619 Sports: Chargers must resist complacency, overconfidence, stupidity

Antonio Cromartie has made headlines on and off the field since Sunday. (File Photo by Don Kohlbauer)

The euphoria of a 29-point win in Denver is not easily killed, and it’s no surprise that on the Monday morning after such a win, Chargers fans are dreaming of playoff byes, Super Bowl trips and parade routes.

“The AFC West is over!” proclaimed one hyperbolic talk-show host.

Well, the Broncos are beaten, battered, and by the looks of it, broken mentally. But with six games remaining, the Chargers’ fate is anything but sealed. In fact, at this point our Bolts are in uncharted territory.

They have beaten their old, traditional foes: the Broncos, and the dreaded slow start. San Diego’s finishing kick has come in the middle of the marathon instead of the end. But will they have the pace to finish the race?

Related: Norv: We have a group of mature guys

The schedule is favorable. The Chargers are rolling, with five straight wins. And the Broncos are in the rear-view mirror. All good, but before you start dancing to Miami, let’s hope that the Chargers players don’t overlook the traditional enemies to this team which are still in the road ahead:

Injury. Complacency. Overconfidence. Stupid behavior.

This column was being worked up before this morning’s breaking story, involving a Pacific Beach bar, a champagne bottle, and at least one Chargers player. TMZ, your home for breaking bad boy Chargers news, fingers the offender as Antonio Cromartie.

UPDATE: Cromartie wrote this morning on Twitter: “I want to apologize to charger nation and my fans. There’s sum stuff out abt me that’s not true. It will come out. God Bless”

I’m not trying to read too much into any one story, but it serves as a perfect example of what I’m talking about. Week 11 is not the time to throw a champagne bath in a bar. That’s like doing a dance celebration after making a tackle on second down (something the Chargers are also guilty of from time to time).

The job’s not done yet. And things can change in a hurry in the NFL. Just ask Josh McDaniels.

The Chargers have shown us over the first ten weeks of this season that when they are healthy, they are a difficult group to contend with. The defense has overcome a season-ending injury to Jamal Williams, Shawne Merriman has become a factor again, Shaun Phillips is playing some of his best football ever, and it adds up to big plays on defense.

But, in the fading glow of Sunday’s blowout win, did you notice Luis Castillo had to leave with a calf injury and didn’t play the second half? Shawne Merriman missed time with a foot injury. Jeromey Clary was carted off the field, and the right tackle’s season may be done. L.T. gimped from time to time with a bad hip.

The Chargers’ depth has been tested this year, but it doesn’t take much to turn a situation from decent to dire.

I’m more concerned about complacency and overconfidence. Kansas City is the perfect opponent to test the Chargers next. After playing three straight “big games” against New York, Philly and Denver, could you imagine a world where the Chargers overlooked the Chiefs? Me too. Thanksgiving week, five-game winning streak… it would be easy to do just a little bit less this time around.

That leaves stupid behavior. Anytime TMZ is reporting on the Chargers, this is not a good thing. They don’t do blowout box scores. Keeping 53 grown men corralled is impossible but the last thing this team needs is another story involving police, alcohol, or women named after types of alcohol.

I have never been more impressed with the overall coaching of Norv Turner and the Chargers coaching staff than I have been over the course of this season. I see a team that has been focused, resilient through hardship, and has improved from week to week. The last few weeks the Chargers have looked like the more disciplined team on the field as well. They’re protecting the football, and the penalties have been few and far between.

The good times may indeed keep on rolling. But I know this: nothing has ever been won in the NFL in Week 11 other than a regular season game. The Chargers haven’t done anything yet. 7-3 is nice but it can still be 7-9. Now’s not the time to throw champagne bottles or to “make it rain”. This is the time to get even more serious. There are tough opponents still ahead, and the ones you can’t see may be the most dangerous of them all.

Craig Elsten is a 619 Sports personality and regular contributor to SDNN.

Tags: 619 Sports, Antonio Cromartie, Josh McDaniels, Norv Turner, SDNN, Shawne Merriman, SWRNN, Tila Tequila

This entry was posted on Monday, November 23rd, 2009 at 4:51 pm and is filed under Chargers, Sports, Sports News . You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. You can skip to the end and leave a response. Pinging is currently not allowed.