Honestly, are there two hotter playoff teams than the Jets and Chargers? Rex Ryan, the Sanchize, and Co. have won six of seven, while Norv Turner, LT, and friends have won eleven straight. The last time they lost, Tiger Woods was a clean-cut family man.
And while Charger Girls captain Marisa has been behind them all the way, she’s not the first family member to don powder blue — her father spent the final year of a decade-long NFL career with the team. When she’s not shaking her pom-poms, Marisa studies kinesiology at San Diego State — and talks to us about some of the “worthless” hype from her team and Jets coach Rex Ryan, some of the other big games this weekend, and why LaDainian Tomlinson could join her cheerleading squad.
ESQUIRE: Whew, eleven straight wins. But the Chargers have been hot going into several recent playoffs and fallen short. Are things different this year?
MARISA: I don’t want to be cocky, but I’ve never been so confident in the team. We’ve made the playoffs all four of my seasons, but this year, I don’t have one doubt in my mind. We have all the right weapons going right now. Philip Rivers is having his best season yet, Vincent Jackson’s playing great… We’re so used to hearing Shawne Merriman’s name and LT’s name, but the whole team is stepping up. And for the first time, everyone’s walking in healthy. We’ve normally been banged up.
ESQ: Besides the established stars, who else needs to come up huge?
M: Jackson, for one — biggest Pro Bowl snub ever, huge playmaker. Malcolm Floyd. Legedu Naanee — he’s been a huge contributor in the wildcat formations. Darren Sproles, the little man, has been getting more recognition. Without punter Mike Scifres and kicker Nate Kaeding, we probably wouldn’t be where we are today. I think Nate’s gonna have a bit of revenge, because he missed one at the end against the Jets in the playoffs a few years ago, and we lost.
ESQ: Merriman’s light-switch tattoo: Do women think that sort of thing is hot or not?
M: Oh my gosh. Hot for now — as long as he can live up to that “lights out” thing this weekend. If he can’t turn the lights out, it’s worthless to me.
ESQ: New York has the top rushing offense, and you guys aren’t exactly, um, lights out against the run. Concerned?
M: We really have to step up the run defense, put the ball in Mark Sanchez’s hands, and get on the rookie — make him make decisions he doesn’t want to make. Our front seven are going to be a huge help, but our cornerbacks have also been amazing the second half of the season, not giving up huge plays over 20 yards. Our twelfth man — the fans — will be going wild, and that will be in our defense’s favor, too.
ESQ: Jets star cornerback Darrelle Revis vs. Jackson. Who walks out alive?
M: Jackson. Five-eleven doesn’t beat six-foot-five. That’s all I gotta say.
ESQ: Does your father have any thoughts on this matchup?
M: He’s not worried at all. He’s so excited. He was just talking about Sanchez being a rookie QB, how he’s really made a name for himself, but, “It’s time to send him back to New York.” Sanchez is from Southern California, so I’m assuming he’ll have a lot of fans in the stadium. He was actually at our playoff game against the Colts last season. Already scouting….
ESQ: Rex Ryan’s mouth has been about as big as his waistline lately. Does he need to just shut up and coach?
M: You can talk as much as you want, but it really comes down to Sunday and what happens on the field.
ESQ: On the flipside, there’s the slim and silent Norv Turner. Is he underrated because he looks like an accountant?
M: Ha-ha, I don’t know. Slow starts the past two seasons have gotten him on people’s bad side, but he’s kind of shut them up now with his third straight AFC West championship. He really knows what he’s doing — he’s got us to this point.
ESQ: If you Google “LT,” the first thing you see after his NFL.com profile is Slide Electric Glide. Is it the new Super Bowl Shuffle?
M: It is! We really want to do it on Sunday. We were all trying to pull it up on our phones so we could practice it. It’s been the talk of the town. That’s a side of LT we don’t get to see. Maybe we’ll see him on Dancing with the Stars. He could be on the Charger Girls, too. I’ve heard talk of them playing it at the game, instead of the San Diego Super Charger song, because they’re both pretty… cheesy, I guess you could say.
