LaDainian Tomlinson was diagnosed with a second-degree MCL sprain early this week, a source told ESPN.com. It will take at least six more weeks to heal, according to Tomlinson's agent, Tom Condon. "The doctor said this is the type of injury that would seriously hamper LaDainian's ability to cut or push off the leg," Condon said. "His quadriceps muscle had already atrophied one inch. He absolutely can't play in the Pro Bowl and there shouldn't be any question as to why he couldn't go when [the Chargers] played New England."

The Chargers will play the Saints in London in a regular season NFL game in October, the San Diego Union-Tribune reported on Sunday. The newspaper said the October 26 contest could be formally announced in Glendale, Arizona, this week as part of the build-up to the Super Bowl next weekend. "We want to go," Chargers president Dean Spanos told the Union-Tribune. "I'm cautiously optimistic." According to the report, the Saints would be the 'home' team in London, sacrificing a game at the Superdome.

Ollie Wilson, LaDainian Tomlinson?s first-year position coach, is returning to the Chargers in 2008 to coach the team?s running backs. Wilson signed a two-year contract with the team. The Chargers also agreed to new two-year contract terms with Special Teams Coach Steve Crosby, Quarterbacks Coach John Ramsdell, and Offensive Line Coach Hal Hunter, Jr., completing Head Coach Norv Turner?s staff for the 2008 season. A veteran with 17 years of NFL coaching experience on his resume, Wilson returns to San Diego (1997-2001) after spending the last six seasons with the Atlanta Falcons (2002-07). In his last season with the Chargers, Wilson tutored Tomlinson as a rookie. It was a season that was capped off with LT being named the runner-up for the Associated Press Offensive Rookie of the Year Award. Tomlinson had a monster season, setting team rookie records with 1,236 yards, 10 touchdowns and 1,603 total yards from scrimmage. His scrimmage mark was not only a team rookie record, but it also broke Lance Alworth?s 36-year old team record for scrimmage yards. Tomlinson earned All-Rookie honors from Pro Football Weekly and was tabbed as a third-alternate to the Pro Bowl. Wilson began his coaching career at the collegiate level, spending the 1975 season as the wide receivers coach at his alma mater, Springfield College, the 1976-82 seasons as offensive coordinator at Northeastern University and the 1983-90 seasons as the running backs coach at the University of California-Berkeley. While coaching in college, he participated in the NFL?s Minority Coaching Fellowship Program, spending time working with the coaching staffs of both the Houston Oilers and the Falcons. It helped him land his first full-time NFL coaching job in 1991 when he was named the running backs coach in Atlanta. Wilson spent six seasons (1991-96) with the Falcons during his first stint in Atlanta. He coached three 1,000-yard rushers during that time, including Craig ?Ironhead? Heyward, who was selected to the NFC Pro Bowl team after he rushed for 1,083 yards in 1995. Wilson was initially hired by the Chargers in 1997, coaching running backs under then Head Coach Kevin Gilbride. As a team, the Chargers rushed for more than 1,200 yards in four of his five seasons, including 1,728 yards in 1998 and 1,695 yards in 2001. Wilson returned to Atlanta after the 2001 season and spent the next seven seasons coaching the Falcons? running backs. During those seven seasons combined, no team in the NFL rushed for more yards than the Falcons (13,994 yards). By comparison, the Chargers? 13,157 rushing yards rank third. The Falcons set several team rushing records under his direction, including single-season rushing yards (2,939 in 2006) and single-season rushing touchdowns (23 in 2002). The Falcons? 2,939 rushing yards in ?06 were the ninth-most for a season in NFL history and the most in the league since the Chicago Bears rushed for 2,974 yards in 1984. In 2004, Atlanta rushed for a team-record 2,672 yards, the third-most single-season yards posted by a team between 1990-2004. In a Divisional Playoff game against St. Louis following the ?04 season, the Falcons rushed for a team-record (regular season or postseason) 327 yards against the Rams. Wilson, 56, was born in Worcester, Mass. and he played football, basketball, baseball and ran track at Worcester?s Doherty High School. He went on to Springfield College where he was an honorable mention All-America wide receiver and earned both bachelor?s (physical education) and master?s degrees.

