Special teams can aid a special season

Monday, Dec 04, 2006
By Tom Shanahan, Chargers.com

The Chargers are closing in on a special season if they can wrap up the 2006 AFC West title. A win Sunday over the Denver Broncos at Qualcomm Stadium combined with a loss or a tie by the Kansas City Chiefs against the Baltimore Ravens would allow the Bolts to hang a banner a few weeks early.

But Head Coach Marty Schottenheimer said his players can’t get ahead of themselves the way fans are looking down the road.

“If you sit down and try to match up (playoff possibilities), you’re wasting your time,” Schottenheimer said. “I understand why the fans do it. Were I fan, I would be in the same mode. But with the position we‘re in, we can‘t worry about anything down the road. Our focus is on the Denver Broncos. It‘s obviously an important game for us. It‘s a divisional opponent and an AFC opponent. That‘s relative to the playoffs, but it’s for later.”

The only special aspect of the season Schottenheimer is willing to discuss is special teams play. He liked the improvement shown in the Bolts’ 24-21 win at the Buffalo Bills on Sunday after allowing some big returns a week earlier against the Oakland Raiders.

The Chargers gave up a punt return that set up a Buffalo touchdown, but Schottenheimer noted the punt was short because it was into the wind.

“We have some things we have to take care of, but when you have to kickoff or punt into the wind and it doesn’t go far, it’s difficult to get all your people in position,” he said. “That occurred a couple of times. We tried different styles of kicking into the wind, and that played out for us.”

The two punting teams put up similar numbers, with the Chargers’ Mike Scifres averaging 41.7 yards with a 32.0 net average and the Bills averaging 39.9 with a 33.4 net. The Chargers’ Nate Kaeding made one of two field goals, nailing a 42-yarder with the wind, while the Bills didn’t attempt a field goal.

Some of the Chargers’ problems on special teams in recent weeks can be attributed to a rash of midseason injuries and the four-game suspension of outside linebacker Shawne Merriman. The focus was the impact on the offense and defense, but Schottenheimer said it also affected special teams.

“When you start to have players that are injured, they have to be replaced by their backups and there is a trickle down effect with regard to your kicking game,” Schottenheimer said.

Free safety Marlon McCree missed the last two games with a calf injury, forcing Bhawoh Jue to replace him in the starting lineup. Wide receiver Keenan McCardell has missed time with a calf injury, meaning Vincent Jackson spends more time on offense running patterns and blocking downfield.

“You lose people like Marlon McCree and that’s a factor in what we do on the kicking game,” Schottenheimer said. “We’re asking Vincent Jackson to play more on offense, which has an effect on the kicking game. But right now, in our league, everybody is beat up.”

The Chargers also have been without running back Michael Turner on special teams returns and coverage units. But on the returns rookie cornerback Antonio Cromartie took advantage of the opportunity to replace Turner with a 91-yard return against that set up a touchdown in a win over the Oakland Raiders two weeks ago. Against the Bills, McCree had one return for 24 yards.

Schottenheimer said outside linebacker Shawne Merriman’s return against Buffalo benefited special teams, although Merriman is a backup on special teams. With Merriman absent, Carlos Polk was dividing his time between defensive snaps and his special teams role.

“Carlos did a very nice job for us (Sunday),” Schottenheimer said.

Two years ago the Chargers clinched the AFC West title in the snow at Cleveland with a win over the Browns. The Chargers were on the road again the next week at Indianapolis before the team returned home to celebrate the division title with fans at Qualcomm in a win over the Kansas City Chiefs in the regular-season finale.

But now the Bolts return for back-to-back home games against Denver and the Kansas City Chiefs with a chance to wrap up a title at home for the first time since the regular-season finale in 1981 when they beat the Oakland Raiders.

“Our focus is on Denver,” Schottenheimer said. “We haven’t accomplished anything at this time. We’re pleased we’ve won and got ourselves on a roll and it’s good to build on that type of success. But we’ve got an opponent coming in here that has made some changes. I think you all know the regard I have for (Denver coach) Mike Shanahan and his ability as a coach. They’re going to be a handful. That’s all we’re interested in. All that other stuff, I don’t pay attention to it."