What Was Supposed To Be, Just Isn't

written by Robbie Sebastian

So here we are talking about next season again...sigh. While I
scrupulously avoid turning on the TV or reading the local paper this
week, I'm left to dwell upon why this loss, after countless seasons of
having the rug pulled out from under us, just feels so... different.
I'm a loooong time Charger fan, I'm used to the defeats, to taking the
positives and writing off the negatives, to enjoying watching the
superbowl with no emotional investment, but this- and no real Charger
fan would say it out loud while we were still in it- this really felt
like THE YEAR.

So we analyze and theorize, talk about Kaeding and Phillips, Turner
and Jackson, penalties and strategies, discipline and motivation and
all the incalculable things that add up to, once again, losing to a
team we should have beat. A team that somehow wanted it more. And we
look for blame...

The problem is, it isn't so easy this time. Preparation? Two weeks.
Rested? Plenty. Healthy? Incomparably. Talent? Pro-Bowl.
Experience? Once again, check. Momentum? Like a steam train. And
another thing...

IF we had bitch-slapped the Jets like we should have, we would be in
the enviable position of facing lesser teams with glaring weaknesses.
No Patriots. No Steelers. Colts? Liked our chances. And I'm not
seeing anything on the NFC side that made me quiver, either.

It's like the stars lined up this year. We stayed strong, the
opponents weakened. And yet, we lost. We simply walked onto our home
field on a beautiful San Diego day, and we forgot how to play winning
football. If we had even played average football, we would have won.

This one hurt. It's gonna take some time to come upp with answers.
And it's gonna sting for a long time.