Shaun Phillips: Don’t worry, Chargers fans, not yet
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Shaun Phillips is a linebacker with the San Diego Chargers and posts every week.
First I must start by saying there is no letdown here. We are 2-3 right now with 11 games to go and it’s not as if we are 2-14. What we need to do is play better as a team, not a lot better but better. We don’t need to make any significant changes or anything like that; we just need to step it up as a unit.
What people fail to realize is that it’s hard work being successful and constantly striving to win games, it just doesn’t happen the way you want it to all the time. The hardest thing about success is maintaining it.
What you won’t hear is a lot of excuses coming from the Chargers’ organization. We are going to keep on fighting and giving our all to win games. The one quote that I hold near and dear to my heart is, ‘Hard work beats talent, when talent doesn’t work hard.’
My five years in this league has definitely taught me a lot. When the Chargers were under Marty [Schottenheimer] my first year, we went 12-4* and made the playoffs. I told myself this is easy. However, the next year we didn’t make the playoffs and that was when I realized that this was not going to be easy. We then bounced back and went 14-2, had a week off and home-field advantage and we lost again, which was devastating. As if things can’t get any worse, Marty then gets fired.
I thought it was crazy to go 14-2 and then our coach gets fired. In my mind, that really didn’t make much sense. I guess you have to be a perfect coach, but what coach is perfect?
A new head coach comes in and acquires a bunch of guys that he knows nothing about, but because he is a great coach he was able to guide us to the AFC championship game, which unfortunately ended in a loss. But I think back to the beginning of last year when everyone doubted Norv [Turner], but then by the time the season was over he was great.
I wouldn’t know, but it has to be one of the hardest jobs. It’s easy to be a great coach when you’re winning, but try and have that job when you’re losing, that’s got to be tough.
Now at 2-3, I am not yet worried. I know I should be more concerned, but I have more than enough confidence in my coaching staff and my teammates.
To be honest this is the part that makes football fun and reminds me everyday why I love it: the competition, the ups and downs, the surprises and the mistakes. When you and your teammates put everything that you have into achieving one goal, there is no better feeling then that.
We have shed our blood, sweat and tears to be the best that we can be. To all my fans and everyone that reads my blogs, please don’t get nervous yet, the Chargers will get better.
Check out my website.
-- Shaun Phillips
*An earlier version said the Chargers went 14-2 instead of 12-4.
Top right: Then-San Diego Chargers’ head coach Marty Schottenheimer answers a question at a news conference in January 2007. Credit: Denis Poroy / Associated Press
Inset at left: Current Chargers head coach Norv Turner watches a replay on the big screen during Sunday’s loss to the Miami Dolphins. Credit: Alan Diaz / Associated Press