2011 San Diego Chargers season

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2011 San Diego Chargers season
OwnerAlex Spanos
Head coachNorv Turner
General managerA. J. Smith
Home fieldQualcomm Stadium
Results
Record8–8
Division place2nd AFC West
Playoff finishDid not qualify
Pro Bowlers
5
AP All-ProsS Eric Weddle
  • ← 2010
  • Chargers seasons
  • 2012 →

The 2011 season was the San Diego Chargers' 42nd in the National Football League 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, 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[]

Position Player 2010 Team Contract
LB Takeo Spikes San Francisco 49ers 3 years, $9 million
LB Travis LaBoy San Francisco 49ers 2 years
SS Bob Sanders Indianapolis Colts 1 year

Departures[]

Position Player 2011 Team
RB Darren Sproles New Orleans Saints
OLB Kevin Burnett Miami Dolphins
LB Brandon Siler Kansas 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.

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
1 2 34Total
Vikings 7 10 0017
Chargers 7 0 71024

at Qualcomm Stadium, San Diego, California

  • Date: September 11
  • Game time: 1:15 p.m. PDT
  • Game weather: 74 °F (Sunny)
  • Game attendance: 66,716
  • Referee: Terry McAulay
  • TV announcers (Fox): Ron Pitts, Jim Mora, Jr. and
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
1 2 34Total
Chargers 7 0 01421
Patriots 7 13 01535

at Gillette Stadium, Foxborough, Massachusetts

  • Date: September 18
  • Game time: 4:15 p.m. EDT/1:15 pm. PDT
  • Game weather: 63 °F (Wind)
  • Game attendance: 68,756
  • Referee: Walt Anderson
  • TV announcers (CBS): Jim Nantz and Phil Simms
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
1 2 34Total
Chiefs 0 0 71017
Chargers 0 10 7320

at Qualcomm Stadium, San Diego, California

  • Date: September 25
  • Game time: 1:05 pm. PDT
  • Game weather: 67 °F (Partly Cloudy)
  • Game attendance: 62,236
  • Referee: Walt Coleman
  • TV announcers (CBS): Ian Eagle and Dan Fouts
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
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 (Sunny)
  • Game attendance: 63,002
  • Referee: Jeff Triplette
  • TV announcers (CBS): Ian Eagle and Dan Fouts (blacked out locally)
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
1 2 34Total
Chargers 6 17 0629
Broncos 7 3 01424

at Sports Authority Field at Mile High, Denver, Colorado

  • Date: October 9
  • Game time: 2:15 p.m. MDT/1:15 pm. PDT
  • Game weather: 52 °F (Mostly Sunny)
  • Game attendance: 74,895
  • Referee: Gene Steratore
  • TV announcers (CBS): Marv Albert and Rich Gannon

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
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 (Sunny)
  • Game attendance: 79,088
  • Referee: Ron Winter
  • TV announcers (CBS): Jim Nantz and Phil Simms
  • [citation needed]

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
1 2 34OTTotal
Chargers 0 3 98020
Chiefs 10 3 07323

at Arrowhead Stadium, Kansas City, Missouri

  • Date: October 31
  • Game time: 7:30 p.m. CDT/5:30 pm. PDT
  • Game weather: 63 °F (Clear)
  • Game attendance: 72,733
  • Referee: Alberto Riveron
  • TV announcers (ESPN): Mike Tirico, Ron Jaworski, Jon Gruden and Rachel Nichols
  • [citation needed]

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
1 2 34Total
Packers 21 7 31445
Chargers 7 10 71438

at Qualcomm Stadium, San Diego, California

  • Date: November 6
  • Game time: 1:15 pm. PST
  • Game weather: 53 °F (Rain)
  • Game attendance: 68,908
  • Referee: Clete Blakeman
  • TV announcers (Fox): Thom Brennaman, Brian Billick, & Laura Okmin

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

Week 10: vs. Oakland Raiders[]

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

at Qualcomm Stadium, San Diego, California

  • Date: November 10
  • Game time: 5:20 pm. PST
  • Game weather: 69 °F (Clear)
  • Game attendance: 68,109
  • Referee: Ed Hochuli
  • TV announcers (NFLN): Brad Nessler, Mike Mayock and Alex Flanagan
Game information
First quarter
  • SD – Nick Novak 20-yard field goal (SD 3–0)
  • OAK – Michael Bush 2-yard run, Sebastian Janikowski XP good (OAK 7–3)

Second quarter

  • OAK – Sebastian Janikowski 23-yard field goal (OAK 10–3)
  • OAK – Denarius Moore 3-yard pass from Carson Palmer, Sebastian Janikowski XP good (OAK 17–3)

Third quarter

  • SD – Vincent Brown 30-yard pass from Philip Rivers, Nick Novak XP good (OAK 17–10)
  • OAK – Denarius Moore 26-yard pass from Carson Palmer, Sebastian Janikowski XP good (OAK 24–10)
  • SD – Jacob Hester 7-yard pass from Philip Rivers, Nick Novak XP good (OAK 24–17)

Fourth quarter

  • No scoring plays.

