Chargers Daily News

ESPN Tue, 09/13/2011 3:18 PM

Chargers sign kicker Novak, put Kaeding on IR

The San Diego Chargers signed kicker Nick Novak to a two-year contract on Tuesday and placed Nate Kaeding on season-ending injured reserve, the team announced. Read more...

San Diego Chargers Daily News

Bleacher Report Mon, 09/12/2011 12:52 AM

Nate Kaeding and Luis Castillo: Chargers Suffer Potential Season-Ending Injuries

The Chargers' impressive comeback victory against the Minnesota Vikings on opening day may have come at a very steep price for San Diego.NFL.com blogger Jason La Canfora is reporting that San Diego Chargers place kicker Nate Kaeding may very well be lost Read more...

San Diego Chargers Daily News

Bleacher Report Sun, 09/11/2011 3:53 PM

Nate Kaeding Injury: How Will San Diego Chargers Replace Injured Kicker?

On the very first play of the game between the Minnesota Vikings and the San Diego Chargers—the kickoff in fact—Vikings wide receiver Percy Harvin returned a kickoff for a touchdown.That wasn't the worst of it for the Chargers, though.No, the Read more...

Bleacher Report Mon, 08/15/2011 2:54 PM

San Diego Chargers: Is Nate Kaeding a Threat to the Bolts' Super Bowl Chances?

Nate Kaeding has been selected to the Pro Bowl twice, in 2006 and 2009. He has been a fantasy football god and the all-time NFL regular season leader in field goal percentage at 86.5%. That’s impressive no matter how you try to slant it. When Read more...

Bleacher Report Mon, 01/18/2010 2:13 AM

Chargers Need a New Coach: Why Not Hire Bill Cowher?

The Chargers latest post season choke happened yet again. This time at the hands of the New York Jets 17-14 at Qualcomm Stadium in San Diego, Calif. Everyone wants to blame All-Pro kicker Nate Kaeding for the loss and rightfully so. The most accurate Read more...

Bleacher Report Wed, 05/27/2009 4:33 AM

Something Special is in the Air for the San Diego Chargers

I cant wait to see what emerges out of the special team unit from San Diego this year.  Even the new rule limiting wedge formations on kickoff returns to a maximum of two players doesn’t have the Chargers worried, as it does some teams.    Special Teams Coach, Steve Crosby, thinks this will be a very smooth transition as the Chargers have primarily only used two- and three-man wedges.   “We’ve never been a big-wedge team anyway,” Crosby said. “Our guys are used to blocking one-on-one. It’s just a matter of how you adjust the back half so you don’t have what the league looks at as a three-man wedge.”   This could result in a complicated matter for other teams that have used the four- to five-man wedges, who now must adjust their personal on kick-off returns.   “There are more single blocks; more blocks in space now,” Crosby said. “Before, when you just had that big wedge in there, those guys were shoe to shoe and they didn’t have much adjusting to do. They hit the first thing that showed up. Now you’ve got to be able to settle on a guy and block him in space. One-on-one blocking in the open field against speed is tough. It changes the types of athletes that you can use back there.”   With the new rule in the Chargers favor, we also must take a look at who they have for their special teams, as it is pretty surreal to see this much talent on one team.   Even as a Wisconsin Badger fan, I was fan of Nate Kaeding who played for Iowa.  He was dependable and I liked his charisma.  Now playing for the Chargers, Kaeding has not lost his accuracy nor his consistency.  One thing he could use more of is power in his leg, but at the end of the day, isn’t accuracy better than power?   Then you have the two time Pro Bowler, Kassim Osgood, who puts in 110% effort in every play on that field. As a wide-receiver he puts up good numbers but usually opponents will double-even triple team him, making the task a bit more difficult to complete.  He has expressed frustration with not being more part of the offense, but what he doesn’t realize yet is that he already is.    Mike Scifres is one of the Chargers steadiest players and the best punter they have had since Ray Guy. Hia consistency is scary and his confidence is respected.    David Binn is no stranger to the Chargers, and is contracted to play until 2011.  In 2007, he was selected to play in the Pro Bowl for the first time and if things go as they should this year, he can plan on making the trip to Hawaii again.   “The way it is now, with games being so close,” Crosby said, “more often than not it's going to be a special teams play that makes the difference.”    It’s clear the Charger’s special team clan can be an integral part of their success this season. Crystal clear. Read more...