2011 San Diego Chargers season

2011 San Diego Chargers season
OwnerAlex Spanos
General managerA. J. Smith
Head coachNorv Turner
Home stadiumQualcomm Stadium
Results
Record8–8
Division place2nd AFC West
PlayoffsDid not qualify
All-Pros
1
Pro Bowlers
5

The 2011 season was the San Diego Chargers' 42nd in the National Football League (NFL) and their 52nd overall. The team failed to improve on its 9–7 record from 2010, and finished in a three-way tie with the Denver Broncos and Oakland Raiders for the AFC West division title, with an 8–8 record, but lost the tiebreaker to the Broncos and missed the playoffs for a second consecutive season. For Norv Turner, this was his fifth season as the head coach of the Chargers. The Chargers had the 18th pick in the 2011 NFL draft.

Offseason

Coaching changes

On January 11, defensive coordinator Ron Rivera became the new head coach of the Carolina Panthers.[1] That same day, Rich Bisaccia was named the team's new special teams' coach, replacing Steve Crosby, whose contract was not renewed.[2][3] Three days later (January 14), the team hired former San Francisco 49ers' defensive coordinator Greg Manusky to replace Rivera. Manusky previously served as the Chargers' linebackers coach from 2002 to 2006.[4]

Arrivals

PositionPlayer2010 TeamContract
LBTakeo SpikesSan Francisco 49ers3 years, $9 million
LBTravis LaBoySan Francisco 49ers2 years
SSBob SandersIndianapolis Colts1 year

Departures

PositionPlayer2011 Team
RBDarren SprolesNew Orleans Saints
OLBKevin BurnettMiami Dolphins
LBBrandon SilerKansas City Chiefs

NFL draft

2011 San Diego Chargers draft
Round Pick Player Position College Notes
1 18 Corey Liuget  DT Illinois
2 50 Marcus Gilchrist  CB Clemson
2 61 Jonas Mouton  LB Michigan [dr 1]
3 82 Vincent Brown  WR San Diego State
3 89 Shareece Wright  CB USC [dr 2]
6 183 Jordan Todman  RB Connecticut
6 201 Stephen Schilling  G Michigan [dr 3]
7 234 Andrew Gachkar  LB Missouri [dr 4]
      Made roster    †   Pro Football Hall of Fame    *   Made at least one Pro Bowl during career

Draft notes

  1. ↑ The team acquired this second-round selection in a March 2010 trade that sent CB Antonio Cromartie to the New York Jets.
  2. ↑ The team acquired this third-round selection as part of a March 2010 trade that sent QB Charlie Whitehurst to the Seattle Seahawks.
  3. ↑ The team traded its fifth-round selection (#149 overall) and a 2010 fifth-round selection to the Philadelphia Eagles in exchange for its 2010 fifth-round selection (#146 overall; used to select DT Cam Thomas).
  4. ↑ In September 2010, the team traded its seventh-round selection (#220 overall) to the Dallas Cowboys in exchange for WR Patrick Crayton.

Staff

San Diego Chargers 2011 staff
Front office
  • Owner – Alex Spanos
  • Chairman/president – Dean Spanos
  • Executive vice president – Michael Spanos
  • Executive vice president/CEO – A. G. Spanos
  • Executive vice president/general manager – A. J. Smith
  • Executive vice president of football operations/assistant general manager – Ed McGuire
  • Senior executive – Randy Mueller
  • Director of player personnel – Jimmy Raye
  • Director of pro scouting – Dennis Abraham
  • Director of college scouting – John Spanos
  • Assistant director of pro scouting – Bryan Cox
  • Assistant director of college scouting – Mike Biehl

Head coaches

Offensive coaches

  

Defensive coaches

Special teams coaches

Strength and conditioning

  • Strength and conditioning – Jeff Hurd
  • Assistant strength and conditioning – Vernon Stephens

Final roster

2011 San Diego Chargers roster
Quarterbacks (QB)

Running backs (RB)

Wide receivers (WR)

Tight ends (TE)

 Offensive linemen (OL)

Defensive linemen (DL)

 Linebackers (LB)

Defensive backs (DB)

Special teams (ST)

 Practice squad

Reserve

Rookies in italics
52 active, 12 reserve, 8 practice squad

Preseason

Schedule

Week Date Opponent Result Record Game site NFL.com
recap
1 August 11 Seattle Seahawks L 17–24 0–1 Qualcomm Stadium Recap
2 August 21 at Dallas Cowboys W 20–7 1–1 Cowboys Stadium Recap
3 August 27 at Arizona Cardinals W 34–31 2–1 University of Phoenix Stadium Recap
4 September 1 San Francisco 49ers L 17–20 2–2 Qualcomm Stadium Recap

