San Diego – Have yourself a merry little notes column. …
Two sacks, two forced fumbles, one fumble recovery. Hey, everybody has a bad day at the office now and then, even Shawne Merriman.
With each passing game, Merriman is providing more fuel for the fire, more evidence for the argument that he and he alone is the NFL’s best defensive player.
His reaction when people call him that? It’s a start.
“I want to be known as the greatest who’s ever done it,” Merriman said after the Chargers’ 48-20 victory at Qualcomm Stadium. “And I’m going to keep working until it’s officially said. Even after it’s said, I’ll continue to stay that way.”
He wants to be the best defensive player in the league?
“No, ever,” he said. “I don’t play this game to have a great year. I play this game to be an all-time great. That’s it.”
Unfortunately for the Broncos, Merriman figures to be around for years to come. So does Wade Phillips, whose 3-4 defense is the perfect system for Merriman’s talents. Keep in mind that Phillips once coaxed double-digit sacks out of Mike Croel, who was out of the league a few years later.
Merriman has 12.5 sacks through 13 games. Now for the fine print: He has only played in nine, no thanks to a four-game suspension for violating the NFL’s steroids policy, which he attributes to a tainted over-the-counter supplement.
Can a player be suspended for a quarter of the season and still win the NFL defensive player of the year award?
“In my heart, I believe I’m the best at what I do,” he said. “Whether I win it or not, I don’t know. Do I feel I should win it? Of course. But at the same time, if I don’t win it this year, or if I don’t go to the Pro Bowl, I’ll work just as hard in the offseason and come back even stronger.” …
Let the record show the Broncos did their part in getting LaDainian Tomlinson the NFL record for rushing touchdowns in a season. They have scored nine rushing touchdowns this season, and L.T. has scored six in two games against them. Oh, and did I mention the little matter of that 51-yard touchdown catch he had at Invesco Field at Mile High? …
Marty Schottenheimer, on L.T.: “I don’t want to embarrass him, but for all the skills he has as a player, they pale by comparison to the person.” Which reminds me. Talk about your class acts. As I write this, Tomlinson is down on the field signing autographs and posing for pictures with the latest bunch of underprivileged kids he hosts at every Chargers game. Afterward, he took them to Dave & Buster’s for dinner. …
It took awhile, but I finally came up with Sunday’s silver lining: At least the Broncos didn’t blow a 24-7 lead this time. …
As if having Tomlinson in their backfield weren’t enough, the Chargers believe they have the best fullback in the business in Lorenzo Neal. Said Antonio Gates: “He’s the guy who nobody hears about or reads about, but he plays a role that’s unbelievable. We were so happy when he scored that touchdown. You could just see it. Everybody was like, ‘You do it for once. As much as you provide for this team, you deserve it.’ ” …
Sign spotted in the Qualcomm crowd: “Thanks Eli” – as in Eli Manning. You don’t suppose young Eli is kicking himself for refusing to play for the Chargers, do you? Nah, didn’t think so.
In Manning’s defense, warm ocean breezes, palm trees swaying in the breeze and 11-2 records aren’t really all they’re cracked up to be. …
Not that the Chargers were scoring at will in the first half, but that confounded cannon was going off so often, it sounded like a battle scene from “Pirates of the Caribbean”. …
What’s this? An interview with an offensive lineman after a Broncos game? OK, so I had to go to the Chargers’ locker room to get it, but here’s what their right guard, Mike Goff, had to say about, L.T.: “We’ve kind of come to expect eight and nine men in the box. When you’ve got (No.) 21 back there and you can get him one-on-one with the safety, I like our odds. He’s just amazing at what he does. It’s almost surreal.”
Catch Jim Armstrong from 6-9 a.m. during “The Press Box” on ESPN radio 560 AM. He can be reached at 303-954-1269 or jmarmstrong@denverpost.com.
