Chargers to play in London this season

By: MIKE SULLIVAN - Staff Writer | Saturday, January 26, 2008 11:47 PM PST

The NFL is expected to announce sometime this week that the Chargers will play the New Orleans Saints in London during the 2008 regular season.

According to chargers.com, the game would be played on Oct. 26 and the two teams would have a bye the following week.

Team president Dean Spanos said the chance to play overseas would be a welcome opportunity for the franchise.

"First, it shows that the Chargers clearly have become one of the NFL's marquee franchises; a team with a strong following that the league is proud of," Spanos said on the team Web site. "Second, it would be good exposure for our organization, for the players and for the city of San Diego.

"And finally, I believe it would give the team added experience from playing in another big game."

The contest would be the second NFL regular-season game played in London. The New York Giants and Miami Dolphins played there this past season.

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26 comment(s)[-]Go to Top

A real looser following maybe! wrote on Jan 27, 2008 5:42 AM:Some franchise!!! HA!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Spell Checker wrote on Jan 27, 2008 9:10 AM:"A real "looser" following?

You win.....first prize.....a trip back to elementary school...IN BOSTON!

Chargers wrote on Jan 27, 2008 10:44 AM:Charger HATERS remember what city you live in. If its so bad please MOVE ASAP!!!!!!

Philip wrote on Jan 27, 2008 1:43 PM:Would like to see Chargers in the UK game...players all healed up could show they (could'a been contenders) for S.Bowl; also why they kept Rivers and not Brese.

Karl wrote on Jan 27, 2008 1:52 PM:... If you don't like the Chargers don't watch. Go home and take your ball with you.

Beckham wrote on Jan 27, 2008 2:59 PM:Oh blimey another Wembley stadium mud bog. Austin Powers does commentary in the booth with Dierdorf. Judas Priest could play "you`ve got another thing commin`" when the little engine (Drew Brees) is introduced. Jaque,Bobby,Jimbo,BolTDan defect & become Celtic United soccer fans

Jimbo wrote on Jan 27, 2008 4:09 PM:Should be a good game. Now we'll see why Rivers was always Brees' backup in SD. Brees should have no problem carving up the defense that he practiced against all the time. Rivers, OTOH, if he can't perform well against the sorry Saints pass defense, should pack his bags head to the Raiders QB graveyard.

San Diego Chokers wrote on Jan 27, 2008 8:23 PM:Don't tell LT and maybe he won't fake another boo, boo. Now we will see two losers, Reggie Bush and LT.

gee wrote on Jan 27, 2008 9:14 PM:I feel sorry for anyone on the flight over. That team stinks so badly they will probably have to lower the oxygen masks.

Richard wrote on Jan 28, 2008 7:05 AM:a real loser,chokers and gee and to any one who puts the chargers down, its ok to critize the team and players,but to make remarks as you have is not welcomed here you need to focus your remarks at yourselfs for your lack of common sence.

Noodles wrote on Jan 28, 2008 7:13 AM:Really a stupid move. When you have New Orleans trying to rebuild after Katrina, why in the world does the NFL strip them of a home game which could have brought in more tourism and revenue? I have got to say, whoever made this decision, IMO is a fool. This has public relations disaster written all over it. Of course, camera gate didn't raise much of a stink, and with the NFL on just about every major network excluding ABC, but is on ESPN and ABC and ESPN are part of Disney. SO the major networks aren't likely to squawk about this. No one wants to upset the NFL.

The other stupidity in this IMO, is taking a west coast team and dragging that team all the way to England to play a game.

They ought to take two east coast teams. If the Giants hadn't played in England this past season, it would have been more logical to have the Super Bowl contestants sent over to England to play. They are both east coast team and if the NFL has any intentions of expanding beyond this continent, what better way than to showcase the two teams that are going to the Super Bowl.

Of course I don't think Europe will ever accept the NFL as a full season sport. NFL Europe didn't seem to do all that well.

I still see that we seem to have some Patriot posters here who still IMO, come across as so insecure and that they continue to bash the Chargers. Not a surprise. IMO, that insecurity shows all the signs that perhaps they too question the conduct that occurred during camera gate.



BoltDan wrote on Jan 28, 2008 8:55 AM:HEYYYYY!!!! I hadn't even posted and was bagged on...jeesh! tough crowd that doesn't like my insight to make the Bolts better. You Kool-aid drinkers would be happy if the Bolts were 1-15 and the paper told you they were great. Oh that happened already. Anyway I am going to this game and will enjoy it. A little holiday in London and visit with the team over there. Should be fun. I will tell Norval to open the playbook though. Let's hope he listens.

James wrote on Jan 28, 2008 4:56 PM:NICE TO SEE JIMBO STILL HAS THAT MANCRUSH ON BREES...IS IT THE MOLE? You can thank your other MANCRUSH, MARTY FOR HIS INJURY...LET IT GO...YEP BREES REALLY TOOK THOSE SAINTS TO ANOTHER LEVEL THIS YEAR...AND HE WAS GREAT LAST YEAR GETTING HIS SAINTS TO THE WORLD FOOTBALL LEAGUE...OH, I'M SORRY THE NFC CHAMPIONSHIP GAME...I ALWAYS GET CONFUSED BECAUSE THE LEVEL OF PLAY IS THE SAME IN THE TWO LEAGUES...FAR INFERIOR TO THE AFC....

