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Pastimes : Football Forum (NFL) -- Ignore unavailable to you. Want to Upgrade?

To: Master (Hijacked) who wrote (7423)	10/3/2001 12:54:07 AM
From: Master (Hijacked)	Respond to of 45639

chargers.com Statistics don’t lie by David Neville, Chargers.com Photo: Mike Nowak 10.01.01 - There’s an old adage in sports: statistics don’t lie. As far as the Chargers are concerned, a quick glance at the NFL’s rankings on Monday morning would seem to bear that theory out. First off, the biggest statistic for the Chargers is their record: 3-0. They are the only undefeated team left in the AFC, and it’s the Chargers’ best mark since opening the 1994 season 4-0 on their way to a 6-0 start, eventually leading to their first AFC Championship. The next stat that sticks out for the Chargers is their NFL-best plus-8 takeaway-giveaway ratio. The Chargers lead the NFL with 13 takeaways so far this season. An encouraging sign, considering the Chargers turned the ball over a league-high 50 times (30 interceptions and 20 fumbles) last year on their way to ranking dead last in the NFL with a minus-28 takeaway-giveaway ratio. San Diego’s defense also is first in the AFC and third in the NFL in passing yards allowed per game at 143.7. The Chargers are second in the AFC in total defense, allowing just 229.0 yards per game. The Chargers’ defense is first in the AFC (second in the NFL) in third down conversions allowed (26.5 %, 9 of 34) and fourth in total first downs allowed (39). Offensively, the Chargers are second in the AFC (third in the NFL) in rushing, averaging 132.0 yards per game. San Diego’s offense is second in third down conversions (44.4 %, 20 of 45), third in total first downs (61) and fourth in touchdown percentage in the red zone (56.3 %, 9 of 16). On special teams, the Chargers are fourth in the conference in kickoff coverage, allowing opponents to start at just their 24.2-yard line. Conversely, the Chargers are starting at their own 28-yard line after kickoffs, sixth in the AFC. Several individual players are at the top or near the top of the rankings for the Chargers. Rookie running back LaDainian Tomlinson leads all NFL position players with 30 points and five touchdowns. He is tied for the NFL lead in scoring with two kickers, San Diego’s Wade Richey and Oakland’s Sebastian Janikowski (who coincidentally share the mark for successful field goals in a game with four this season). Tomlinson’s 310 rushing yards and 84 carries are both tops in the AFC. His 364 total yards from scrimmage is third in the AFC and fifth in the NFL. His 19 rushing first downs rank first in the AFC, and his 22 total first downs is second in the conference. Tomlinson’s 36 carries against Washington Week 1 is still the most by any NFL player in a game so far this season. On defense, cornerback Ryan McNeil leads all NFL players with five interceptions in just three games, the most by a Chargers cornerback since Gill Byrd had six during the entire 1991 season. On special teams, Tim Dwight ranks third in the AFC with an average of 13.8 yards per punt return, and his 84-yard punt return against Washington is still the longest in the NFL this season. Dwight also has the longest reception in the AFC so far this season, a 78-yarder from quarterback Doug Flutie at Dallas two weeks ago. Speaking of Flutie, his 353 yards passing at Dallas is the second-highest total in a game this year behind Indianapolis quarterback Peyton Manning’s 421 against Buffalo on Sept. 23. Flutie also ranks second in the AFC in passer efficiency on third downs with a 99.2 quarterback rating. The Chargers also have the third ranked kickoff returner in the AFC in Ronney Jenkins, who is averaging 26.3 yards per kick return.