New faces, same victorious ending

Sunday, Nov 05, 2006
By Casey Pearce, Chargers.com

With starters Shawne Merriman and Shaun Phillips already out of action, the Chargers were without two defensive starters Sunday.  Then there were injuries and fatigue, but fortunately, there was also depth. 

“I never imagined being out there without Steve Foley, Shawne Merriman, Shaun Phillips, Donnie Edwards and Luis Castillo,” linebacker Randall Godfrey said.  “I was like, ‘What is going on?’  Then Marlon goes down.  That shows our depth defensively.  Guys stepped up and made plays.  We didn’t really miss a beat.” 

Even with a variety of faces on the field, the Chargers still held the Browns to 89 rushing yards and delivered five sacks in their 32-25 win.

“Everybody had to pick up their game a little bit,” defensive end Luis Castillo said.  “We were able to do that and have some success getting after the quarterback.” 

In addition to the shortage of bodies, the Chargers’ defense was on the field for more time Sunday than they had been all season.  Cleveland possessed the ball for 32:54 yet still didn’t score a touchdown until the final minutes of the game.

“I don’t know that I’ve ever been so tired after a game,” defensive end Jacques Cesaire said.  “(Charlie Frye) ran all over the place, and he was fast.  We held it together and got it done.”

Players such as Derreck Robinson, Carlos Polk, Matt Wilhelm, Marques Harris and Akbar Gbaja-Biamila all had their say in Sunday’s outcome.

“I look over there and see Matt Wilhelm beside me; I know he’s going to make plays,” Godfrey said.  “We believe in each other.  That’s what it takes.  We’ve got a defense that believes in each other no matter who is in the game.” 

Simply put

Following LaDainian Tomlinson’s 172-yard, three-touchdown effort, Schottenheimer simply called his star back “the best.”

“I know that I should be able to be more creative being an English major,” Schottenheimer said.  “But sometimes the simplest description is the most accurate one.”

With 828 rushing yards this season, LT trails Giants running back Tiki Barber by two yards for the NFL lead.  His 14 touchdowns are tops in the league.

So Close

Linebacker Randall Godfrey came oh so close to seeing a dream come true Sunday.

“I had a dream about a touchdown last night,” he laughed in the Chargers locker room Sunday.  “Almost.”

On Cleveland’s opening drive of the third quarter, Godfrey found himself matched up one-on-one with Browns tight end Kellen Winslow II.  The 11-year veteran linebacker broke on Charlie Frye’s quick throw, but Winslow ripped the ball away from him. 

“They tried to throw it quick to him and I broke on it,” Godfrey said.  “He did a good job of stripping me.  I thought I was gone.” 

A touchdown and interception would have topped off what was a pretty incredible day for Godfrey.  He led the Chargers with nine tackles and added a sack, two forced fumbles and a pass defensed.

Big assist

The Browns were whistled for three false start penalties, thanks in large part to the 65,558 Chargers faithful that kept Qualcomm Stadium rocking Sunday afternoon.

“I’ve been here now five years, and the sound continues to increase,” Schottenheimer said.  “The sound was deafening out there.” 

Later in the game, Derreck Robinson was called for a personal foul for playing beyond a whistle that he didn’t hear.

“The young man came to me on the sideline and said, ‘Coach, I didn’t hear anything,’” Schottenheimer said.  “I said, ‘Well, that makes two of us cause I didn’t hear the whistle either.”

Regardless, Robinson and his teammates were appreciative of the noise.

“Our fans were amazing,” Robinson said.  “We’ll take that penalty as long as they keep screaming while our defense is on the field.”

Tough break

Late in the second quarter, it appeared that the Chargers would get the ball back with a 10-6 lead following Phil Dawson’s miss on a 54-yard field goal attempt.  But a blunder by the Bolts gave Cleveland new life.

The Chargers called a timeout prior to the try so they could make sure they got proper personnel on the field. When the teams lined up following the break, Antonio Cromartie thought the Chargers had 12 men on the field, so he tried to call another time out, which is illegal.  The miscue resulted in a 15-yard penalty for unsportsmanlike conduct that gave the Browns a new set of downs. 

“There is no way in the world that (Antonio) would know that rule,” Schottenheimer said.  “Now it’s a rule that he’ll never forget.  I don’t fault him at all for that.”

A Castillo sack helped get Cleveland’s offense off the field, but Dawson got another shot at the field goal, this time from 42 yards.  Dawson connected, making it a 10-9 contest.  

Welcome Home

Winslow was treated to a lengthy chorus of boos during pregame introductions and subsequently every time the San Diego native touched the ball during the contest.

“I expected it,” Winslow said.  “I love San Diego.  I love the fans, and they’re supposed to do that.  That comes with the territory, but you have to have thick skin.”

Winslow finished the game with a career-high 11 catches for 78 yards.  Four of his receptions came on Cleveland’s final drive of the first half. 

Injury update

The Chargers reported five injuries following Sunday’s game.  Castillo left the stadium in a boot with a lower leg injury.  Linebacker Donnie Edwards (hip), safety Marlon McCree (calf), wide receiver Vincent Jackson (leg) and Robinson (foot) also turned up on the injury report.