San Diego – In the corner of the tiny visitors’ locker room after their upset win, a few New England players yelled, “Light’s out.”
“Lights Out” is Chargers all-pro linebacker Shawne Merriman’s nickname. As the Patriots celebrated on the field, some of them performed Merriman’s signature celebration dance at midfield in the direction of the San Diego sideline.
The taunting, continued from the field, did not go unnoticed by the Chargers. Perhaps taking their minds off their first home loss of the season and their first loss in 11 games, several Chargers focused not on their 24-21 loss Sunday, but how the Patriots celebrated their victory.
Linebacker Shaun Phillips said several Patriots yelled the phrase at the Chargers as the teams headed to their locker rooms after Nate Kaeding’s last-second field goal fell short.
“I would never, ever react in that way,” San Diego star running back LaDainian Tomlinson said. “I was upset, very upset….Just the fact the way they showed no class at all, absolutely no class, and maybe it comes from the head coach.”
In the New England locker room, there was a San Diego newspaper taped to the wall. The page had stories about the Chargers’ chances in the game.
“The Chargers were already thinking about the Super Bowl,” New England cornerback Ellis Hobbs said.
