When your absolute best and most reliable friend does something wrong, it's hard to be mad for long. When the most accurate field goal kicker in the history of the NFL misses three field goals to cost you the game, where do you direct your anger? Kaeding is the guy, today, tomorrow and next season. You can't be mad at him, you just can't.
My fears about the matchup with the Jets in particular, and overall concern about the Chargers to succeed in a playoff environment ended up being well-founded. The Jets pass rush overwhelmed the Bolts' mediocre offensive line, sacking QB Philip Rivers a couple times, pressuring him on nearly every pass play and forcing a pair of INTs. The defensive line, which held up as the Make Shift most of the past couple of month, held up reasonably well against a top-notch Jets running game, but it was not enough.
I'd rather this loss was more about the Chargers mild shortcomings than the failures of Kaeding. But despite the problems posed by 10 penalties and three recovered fumbles, the Bolts had a chance to tie the game or win. It's too bad.
Now GM AJ Smith gets to spend the off-season rebuilding the lines.
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This will be the week which could make or break the season for San Diego State's men's basketball team, which is just 2-2 after the first couple weeks of Mountain West play. The Aztecs travel to Salt Lake City to play Utah, 2-1 in league but just 9-8 overall, and then come home to play BYU, which is off to a 3-0 MWC start.
Sweep and you're sitting pretty, especially with Colorado State and Air Force ahead on the schedule. Split, which is most likely, and you're no worse than when you started. Get swept, and the regular-season is as good as over.
I lean toward a split. Utah is playing better than its overall record right now and the Aztecs have proven to be a poor road team. Beating even a ranked BYU team at Viejas Arena, which has become nearly impenetrable for both men's and women's opponents, would be no shock.
The thing that's in the favor of the Aztecs is the emotion of how they pulled out Saturday's 67-62 win over TCU, with a comeback sparked by pushing and shoving in the second half. If that pulls some sort of fighting spirit out of these guys, that will bode well.
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I'm okay with the Padres trade of 3B Kevin Kouzmanoff for OF Scott Hairston. My question is, isn't this the guy who was mysteriously traded away last season? Correcting a mistake is a good thing, I suppose, especially when the kind of right-handed power hitter who does well at Petco Park is involved.
I also listed as an off-season priority finally nailing down the Kouz-Chase Headley dilemma at 3B. This trade was fueled in large part by money, with an arbitration-eligible Kouzmanoff likely to get a raise of millions of dollars. I don't like money trades, but in this instance, it will free some dollars to sign a desperately needed veteran starting pitcher.
Suggestion for Channel 4 San Diego: we know Headley will make far more than Kouz' three errors at the hot corner because he will get to a few more balls. It would be cool if they were to go threw tape and come up with a "range finder" graphic to show on a Headley error whether his predecessor would have even gotten a glove on the ball.
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