What about Bob?

Three weeks ago, Ryan Leaf was indicted on nine drug and burglary charges after he broke into an apartment off the West Texas A&M campus (where he was coaching at the time) and stole hydrocodone from an injured player's room.

But Leaf, 33, has yet to turn himself in to Randall County police.

Said county prosecutor Lacy Miller: "At one point he said he was going to turn himself in. He hasn't turned himself in yet, and if he gets picked up he's going to be arrested. If he gets picked up out of our jurisdiction, then we will extradite him or use whatever means we have to get him back. Right now he is a wanted individual."

Leaf was undergoing drug treatment in British Columbia at the time he was indicted. He could not be reached for comment by the San Diego Union-Tribune.

-Chris Mascaro

***UPDATE***: Leaf will reportedly surrender to police sometime this week, according to his lawyer, Bill Kelly.

Perry Dealy, a developer in the San Diego area, unveiled his proposal to replace Qualcomm Stadium with a new 70,000-seat stadium, a 16-story hotel, 3.7 million square feet of office buildings, 5,900 condominiums and apartments, and a new Space Shuttle (just kidding on the last part).

The project has met even more resistance than the Mr. Wang's Lighthouse Project, as the Chargers sent a fax directly to Dealy stating they thought the plans were unrealistic — team spokesman Mark Fabiani said Wednesday the Chargers don't support the proposal because they don't think it “has a realistic chance of being implemented” due to its “extraordinary density.”

In addition to the team, San Diego Mayor Jerry Sanders is in no hurry to talk about the proposal. When Dealy called on the mayor to create a task force to study its feasibility, he was met with this statement from the Mayor's Office spokesman Darren Pudgil: “I don't know why we would create a task force to look at a proposal the Chargers say is dead on arrival.”

Said Dealy: “We'll stay if it looks like the mayor wants to keep it in the limelight, but we don't want to just go uphill with it. If the Chargers felt like they were closer to a deal somewhere else in the region, our entire group would join other San Diegans in helping them achieve their goals. We're not trying to compete or be independent. We just don't want to lose them.”

Dealy said the project would cost upwards of $1 billion ($700 million for the stadium and $300 million for improved infrastructure).

-Chris Mascaro

I was tipped off by this post on profootballtalk.com to check out Shawne Merriman's Twitter page (yes, it's really him).

Twittered Merriman just a couple hours ago: "so today was the best i felt running and working out since my surgery back in sept. damn i cant wait for the season"

Merriman, a three-time All Pro, missed all but one game last season after having surgery to repair a torn PCL.

Some more highlights from his Twitter page include: running though an airport, working out with a German kickboxer in Frankfurt, plans to be in Vegas for his birthday on the 25th and opining that Michael Vick deserves a second chance in the NFL.

You can read it for yourself here.

Lights Out on this post!

-Chris Mascaro

The modern-day LT is back on the practice field and feeling no ill effects from the groin injury that sidelined him during last year's playoffs.

Of course, our own LTmeansLawrenceTaylor couldn't give a Craphonso about all this, but it is certainly an encouraging development for our own Charlie Chilkoot.

Tomlinson, who re-structured his deal after some testy negotiations during the off-season, said he was not limited at all over the weekend during a mini-camp.

The news was not quite as good with linebacker Shawne Merriman, who is still recovering from knee surgery. Merriman hasn't gotten back onto the field yet, but is expected to be close to full strength once training camp begins.

The Chargers drafted LSU wideout Demetrius Byrd, who was severely injured in a one-car crash last Sunday in Miami, with the 224th pick yesterday.

Byrd was upgraded to good condition on Friday, five days after he was admitted to a Miami hospital in critical condition. The accident occurred last Sunday when a tire blew out and Byrd's car hit a utility pole.

The Chargers' running back, who just completed contentious negotiations on a restructured contract, admits he considered being traded when talks bogged down.

Among the teams he mentioned yesterday on Dan Patrick's radio show: the Saints, where he would have been reunited with quarterback Drew Brees, the Ravens and the Broncos.

The back-and-forth negotiations continue, and there's now reason to believe a compromise could be worked out where Tomlinson's contract can be restructured and keep him in a Chargers uniform through at least the 2009 season.

There'd been talk that Tomlinson was ready to leave - further fueled by former Chargers quarterback Drew Brees saying in a radio interview that he'd love to see Tomlinson traded to New Orleans. But the pendulum appears to be swinging back toward Tomlinson remaining with the team, according to the San Diego Union-Tribune.

Sure seems like something is going on, and it might very well end in divorce for Charlie Chilkoot's favorite running back.