Regular season

Schedule

Week Date Opponent Result Record Game site NFL.com
recap
1 September 11 Minnesota Vikings W 24–17 1–0 Qualcomm Stadium Recap
2 September 18 at New England Patriots L 21–35 1–1 Gillette Stadium Recap
3 September 25 Kansas City Chiefs W 20–17 2–1 Qualcomm Stadium Recap
4 October 2 Miami Dolphins W 26–16 3–1 Qualcomm Stadium Recap
5 October 9 at Denver Broncos W 29–24 4–1 Sports Authority Field at Mile High Recap
6 Bye
7 October 23 at New York Jets L 21–27 4–2 MetLife Stadium Recap
8 October 31 at Kansas City Chiefs L 20–23 (OT) 4–3 Arrowhead Stadium Recap
9 November 6 Green Bay Packers L 38–45 4–4 Qualcomm Stadium Recap
10 November 10 Oakland Raiders L 17–24 4–5 Qualcomm Stadium Recap
11 November 20 at Chicago Bears L 20–31 4–6 Soldier Field Recap
12 November 27 Denver Broncos L 13–16 (OT) 4–7 Qualcomm Stadium Recap
13 December 5 at Jacksonville Jaguars W 38–14 5–7 EverBank Field Recap
14 December 11 Buffalo Bills W 37–10 6–7 Qualcomm Stadium Recap
15 December 18 Baltimore Ravens W 34–14 7–7 Qualcomm Stadium Recap
16 December 24 at Detroit Lions L 10–38 7–8 Ford Field Recap
17 January 1 at Oakland Raiders W 38–26 8–8 O.co Coliseum Recap

Game summaries

Week 1: vs. Minnesota Vikings

Week One: Minnesota Vikings at San Diego Chargers – Game summary
Quarter 1 2 34Total
Vikings 7 10 0017
Chargers 7 0 71024

at Qualcomm Stadium, San Diego, California

Game information

Coming off their special teams woes in 2010, the Chargers allowed a 103-yard opening kickoff return to Percy Harvin to start the season. Kicker Nate Kaeding suffered a season-ending injury on the play, and punter Mike Scifres assumed place kicking responsibilities for the game.[5][6] The Chargers outscored the Vikings 10–0 in the fourth quarter to come back and win the game, 24–17. Fullback Mike Tolbert scored three touchdowns, and Philip Rivers completed 33 of 48 passes for 335 yards and two touchdowns. He was also intercepted twice. Scifres kicked a 40-yard field goal, the first of his NFL career, and kicked three PATs. With the win, the Chargers started their season out 1–0.[6]

Week 2: at New England Patriots

Week Two: San Diego Chargers at New England Patriots – Game summary
Quarter 1 2 34Total
Chargers 7 0 01421
Patriots 7 13 01535

at Gillette Stadium, Foxborough, Massachusetts

Game information

With the loss, the Chargers fell to 1–1.

Week 3: vs. Kansas City Chiefs

Week Three: Kansas City Chiefs at San Diego Chargers – Game summary
Quarter 1 2 34Total
Chiefs 0 0 71017
Chargers 0 10 7320

at Qualcomm Stadium, San Diego, California

Game information

With the win, the Chargers improved to 2–1.

Week 4: vs. Miami Dolphins

Week Four: Miami Dolphins at San Diego Chargers – Game summary
Quarter 1 2 34Total
Dolphins 7 3 3316
Chargers 7 6 10326

at Qualcomm Stadium, San Diego, California

  • Date: October 2
  • Game time: 1:15 pm. PDT
  • Game weather: 84 °F (29 °C) (Sunny)
  • Game attendance: 63,002
  • Referee: Jeff Triplette
  • TV announcers (CBS): Ian Eagle and Dan Fouts (blacked out locally)
  • Box score
Game information

With the win, the Chargers improved to 3–1.

Week 5: at Denver Broncos

Week Five: San Diego Chargers at Denver Broncos – Game summary
Quarter 1 2 34Total
Chargers 6 17 0629
Broncos 7 3 01424

at Sports Authority Field at Mile High, Denver, Colorado

Game information

With the win, the Chargers went into their bye week at 4–1. The team also managed to get their best start after five games under head coach Norv Turner.