ESQ: Who’s winning this weekend’s other matchups?
M: Vikings-Cowboys — that one’s hard because Romo and the Cowboys are really hot right now. But I’m liking the Vikings — at home, Brett Favre, experienced Hall-of-Fame quarterback. A couple weeks ago, I would say Saints over Cardinals, but they seem to have lost a bit of their fire. Colts-Ravens, I’m excited because I think they can take Peyton down — meaning if we win, the AFC championship would be here. Even if the Colts win, they’ll be banged up, so I feel good about that game, even in Indy. I was sort of hoping we could get revenge on the Pats for beating us twice in the playoffs, but they are out already, and I’m fine with that.
It’s a special Sideline Distraction show to kick off 2010 On The Flipside! This exclusive edition features a pair of California women cheering on the sidelines of the AFC West. Host Aubrey Aquino anchors this episode from the Berkeley Marina in Northern California, where we begin with a segment on Oakland Raiderette Emily. Emily is a veteran Raiderette and line captain who upholds the law on her flipside! When she’s not donning the silver and black to cheer on the Raider Nation, she’s in court working as a criminal law attorney, and most people would never guess she can also be found cruising around the Bay Area in her very own Ford Mustang Mach 1.
After that we head south to San Diego to meet San Diego Charger Girl Marlina. Marlina represented the San Diego Chargers at the 2009 Pro Bowl in Hawaii and has also been leading her line on the field this season. On The Flipside, she is a successful businesswoman, founding and running her own “green” cleaning company. Fans may also be surprised to learn that she grew up on a farm, so she has a passion for animal rights and looks forward to one day starting her own animal rescue foundation.
This week’s NFL Cheerleader gallery on SportsIllustrated.com features squads from the Chargers, Dolphins, Cowboys, Bucs, Jets, Bills, and Vikings. Click here to view the photos.
After San Diego’s 11th straight win — this time with backups! — second-year Charger Girl Tonya believes even Vegas is underestimating her team’s Super Bowl heat. Even if it does have to face the Patriots.
On a Sunday when seemingly every AFC game had potential playoff implications, one Week 17 matchup truly didn’t. The Chargers, already locked in as that conference’s No. 2 seed, rested several stars, and the Redskins, playing for pride (again), stuck with their starters. In a season so smiled-upon you could call them the Charmers, was it any surprise that second-string QB Billy Volek’s last-minute TD pass delivered a 23-20 San Diego victory?
Yet Coach Norv Turner, fired by Washington ten years ago, wasn’t the only ex-Redskin smiling. Thanks to a couple of cross-country moves, Charger Girls captain Tonya has also cheered for the Cardinals and ‘Skins. “I’ve been called a free agent,” she jokes. She has another team, too. A Navy surviving spouse, Tonya co-founded Sweethearts for Soldiers, a nonprofit group of former NFL Cheerleaders and NBA Dancers that performs morale-boosting shows all over the globe. “We go from the sidelines to the front lines to support our true heroes, the troops,” she explains. Now working on an MBA, this go-getting Web development company owner has equally ambitious goals for the 13-3 Bolts.
ESQUIRE: When San Diego lost at home to Denver to fall to 2-3 way back in October, did you have any notion the team would finish the season winning 11 straight?
TONYA: Wow. We try to be as optimistic as possible, but a winning season and playoffs were what we hoped for. Getting the offense to gel and getting the defense back up were the main things on our minds. The cheerleaders are really excited. That game against the Bengals a couple weeks ago was so loud it was incredible. I told the rookies on my line, “This is how a playoff game is.”
ESQ: With playoff position secured, you don’t want guys getting rusty, but you also don’t want them getting hurt — like the Pats losing Wes Welker to a knee injury. How’d you feel about Turner keeping stars like Shawne Merriman and Vincent Jackson off the field today?
T: Well, they actually have injuries that need to heal. Philip Rivers and LT played early, but we didn’t want them getting hurt either. So that was a great call. For team morale and momentum, this win really put us over the top. It’s nice to end on a high note, and go into the playoffs with the second seed and a bye.
