Changing the culture of Chargers football
by Thomas Powell
When Tom Telesco arrived in San Diego he talked about changing the culture in this city and on this team. Sunday was a prime example that his mission has started. The Chargers have seldom been a team to win a BIG game. Either through turnovers, penalties or bad decisions (coaches and players) they struggled with “closing” the game out, especially the defense. They would be close, but couldn’t finish the game with a win.
Then Sunday’s game against the Seattle Seahawks came. Even the weather in San Diego became a factor. With temperatures reaching 120 degrees on the field, the Chargers used their no-huddle offense to tire out the Seattle defense with little time for switching their players on and off the field. The stands were packed full of Chargers fans outnumbering the green of the Seahawks fans.
The Chargers were facing the Super Bowl Champions and the Legend of Boom. The Chargers response to that? Meh, they didn’t give a damn. San Diego’s gameplan was they will dictate the game, no one else. The time of possession, the physicality of the game, the execution, and then when all that was done they imposed their will on the Seahawks. Period!
Whether it was Keenan Allen juking Richard Sherman out of his jock strap or Ingram and Freeney bringing the pass rush off the edges, the Bolts came out to play. And they did just that. The Seahawks had no answer for Danny Woodhead and the Chargers quarterback bleeding in the blazing hot sun, going all surgical on the Seahawks defense. How about the San Diego fans basking in dangerous heat conditions pushing out maybe the loudest game in Chargers history at the Murph! Yeah, I said the Murph! Reporters were tweeting out about the amount of noise coming out of that stadium from the Chargers diehards.
At that point the whole change in the culture slogan got it’s icing on the cake. In the final minutes of the game, the Charger defense was on the field. They needed a stop to achieve a win. But this time they do it! The fans go nuts! After roasting in the scorching hot temps they would be leaving with a victory to be proud of and smiles on their faces.
Every part of this game, from the stands to the field, was different than years past. These are not the San Diego Chargers of years past. The culture has changed. Mission accomplished and lets all hope it ends with a Super Bowl victory. The last team to hold that trophy just lost to the Chargers by 9 points!