"Same thing it was when it initially came out," he said after today's practice, when asked his reaction. "The DA's office said I didn't do anything wrong. It's just a very unfortunate situation. It's sad, really. But it's just something you have to deal with. I've dealt with it, and still obviously dealing with it. It'll handle itself."

He was asked if he felt a need to clear his name.

"I don't think there's anything to clear," he said. "The DA's office said so. I just let the system take its course and it did, and obviously this is a different matter than what happened initially."

Tequila's original claim following the Sept. 6 incident was that Merriman grabbed her, choked her, shook her, knocked her down and refused to allow her to leave at the end of the evening. The lawsuit alleges assault, battery, false imprisonment and emotional distress, and also accuses Merriman of having anger issues and a drug problem.

Asked about the drug allegations, Merriman said: "I don't even want to get into all that stuff. That's just for people to read. Obviously that wasn't part of the original incident. That's just something to be talked about ... It has nothing to do with what's really going on. The DA's office cleared everything. And everything was put on the table then. It's the same situation now. So I really have to let that take its course."

"It's a sad and unfortunate situation. Being a pro figure, sometimes you've got to deal with things. I'm going to let it take its course, and my lawyers and everyone will take care of that."

Tucker suffered an ankle injury in a win at the New York Giants two weeks ago. He appeared in seven games as a reserve and was inactive for two others.

Tucker was given a five-year contract before the 2008 season despite having played in only six career regular-season games.

Also Wednesday, the Chargers signed offensive tackle Corey Clark from the practice squad to the active roster. To take Clark's place on the practice squad, the Chargers signed offensive tackle Gerald Cadogan, a rookie out of Penn State.
— The Associated Press

There were only scattered boos for the convicted felon, maybe because he slipped quickly on and off the field.

The Eagles countered with two David Akers field goals from short range -- which must have been frustrating since they had first downs inside the San Diego 10 both times. The first time, the Chargers held at the goal line -- three times from the 1. They stopped two runs and a pass, and the only concentrated contingent of Eagles fans, in a corner of the upper deck, booed loudly.

We could only imagine what the noise would have been like in Philly, home of the unforgiving.

The parking lot at Qualcomm Stadium will open at 9 am for general parking and 8 am for those with pre-purchased permits. The lot is expected to fill and close early, so fans are encouraged to get to the stadium gates early to ensure that they are in their seats for kickoff.

To avoid heavy traffic around the stadium on Interstates 8 and 15, fans may reach the stadium via the Friars Rd. East exit off Highway 163.
—The Press-Enterprise

The Chargers announced Monday that enough tickets had been sold for this game to lift the local television blackout.

Kickoff is 1:15 p.m. at Qualcomm Stadium.

A very limited number of tickets, including Club Level tickets, are still available at the Chargers' ticket office, according to Monday's release.

The team said approximately 8,000 tickets are available for the Sunday, Nov. 29 home game against the Kansas City Chiefs.

— The Press-Enterprise

It's something they've had in the works since minicamp, Tomlinson said.

"We were like, 'Coach, when are you gonna call it? We're ready,' " Tomlinson said. "We saw this week that it was up, and I knew when I looked at the formation, when I looked at what defense they were in, they were kind of confused a little bit. And it helped the blocking scheme.

"You have options. You can really take the ball anywhere. It's kind of like a quarterback draw, but you've got the power blocks up front. You've got the pulling guard. You've got the fullback leading."

And Tomlinson, who has been a threat with the halfback pass throughout his career -- seven touchdown passes in his eight completions -- could provide that additional dimension if the coaching staff would let him.

"I've been lobbying, trying to get another throw," he said. "I've been telling coach I need one more touchdown to tie Walter (Payton).

"I don't know if it's working."

And how does the quarterback proceed in the Wildcat?

"Get as close to the sideline as possible and stay out of the way," Philip Rivers said.

"I don't see it being ... a priority, but I think it can be a wrinkle. We may sprinkle it in here and there. I don't see it being a huge part of what we do, but anything we can do to get the ball going, to get in the end zone, we'll do it."

They couldn't dig themselves out of that hole. Russell found Zach Miller for an 11-yard completion, but his fourth-and-20 pass to Johnnie Lee Higgins was incomplete, making the holding penalty against the Raiders on the play moot. The Chargers took over with 54 seconds left and held on, for a 24-16 victory that moved them to 4-3 and within two games of Denver in the AFC West.

Oakland is 2-6.

... and Russell delivers, hitting Zach Miller for a 10-yard gain to the Chargers' 44. That takes them to the two-minute warning, with the Chargers holding on to a 24-16 lead and the Raiders driving.