Already hopping mad from a malfunction in the replay booth’s equipment that nixed a review that would’ve overturned a Champ Bailey fumble-recovery TD, the Chargers got screwed again in the final seconds when referee Ed “Guns” Hochuli prematurely blew his whistle and ruled that a clear fumble was in fact an incomplete pass. Soon after, the Broncos scored a touchdown and added a ballsy two-point conversion to beat San Diego 39-38. Oops.

Even though Jay Cutler clearly lost the ball as he was bringing his arm backward, Hochuli couldn’t resist the urge to suckle the silver teat and erase all possibility for possession to be awarded to the Chargers. Linebacker Tim Dobbins picked up the errant pigskin and ran two or three yards before stepping out of bounds, giving San Diego hope that they would be awarded the ball on review. The play was reviewed, but that’s when things got confusing.

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While Ken Lucas is back practicing with the Panthers this afternoon after getting beaten up by teammate Steve Smith on Friday, not all is finer in Carolina. Yes, Smith issued an apology for his actions this morning, and both he and Lucas say they’ve talked about the fight and are putting it behind them, but it turns out that Smith isn’t the only one who is going to miss some time thanks to the melee.

While Steve has been suspended by the team for their first two regular season games, it turns out Ken is going to miss 2-3 weeks, too, thanks to surgery he’s going to need on his nose. Read more…