To Richard wrote on Jan 28, 2008 5:37 PM:I laugh at you super chokers fans. Crying about me disrupting your local message board. Your pitiful cries of next year, next year, next year are music to my ears. I can't wait till this team leaves the area and all you "true loyal charger fans" follow them to wherever they go. It will be even funnier next year when they actually have a tough schedule and are once again crushed. Doormat of the AFC West.

patriot wrote on Jan 29, 2008 5:21 AM:i understand and praise charger fans, i feel bad that the team is going to england. and they still support their team, even when management , coaching and star players have let them down, boston is a tough crowd to win over, the players, coach, management gets abused , unless they perform, because i live in the east i dont see LT or any of the other stars on TV, so i was shocked when i saw LT talking crap about my team, when he lost last year, then in Foxboro, i watched him, cry on sidelines , he wasnt hurt, hewas a coward. i feel bad for the charger fans, you deserve more!

BoltDan wrote on Jan 29, 2008 8:39 AM:Spineless jelly fish Patsey fans... come to our sites and talk crap. LT bagged on your classless team when they where yelling and stomping on our logo like gang bangers they are! Lt was injured and couldn't go so you Patsies were lucky this time. I know you where frightened when we got into scoring position 4 different times... Oh yeah and you were going to kill us in that game i recall... hmmm sure didn't happen did it! Losers!

Richard wrote on Jan 29, 2008 2:46 PM:The person who wrote to me who is spineless for not leaving your name is the worse vile because you hide behind a computer screen and i dont care if you come on the messege boards if you can say somthing about the chargers not the fans what team do you like and where are the sites that way we can give ... to you and yours and we will see what ever team you like next year and yes we will have the last laugh so remember it takes a man to stand up for one self and not hide with no name

patriot wrote on Jan 30, 2008 4:17 AM:hey little boltdan, spineless?, excuse me , i travel, from ct to san deigo alll the time, dont tell me this is your site! im not talking crap to you , fool! you missed my point!i didnt do anything. the logo dance wasnt rite, however, merryman talked crap, with phillips the whole game, the chargers are know as smack talkers. do your homework. scoring postion 4 times? what kind of championship team goes to the red zone 4 times, and kicks field goals?, who are the losers? does the numbers 18-0 mean anything to you? everyteam can win in the NFL yes the giants can win the super bowl, the difference is INTEGRITY

BoltDan wrote on Jan 30, 2008 8:02 AM:AND the Patsies have LOTS of Integrity.. OH that's right THEY CHEATED... never talk about Integrity when your team cheats... Now I know the players didn't do it! Everybody else does it! WHATEVER else excuse the Patsies have for what they did it doesn't wash. LIKE Barry Bonds and others you cheated. PERIOD. NO INTEGRITY.

patriot wrote on Jan 30, 2008 10:57 AM:my lil'bolt-on dan, you do not understand what is legal, illegal, or cheating. filming coaches is legal,it is not legal in 2007 from the coaches sidelines. the Jets were not allowed in Foxboro to film at a certain location so Eric Mangina , the jets coach, reported the filming in game one. do you watch other games other than the chargers.? i do, the other teams have jealousy, for NE, who wouldnt , just like Dallas, San Fran,Pittsburg, how old are you? cities hate to see other city dynasties. anyway, you can call it cheating, but when you say that , you are also saying that you do not understand the NFL. and only watch, and care about your local team. it is good for the league if the NE patriots go un-defeated, in the super-bowl, and only a loss would hurt them, public opinion on the envious supposely scandal of spy-gate would hurt the league.do you understand.?

my name is Richard not little bolt dan wrote on Jan 30, 2008 2:07 PM:no one ever said you could not respond on this site i have never said you could not. all I said was dont talk trash about the fans or the team if you got construtive critizisms you are free to say them remember this is the united state freedom of speach . personally i would not chose to talk trash as ive seen from your peopleon this site what angers me the most is the people who hide behind the screen and they dont have the spine to use thier name because they are ussally wrong at what they know and its the best way they know how to impower themselfs in there failed attemp to justify ther self worth.so you fly back and forth big deal does that justify the trash talking all the time i think not.im sure most everyone who comes to this site could be friends.you sound as if you are not as inmature as most of your comments have been.so lets just try to get along here i dont care if they cheated and i dont care if they win.so the next time you can call me by name because i will always respond to any comment that comes my way. and by the way have a good day and good luck

richard wrote on Jan 30, 2008 2:19 PM:sorry some spelling errors ans slite rambilings a death in the family last night

Jimbo wrote on Feb 1, 2008 5:07 AM:No mancrush dude, just pure facts. Brees had better seasons in 2006 and 2007 than did Rivers, even on a lousy Saints team. He knows the Chargers playbook, the defense, and the players. Meanwhile, Rabbit ears Rivers invents new ways to help the Chargers lose.

Hey Dingleberry wrote on Feb 1, 2008 11:55 PM:Uhhh duhhh Jimbo,Rivers has lost 1 I repeat 1 game at The Q. Get ready to kiss his feet next season

Jimbo wrote on Feb 3, 2008 2:51 PM:Dingle, it ain't that hard to win on such a good team as the Chargers. If he was a Dolphin the last two seasons, that home loss number would be in the teens. Being hurt and not playing well in the Championship game doubly hurt the Chargers. At least LT had the sense to sit when he knew he wouldn't help the team.

sd bolts wrote on Feb 10, 2008 7:18 PM:thats so cool that we can play on that day and we are going to win on that day it will be 35 to 14 yup thats how we do it in sd lol =]

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