by Mark Kriegel

Comment

With 1:17 remaining, the Broncos were down seven and a yard from the goal line when Jay Cutler dropped back to pass. Before he could, however, the ball squirted from his hands. Everybody saw what happened, except, of course, referee Ed Hochuli, who saw an incomplete pass and whistled the play dead, thereby nullifying the recovery made by Chargers linebacker Tim Dobbins.

Two plays later, the Broncos scored a touchdown, followed by a two-point conversion for a 39-38 victory.

Unlike most controversial calls, this one isn't really subject to interpretation, much less debate. Not even Cutler bothered to pretend he didn't fumble. Hochuli, said to be "devastated," has been predictably vilified. "Ed has been an outstanding official for many years," said an NFL spokesman, "but he will be marked down for this call." The league's competition committee is sure to address the issue of inadvertent or idiotic whistles.

Still, there's good news. Even in an institution as obdurate as professional football, it's nice to know that everyone can admit mistakes.

Everyone, that is, except for the San Diego Chargers. The Chargers are under the mistaken notion that Hochuli alone cost them the game.

"It is not acceptable to have the refs decide it on that play," said Norv Turner.

"A tough way to lose," said LaDainian Tomlinson, who was held to 26 yards with a bad toe. "... The officials should be accountable."

Same for the Chargers, who always seem to lead the AFC in excuses. To listen to San Diego — always a popular preseason pick for the Super Bowl — is to wonder once again if Turner's team (like Marty Schottenheimer's before it) is tough enough.

Unlike the Chargers, Hochuli could at least admit his error. As it happened, the referee's less than Solomonic compromise resulted in Denver getting the ball at the 10-yard-line.

"All we can do to fix it is put the ball at the spot that it hit the ground, which is why we moved it back to the 10-yard line and the down counts and it becomes third down," he said.

As solutions go, it wasn't perfect. It wasn't just. By the same token, though, it was as if Dobbins had sacked Cutler for a loss of nine. Denver had third and goal at the 10; San Diego had the chance to control its own destiny.

And what did the Chargers do? They gave it up for the second time in as many weeks.

They let the Broncos into the end zone twice in three plays. Again, they relinquished a lead in the last seconds. (In Week 1, it was a 24-20 advantage over the Panthers and their rusty quarterback Jake Delhomme.) Then they complain about Hochuli, a Phoenix lawyer who'd been praised as one of the league's better officials.

To be sure, San Diego got a lousy break. Conspiracy theorists also cite the replay apparatus that malfunctioned in the first half. More to the point, after giving up 31 points in the first half, it's clear the Chargers miss Shawne Merriman. But so what? The Patriots, now 2-0, only lost the best quarterback in football and replaced him with a guy who hadn't started since high school.

Comparison with New England doesn't flatter San Diego. Goof on the Patriots and their coach all you want, but not for complaining. You don't hear them complain.

A couple of years ago, Tomlinson famously protested the manner in which the Patriots celebrated on the Qualcomm field after beating the favored Chargers in the playoffs. Perhaps he was expecting a chant of "2-4-6-8, who do we appreciate ..." Whatever the case, it sounded like whining then.

It sounds a little like whining now.

Until further notice, consider the Chargers severely marked down.

On the Mark

The news that Frankie Rodriguez had broken the single-season save record really snuck up on me.

We can hardly contain our ... yawn ... excitement over ... yawn ... what were we talking about again? (Lisa Blumenfeld / Getty Images)

I'm talking about the same wave of emotion I usually get after Greg Biffle wins a race.

Hooray, the WNBA playoffs are finally here.

Now what about Major League Soccer?

I mean, this season began early in the first Clinton presidency.

Who'd have thought Matt Cassel would have more of a future than Matt Leinart?

Chuck Liddell has disappeared faster than Eliot Spitzer.

I can understand that people don't want to see Lance Armstrong make a fool of himself. But exactly how is a return to cycling less embarrassing than going out with one of the Olsen Twins?

It goes without saying that Manny Ramirez is the Dodgers' MVP. But only because you can't give the award to the Diamondbacks.

When did Kyle Busch hire the Mets bullpen to work on his car?

Think Greg Schiano is having second thoughts about turning down that Michigan job?

Quick, what do the AFC West and the NFC West have in common?

USC could win them both.

With a couple more good games, Reggie Bush could be a poor man's Darren Sproles.

Look kid, you're gonna have to raise that ERA a little if you wanna crack this rotation. (Jim McIsaac / Getty Images)

Jorge Posada doesn't see Joba Chamberlain as a starter for the Yankees.

Guess the kid will have to raise his ERA at least a couple of runs before he can prove he belongs in that rotation.

Seriously, how many of you guys need a little help with your Poppinga?

Sometimes a little Hochuli can help.

Vince Young tells his shrink he has a gun and suicidal thoughts.

Then he blames the media.

There's a guy who's dealing with things.

Kind of like Shaquille O'Neal. Knowing that his playing days will soon come to an end, the Big Aristotle says "one of my options is law enforcement."

Sure. Tell me how my badge tastes.

Watching that Ohio State-USC game, I found myself wondering when Jim Tressel would call for a dive out of the full-house backfield.

The Oklahoma City Thunder, formerly the Seattle SuperSonics, sold out in five days.

Then again, Greg Biffle could sell out in OK city.

Has anyone ever talked more about less than the formerly named Chad Johnson?

She has a tanning bed put in the Governor's mansion, a knocked-up teenage daughter, and, according to the National Enquirer, a 19-year-old headed off to Iraq with an Oxycontin habit.

Is Sarah Palin a vice presidential candidate?

Or an Alan Ball TV series?