2004 San Diego Chargers season
The 2004 San Diego Chargers season was the franchise's 34th season in the National Football League (NFL), its 44th overall and the third under head coach Marty Schottenheimer. The team improved on their 4–12 record in 2003 and finished the regular season 12–4 and made the playoffs for the first time in nine years, as it was the team's first division title since the 1994 season. In the playoffs they lost in overtime to the New York Jets. At the end of the season Marty Schottenheimer was named NFL Coach of the Year.
2004 San Diego Chargers season | |
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Owner | Alex Spanos |
Head coach | Marty Schottenheimer |
General manager | A.J. Smith |
Home field | Qualcomm Stadium |
Results | |
Record | 12–4 |
Division place | 1st AFC West |
Playoff finish | Lost Wild Card Playoffs (vs. Jets) 17–20 (OT) |
Pro Bowlers | RB LaDainian Tomlinson QB Drew Brees TE Antonio Gates |
Offseason
NFL draft
Entering the draft, the consensus top pick was Ole Miss quarterback Eli Manning. However, Manning had said prior to the draft that he did not want to play for the Chargers and would not sign with them if he was drafted. The Chargers would strike a deal with the Giants before the draft that would shape the future of both franchises. The Chargers would select Manning first overall, as they had intended to. The Giants would then draft quarterback Philip Rivers of North Carolina State, and then swap him and two 2005 draft picks for Manning.
2004 San Diego Chargers draft | |||||
Round | Pick | Player | Position | College | Notes |
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1 | 1 | Eli Manning * | QB | Ole Miss | traded to NY Giants |
2 | 35 | Igor Olshansky | DT | Oregon | |
2 | 62 | Terrence Kiel | S | Texas A&M | from Green Bay via Philadelphia |
3 | 65 | Nate Kaeding * | K | Iowa | From NY Giants |
3 | 66 | Nick Hardwick * | C | Purdue | |
4 | 98 | Shaun Phillips * | DE | Purdue | |
5 | 133 | Dave Ball | DE | UCLA | |
5 | 154 | Michael Turner * | RB | NIU | from Miami |
6 | 169 | Ryan Krause | TE | Nebraska-Omaha | |
7 | 204 | Ryon Bingham | DT | Nebraska | |
7 | 209 | Shane Olivea | OT | Ohio State | from Atlanta |
7 | 254 | Carlos Joseph | OT | Miami (FL) | |
Made roster † Pro Football Hall of Fame * Made at least one Pro Bowl during career |
Personnel
Staff
Front office
Head coaches
Offensive coaches
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Defensive coaches
Special teams coaches
Strength and conditioning
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Roster
Regular season
Schedule
Week | Date | Opponent | Result | Record | Venue | Recap |
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1 | September 12 | at Houston Texans | W 27–20 | 1–0 | Reliant Stadium | Recap |
2 | September 19 | New York Jets | L 28–34 | 1–1 | Qualcomm Stadium | Recap |
3 | September 26 | at Denver Broncos | L 13–23 | 1–2 | Invesco Field at Mile High | Recap |
4 | October 3 | Tennessee Titans | W 38–17 | 2–2 | Qualcomm Stadium | Recap |
5 | October 10 | Jacksonville Jaguars | W 34–21 | 3–2 | Qualcomm Stadium | Recap |
6 | October 17 | at Atlanta Falcons | L 20–21 | 3–3 | Georgia Dome | Recap |
7 | October 24 | at Carolina Panthers | W 17–6 | 4–3 | Bank of America Stadium | Recap |
8 | October 31 | Oakland Raiders | W 42–14 | 5–3 | Qualcomm Stadium | Recap |
9 | November 7 | New Orleans Saints | W 43–17 | 6–3 | Qualcomm Stadium | Recap |
10 | Bye | |||||
11 | November 21 | at Oakland Raiders | W 23–17 | 7–3 | McAfee Coliseum | Recap |
12 | November 28 | at Kansas City Chiefs | W 34–31 | 8–3 | Arrowhead Stadium | Recap |
13 | December 5 | Denver Broncos | W 20–17 | 9–3 | Qualcomm Stadium | Recap |
14 | December 12 | Tampa Bay Buccaneers | W 31–24 | 10–3 | Qualcomm Stadium | Recap |
15 | December 19 | at Cleveland Browns | W 21–0 | 11–3 | Cleveland Browns Stadium | Recap |
16 | December 26 | at Indianapolis Colts | L 31–34 (OT) | 11–4 | RCA Dome | Recap |
17 | January 2 | Kansas City Chiefs | W 24–17 | 12–4 | Qualcomm Stadium | Recap |
Standings
AFC West | |||||||||
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W | L | T | PCT | DIV | CONF | PF | PA | STK | |
(4) San Diego Chargers | 12 | 4 | 0 | .750 | 5–1 | 9–3 | 446 | 313 | W1 |
(6) Denver Broncos | 10 | 6 | 0 | .625 | 3–3 | 7–5 | 381 | 304 | W2 |
Kansas City Chiefs | 7 | 9 | 0 | .438 | 3–3 | 6–6 | 483 | 435 | L1 |
Oakland Raiders | 5 | 11 | 0 | .313 | 1–5 | 3–9 | 320 | 422 | L2 |
Week 1: at Houston Texans
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Week 2: vs. New York Jets
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Week 3: at Denver Broncos
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Week 4: vs. Tennessee Titans
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Week 5: vs. Jacksonville Jaguars
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Week 6: at Atlanta Falcons
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Week 7: at Carolina Panthers
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Week 8: vs. Oakland Raiders
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Week 9: vs. New Orleans Saints
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Week 11: at Oakland Raiders
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Week 12: at Kansas City Chiefs
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Week 13: vs. Denver Broncos
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Week 14: vs. Tampa Bay Buccaneers
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Week 15: at Cleveland Browns
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San Diego clinches its first division title since 1994.
Week 16: at Indianapolis Colts
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Week 17: vs. Kansas City Chiefs
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Playoffs
Week | Date | Opponent | Result | TV | Attendance |
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Wildcard | January 8, 2005 | New York Jets | L 20–17 | ABC |
Wild Card: vs. New York Jets
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See also
References
- 2012 San Diego Chargers Media Guide. pp. 263–264. Archived from the original on October 15, 2014. Retrieved October 28, 2014.