Chargers Shine In Pro Bowl

Source: Chargers.com

Four Chargers players played key roles and Head Coach Norv Turner and his staff led the AFC squad to a 41-34 win in the Pro Bowl Sunday night.

FORT LAUDERDALE, FLA. - The 2010 Pro Bowl was a lot different than in past years. It was set in a new location, played two weeks earlier than in years past and had a bit of a different atmosphere.

But for the Chargers’ coaches and four players who had a hand in the AFC’s 41-34 win Sunday night at Miami’s Sun Life Stadium, the honor of participating in the NFL’s all-star game carried the same weight.

“It was a little bit different because it was earlier and it wasn’t in Hawaii, but it was a great experience,” tight end Antonio Gates said. “It’s always fun to come here and see the guys and play against the guys. It’s always special to be a part of this.”

Gates, who earned Pro Bowl honors for the sixth-consecutive season, caught three passes for 29 yards Sunday night. Statistically, he had the best season of his career in 2009 and after his long road back from major toe surgery two years ago, making it back to the Pro Bowl carried a lot of weight for Gates.

“There’s a lot of turnover in this league and we’re a really blessed group to be here,” Gates said. “You think about all the guys who work hard every day to perform on Sunday and don’t get invited here, it makes you realize that we’re blessed to be in this game. Over time it gets harder and harder so to be able to make it and be recognized as one of the elite tight ends in this league, that’s special.”

While Gates is a Pro Bowl veteran, Chargers wide receiver Vincent Jackson earned the honors for the first time this season and made the most of his experience. Sunday night, he posted a game-high seven catches for 122 yards, including a 48-yard touchdown on the opening drive of the second half.

“I can’t say enough about how amazing this week was,” Jackson said. “There’s been a lot of talk about the transition from Hawaii and all, but I had a great time. The accommodations were great. Having my family and friends here was great. I’m honored to be here.”

Kris Dielman played both left and right guard in Sunday’s game as he was part of the AFC victory. His third-consecutive Pro Bowl was another extremely enjoyable one.

“Things were a little different this year but the experience never gets old,” Dielman said. “You get to be around the best players in the league and it humbles you to know that you’re part of that group. It was another great week.”

Wide receiver Kassim Osgood made the Pro Bowl for the third time as a special teamer. He recorded one special teams tackle and caught an 18-yard pass Sunday.

Head Coach Norv Turner and his staff coached the AFC squad, and while earlier in the week Turner admitted that the layout was a little difficult with Pro Bowl week coming just a week after the Chargers’ season-ending loss to the Jets, he laughed with players Sunday and enjoyed himself.

“I really enjoyed the week,” Turner said. “It was great being around this caliber of athletes. They are a great group of men and it has been fun. For our guys (Chargers) that made it, they deserve to be here. They earned the right. I thought that they really did a nice job in practice and had a good week.”

As an added bonus for their week of work, the AFC players were awarded $45,000 for winning the game, compared to $22,500 for the NFC team. The payout was a nice way to cap a great week.

“It makes it an even better experience when you win that $45,000,” Gates said. “I’m pretty happy about that.”

Notes: On January 31, Philip Rivers' newest daughter, Sarah Catherine was born. A really big congratulations to Philip and his family, on behalf of the Charger Nation!

Poor Kaeding

FORT LAUDERDALE, Fla. — Nate Kaeding did not sleep that night and was in the Chargers’ complex at 5 o’clock the next morning, watching his kicks on a big screen in a darkened room.

He spent time last week — when he wasn’t in seclusion with his wife and two young children — being counseled by his coaches. It seems Kaeding has reached a point of being ready to at least try to move forward, but he has been in a bad way since those kicks sailed left and right and short on Jan. 17.

“I was just really blindsided by it,” Kaeding said yesterday. “I was looking for answers.”

Kaeding spoke after the AFC Pro Bowl squad’s morning practice at a high school here.

A few hours later, he withdrew from the Pro Bowl after suffering what appears to be a slight tear in his groin.

“Stay 10 yards away from me; I’m not good luck right now,” Kaeding said with a laugh. “It’s beyond unbelievable. I’m laughing to keep from crying.”

Kaeding left practice believing the tweak in his groin was not a problem. But after undergoing tests later, Kaeding said the injury was “significant enough” that it was prudent for him to skip this week’s festivities. He will undergo further tests this week.

Kaeding had been looking forward to kicking in Sunday’s game. Even though just an exhibition, it was going to afford him the opportunity to kick in a game.

“I had mentally structured it in my mind, I was going to take this week seriously,” Kaeding said. “I was looking forward to getting out there (in the Pro Bowl) and getting to kick and going through that, rather than six months from now.”

He only briefly considered not kicking here this week.

Before being forced to withdraw, Kaeding spoke of beginning that process.

“It’s not my nature to run and hide,” he said. “I sat and thought about it. I said, ‘It’s my job to come kick the football, and I’m going to do it.’

“The circumstances of the last week have been so overwhelming … the last thing I want to do is look at a football. But I decided I needed to suck it up, be a man and go down (to South Florida).”

Yesterday was Kaeding’s first time since that night publicly addressing the disastrous game in which he missed three field goals in the Chargers’ 17-14 season-imploding loss to the New York Jets.

But, privately, it is about all that has been on his mind.

“It’s impossible for me to not think about,” he said. “There haven’t been 30 seconds that have gone by since that game that I haven’t thought about it.”

Kaeding spoke evenly, but his anguish was plain.

The most accurate regular-season kicker in NFL history entered that game having made 20-consecutive field goals, most of them not even flirting with the uprights but going dead center. He had made an NFL-record 69 straight from 40 yards or closer.