Charlie Joiner, the San Diego Chargers? all-time leading receiver and a member of the Pro Football Hall of Fame, is returning to the Bolts? sidelines to serve as the team?s wide receivers' coach. This is Joiner?s second stint on the Chargers? coaching staff. He also coached wide receivers from 1987-91. In San Diego, he?ll work with a deep and talented receiving corps that includes veterans Chris Chambers, Vincent Jackson, and Eric Parker, along with Buster Davis and Legedu Naanee, both chosen in the 2007 NFL Draft. Joiner played a total of 18 seasons in the AFL and NFL with the Houston Oilers (1969-72), Cincinnati Bengals (1972-75) and Chargers (1976-86). He was drafted by Houston in the fourth round of the 1969 NFL Draft as a defensive back and he retired on Jan. 12, 1987 as the NFL?s all-time leading receiver with 750 career catches. He was inducted into the Pro Football Hall of Fame in 1996. Joiner?s final career totals included 12,146 yards and 65 TDs. At the time of his retirement, Joiner?s 239 career games played were the most-ever by an NFL wide receiver. ?Charlie brings to our staff 21 years of NFL coaching experience, 18 years of Hall of Fame playing experience and, maybe most important, vast experience with our offensive system,? said Head Coach Norv Turner. ?That combination is rare and we?re fortunate that Charlie was available.? Joiner played 11 seasons in San Diego (1976-86) and finished his career as the team?s all-time leader with 586 career catches. A three-time Pro Bowl choice following the 1976, ?79 & ?80 seasons, Joiner was inducted into the Chargers? Hall of Fame in 1993. His 9,203 receiving yards rank second in team history behind only Lance Alworth and his 47 touchdown catches rank third behind Alworth and Gary Garrison. He was selected as the team?s Most Inspirational Player seven times and he was honored by the City of San Diego on ?Charlie Joiner Day? in 1984 and ?86. Immediately after his retirement, Joiner was named the Bolts? wide receivers coach. One of his star pupils during his five seasons as WRs coach (1987-91) was Anthony Miller, who had a breakout 1,252-yard, 10-touchdown season in 1989 and earned Pro Bowl selections following the ?89 and ?90 seasons. In 1992 Joiner was hired as the wide receivers coach for the Buffalo Bills. He would spend eight seasons (1992-2000) in Western New York, working with a pair of the NFL?s best receivers in Eric Moulds and Andre Reed. During those eight seasons, the Bills went to the playoffs six times, won two AFC Championships and played in Super Bowls XXVII and XXVIII. Moulds had two of the most prolific seasons in Bills history, earning Pro Bowl honors following a team-record 1,368-yard season in 1998 and a 1,326-yard season in 2000. During the ?00 campaign, he also set a team record with 94 catches. Reed spent 15 seasons in Buffalo (1985-99), the last seven with Joiner. He is the Bills? all-time leader in receptions (941), yards (13,095) and touchdown catches (86). Reed was selected to three Pro Bowl teams under Joiner?s tutelage (1992-94), but did not play in the game following the ?93 season due to injury. Joiner?s most recent coaching stop was with the Kansas City Chiefs, spending seven seasons (2001-07) as their wide receivers coach. In 2007 Joiner oversaw the development of rookie Dwyane Bowe, who was the NFL?s leading rookie receiver with 70 catches, 995 yards and five touchdown catches. Bowe averaged an impressive 14.2 yards per catch during his rookie season. Bowe and Davis were college teammates at LSU and fellow first-round draft picks in 2007. Joiner?s stable of wide receivers in Kansas City also included veteran Eddie Kennison, another LSU grad who racked up back-to-back 1,000-yard seasons in 2004 and ?05. A native of Many, Louisiana, Joiner was a four-year letterman at Grambling State University (1965-68). In 1990, he was inducted into the Louisiana Hall of Fame. Joiner is married, Dianne, and has two children, Jynaya and Kori.

San Diego Chargers quarterback Philip Rivers underwent successful surgery today to repair a torn anterior cruciate ligament in his right knee. The surgery was done by Dr. David Chao at the Health South Surgical Center. Rivers will now begin an aggressive 4-6 month rehabilitation program.