He has spent the last two playoff years nursing injuries, and the Chargers appear to be putting the squeeze on Tomlinson. San Diego Union-Tribune beat reporter Kevin Acee writes that the team has given Tomlinson its final offer in a contract restructuring.

There's also a buzz that the Saints are poking around about a trade for LT ... er, Tomlinson.

The Chargers still haven't come to a resolution on the contractual status of running back LaDainian Tomlinson, although general manager A.J. Smith, who a couple weeks ago goofed on Tomlinson for whining about his situation, might address the matter today.

Perhaps Chilkoot will wake up early enough to join us for this morning's 11 a.m. chat and weigh in on the L.T. mess.

And perhaps our LTmeansLawrenceTaylor will chime in and complain that there's only one L.T.!

Extremely interesting video/article by T.J. Quinn of ESPN about the 1963 AFL champion San Diego Chargers, who were introduced to [read: forced to take] the anabolic steroid Dianabol by coach Sid Gillman and the team's strength coach (which no other club had at the time) Alvin Roy.

Both the video and story are long, but definitely worth the time.

...because, for the life of me, I simply cannot get this song out of my head (and it's been there for almost a week now).

(Getty Images)

In the midst of a career season, San Diego Chargers wide receiver Vincent Jackson was arrested Tuesday morning on suspicion of drunken driving.

California Highway Patrol Officer Brad Baehr said Jackson, 25, was pulled over in his 2008 GMC Sierra for an observed traffic violation at 2:30 a.m. He was booked into county jail and was released by 6 a.m., Baehr said.

Jackson caught 59 passes for 1,098 yards and seven touchdowns this season.

This misdemeanor DUI charge for Jackson probably isn't the smartest thing in southern California this week, what with those pesky Pittsburgh Steelers on the docket in an NFL playoff game on Sunday afternoon at 4:15 p.m.

This will be labeled as a distraction for the team this week, per usual. This never really made much sense to me. It's a distraction for Jackson, no doubt, but the whole team? Sure, they'll have to answer questions for a day or two about it, but assuming this isn't part of a bigger legal incident about to happen with other Chargers, that should be the end of it.

If Darren Sproles fumbles in the game, was it really because he was thinking about Jackson's arrest five days earlier? Or if Philip Rivers throws four incomplete passes in a row, is that because of what happened to Jackson or because of James Harrison and Troy Polamulu? I can't wait to hear the announcers this week.

That headline was for you, LTmeansLawrenceTaylor.

The "other" LT, the Chargers running back named LaDainian Tomlinson, is iffy for tonight's showdown against the Colts, amid reports his groin injury is more serious than first thought.

Sorry, Chilkoot. Looks like Darren Sproles might be the guy tonight.

The Chargers and Broncos resume their not-so-friendly rivalry with a massive season-ending showdown in San Diego. The winner moves on to the playoffs. The loser goes home.

The quarterbacks from each team aren’t exactly buddies. Remember last December, when Chargers quarterback Philip Rivers enraged the Broncos with his sideline taunting of Cutler in the fourth quarter of a Monday night at Qualcomm Stadium? The Broncos do.

“He's not a respectable guy right now,” Broncos cornerback Champ Bailey said at the time. “You talk too much trash and do this and that, but you're really not a great player in this league right now.”

Cutler fired back in an interview on Fox’s Best Damn Sports Show Period.

“I’m just not that big a fan of the guy.” Cutler said of Rivers. “I don't like how he carries himself. I don't like some of the stuff he does on the field.”

Bring it on, boys!!

We're still grinding away in the Giants' press room in the wake of the Plaxico Burress fiasco, so it was a welcome sight to see our own Charlie Chilkoot pitch in with some Chargers' humor.

(Hey, we've got nothing left after yesterday's Burress stakeout and a non-stop procession of interviews here inside Giants Stadium. It's the place where Best toiled for 10 good years before retiring to the basement to watch tv, listen to Francesa and post hot pics of women.)

Here goes:

The California Highway Patrol is cracking down on speeders heading towards the city of San Diego. For the first offense, they give you two Chargers tickets. If you get stopped a second time, they make you use them.

Q. What do you call 47 millionaires sitting around a TV watching the Super Bowl?
A. The Chargers.

Q. How do you keep a Charger out of your yard?
A. Put up a goal post.Q.

What do you call a Charger with a Super Bowl ring?
A. A thief.

Q. What's the difference between the Chargers and a dollar bill?
A. You can still get four quarters out of a dollar bill.

Q. How many Chargers does it take to win a Super Bowl?
A. Nobody knows and we may never find out!

Q. What do the Chargers and a possum have in common?
A. Both play dead at home and get killed on the road!

- thanks Koot. Needed that one.

Despite an underachieving season and a series of mediocre performances to go with a 4-6 record, Norv Turnver's job is safe in San Diego.

