No Matter What

This football season has been, well, crazy. With all the upsets in college football, which were incredible to watch, to the NFL season as a whole. My focus in the NFL, as it pretty much has been since I can remember (though I also really liked the Bills as a little kid, and when the Chargers were too embarassing to watch in the late 90's I focused on the Jaguars for a few years), has been on the Chargers. This season was a rollercoaster as far as the Chargers are concerned. At one point, when it looked like firing Marty and hiring Norv Turner was not only unfair (which it still was) but the dumbest move ever, I was half-ready to kick AJ Smith straight in the balls. But for 2 months now they've finally caught a groove; Norv and the team seem to have come to an understanding, and they have been looking really good, and most people, myself included, have realized that Norv Turner is actually a pretty damn good coach.

Then there has been the Patriots. As much as I love the Chargers, I might hate the Patriots even more. I hate them for their flawlessness, and I wouldn't be surprised if it were to come out that Tom Brady sold his soul to Satan, since he never seems to throw a bad pass and his receivers never seem to drop them. I hate them because they seem to have an answer to everything that any team throws at them. I hate how nothing can ever distract them, ever. I hate them because of their lucky breaks and calls by the refs that always seem to go their way. I hate them because, well, jealousy I guess. Normally, it's very unlike me to say such horrible things as "I hope Belichick gets cancer" or "send in a back-up and go straight for Brady's knee." Only football has the power to change my normally mild-mannered and peaceful personality into a blood-thirsty maniac (God, I love football). I'm pretty sure I've made several people FREAK OUT by those comments, and to them I'm truly sorry (you all know I'm normally not like that anyways).

All week all I've been hearing is how the Chargers don't have a chance against the Patriots. That makes me mad. They do have a chance! Is it likely? I don't know, probably not, with how the Chowdah-heads have been playing all year. But keep in mind that they said that last week before they played the Colts. But there was hope then, and there is still hope now.

No matter what happens, everybody has already counted the Chargers out, they aren't "supposed" to win, and they weren't "supposed" to make it this far anyways, and so I'm already happy. I'm happy that they have already proved everybody wrong. But I will closely watch this game, and I'll keep my hope no matter what. I hope that LT and Rivers and Gates are healthy, that the team as a whole steps up, and they go up and down the field on offense, and that the defense comes up with enough stops and turnovers to seal it. If they lose, then I'll shut up, swallow my pride, and give the Patriots the credit that they would deserve. And if the Chargers do win (God willing), you better believe I'm going to gloat like I've never gloated before. So on that note, I'll close with a quote from Governor Arnold Schwarzenegger, which he said before the Chargers vs Texans game the week after the fires (which I attended with Joe V, his brother Richie, and others):

GO CHARGERS! GOOO!!!!!