While it was only a pre-season game, fans of the San Diego Chargers did find good reason to smile last Saturday evening with the performance of quarterback David Rivers.
The much-heralded North Carolina State product threw for 169 yards in the first half and a 22-yard TD strike to Vincent Jackson (5 plays, 64-yard drive), helping lead the Chargers to victory in a game they played without All-Pro running back LaDainian Tomlinson (did not dress by choice).
“I thought he (Rivers) played excellent,” San Diego Head Coach Marty Schottenheimer said. “He played pretty much like I expected him to.”
Rivers was given the keys to the offense in the off-season when the Chargers allowed starter Drew Brees to pursue free agency. Rivers arrived in San Diego after he was chosen No. 4 by the New York Giants in 2004.
The Chargers made headlines by taking Mississippi product Eli Manning with the first pick, then traded him to the Giants for Rivers after Manning said he wouldn’t play in San Diego. During this past off-season, Brees ended up with the New Orleans Saints, replacing QB Aaron Brooks.
With Tomlinson not suited up for the evening, the Chargers got a look at several other backs, including Michael Turner, who added a 13-yard TD scamper with 2:16 left before halftime (18 plays, 86-yard drive) to make it 14-0.
As for the Packers, it was likely future Hall-of-Fame quarterback Brett Favre’s last visit to the city where he and his teammates lost Super Bowl XXXII to the Denver Broncos.Favre finished the evening, playing a good portion of the first half under constant pressure, completing 5-of-10 passes for 66 yards.
“We’ve got a long way to go,” Favre commented. “We have to protect better. We have to rush the football better. I don’t know how many yards rushing we had, but it wasn’t enough.”
Green Bay finished the night with a mere 44 yards rushing on 18 carries.
The teams traded second-half field goals (Nate Kaeding, Billy Cundiff) for the night’s final scores, a night that proved mostly positive for the home team, minus the first-half injury to kick return specialist Darren Sproles. The Kansas State product severely injured his left ankle while returning a punt and will probably be out for the rest of the season.
CHARGER BOLTS: Injuries also caught up with the officiating crew on this night. Back judge Don Dorkowski was hurt in a collision in the first quarter when he was accidentally hit from behind and fell to the ground with what appeared to be a knee injury.
Green Bay has a pair of San Diego State University products on its roster in defensive end Kabeer Gbaja-Biamila and safety Marviel Underwood.
The Chargers return to pre-season action on Friday evening, Aug. 18, when they visit Soldier Field to meet the Chicago Bears. The Bears opened play last weekend with a 28-14 loss in San Francisco.
San Diego’s lone remaining pre-season home game is on Saturday night, Aug. 26, at 8 p.m. vs. the defending National Conference champion Seattle Seahawks.
Longtime Charger great Junior Seau announced his retirement this past Monday in San Diego. Seau played 12 years for the team before going to Miami. After a couple of years battling injuries with the Dolphins, Seau has decided to call it quits.