You realize that if the Chargers had hired anyone other than this man — this guy — you realize that we'd be falling over ourselves to praise the guy. All the playoff troubles for the Chargers, and the new coach, in his first year, gets them to the AFC Championship Game despite injuries to Philip Rivers and LaDainian Tomlinson. That's amazing, right? Except ... it's that guy.

Let's ignore what the Chargers are up against next week for a moment — or a couple of hours, anyway — and reflect on what they pulled off yesterday. Their winning drive was engineered by Billy Freaking Volek. They overcome a cascade of ridiculous calls, a deafening home crowd and the depression that being in Indianapolis, even for a few hours, inevitably provides. And yet here they are.

The big discussion after the game was whether or not Tony Dungy will return to the Colts next year. (He might go be a minister to prisons, which is exactly the wrong place to start bashing gays, by the way.) We're not quite sure the Colts should want him back. As Peter King points out, this is now the second heavily favored Colts team to lose at home in the playoffs in three years. Bring in Cowher; he'll knock 'em into shape.

Contact information for this author is not available.