Former Pitt kicker loses radio job after sexist harrangue - Bob Smizik
Some may rememeber Scott Kaplan as a kicker at Pitt in the late 80s and early 90s. He led three mediocre teams in scoring. Kaplan went on to talk radio and carved out a nice career, first on a fledgling national network and later as a host in San Diego with former Chargers star Bill Ray Smith.

NFL mock draft: First-round board fluctuates as Combine approaches - Russ Lande
18. San Diego Chargers: Melvin Ingram, OLB, South Carolina. For the defense to improve, the Chargers must find a way to consistently pressure the quarterback. Ingram fits their scheme perfectly as an outside linebacker.

Randall's Power, Versatility Tempt Chargers - Michael Lombardo (Subscription)
San Diego has selected a defensive lineman in each of the last three drafts. That trend figures to continue, especially if the Chargers lose Antonio Garay and/or Tommie Harris in free agency. One name to watch is Kheeston Randall, the run stopper from Texas. His power and versatility could make him a key addition.

Top 50 free agents: Former top pick Williams is top player on open market - Pete Prisco
7. Vincent Jackson, WR, San Diego Chargers: The Chargers want him back, but at what cost? The indication is that the team won't tag him. He turned 29 in January.

2012 NFL Mock Draft: Final Draft Order Is Set, Colts Are On The Clock - Ryan Van Bibber
The Super Bowl is won, and the season is officially, finally over. Now, we can devote even more attention to the 2012 NFL draft. Our latest 2012 NFL mock draft gets us focused on April.

Vincent Jackson, Marcus McNeill May Not Return To Chargers - Bill Hanstock
The San Diego Chargers are expected to make some significant moves this offseason. To that end, they may be parting ways with wide receiver Vincent Jackson and left tackle Marcus McNeill.

NFL Free Agency 2012: Matt Flynn, Mario Williams Among Marquee Names Hitting The Market - Ryan Van Bibber
Right now, it sounds as though San Diego will forego giving Jackson the franchise tag a second season in a row. They are open to a deal, but have many needs to fill. Jackson's been trying to get out of San Diego for two seasons. Plenty of teams will be wooing him in March.

Poll: Which Non-Playoff AFC and NFC Team Have the Best Chance Next Season? - Chris Pokorny
There are several other teams I could dismiss, but here's the one I'll pick: the San Diego Chargers. I don't know what was with them this past year; they should have easily run away with the division. They are always an inconsistent team, but I still think they have a few of the elite players necessary to make a run. Once they get in to the postseason, they can frustrate a team like the Patriots.

Rodney Harrison calls Rob Gronkowski out for dancing after the Super Bowl - Doug Farrar
"I guarantee you this, if Willie McGinest, Tedy Bruschi, Larry Izzo, Richard Seymour or myself had been at that party, [Gronkowski] probably would have got his head rung. There's no reason for that to happen.

Car Problems - Randall Munroe
Or if you replace your car, we'll be happy to set it on fire again so you can take another crack at getting that shot.

Offseason promises to be wild - John Clayton
What they need to do is get back to the playoffs and show progress with the roster. Turner and Smith are paired together. I'm glad they get one more chance. Turner is a great playcaller and has a great quarterback (Philip Rivers). Smith is a good evaluator of talent. Putting a new general manager above Turner would only lead to changes in the roster that might not fit Turner's philosophy. If you are going to bring back Turner, you needed to bring back Smith to see whether they can get back to the playoffs. If they don't, they are gone.

Mailbag: English's days numbered in San Diego? - Bill Williamson
I think this will be English’s last chance in San Diego. He has played poorly and he has been injury prone. San Diego may draft a pass-rusher with the No. 18 pick so the team will move on. But even so, I think English will get one more shot.

2012 NFL Playoffs Predictor - Nik Bonaddio & Keith Goldner
All that said, the Chargers play in an extremely weak division and should be able to come out on top, barring the critical turnovers they committed this season.

A Spectacle Too Big To Suck: Madonna's Halftime Performance in Screencaps and GIFs - Matt Ufford
One thing Madonna is the right age for: shuffling. (NOTE: this GIF best enjoyed while listening to "Turkey in the Straw.")

Chargers have room to move - Kevin Acee
The Chargers brass will spend the next two weeks prior to the NFL Scouting Combine and into March finishing up their evaluation of the current roster and figuring out who to bring back and bring in.

Latest mock draft predictions - North County Times
The Super Bowl is over, meaning the NFL combine awaits in a few weeks. Draftniks are in all their glory now, looking for those hidden gems that will help their respective favorite teams. The Chargers will pick 18th in the first round. Here is a sample of what some experts think general manager A.J. Smith will do with that selection:

Stuckey to get chance on defense - Christopher Smith
Head Coach Norv Turner expects third-year safety Darrell Stuckey to compete for playing time on defense in 2012. Stuckey became a standout special teams player last year in his first full season.

