Hacksaw: Bolts narrowly escape from The Rock with a win

San Diego Chargers quarterback Philip Rivers, left, drops back to pass as Oakland Raiders linebacker Ricky Brown, right, looks on during the third quarter of their NFL football game between the Oakland Raiders against the San Diego Chargers, Monday, Sept. 14, 2009 in Oakland, Calif.(AP Photo/Marcio Sanchez)

It resembled the movie “Escape from Alcatraz.” The Raiders, playing in the Black Hole.  The Chargers swimming against the current all night long.  Somehow San Diego got out alive in their Monday night game with the Raiders.

I hate to tell you “I told you so,” but every fear I imagined about the makeup of this roster came true despite the 24-20 win.

There was the crime: The referees taking away a critical touchdown pass from the Raiders receiver Louis Murphy. A terrible instant replay call.

There was malice much of the night:  A taunting penalty against Philip Rivers, the finger pointing of Clinton Hart and Antonio Cromartie on a blown touchdown and the host of flags against a flustered offensive line.

There were muggings too: The quarterback sacks, the Raiders sledgehammer ground game and the siege of injuries to San Diego’s offensive front.

The Raiders could have won, should have won, did not win the game.  The Chargers got the victory because of the leadership of the quarterback, the ability of the scat back and virtually nothing else.

Related stories: Live updates from sports editor Jason Owens: Chargers 24, Raiders 20 Final | 619 Sports: It’s the Chargers’ year! (haven’t we heard this before?) | More Hacksaw

Oakland rammed the ball down San Diego’s throat in the first half, running 40 plays to the Bolts 20.  Mysteriously they elected to become a throwing team as the game progressed, relying on an erratic JaMarcus Russell to try and get it down the field.  Bad mistake by coach Tom Cable.

San Diego’s worst nightmare grew as the night wore on.  Battered on the offensive line, they lost center Nick Hardwick and guard Louis Vasquez with significant knee injuries.  Luis Castillo came off with a shoulder injury and never came back.

Nose tackle Jamal Williams hardly played in the second half, and neither did LaDainian Tomlinson. One wonders about their health.

Shawne Merriman was dragging his surgically repaired left leg while chasing ball carriers or rushing the passer and was a shell of himself.

The electrifying Sproles, who made very big plays down the stretch, dropped three kicks, something never seen before. Tomlinson fumbled, Rivers was picked off and the offensive line gave up three sacks and allowed 13 pressures.

Kevin Burnett cannot cover tight ends. Clinton Hart got burned multiple times. Steve Gregory was singed in coverage. Defensive end Travis Johnson got crushed. And when it was Big on Big, the defensive line was pushed around like a shopping cart at Vons.

My worst fears all arrived at once.  I worried about lack of depth on the offensive front, and now you have lost two starters. Those backups committed three critical penalties.

I worried about lack of talent along the defensive line, and now you see what has transpired.

The Chargers may have won, but they lost a lot of talent along the way. The Raiders may claim a moral victory, but it was a real-life loss.

And now San Diego must face Baltimore and Miami just ahead, both a world better than what the Bolts faced on Monday night. And they must play them with a team hurting badly in the trenches. A win is a win, but the Bolts paid a steep price to get out of this one.

“Escape from Alcatraz.”   You might run and hide once you get off the Rock.  But for the Bolts, they won’t be able to run and hide, for there are 15 more games to play.

I hate to tell you “I told you so,” but I did.

Lee Hamilton was the longtime voice of the Chargers and covers NFL football now for the NFL-Compass Network. He writes columns weekly for SDNN.

Tags: Antonio Cromartie, Black Hole, Clinton Hart, Hacksaw, JaMarcus Russell, LaDainian Tomlinson, Louis Murphy, Oakland Raiders, Philip Rivers, San Diego Chargers, SDNN

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