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On paper at least, the San Diego Chargers look like the team to beat in the NFL. In fact, the Chargers odds of winning in 2009 and beyond have great value. Their 2010 Super Bowl odds were listed at 10/1 at Sportsbetting.com, with a payout potential of $1000 on every $100 bet. The players are healthy, the talent is there. Everything looks great for the Chargers. The one sticking point: Is this team going to be well coached and could poor coaching personnel actually lead to the demise of this very talented franchise in 2009/2010?
Inside the locker room, head coach Norv Turner is finally understood - respected for what he is, appreciated for the plan he has, writes Kevin Acee of the San Diego Union Tribune.
"He's a genius," defensive end Luis Castillo said. "He's the kind of guy who everything he does he does for a reason. As players, you don't always see those reasons. But I think with Norv we've come to realize he's always got a reason for everything he says, everything he does."
"He's come to know this team inside and out," running back LaDainian Tomlinson said. "Now he knows what buttons to push. He was feeling the team out. He pushes us more. He's demanding more out of us. In return, guys understand what he's trying to do."
While Acee points out that Turner's name is being thrown out as one of the coaches on the hot seat, the reality, he says, is that "Turner is more than secure with the man who makes such decisions and the owner who has put his faith in that man."
This is a team that started off last season 4-8 and somehow managed to finish with a .500 record by winning and losing by 2 and 1 points, respectively, their first two games. They lost that first game to a very solid Carolina team and managed to beat the Patriots at home later on.
"This was a team that should have been 10-6," remarked Don Shapiro of Gambling911.com. "And with all the players healthy again, oddsmakers know the Chargers can keep up with the best in the league, including New England."
Of course San Diego is not without its problems off the field.
Shawne Merriman, a star linebacker for the NFL's San Diego Chargers, will not be prosecuted over allegations he assaulted his reality TV star girlfriend, Tila Tequila, a San Diego County official said.
"Our office has determined there is insufficient evidence to prove beyond a reasonable doubt that any crime was committed," Bonnie Dumanis, San Diego's district attorney, said in a statement issued late on Friday.
Dumanis said her office closed the case, which arose after Tila Nguyen, known by her celebrity name of Tila Tequila, called police on September 6 and accused Merriman of choking her and trapping her in his mansion.
Still, the distractions can't exactly help the Chargers star player.
For now the oddsmakers are confident in the Chargers, making them among the top 4 favorites to win the 2010 Super Bowl. Some books have them in their top 3 in terms of shortest odds to win.
You can bet on the San Diego Chargers to win the 2010 Super Bowl at 10/1 odds here
Tyrone Black, Gambling911.com
