Ten years after their first trip to London , Los Angeles Chargers veterans Phillip Rivers and Antonio Gates are keen to see how much the British audience has learned about the American version of football. : 0xbt

Ten years after their first trip to London , Los Angeles Chargers veterans Phillip Rivers and Antonio Gates are keen to see how much the British audience has learned about the American version of football.

    linchao
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    Rivers and Gates took part in the second regular-season game played at Wembley back in 2008, when the NFL was still a bit of a curiosity and large parts of the crowd didn’t quite understand the sport.“I remember like if it was yesterday,” Gates said. “The ball would be punted in the air and the crowd would be making noise. We were like, ‘what are you making noise about?’ But it was just their way. They’re used to watching soccer, and the chants and things of that nature. It was foreign to us, just like we were foreign to them.“And now I think over the years, they’ve learned to grasp a little bit more a better Isaac Rochell Color Rush Jersey concept of the game of American football. Most people understand it now here.”That was the goal behind the NFL’s decision to stage annual games in London — to grow the interest and understanding of the game overseas. When the Chargers (4-2) host the Tennessee Titans (3-3) at Wembley on Sunday, it will be the 23rd game played in London since 2007.“I’m interested to see again the atmosphere in the stadium,” Rivers said. “Last week, I hear it was an unbelievable crowd for Oakland and Seattle. I remember there being a great crowd 10 years. I just remember so many different jerseys from so many different teams represented. The energy was in there. A long pass, or a ball getting kicked, all those things got the crowd going pretty good.”The Chargers arrived in London on Friday morning after spending the week in Cleveland following a win over the Browns, a move aimed to shorten the trip and make it easier to adjust to the time difference.It also helped the players bond while spending that time together, coach Anthony Lynn said.“We did have a team-building activity and 100 percent participation. And I thought the guys liked it a lot,” Lynn said. “I left it up to my sports psychologists. The coaches get the hell out of the room and let the players talk and do their own thing. But everyone says it went really well.”The shorter flight didn’t completely help Rivers stave off the jet lag.“Today was one of those days where I don’t think anything could help. It got to the point where that third, fourth cup of coffee wasn’t working at all,” the quarterback said after finishing a training session in North London at 8 a.m. California time. “But it’s not bad. I think if we can push through and get to 8, 9 o’clock tonight, we should be OK.”Running back Melvin Gordon was limited in the practice session, but Lynn said it was mainly a precaution after the long trip.“He was just sore. Long plane ride. Probably didn’t drink enough water,” Lynn said. “We were being extra cautious with him.”For those European fans who have really studied the game since the Chargers’ last visit, Rivers did have some disappointing news. The Alabama native won’t be wearing his famous bolo tie after the game https://www.chargersfanstore.com , although he does plan on sporting his traditional cowboy boots.“I did not bring the bolo tie. I’ve got the cowboy boots,” Rivers said. “I always make sure to have those with me on game day. The same boots I probably wore here in 2008, I’ve had them for that long. They’re almost like slippers now.” The Los Angeles Chargers are on a roll with a three-game winning streak.Philip Rivers is determined to keep the momentum going, even with an overseas trip and a game in London looming.“The guys have been great and we know we’re in kind of a groove right now,” the 36-year-old quarterback said. “This is a different week, but our mindset is whatever you normally do, just do it. We want to keep this going.”The Chargers returned to the practice field Wednesday, brimming with confidence after their 38-14 victory over the Browns three days earlier. The decisive win raised their record to 4-2 and kept them one game behind AFC-leading Kansas City.The team remains in Cleveland and is training at suburban Baldwin Wallace University, hoping to maintain some normalcy before its Sunday game against the Tennessee Titans at Wembley Stadium in England.“We practiced today at the same time that we’ll play (6:30 a.m. Pacific time), so that should help our bodies get accustomed to the time change,” said Rivers, who has thrown 15 touchdowns and has the second-best passer rating in the NFL at 115.1.“As a player, Wednesday always feels like the start of the workweek 鈥?and we were all ready for it today. The challenge will be Thursday night to Friday morning with us flying all night to get to London.”Los Angeles linebacker Denzel Perryman joked that avoiding jetlag will be easy, saying, “If you get some sleep medicine, you’ll be all right.”The fourth-year pro turned serious when asked if the Chargers’ focus was where it should be, namely stopping Titans quarterback Marcus Mariota and running backs Derrick Henry and Dion Lewis.“It’s a different environment and different weather here, but we got some good work done today,” Perryman said. “We know Tennessee has got a lot of nice weapons and an explosive offense with a nice duo back there. And Mariota, he can run and pass, so he’s a difficult matchup. But we’ll be ready for them, no doubt.”The extended road trip has taken on special significance for Rivers Chargers Customized Color Rush Jerseys , who has only played in London once in 15 pro seasons. He threw a costly late interception in the Chargers’ 37-32 loss to New Orleans on Oct. 26, 2008.Rivers noted this will likely be his last game in England, given his age and the league’s rotation of all 32 franchises for international games.“It’s been 10 years, but shoot, I remember everything about it,” he said. “Staying right next to the stadium before the game, and every time the ball went in the air, there were oohs and aahs.“That was one of the first times the NFL had been to Wembley, so it’s a little more common now, but I’m sure we’ll see a lot of Chargers and Titans fans there supporting their favorite teams.”Making this trip even more important, a win would make Los Angeles 5-2 on the season, which Rivers has only experienced twice before in 2006 and 2014. The latter team faltered down the stretch and missed the playoffs.With Melvin Gordon now one of the top running backs in the league and standout defensive end Joey Bosa expected back in early November from a left foot injury, Rivers doesn’t want to let this opportunity slip away.“We’ve got a chance to get to 5-2 and we’ve got to do whatever it takes to get there,” he said. “If you had told us back in August we’d be in this position, we’d have taken it. We feel pretty good about ourselves right now.”NOTES: Chargers coach Anthony Lynn expects linebacker Jatavis Brown (groin) and kicker Caleb Sturgis (right quadriceps) to be game-time decisions. Michael Badgley made his NFL debut filling in for Sturgis against the Browns, making all five of his extra points and his lone field-goal attempt. … C Mike Pouncey (knee), WR Travis Benjamin (foot), TE Virgil Green (ribs), NT Damion Square (shoulder) were limited in practice, while Bosa and LB Kyzir White (knee) remain out.

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