Just because the Chargers find newly depressing ways to lose, it doesn't mean they've come to terms with the futility. The latest: A botched 4th quarter game-tying field goal, courtesy of a mishandled snap by holder Drew Kaser. Kicker Josh Lambo never had a chance and, like the Pope's Catholicism and water's wetness, the Chargers lost.
But it was Lambo who faced criticism afterward because he was seen yukking it up with Raiders kicker Sebastian Janikowski minutes after the final whistle. This did not go over well with some of Lambo's teammates.
On Tuesday, the kicker tried to explain.
"I think it was a misinterpretation of what happened. Obviously I was as devastated as anybody about the loss," Lambo said, via the Associated Press. "No one enjoys losing. I certainly don't take it lightly."
But...
"In the kicking world, he's a superstar. He's a rock star," Lambo continued. "He's a guy I look up to, a guy I consider a growing friend. We had a word, we had a laugh. We're people. The work day was over and he said something funny and when Sebastian Janikowski says something funny to you, you laugh."
Lambo's not wrong. People spend much of their work day trying to get to 5 o'clock. And sometimes that involves finding humor in the mundane. The difference: Lambo's job is broadcast to millions.
"Everybody on your team is looking at you and looking at everything you do at all times," embattled Chargers coach Mike McCoy explained on Monday. "When a teammate sees you in a situation like this and you get caught, laughing it up, people take it differently. Everybody is different. Some players will look at it and say, 'It's not a big deal.' Other players, it pisses you off. You were involved in a critical play in the game, and it wasn't executed properly, and we lost. Just understand what it means.
"I think he's handled it the right way, talking to his teammates, talking to different coaches on the staff, apologizing and what he's learned from it."
Lambo is the least of McCoy's issues; the Chargers are 1-4 with games against the Broncos, Falcons and Broncos again, which means that the coach who got an extension in January could be out of work before Halloween.