Yet, that day, he missed to the left from 36 yards in the first quarter. His try from 57 yards fell short and right at the end of the second quarter. And his attempt from 40 yards in the fourth quarter went wide right.

“It’s been a nightmarish scenario,” Kaeding said. “To have it going so good and over one day, to go so bad … It’s hard right now, if not impossible, to wrap my head around and figure out what went wrong.”

Kaeding is not running from the task, but he has several months to right himself.

He said the first miss was because he hurried. The second two were not technical mistakes. He candidly acknowledged they were in his head.

“On the other two, it was my inability to mentally get over that first miss,” he said. “… On that day, I wasn’t mentally strong enough to come back and swing through the ball.”

Kaeding will not rush the process of mentally healing and processing what went wrong. But, he said, “That’s my job. If it doesn’t naturally come in the next week or two I’m going to sit down and make myself figure it out.”

He has for four years consulted a sports psychologist during the offseason for all manner of issues that confront a kicker — who is rarely called upon to contribute but so often has his contribution matter.

“It’s helped me tremendously,” Kaeding said.

He said he will continue to see the psychologist, and his playoff misses will certainly come up.

Kaeding, whose 87.2 percent success rate during the regular season is unsurpassed by any kicker ever, has made just eight of his 15 field goal tries (53.3 percent) in the playoffs.

He missed four of his first six postseason kicks but had made six straight going into this year’s playoffs.

“Kicking in the postseason was a hurdle I thought I’d gotten over,” Kaeding said. “Therein lies the disappointment. I work extremely hard every year at getting better. To have it blow up in my face that one day … ”

Kaeding knows he will be judged going forward by how he does in the postseason. Most people, in fact, won’t care what he does in the regular season.

“I understand, looking at it from the outside,” he said.

But he argues he has to continue to excel in the regular season to even have another shot in the playoffs.

He said that process will begin shortly, even though he doesn’t get to kick anymore this week.

“I was not mentally tough enough on that day,” Kaeding said. “But trust me, I’m pulling myself up. I know 100 percent for sure, I am tough enough to make field goals in the playoffs. I wish I had that chance tomorrow.”

Vincent Jackson to Pro Bowl

Source: Chargers.com

Chargers wide receiver Vincent Jackson learned Sunday that he’ll make his first Pro Bowl appearance next week in Miami.

Vincent Jackson was added to the AFC Pro Bowl roster Sunday, making him the sixth Charger to receive the honor this season. Jackson replaces Colts wide receiver Reggie Wayne, who won’t participate due to his team advancing to the Super Bowl.

Jackson set career highs with 68 receptions, 1,167 yards and nine touchdowns this season. His yardage and touchdown totals led the Chargers, while his average of 17.2 yards per reception trailed only Philadelphia’s DeSean Jackson among players with at least 45 catches.

Jackson becomes the first Chargers wide receiver to earn Pro Bowl honors since Tony Martin in 1997. Jackson had his name mentioned with Martin’s on a few occasions this season as “VJ” became the first Charger to record back-to-back 1,000-yard seasons since Martin accomplished the feat in 1995-96.

Chudzinski not heading to Bears

After interviewing for the vacant offensive coordinator position in Chicago last week, Chargers Tight Ends & Assistant Head Coach Rob Chudzinski notified the Bears that he has removed himself from consideration.

Rivers withdraws from Pro Bowl

Source: SD Tribune

Some day, Philip Rivers will play in a Pro Bowl.

This won't be that year.

For the third time in his four seasons as a starter, Rivers has withdrawn from the Pro Bowl due to the impending birth of his fifth child.

Rivers withdrew last year to rest his knees. He withdrew after the 2006 season due to a foot injury.

He is healthy now, but his wife is due any day.

Rivers finished the season with 4,254 yards, averaged 8.8 yards a pass, had 28 touchdowns and threw just 9 interceptions. He finished the year with a 104.4 QB rating.

Tennessee's Vince Young will take Rivers' place.

That leaves Kris Dielman, Antonio Gates, Kassim Osgood and Nate Kaeding as the Chargers in the Pro Bowlers. The Chargers coaching staff will coach the AFC squad.

Five Chargers named to Pro Bowl

SAN DIEGO – The Chargers have placed five players — all repeats — on the AFC squad for next month’s Pro Bowl.

Picked for his sixth straight all-star game was tight end Antonio Gates, named Tuesday with quarterback Philip Rivers, placekicker Nate Kaeding, left guard Kris Dielman and special teams standout Kassim Osgood.

It’s the third straight year Dielman has been selected and the third time in the last four seasons for Osgood, who was not chosen last year. Kaeding also was picked in 2006.

Five of their teammates — return specialist Darren Sproles, wide receiver Vincent Jackson, punter Mike Scifres, left tackle Marcus McNeill and cornerback Antonio Cromartie — were picked as alternates for the Jan. 31 game in Miami. Sproles is first alternate behind Cleveland's Joshua Cribbs; the other four players are third alternates.

No doubt the rosters for the Pro Bowl will be even more fluid than usual for this season’s game, since it was moved up in the calendar to the Sunday before the Super Bowl instead of the weekend after. Thus, the Chargers are hoping that none of them will be in the Pro Bowl, since that would mean San Diego’s in the Super Bowl. Also, it’s likely that players taking part in the conference championship games will be withdrawing even if their teams are eliminated in the AFC or NFC title games.

It’s the third such selection for Rivers, who’s yet to actually play in the Pro Bowl. He was chosen in 2007 and ’08, but opted out due to injuries. Gates also didn’t play the last two years for the same reason.