Our Players Need to be Ready to Play the Best Games of their Lives

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We have a big game this week, but despite the fact that it is a playoff game, football is football. Anytime you go out there and think about anything other than just doing your job and playing a hard physical game, then you don't bring your best.  If it goes beyond that, then you're just taking away from what you're capable of doing on the field.

I think what Sunday boils down to is guys being ready to play some of the biggest games of their careers up to this point.  We have such a young team.  There are a lot of our guys that don't know if they're ready for this game, whether it's physically or mentally or, just for the sheer fact that they have never been to the playoffs before.  Health issues aside, I think this team will be ready. We'll be ready physically. As far as the guys that may have been banged up, Vince is a competitor, but when it comes to injuries, everybody heals differently.  I'm sure Coach Fisher will make all the right decisions when the time comes.

In terms of my calf injury, we're kind of taking it day-to-day right now. Obviously my goal is to play, but we'll just wait and see how my calf feels by the end of the week. I don't want to miss a game against anybody, especially a game in the post-season.  It's the playoffs, and our goal is to win and move on.  Obviously I can't help the team if I'm on the sideline.

I don't think there's going to be a carryover from the last game with the Chargers.  I do think it'll be another intense and physical game, if only because it's such a big game.  The magnitude of it lends itself to be that kind of game regardless of what happened in the regular season.  What happened a few weeks back, it's not something that we're thinking about.  We're looking forward to the rematch, and the stakes are much higher this time.

We've got several guys who have been to the playoffs, and we've got some guys that have played in the Super Bowl and won the Super Bowl.  It's our job to explain to the young guys how big of a deal this is.  Teams don't just go to the playoffs every year. It just doesn't happen.  Take away the Indianapolis Colts, you take away the New England Patriots, both teams have been there year after year lately, but in the bigger scheme of things in the NFL, you just don't go to the playoffs every year.  It's our job as the veteran guys to explain that to them.  This is a precious time.  You lose and you go home.  That's not what our goal is.  Our goal is to keep winning, as is the San Diego Chargers.