Week 7: at New York Jets

Week Seven: San Diego Chargers at New York Jets – Game summary
Quarter 1 2 34Total
Chargers 7 14 0021
Jets 3 7 71027

at MetLife Stadium, East Rutherford, New Jersey

  • Date: October 23
  • Game time: 1:00 pm. EDT/10:00 am. PDT
  • Game weather: 58 °F (14 °C) (Sunny)
  • Game attendance: 79,088
  • Referee: Ron Winter
  • TV announcers (CBS): Jim Nantz and Phil Simms
  • Box score
Game information

With the loss, the Chargers fell to 4–2.

Week 8: at Kansas City Chiefs

Week Eight: San Diego Chargers at Kansas City Chiefs – Game summary
Quarter 1 2 34OTTotal
Chargers 0 3 98020
Chiefs 10 3 07323

at Arrowhead Stadium, Kansas City, Missouri

Game information

Late in the 4th quarter, with the game tied at 20, Philip Rivers fumbled the ball while kneeling to set up the potential game-winning field goal. This play effectively ended the Chargers chances at the division, as had they won, they would've finished 9-7 and won the division. With the loss, the Chargers fell to 4–3.

Week 9: vs. Green Bay Packers

Week Nine: Green Bay Packers at San Diego Chargers – Game summary
Quarter 1 2 34Total
Packers 21 7 31445
Chargers 7 10 71438

at Qualcomm Stadium, San Diego, California

Game information

With the loss, the Chargers fell to 4–4.

Week 10: vs. Oakland Raiders

Week Ten: Oakland Raiders at San Diego Chargers – Game summary
Quarter 1 2 34Total
Raiders 7 10 7024
Chargers 3 0 14017

at Qualcomm Stadium, San Diego, California

Game information

Trying to snap a three-game losing streak, the Chargers stayed at home for a Week 10 AFC West duel with the Oakland Raiders on Thursday night. San Diego struck first in the opening quarter with a 20-yard field goal from kicker Nick Novak, but the Raiders answered with running back Michael Bush getting a 2-yard touchdown run. Oakland added onto their lead in the second quarter with kicker Sebastian Janikowski getting a 23-yard field goal, followed by quarterback Carson Palmer completing a 33-yard touchdown pass to wide receiver Denarius Moore.

The Chargers began the third quarter with quarterback Philip Rivers finding rookie wide receiver Vincent Brown on a 30-yard touchdown pass, but the Raiders struck back with Palmer completing a 26-yard touchdown pass to Moore. Afterwards, San Diego closed out the quarter with Rivers hooking up with fullback Jacob Hester on a 7-yard touchdown pass. The Chargers tried to rally in the fourth quarter, but Oakland's defense held on to preserve the win.

Win the loss, not only did San Diego fall to 4–5, but it marked the first time since 2003 that the Chargers had lost four-straight.

Week 11: at Chicago Bears

Week Eleven: San Diego Chargers at Chicago Bears – Game summary
Quarter 1 2 34Total
Chargers 3 7 7320
Bears 3 14 14031

at Soldier Field, Chicago, Illinois

  • Date: November 20
  • Game time: 3:15 pm. CST/1:15 pm. PST
  • Game weather: 42 °F (6 °C) (Cloudy, winds gusting to 20 mph (32 km/h))
  • Game attendance: 62,344
  • Referee: Jeff Triplette
  • TV announcers (CBS): Jim Nantz and Phil Simms
  • Box score
Game information

With the loss, the Chargers fell to 4–6 and lost 5 in a row for the first time since 2003.

Week 12: vs. Denver Broncos

Week Twelve: Denver Broncos at San Diego Chargers – Game summary
Quarter 1 2 34OTTotal
Broncos 0 7 33316
Chargers 3 7 30013

at Qualcomm Stadium, San Diego, California

  • Date: November 27
  • Game time: 1:15 pm. PST
  • Game weather: 84 °F (29 °C) (Sunny)
  • Game attendance: 64,436
  • Referee: Jeff Triplette
  • TV announcers (CBS): Ian Eagle and Dan Fouts
  • Box score
Game information

The loss was the sixth consecutive for the Chargers, their longest such streak in 10 years which took their record down to 4–7.[7]