Not sure how noted Bolts fans Charlie Chilkoot feels about this, but general manager A.J. Smith and team president Dean Spanos don't care. They're solidly behind Turner, and they've assured him he's coming back next season.

Their loyalty is admirable, but it wouldn't be a surprise if there is a need for further votes of confidence down the road. After all, Turner's playoff resume isn't exactly dominating, although last year's run to the AFC Championship Game was his best work.

Ted Cottrell gets the gate after another poor defensive performance.

In comes former Bears defensive coordinator Ron Rivera.

Foxsports' Jay Glazer is reporting that Merriman has told teammates he's going to undergo season-ending surgery to repair two torn knee ligaments.

Wise move.

I was talking to a former NFL team doc Sunday night about Pats QB Tom Brady's knee, and we also discussed Merriman. The doc said: "Oh, we'll be talking about him at some point in the very near future. Trust me on that one. He's done. I'll bet my house on it."

Good thing Merriman saw the light before it was too late.

The Chargers' All Pro linebacker has two torn knee ligaments, and has been advised by four different doctors to undergo surgery rather than risk a career-threatening injury by playing on it. Merriman has decided to play, because he believes the Chargers have a realistic chance to go to the Super Bowl.

I'll be weighing in on this for Sunday's newspaper, but I'm curious to see if there are any thoughts one way or the other out there.

Charlie Chilkoot, you're up.

... from himself.

After seeing four orthopedic surgeons, all of whom recommended that he repair two slightly torn knee ligaments, Merriman says he will play this season, despite the risks.

Wow.

If the Chargers don't step in and convince Merriman to get the surgery, regardless of how it impacts the team on the field, they're nuts. Unless there's something we don't know as far as Merriman's condition is concerned, there's no way in the world they should risk a 24-year-old franchise pass rusher like this.

He has told team officials that he has a torn posterior cruciate ligament as well as a torn lateral collateral ligament.
Ouch.

He's still uncertain whether to undergo surgery, but docs have told them if he plays, he could risk a season-ending injury - or perhaps a career-ender.

Our San Diego writer pal Jay "Bubba" Paris sheds some light on what Chargers linebacker Shawne Merriman faces as a result of what is reported to be a torn posterior cruciate ligament. Bubba spoke to a North Carolina doc.

Chilkoot has passed along this beautifully written ode to former Chargers defensive back Terrence Kiel, who died in a car accident last month. It's penned by Buzz Bissinger, who created a major stir in the blogosphere not long ago by ripping most bloggers to shreds on an HBO special with Bob Costas.

Thanks for that, CC. Well done.

It's still uncertain whether he will play, sit out a certain period of time for rehab, or undergo surgery that would end his season.

If he's done for the year, it'd be a major blow to a team that has legitimate Super Bowl aspirations this season.

Our guess is that Charlie Chilkoot is keeping his fingers and toes crossed in hopes that his Chargers will not be without their best pass rusher. Indications are the Chilkoot has finally thawed out from his trip out East for the AFC Championship Game in Foxboro, where his beloved Bolts were ousted by Patriots.

That's what the Chargers' Pro Bowl linebacker told the North County Times yesterday after consulting with renowned orthopedic surgeon Dr. James Andrews in Birmingham, Ala.

Exactly what ligament issues he's referring to remain to be seen, but the team seems to think he'll be in the lineup on opening day.

From the sound of it, Merriman might have stretched a knee ligament. Depending on which knee ligament, he may or may not need surgery on it. If it's the medial collateral ligament, it can be repaired on its own with rehabilitation. If it's an ACL, that's another story.

Former Lawrence High schoolboy star Shane Olivea, who looked as if he had a promising career with the Chargers, was released today.

Then again, so were several other Chargers players. And prominent players from other teams as well. Also whacked by San Diego: All Pro fullback Lorenzo Neal and safety Marlon McCree.

It wasn't bad enough for the Chargers that they saw their Super Bowl hopes go up in flames right before our man Charlie Chilkoot's eyes. Now center Nick Hardwick is whining about Richard Seymour being a cheap shot artist.

“Richard Seymour is the biggest (expletive) I've ever come across in football,” Hardwick said. “They've got 10 good football players on that team. Richard Seymour is a dirty, cheap little pompous (expletive).”

Hardwick and Seymour went at it just about the whole game.

"He's cheap and dirty, and the head man just let him get away with it the whole time,” Hardwick said. “They've got 10 great players, and when Jarvis Green is on the field they have 11 great players that compete how you're supposed to compete. But that Richard Seymour is the biggest (expletive) I've ever played."

Safe travels back to San Diego, Mr. Chilkoot.