ESQ: LT had his first sub-thousand-yard season. Merriman had just four sacks. What’s been the key to piling up wins with two of the team’s most visible stars struggling a bit?
T: Consistency on both sides of the ball. We are always there. Rivers and Jackson connect week after week. LT maybe held back a couple of times, but he’s healthy and he’ll be there for the playoffs. Norv Turner has made all the right calls this year, and the stars have aligned in our favor.
ESQ: Besides Pro Bowl snub Jackson, who else doesn’t get enough credit for one of the best seasons in Chargers history?
T: On defense, we’ve been incredible, from Stephen Cooper to Eric Weddle to Kevin Burnett. It’s hard to pick out one player because so many have contributed. Look at the game today — our second string steps up and we still pull off a win. That just shows how much heart and passion and drive and talent we’ve got. And that makes 18 straight wins in December for Rivers.
ESQ: Speaking of Rivers — great, or really, really great?
T: I would have to say amazing. Over-the-top fantastic MVP. Each year he gets better and better. This will be our fourth consecutive AFC West championship. And beating the Redskins, I guess you can give us an NFC East title as well — we beat all their teams this season. Just a great team leader who gets the job done above and beyond — knowing where he is, what call he needs to make, being patient in the pocket. He hit his career high in passing yards this year.
ESQ: Which playoff team keeps you up at night?
T: You don’t want to overlook the Colts, but for this team, I would have to say the Pats, just because of our history with them. They’ve knocked us out twice in the last three years. If we face them again, with Welker out, hopefully we can take advantage. We’ve had LT out in other years. Maybe it’s our turn.
ESQ: Vegas currently has the Chargers at 4-to-1 to win the Super Bowl, behind only the Colts and the Saints. Are the oddsmakers getting it right?
T: Four-to-1?! I believe this year is our year. We’ve got everyone healthy — LT, Jackson, Antonio Gates, Merriman. I feel really optimistic, and I hope that doesn’t jinx us. Look at the Saints, going in with three straight losses, and the Colts going in with two straight losses. We’re going in with an 11-game winning streak. As long as we keep our heads in the game and our emotions streamlined, we can go all the way.
ESQ: Last but not least, both you and fellow Charger Girl Casie have fantastic abs. What’s your secret?
T: It’s having to have a beach body all year round! With 365 days of sunshine, you can’t afford to put on winter weight. I was on the beach on Christmas Day and New Year’s Day. They did a poll, and 10 percent of NFL players picked the Chargers as the team they’d want to play for. Of course it’s a great organization, but I think our geographical area factored in as well. We also have the hottest dance team in the NFL. And now we have the hottest team in the NFL. Both are living up to our weather.
This week’s collection of photos from week 16 includes the Redskins Cheerleaders, Charger Girls, 49ers Gold Rush, Dolphins Cheerleaders, Falcons Cheerleaders, Ben-Gals, Saintsations, and Cardinals Cheerleaders. Click here to go there now.
The latest Sports Illustrated NFL Cheerleader gallery features photos from week #15. Teams included are the Jets, Eagles, Saints, Broncos, Bills, Chargers, and Chiefs. Click here to go there now.
Be part of the action by voting for your favorite Charger Girl among the top three candidates chosen by the Charger Girls themselves. The winner will be announced this Sunday, December 20, 2009.
Ashlie
Marisa
Nicole
Fan votes will count towards 1/3rd of the overall voting process (the Charger Girl team and the Chargers Organization have the remaining 2/3rds of the vote). So here’s your chance to send one of these girls to Miami.
The NFL gallery on SI.com this week includes the Charger Girls, Colts Cheerleaders, Dolphins Cheerleaders, Jets Flight Crew, Raiderettes, Redskins Cheerleaders, and Titans Cheerleaders. Click here to go there now.
This week, Sports Illustrated features the Cowboys, Eagles, Cardinals, and Ravens Cheerleaders plus the Charger Girls, Buffalo Jills and the Jets Flight Crew. There’s also a bonus shot of a Packers Cheerleader. (Cheer squads from two local universities take turns performing a Packers home games.)
