The Cincinnati Bengals, once the laughingstock of the NFL, now atop the AFC North can personally deliver the title of 'the worst team, most inept ran NFL franchise' to the San Diego Chargers when they meet in San Diego this Sunday.

It won't be pretty either. The Chargers defense is the worst on stopping opponents on third down while the Bengals are first in the league in third down conversions. Last week the Chargers defense didn't force a single punt. Add that the already poorly coached defense is riddled with injuries, starting safety Kwamie Lassiter is out for the season and his replacement, who was seen in the background chasing Shannon Sharpe all last week, rookie Terrence Kiel will fill that spot.

There is no team I see that is worse then the San Diego Chargers at this time and I still put that blame squarely on Marty Schottenheimer and his coaching staff. LaDainian Tomlinson is too good to be on such a bad team. The quarterback is not the problem, as proven last week. Watching last week one could see that many of the Charger players no longer care. Three times Damian MacIntosh (OL) didn't even attempt to block anyone on Tomlinson sweeps. Stephen Alexander, making his return to the lineup from injury, caused an interception and dropped catchable balls early in the game, meanwhile our younger, better skilled tight ends (Gates and Peele) sit watching. Boston dropped two passes on third downs last week that would have moved the chains. The biggest play for the Chargers last week was a 40 yard interception return by rookie Sammy Davis but a taunting (yes, taunting(!?!?!)) penalty against loud-mouth, non-performing Marcellus Wiley help negate any positive momentum that play would have garnered.

I have little doubt that the Chargers will perform equal to their new moniker, the laughingstock of the NFL, and the Bengals should feel the burden lifted from them once they handedly beat San Diego this weekend.

Quick Charger Notes:

--Pro Bowl RB LaDainian Tomlinson shot down one remedy to ease the pain after Sunday's losses. "Drinking is really not going to make a difference." he said.
--Marty Schottenheimer -coached teams are 7-5 against the Bengals.
--The Chargers' defense has struggled getting off the field. The Bengals are an AFC-best 43.4 percent on third-down conversions.
--QB Doug Flutie said the team would have a significant challenge Sunday: "It's going to be a test of character on the team.
--SS Rogers Beckett , who was caught in the Chargers' offseason, defensive purge, is contributing with the Bengals. His three sacks are two more than Chargers DE Marcellus Wiley .
--Bengals coach Marvin Lewis and Schottenheimer are both graduates of Fort Cherry High in McDonald, Pa. They also share the same birthday (Sept. 23), with Schottenheimer being the senior by 15 years.
--Ken Zampese is the Bengals QBs coach. His dad, Ernie Zampese is legendary among Chargers assistants as an offensive coordinator.
--Scheduling quirk: Last week the Bengals beat the Chiefs; this week, the Chargers play the Bengals, and the Chiefs the following Sunday.
--FB Lorenzo Neal , a former Bengal, when asked if he would be embarrassed to lose to Cincinnati: "I already am embarrassed."
-- The number of Chargers on IR has reached 9, with the latest addition being SS Kwamie Lassiter (knee).