brady (S.Gostkowski kick) [7-75, 3:47] Chargers 4 14:48 A.Gates 12 yd. pass from P.Rivers (N.Kaeding kick) [8-82, 3:08] Patriots 4 3:18 S.Morris 3 yd. run (S.Gostkowski kick) [15-91,10:07] Attendance 68,756 WEEK 3: CHARGERS AT GREEN BAY The Chargers watched a victory slip from their grasp as Brett Favre rallied the Packers from a fourthquarter deficit with a 57 yard touchdown pass to Greg Jennings with 2:03 left to ply in the fourth quarter as Green Bay dealt the Bolts a setback before a sellout crowd of 70,733 at historic Lambeau Field Favre, whose touchdown pass to Jennings was the NFL-recordtying 420 th of his career (tying Dan Marino), passed for 369 yards and three touchdowns without any interceptions against the Bolts defense still down only three points after the TD reception, Philip Rivers attempted to rally the Chargers for a tying or go-ahead score, but a pass intended for LaDainian Tomlinson was intercepted by Nick Barnett and returned to the Chargers two-yard line two plays later the Packers scored to go up San Diego did manage to rally for a field goal with 20 seconds left, but Green Bay recovered the onsides kick 14

15 and ran out the clock for the victory Rivers had a very good day prior to the interception, completing 75 percent of his passes (27 of 36) for 306 yards and three touchdowns Antonio Gates led the Bolts with 113 yards receiving, while Tomlinson, Vincent Jackson and Buster Davis all caught touchdown passes. Score by Quarters Q1 Q2 Q3 Q4 Total San Diego Chargers Green Bay Packers Chargers 1 7:07 V.Jackson 27 yd. pass from P.Rivers (N.Kaeding kick) [9-60, 5:43] Packers 1 2:40 M.Crosby 28 yd. Field Goal [9-77, 4:27] Packers 2 11:53 D.Driver 5 yd. pass from B.Favre (M.Crosby kick) [7-49, 3:39] Packers 2 2:48 B.Franks 5 yd. pass from B.Favre (M.Crosby kick) [10-79, 3:56] Chargers 2 0:32 C.Davis 9 yd. pass from P.Rivers (N.Kaeding kick) [9-80, 2:16] Chargers 3 9:02 L.Tomlinson 21 yd. pass from P.Rivers (N.Kaeding kick) [12-80, 5:58] Packers 4 2:03 G.Jennings 57 yd. pass from B.Favre (M.Crosby kick) [2-57, 0:15] Packers 4 0:59 B.Jackson 1 yd. run (M.Crosby kick) [2-2, 0:13] Chargers 4 0:20 N.Kaeding 44 yd. Field Goal [5-43, 0:39] Attendance 70,733 WEEK 4: CHARGERS VS. KANSAS CITY The Chargers let one slip through their grasp, blowing a 16-6 halftime lead and being outscored 24-0 in the second half as the Kansas City Chiefs dealt the Bolts a shocking loss before a crowd of 65,175 at Qualcomm Stadium the Chargers were unable to take advantage of a 132-yard performance by LaDainian Tomlinson and Kansas City capitalized on four San Diego turnovers the Bolts led 16-6 at the half on a five-yard TD run by Tomlinson and three Nate Kaeding field goals, including a home career-long of 51 yards, but Kansas City scored their six points following a fumble and an interception things began to unravel for the Chargers in the second half Kansas City kicked a field goal in the latter half of the third quarter to cut the lead to 16-9 on the following drive, Philip Rivers had a pass intended for Tomlinson picked off by Derrick Johnson and three plays later Tony Gonzalez caught a 22-yard touchdown pass to knot the score at after San Diego s offense went three-and-out, Kansas City got the ball back and dealt the Bolts a devastating blow facing a 3 rd -and-19 from their own 49-yard line, rookie WR Dwayne Bowe caught a slant pass and broke two tackles for a 51-yard touchdown catch-and-run to put the Chiefs up after trading possessions, the Chargers appeared to catch a break in the fourth quarter when a pass deflection by Quentin Jammer turned into an interception by Clinton Hart, but three plays after the pick, Rivers was sacked and stripped by Johnson and Chiefs cornerback Tyron Brackenridge picked up the fumble and raced 51 yards for the game-deciding score The Chargers attempted a late rally, but Kansas City stopped them on downs at the five-yard line and held on for the win. Score by Quarters Q1 Q2 Q3 Q4 Total Kansas City Chiefs San Diego Chargers Chargers 1 8:19 N.Kaeding 24 yd. Field Goal (12-66, 6:41) Chargers 1 3:56 L.Tomlinson 5 yd. run (N.Kaeding kick) [5-55, 3:02] Chiefs 2 11:10 D.Rayner 21 yd. Field Goal [7-19, 3:41] Chargers 2 6:55 N.Kaeding 51 yd. Field Goal [4-3, 2:20] Chiefs 2 1:20 D.Rayner 25 yd. Field Goal [7-41, 2:55] Chargers 2 0:00 N.Kaeding 38 yd. Field Goal [8-58, 1:20] Chiefs 3 5:28 D.Rayner 41 yd. Field Goal [9-57, 3:50] Chiefs 3 1:50 T.Gonzalez 22 yd. pass from D.Huard (D.Rayner kick) [3-36, 0:39] Chiefs 4 11:46 D.Bowe 51 yd. pass from D.Huard (D.Rayner kick) [8-77, 3:24] Chiefs 4 7:24 T.Brackenridge 50 yd. fumble return (D.Rayner kick) Attendance 65,175 WEEK 5: CHARGERS AT DENVER The Chargers ended a three-game losing streak in convincing fashion, handing the Broncos a devastating 41-3 setback before a sellout crowd of 76,879 at Invesco Field the Chargers rushed for a season-high 214 yards, got a near-perfect passing day from Philip Rivers and took advantage of three Broncos turnovers the Bolts scored first when Rivers scored the first rushing touchdown of his career on a two-yard naked bootleg on San Diego s first offensive possession on the ensuing kickoff, Carlos Polk delivered a bonejarring hit on return-man Brian Clark, forcing a fumble in the process Brandon Siler recovered the bouncing ball and 23 yards later, he dove for the front left pylon of the end zone and San Diego scored its second touchdown in a span of 11 seconds to go up 14-0 the Chargers 15