Chargers Got A Bit Of The Junkyard Dog In 'Em

I was never a big fan of JYD when I watched the WWF as a kid, I being more of a British Bulldogs/ Koko B. Ware sort of tyke. But it was the Junkyard Dog that I saw last night in observing the Chargers impose a physical brand of football on the Indianapolis Colts. They were nasty. They were scrappy... like dogs in a pound... like junkyard dogs!

Is it cool for the defense to score a couple of TDs? Sure!

Mike Tolbert busting out over 100 yards? Dope!

Going to Indy and defeating Peyton Manning on the turf where he nary knows defeat? Scrumtrilescent!

But I gotta tell ya, the thing I was most impressed with from last night's drubbing of the Colts was how the Chargers were finishing plays... on both sides of the ball.
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 When Mike Tolbert runs with the ball he's not just looking for yardage... he's looking for pain. He's looking to punish all would be tacklers as though each is an NFL General Manger who took a pass on him coming out of Coastal Carolina in 2008. God Bless The Chanticleers!


On defense Antonio Garay was just beating up the Colts line. Look at this picture!

Garay has abused his counterpart to such a degree that the 6' 5" Peyton Manning has disappeared. Good night sez Garay.

Every tackle by a Chargers defender seemed to have the following characteristics:

• A second defender rushing to the tackle to deliver a knockout blow... as in Stephen Cooper putting in a good hard tackle and then Dante Hughes coming in and blasting unnamed Colt to force a fumble. 'Twas beautiful! (see picture below).
• Tackles were not complete until a Charger defender gave a little bit of extra business to the vanquished as the play ended. 

 I am and always have been a proponent of giving your opposite a little bit extra so he knows exactly who's in charge. That little bit of nasty is what gives teams the edge needed to go the distance.

Are the Chargers going the distance? I don't know. But the junkyard dog I saw in them last night was even more impressive than the win on the road... which was pretty impressive in and of itself.