Chargers excited about trip to London

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Friday, Feb 01, 2008
By Casey Pearce , Chargers.com

Chargers-Saints | Add this game to your calendar

Upon the release of the NFL’s 2008 schedule, Chargers quarterback Philip Rivers had planned on immediately identifying when the Bolts were slated to face his good friend Drew Brees and the New Orleans Saints.

“This is a game I’ve looked forward to and I know our fans have looked forward to for a while,” Rivers said. “You think about Drew and Reggie Bush with his ties to San Diego; the match-up in general was already intriguing.”

On Friday, NFL Commissioner Roger Goodell announced the game will have even more flavor. The Chargers and Saints will play in the second regular-season game ever played outside North America when they meet in Wembley Stadium in London, England on Sunday, Oct. 26, 2008.

“We’re proud to be chosen,” said Chargers President Dean Spanos. “This is another positive step in the effort to globalize our great sport. It’s an opportunity for the NFL to show off two of its marquee teams and some of its best players as well as a chance for the Chargers to expand our international fan base. In particular, it’s going to be good exposure for the team, our players and our city and another opportunity for our team to grow together. We’re looking forward to it.”

The game will be televised by CBS in the United States. The kickoff time will be announced at a later date. The game will be shown live in England, and will also be shown live or as a highlights package in nearly 200 additional countries.

“I think there nothing’s better for the team, for the organization and for the fans of San Diego to get exposure internationally,” Chargers linebacker Shawne Merriman said. “We’re going there to win a football game, but I’m looking forward to seeing the city and trying a lot of different things out. I’m sure I’ll take a lot of pictures and enjoy all the scenery.”

The Chargers-Saints game would be the third NFL regular-season game to be contested on foreign soil. In 2005, the San Francisco 49ers and Arizona Cardinals met in Mexico City’s Azteca Stadium and, last season, the Miami Dolphins and New York Giants played in London in Wembley Stadium.

Former Chargers quarterback Cleo Lemon was the Dolphins’ starting signal caller in their 2007 contest at Wembley Stadium, and Lemon has shared stories with his former teammates about how much he enjoyed playing in London.

“You hear from talking to Cleo and other guys about what a great experience it was (in 2007),” Rivers said. “I’ve never really been out of the country. It’s a once in a lifetime experience and I’m really looking forward to it.”

To help compensate for the approximately 5,500 mile trip from San Diego to England, the Chargers have requested and expect the NFL to schedule the team to play a road game on the East Coast the week prior to help break up the trip.

The team would then fly directly to England from the site of their Week 7 game and spend the week there preparing for the game. The Chargers will have their bye following the Saints game.

“The trip itself will be the longest regular-season road trip (in miles) in NFL history,” Spanos said. “We’ve asked the NFL for its support to schedule one of our East Coast road games on the weekend prior. Then, immediately following that game, our plan is to fly directly to England and spend the week going through our normal preparation schedule.”

The Chargers have four East Coast road games scheduled for 2008. They’re slated to play in Buffalo, Pittsburgh, Tampa and Miami.

The Oct. 26 contest (Week 8) will mark only the 10^th regular season meeting between the Chargers and Saints. The Bolts lead the series 7-2 and won the last meeting, 43-17, in San Diego in 2004. The Saints played in the NFC Championship Game in 2006. They are coming off a 7-9 record in 2007. The Chargers finished the 2007 season 11-5 and advanced to the AFC Championship Game.

“What we’ve done here the last four years, we’ve accomplished a lot,” Rivers said. “We’ve put ourselves in a position to where we’re going to be battling in January every year. In doing that, you get the opportunity to play in these kinds of games. It’s exciting for everyone involved.”

The Chargers have played a total of four games overseas, however all four have been preseason contests. The Chargers played the St. Louis Cardinals in Tokyo, Japan in 1976; the Giants in Berlin, Germany in 1994; the Pittsburgh Steelers in Tokyo again in 1996, and the Denver Broncos in Sydney, Australia in 1999.

The league previously announced on January 17 that a regular-season game would be played in the U.K. in 2008, and Commissioner Goodell confirmed Friday that the Chargers and Saints would be the participants. In addition, there will be at least one regular-season game in the U.K. in 2009 and 2010.

“Playing a limited number of regular-season games internationally will help build and grow an already passionate international fan base,” Commissioner Goodell said. “The games will strengthen our partnerships with broadcasters and sponsors. The ownership resolution to play regular-season games internationally has evolved to focus on markets, including the U.K. and Canada, where playing games on a regular basis significantly adds to the broad appeal of our sport.”

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