Should The Chargers Trade Up In The Draft? - Ernie Padaon
The only player that I think we should move up for is Upshaw, but the price tag for that is too high. It sounds like a better option to move down in the draft and pick up more picks. LB/DE Vinny Curry, LB Vontaze Burfict, S Mark Barron and a boat ton of offensive lineman could be available later in the draft. We just need to find that team that is willing to give up some picks. It would be nice to stock pile of few of these guys together and hopefully get a gem in one of them.

Reviewing the leadership change - Bill Williamson
The pressure is on everyone in San Diego. If the Chargers don’t make the playoffs in 2012, we’ll likely see the type of wholesale changes that occurred in Oakland.

Report: Marcus McNeill likely to be cut - Bill Williamson
Though the San Diego Chargers are typically conservative in free agency, expect them to be more aggressive this year as the team knows it has to win now or the A.J. Smith-Norv Turner era is very likely entering its final act.

Finhead's Mock Draft: Version 5 - Finhead83
18) San Diego Chargers - Courtney Upshaw, OLB: The Chargers could also use David DeCastro, but the prospect of Courtney Upshaw is just too much for them to pass up. The Chargers need a lot of help at OLB as Larry English just hasn't developed as San Diego has hoped.

Giants Show Importance Of Drafting Well To Win In NFL - Stampede Blue
Meanwhile, the Giants have been making a killing in the draft since roughly 2004, when they made their now famous trade with the San Diego Chargers for Eli Manning. That trade helped define two franchises. The Chargers have been a consistent playoff disappointment under the direction of Philip Rivers, the player they got in exchange for Eli. The other players they received in compensation for Manning (kicker Nate Kaeding and linebacker Shawne Merriman) didn't do much to help San Diego in the playoff wins department.

The Buttered Cat Paradox - Miss Cellania
Those who have tackled the problem as a thought experiment (meaning, no cats were harmed) have come to the conclusion that the buttered cat would stop falling at some point above the floor. Then, as the cat tries to orient its feet against the attraction of the butter to the floor, the cat would begin spinning -and never stop.

Who Will Be The Chargers Starting Left Tackle Next Season? - Ernie Padaon
It doesn’t sound like Marcus McNeill will be back with the Chargers next season. Check out this little excerpt from the Acee mailbag: McNeill wants to play. That will be up to the Chargers. I don’t think he’ll be back … I think Dielman and Hardwick will be back. – Kevin Acee

Chargers sign two to future contracts - Christopher Smith
The Chargers have signed defensive end/linebacker Ricky Elmore and safety DeAndre McDaniel to three-year Reserve/Future contracts.

Bolts to hire Barry, coaching staff complete - Christopher Smith
The conclusion of Super Bowl XLVI means all 32 teams now are pointed toward the 2012 season. The Chargers’ decision-makers, including team president Dean Spanos and General Manager A.J. Smith, will huddle this week to begin hammering down an analysis of the current roster and prepare a strategy with multiple contingencies for free agency.

Chargers stadium week in review: Book of Eli - Matthew T. Hall
Speaking of counting cash, Bloomberg's editors have something for those who wondered leading up to the Super Bowl whether a stadium is an economic boon. The answer: it isn't. The piece uses more words to make the argument and suggests there is another reason to build such venues. Love.

NFL: We want to keep our teams where they are - Matthew T. Hall
Neither the Chargers' push for a new stadium nor San Diego's supreme status as a Super Bowl city were specifically addressed, but the potential for professional football's return to Los Angeles (which prognosticators say could involve the Chargers, the Rams, the Raiders or the Vikings) came up several times.

Leaf surprise visitor at Super Bowl - Kevin Acee
The only place where Leaf’s failure would have been more symbolically in his face is San Diego. But we don’t host Super Bowls anymore, so Leaf hopped a plane from Montana and arrived Wednesday night at the Super Bowl that Peyton Manning built.

You’re My Besssst Friend - Cute Overload
Anarchy!

Fan sues over NFL conduct policy, says he has a right to swear - Michael David Smith
"A fan has a right to say ‘[expletive] you’ in public. It’s a public place," Holguin’s attorney, Mary Frances Prevost, told 10 News in San Diego.

Spanos Reacts to Chargers Fans' Anger - NBC San Diego
Dean Spanos talks about the decision to retain Norv Turner and A.J. Smith

'Madden 13' cover vote to kick off March 7 - Jon Robinson
Which makes the "Madden 13" vote even more interesting. Do you vote for your favorite player, or do you vote for a star on your least favorite team, hoping to knock a rival out of the playoffs before the season starts thanks to some video game voodoo?