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.[citation needed]

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.[citation needed]

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.[citation needed]

Week 11: at Chicago Bears[]

Week Eleven: San Diego Chargers at Chicago Bears – Game summary
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 (Cloudy, winds gusting to 20 mph)
  • Game attendance: 62,344
  • Referee: Jeff Triplette
  • TV announcers (CBS): Jim Nantz and Phil Simms

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
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 (Sunny)
  • Game attendance: 64,436
  • Referee: Jeff Triplette
  • TV announcers (CBS): Ian Eagle and Dan Fouts
  • [citation needed]

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
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 (Clear)
  • Game attendance: 62,743
  • Referee: Walt Anderson
  • TV announcers (ESPN): Mike Tirico, Ron Jaworski, Jon Gruden and Sal Paolantonio
Game information
First quarter
  • SD – Mike Tolbert 13-yard run, Nick Novak XP good (SD 7–0)
  • SD – Nick Novak 29-yard field goal (SD 10–0)

Second quarter

  • JAC – Maurice Jones-Drew 9-yard pass from Blaine Gabbert, Josh Scobee XP good (SD 10–7)
  • JAC – Cecil Shorts 5-yard pass from Blaine Gabbert, Josh Scobee XP good (JAC 14–10)
  • SD – Vincent Brown 22-yard pass from Philip Rivers, Nick Novak XP good (SD 17–14)
  • SD – Vincent Jackson 35-yard pass from Philip Rivers, Nick Novak XP good (SD 24–14)

Third quarter

  • SD – Malcom Floyd 52-yard pass from Philip Rivers, Nick Novak XP good (SD 31–14)

Fourth quarter

  • SD – Ryan Matthews 31-yard run, Nick Novak XP good (SD 38–14)

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 Matthews.

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

Week 14: vs. Buffalo Bills[]

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

at Qualcomm Stadium, San Diego, California

  • Date: December 11
  • Game time: 1:15 pm. PST
  • Game weather: 59 °F (Cloudy)
  • Game attendance: 62,494
  • Referee: Gene Steratore
  • TV announcers (CBS): Kevin Harlan and Solomon Wilcots (blacked out locally)

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

Week 15: vs. Baltimore Ravens[]

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

at Qualcomm Stadium, San Diego, California

  • Date: December 18
  • Game time: 5:20 pm. PST
  • Game weather: 58 °F (Cloudy)
  • Game attendance: 67,242
  • Referee: Carl Cheffers
  • TV announcers (NBC): Al Michaels, Cris Collinsworth and Michele Tafoya

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

Week 16: at Detroit Lions[]

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

at Ford Field, Detroit, Michigan

  • Date: December 24
  • Game time: 4:05 pm. EST/1:05 pm. PST
  • Game weather: Played indoors (domed stadium)
  • Game attendance: 62,469
  • Referee: Ed Hochuli
  • TV announcers (CBS): Greg Gumbel and Dan Dierdorf
  • Recap
    Gamebook
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
1 2 34Total
Chargers 7 17 7738
Raiders 7 6 6726

at O.co Coliseum, Oakland, California

  • Date: January 1
  • Game time: 1:15 pm. PST
  • Game weather: 56 °F (Clear)
  • Game attendance: 58,721
  • Referee: Clete Blakeman
  • TV announcers (CBS): Marv Albert & Rich Gannon

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
  • view
  • talk
 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

Staff[]

San Diego Chargers 2011 staff
Front Office
  • Owner – Alex Spanos
  • Chairman/President – Dean Spanos
  • Executive Vice President –
  • Executive Vice President/CEO – A. G. Spanos
  • Executive Vice President/general manager – A. J. Smith
  • Executive Vice President of Football Operations/Assistant general manager –
  • Senior Executive – Randy Mueller
  • Director of Player Personnel – Jimmy Raye
  • Director of Pro Scouting –
  • Director of College Scouting – John Spanos
  • Assistant Director of Pro Scouting –
  • Assistant Director of College Scouting –

Head Coaches

  • Head Coach – Norv Turner
  • Assistant Head Coach/Secondary – Steven Wilks

Offensive Coaches

  • Offensive Coordinator – Clarence Shelmon
  • Quarterbacks –
  • Running Backs – Ollie Wilson
  • Wide Receivers – Charlie Joiner
  • Tight Ends – Jason Michael
  • Offensive Line – Hal Hunter
  • Offensive Line – Mike Sullivan
  • Offensive Assistant – Steve Gera
  

Defensive Coaches

  • Defensive Coordinator – Greg Manusky
  • Defensive Line – Don Johnson
  • Linebackers – John Pagano
  • Assistant Linebackers –
  • Assistant Secondary – Cris Dishman
  • Defensive Assistant – Shane Steichen

Special Teams Coaches

Strength and Conditioning

  • Strength and Conditioning – Jeff Hurd
  • Assistant Strength and Conditioning –

Final roster[]

2011 San Diego Chargers final roster
Quarterbacks

Running backs

Wide receivers

Tight ends

  • 85 Antonio Gates TE
  • 81 Randy McMichael TE
  • 82 Kory Sperry TE
 Offensive linemen

Defensive linemen

Linebackers

Defensive backs

Special teams

  •  9 Nick Novak K
  •  5 Mike Scifres P
  • 47 Mike Windt LS
 Reserve lists


Practice squad


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

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. ^ Jump up to: a b "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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