San Diego Chargers Daily Links: January 6, 2013

McCoy: "Next Man Up Mentality is Part of Our Team" - Nick Toney
Melvin Ingram smiles when he's asked about his bold prediction now, but he was dead serious at the time. Nothing -- not even a freak ligament tear in his left knee -- would keep him from rejoining his team again. "From the very first 30 seconds after he went down," remembered Mike McCoy, "He said, ‘Don’t worry coach, I’ll be back. I’ll play next year.’"

Wild Card Highlights: Chargers at Bengals - Chargers.com (VIDEO)
The Chargers defense causes havoc for Cincinnati Bengals quarterback Andy Dalton, forcing two critical interceptions in a 27-10 victory.

"My heart is now breaking with the loss of Jerry Coleman." - Ted Leitner (audio)
Ted Leitner's announcement right after tonight's Aztec game:

Rapid Reaction: San Diego Chargers - Eric Williams
While Dalton again struggled in the postseason, Chargers quarterback Philip Rivers showed the value of having a franchise quarterback. Rivers didn’t throw for a ton of yards, but he didn’t need to. Rivers finished 12-of-16 for 128 yards, including a 4-yard touchdown to tight end Ladarius Green. More importantly, Rivers and the San Diego offense finished with zero turnovers.

Worst Article about Football Analytics of 2013 - Brian Burke
Football analytics is a lot of different things, combining tools from several disciplines, but it's not about guessing assignments on plays. I suppose the author doesn't care for Pro Football Focus, which isn't strictly 'analytics' on its own. But I'd submit that even though PFF doesn't know 100% of the assignments, most can be easily inferred. It's far from perfect, but it's a big step forward for public player evaluation and a giant leap beyond traditional punditry.

Bengals Seek Respect, but Chargers Earn It - Ben Shpigel
If any team merited respect after Sunday, it was San Diego, which won its fifth consecutive game. The Chargers moved on to an A.F.C. divisional-round matchup Sunday afternoon at top-seeded Denver, where their improbable late-season run gained traction with a victory Dec. 12.