Goodell hopeful for more California stadiums - Christopher Smith
The NFL approved a $200 million dollar loan Thursday for the 49ers’ planned new stadium and views an imminent new facility as an encouraging sign for teams like the Chargers, which are attempting to get a stadium built in downtown San Diego.

Spikes wins food contest, hits radio row - Jay Jay Maniquis & Christopher Smith
Takeo Spikes won the Super Bowl Recipe Playoff V, which appeared on the Rachael Ray show Friday morning. Spikes prepared lamb chops in cabernet mint glaze with apple compote and asparagus with pancetta parmesan. Buddy Valastro of "Cake Boss" judged the food and selected Spikes’ dish over ones produced by Buffalo’s George Wilson and Cleveland’s Josh Cribbs

Rivers takes in Super Bowl atmosphere - Kevin Acee
Appreciative of the honor but not ecstatic about having to go to a Super Bowl city as anything but a participant in the game, the Chargers quarterback has turned his few days here into a learning experience.

ManningWatch: Peyton in the AFC West - Bill Williamson
The Chiefs brass has said it will have competition for Matt Cassel -- meaning that general manager Scott Pioli and coach Romeo Crennel are open to a new quarterback. The Chiefs will have the money to pay Manning, and I think he would be intrigued by the team’s roster.

Branch and Carr provide snap value - Bill Williamson
How much would Brandon Carr and Tyvon Branch be missed by their teams if they departed as free agents? Well, their teams would have to make up for a lot of missed snaps. Branch -- a strong safety from Oakland -- and Carr -- a cornerback from Kansas City -- led all AFC West defensive backs in snap percentage during the 2011 season. Branch played 99.13 of Oakland’s defensive snaps last season. Carr played 96.82 percent of the Chiefs’ defensive snaps.

What if Bolts kept Eli instead of trading for Rivers? - Kevin Acee
They are questions as unfair to Philip Rivers and impossible to answer as they are logical to ask at this time. But they are all Chargers fans have now.

Pressure and the 2011 Quarterbacks - Khaled Elsayed
It’s something that can’t be discounted; a quarterbacks’ innate ability to avoid taking a sack. In some respects it is what separates the good and great quarterbacks out there, a QB knowing when to get rid of the ball. It’s one of the reasons why Dolphin fans are ready to move on from Matt Moore as he had the highest percentage of pressure turn into sacks (27.3%). He narrowly beat out Blaine Gabbert and Kevin Kolb who finished joint second with figures of 26.1%–the numbers speaking volumes for both men. Gabberts’ lack of pocket presence was as evident as it gets, while Kolb has always struggled with taking sacks.

Seven new penguins rockin' it out in Royal Oak at the Detroit Zoo - Click On Detroit
The zoo welcomed seven rockhopper penguins to the Zoo’s Penguinarium.

Advertising 101 With SB Nation - LobShots
Here’s what I can’t decide: do I love this ad with a dude in skivvies, wearing a ski mask, straddling a bear rug? Or do I hate that it’s all over my screen and I can’t look away? It’s either one of the best ever… or one of the worst.

Mouton aims to follow Butler's blueprint - Christopher Smith
The inside linebacker injured his shoulder during preseason play and missed his entire rookie season. Jonas Mouton watched Donald Butler recover from a training camp season-ending Achilles tear to become one of the team’s better players.

Chargers' Jammer lists two homes for sale - Lily Leung
Quentin Jammer, cornerback for the Chargers, and his wife have listed two homes for sale for a combined asking price of roughly $2.4 million, property records show.

Pass-rushers moving up the board - Todd McShay (Insider)
Jonathan Martin*, OT, Stanford San Diego needs an upgrade over current right tackle Jeromey Clary, and Martin has starting potential. He's still growing into his body and was not as dominant as I'd hoped when I went back to the 2011 tape, but he still has good run-blocking skills and remains a potential first-rounder.

McShay mock draft: Denver bombshell - Bill Williamson
18. San Diego: Jonathan Martin, Stanford tackle My take: He would be a great value pick for San Diego. If Martin is on the board at No. 18, I think the Chargers should jump on him, especially if there are no high quality pass-rushers available.

Kristen Bell loves sloths - Kelly Oxford
If you don't love Kristen Bell after watching this let me know in the comments so that I can ban you.

Helping children pushes Philip Rivers - Bill Williamson
Even though San Diego Chargers’ season may have ended in disappointment for Rivers and his teammates, the Pro Bowl quarterback has definitely earned his ticket to Indianapolis. Rivers will be in the spotlight Saturday night when he is a finalist for the NFL Man of the Year award.