San Diego Chargers' wide receivers Coach James Lofton and running backs' Coach Matt Simon will not be retained for the 2008 season, the team announced today. Lofton was the team?s receivers coach for six seasons (2002-07), and Simon joined the team in ?07. ?We appreciate the contributions that James made over the past six seasons and Matt?s help in 2007,? said Head Coach Norv Turner.

LaDainian Tomlinson's MCL injury kept him on the bench for the vast majority of Sunday's loss to New England which has resulted in criticism from NFL Network analyst Deion Sanders. "It must be surgery for him to get a pass on this one," Sanders said on the telecast. "I hope we come up with something in the offseason that is not severe but that warrants surgery because there is no reason not to play with all the medication in the world today, not to play in this big game that could propel your team into the Super Bowl." "He's never been a running back and had a sprained MCL," said Tomlinson in a report from the Press-Enterprise. "You tell me what running back has played with a sprained MCL and been effective. ... I don't know how that information gets passed on, but until you talk to the source of the problem, what's going on with me, I think it's ridiculous when people make comments like that."

The San Diego Union-Tribune is reporting that Chargers' running back LaDainian Tomlinson will not need surgery on his left knee. "It's just time," Tomlinson told the paper. "Most of these injuries, when you have a sprained MCL, it takes four weeks." Tomlinson aggravated the injury on San Diego's first play from scrimmage on Sunday and remained on the sideline after a few more players.

Chargers' quarterback Philip Rivers needed surgery just to get through the AFC Title game against the Patriots on Sunday, and will need more extensive surgery to repair a torn ligament in the same knee soon. The rehabilitation process could take up to six months. Rivers admitted for the first time on Monday night that he had arthroscopic surgery to clean out the joint in the week leading up to San Diego's battle with New England this past weekend.

New England 21, San Diego 12 It was a lot closer than most people predicted, but the New England Patriots still downed the visiting San Diego Chargers on Sunday in Massachusetts. Tom Brady went 22-for-33 with 209 yards, two touchdowns and three interceptions. Despite his three miscues, the Patriots still won rather comfortably as they held the Chargers to just three points in the second half ? and none in the fourth quarter. Philip Rivers, playing on a bum knee, finished the game 19-for-37 with 211 yards, zero touchdowns and two interceptions. LaDainian Tomlinson, last season?s MVP, was held to just two carries in the AFC Championship Game because of a sore knee. Michael Turner got a majority of the carries for San Diego, running seventeen times for 65 yards. Laurence Maroney paced New England, running for 122 yards and a touchdown on twenty-five carries. Randy Moss was limited to just one catch and eighteen yards, but once again other Patriots stepped up when needed. Kevin Faulk caught eight passes for 82 yards, leading the team in receiving against the Chargers. After falling behind 3-0, Maroney punched in a one-yard score to give New England the lead. They never looked back. Playoff Stud: Laurence Maroney, NE: 122 rushing yards and one touchdown. New York 23, Green Bay 20 (OT) For the second straight year one of the ?super? Manning brothers will be competing in the Super Bowl. Eli Manning helped lead the New York Giants to an overtime victory over the Green Bay Packers on Sunday night at Lambeau Field. The game, played in negative temperatures, was an eventful one to say the least. There were interceptions and fumbles aplenty in blustery Wisconsin, but Manning, who was 21-for-40 with 254 passing, kept his cool. He hooked up with Plaxico Burress eleven times for 154 yards, and even rumbled forward for a key first down in the second half. Brett Favre, who was 19-for-35 with 236 yards, two touchdowns and two interceptions, was unable to make the timely plays Green Bay needed on several occasions. The Packers didn?t get much of anything from their ground game, which didn?t help Favre?s cause, as Ryan Grant carried the ball just thirteen times for 29 yards. Brandon Jacobs and Ahmad Bradshaw combined to run 37 times for the Giants, accumulating 130 yards and two touchdowns along the way. After missing a 36-yard field goal that would have won the game at the end of regulation, New York kicker Lawrence Tynes drilled a 47-yarder to send the Giants to Arizona. The Packers won the toss and received the ball first in overtime, but Corey Webster intercepted Favre to set up Tynes game-winning kick. The Giants will be the underdog once again when they face the undefeated Patriots on Feb. 3 in Super Bowl XLII. Playoff Stud: Plaxico Burress, NYG: 154 receiving yards.