Week 13: at Jacksonville Jaguars

Week Thirteen: San Diego Chargers at Jacksonville Jaguars – Game summary
Quarter 1 2 34Total
Chargers 10 14 7738
Jaguars 0 14 0014

at EverBank Field, Jacksonville, Florida

  • Date: December 5
  • Game time: 8:30 pm. EST/5:30 pm. PST
  • Game weather: 67 °F (19 °C) (Clear)
  • Game attendance: 62,743
  • Referee: Walt Anderson
  • TV announcers (ESPN): Mike Tirico, Ron Jaworski, Jon Gruden and Sal Paolantonio
  • Box score
Game information

Hoping to snap a six-game losing streak, the Chargers flew to EverBank Field for a Week 13 Monday night duel with the Jacksonville Jaguars. San Diego delivered the game's opening punch with a 13-yard touchdown run from running back Mike Tolbert, followed by a 29-yard field goal from kicker Nick Novak. The Jaguars would answer in the second quarter with quarterback Blaine Gabbert completing a 9-yard touchdown pass to running back Maurice Jones-Drew and a 5-yard touchdown pass to wide receiver Cecil Shorts, yet the Chargers replied with quarterback Philip Rivers connecting with rookie wide receiver Vincent Brown on a 22-yard touchdown pass and a 35-yard touchdown pass to wide receiver Vincent Jackson.

San Diego added onto its lead in the third quarter with Rivers hooking up with wide receiver Malcom Floyd on a 52-yard touchdown pass. Afterwards, the Bolts would pull away in the fourth quarter with a 31-yard touchdown run from running back Ryan Mathews.

With the win, the Chargers improved to 5–7.

Week 14: vs. Buffalo Bills

Week Fourteen: Buffalo Bills at San Diego Chargers – Game summary
Quarter 1 2 34Total
Bills 0 0 10010
Chargers 7 9 14737

at Qualcomm Stadium, San Diego, California

Game information

With the win, the Chargers improved to 6–7.

Week 15: vs. Baltimore Ravens

Week Fifteen: Baltimore Ravens at San Diego Chargers – Game summary
Quarter 1 2 34Total
Ravens 0 7 0714
Chargers 7 10 14334

at Qualcomm Stadium, San Diego, California

Game information

With the win, the Chargers improved to 7–7. Qualcomm Stadium was renamed Snapdragon Stadium as a promotion for Qualcomm's Snapdragon brand.

Week 16: at Detroit Lions

Week Sixteen: San Diego Chargers at Detroit Lions – Game summary
Quarter 1 2 34Total
Chargers 0 0 10010
Lions 10 14 7738

at Ford Field, Detroit, Michigan

Game information

With the loss, the Chargers fell to 7–8.

Week 17: at Oakland Raiders

Week Seventeen: San Diego Chargers at Oakland Raiders – Game summary
Quarter 1 2 34Total
Chargers 7 17 7738
Raiders 7 6 6726

at O.co Coliseum, Oakland, California

Game information

With the win, the Chargers wrapped up their season at 8–8 and snapped their three-game losing streak against the Raiders.

Standings

AFC West
W L T PCT DIV CONF PF PA STK
(4) Denver Broncos 8 8 0 .500 3–3 6–6 309 390 L3
San Diego Chargers 8 8 0 .500 3–3 7–5 406 377 W1
Oakland Raiders 8 8 0 .500 3–3 6–6 359 433 L1
Kansas City Chiefs 7 9 0 .438 3–3 4–8 212 338 W1

Notes and references

  1. ↑ "Turner, Chargers begin search for new defensive coordinator". Archived from the original on January 14, 2011. Retrieved January 17, 2011.
  2. ↑ "Crosby's contract not renewed for 2011". Archived from the original on January 7, 2011. Retrieved January 17, 2011.
  3. ↑ "Bisaccia agrees to become special teams coach". Archived from the original on January 15, 2011. Retrieved January 17, 2011.
  4. ↑ "Manusky named defensive coordinator". Archived from the original on January 17, 2011. Retrieved January 17, 2011.
  5. ↑ "Chargers kicker Kaeding out for season with likely torn ACL". Nfl.com. September 11, 2011. Retrieved September 13, 2011.
  6. 1 2 "Chargers complete comeback victory on Tolbert's third TD". Nfl.com. Retrieved September 13, 2011.
  7. ↑ Williamson, Bill (December 3, 2011). "San Diego no longer an elite program". ESPN.com. Archived from the original on April 8, 2012. The Chargers – widely considered as a Super Bowl contender going into this season – stagger into a Monday night game at Jacksonville on a six-game losing skid. It is the Chargers' longest such streak in 10 years.
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