Chargers Free Agency Shopping List: Michael Griffin - Ernie Padaon
This off-season, our biggest priority is to get some play makers on the defensive side of the ball. We are mainly looking for pass rushers and safeties. Let’s look into the possibility of Tennessee Titan free agent safety Michael Griffin.

Rivers discusses Pro Bowl-effort stir - Bill Williamson
"Again, it’s the fine line," Rivers said. "You want to see effort, but if those big ole boys like Jared Allen or Justin Smith kept coming hard at me, I might be like 'easy, slow down, slow down' (laughing). … In the end, I think it can be adjusted some, but it’s a great week for everyone involved and it’s a positive experience for the fans over in Hawaii."

Rivers: 'it's about community' - Christopher Smith
"It’s humbling," Rivers said. "I think San Diego can be proud because particularly with this foundation, it’s really a community effort. "When we first got started, it really wasn’t about us re-inventing the wheel. We’ve partnered with a lot of groups that had been tackling this way before we had."

Chargers develop young special teams corps - Darren Feeney
"The first thing you want to do is always make sure you’re secure with the ball and you’re not giving up plays and field position because you’re mishandling the ball," Turner said. "Then the next thing is: are you making plays that can impact the game? Game-changing plays?"

Sports City Logos - LobShots
I don’t even know what to make of this… my mind is spinning. I know there have to be tons of errors, but I’m so overwhelmed by it all, I can’t even spend the time to process them. Pretty creative, regardless. Some are rad. Some are hideous. Bums me out that the San Diego one sucks.

NFL Draft: All-Star game risers - West Bunting
DT Alameda Ta'amu: Washington (6-3, 337) This was a guy a lot of talent evaluators started souring on during the regular season. As he had a tendency to get high on contact and didn’t do a great job using his hands vs. the run game. However, he’s got a good first step for his size, displays imposing power at the point of attack and looks like a guy who can anchor the inside of a 34 front at the next level to me.

Blueprint of a Champion - Tommy Deas
"The amount of detail they put into their program and the amount of detail that's in each little thing — it goes down to sleeping habits, it goes down to eating right, not just working out and doing your playbook," Reamer said. "It's got everything you could ever dream of that you could go through. It tells you every little detail you need to know."

Patriots' Green-Ellis has secret to not fumbling - Les Carpenter
"I do believe this, 90 percent of it is mental!" LSU running backs coach Frank Wilson cries into his phone. "You can make yourself not fumble the ball!"

Dinosaur Comics - February 1st, 2012 - awesome fun times!
Take your current age and sextuple it. The odds of you being dead at that point are, how do I put this, "nontrivial".

T-Rex Trying... - Hugh Murphy
The Unfortunate Trials of The Tyrant Lizard King

15 beards to be feared - USATODAY.com Photos
The San Diego Chargers' Antonio Garay submits this creation for the 'Um, seriously?' category.

Top Five Team Disappointments of the 2011 NFL Season: Fan's Opinion - Andrew Mindzak
With all of the coaching changes going on, somehow Norv Turner is still employed by the San Diego Chargers as their head coach. Now it's never cool for someone to lose their job, but Norv shouldn't be the head coach in San Diego. Now offensive coordinator, that's where he is at his best. Some poor decision making by Philip Rivers led to 20 interceptions and an 8-8 record by the Chargers, leaving them out of the playoffs.

It's time to present the TMQ MVP! - Gregg Easterbrook
Cheerleader of Hype Week: Clarisse of the Chargers, who according to her team bio has trained with City Ballet of San Diego and graduated from the University of California at Irvine. City Ballet of San Diego does not have dancers, it has dance artists.

2012 NFL Mock Draft: Revisiting 2011 Draft Day Trades - TheXLog
San Francisco 49ers traded Donald Butler (2010) to the San Diego Chargers for Navarro Bowman (2010), Anthony Dixon(2010), and Kendall Hunter. WOW!

Assessing free agents for fantasy - Christopher Harris
Mike Tolbert, San Diego Chargers: Early reports out of San Diego indicate that Tolbert will be moving on. The team was wowed by Ryan Mathews' sophomore campaign, and believes Jacob Hester (also an impending free agent, but one who'll get far less money than Tolbert) can handle fullback duties. That means Tolbert will look for a spot as someone's bruiser and third-down back, which isn't a bad combination for fantasy value, especially in a PPR league.

The Chargers need to find ways to avoid a repeat of history - Kenny Gardner
The San Diego Chargers will have seven games in 2012 against teams that made the playoffs in 2011. This includes home games against the Broncos, Ravens, Bengals and Falcons. Their schedule also includes road games against the Broncos, Steelers, and Saints.

Chargers Offseason Questions and Answers - Paul Mahan
The offseason is underway with emphasis on next season, that will either lead the Chargers to the playoffs, or send GM AJ Smith and Coach Norv Turner to the unemployment line.