San Diego Chargers Shawne Merriman missed repetition Thursday for the third consecutive day because of a virus. His obtainability for the preseason game Saturday against the St. Louis Rams is in difficulty.

Merriman said he had strep throat and a serious infection. He had tribulation sentient while battling the illness but said he was sensation much better Thursday.

Merriman also has been dealing with an infirm knee but did work out on the side Thursday afternoon.

“He’s in a row around and had a good workout at present, so we’ll see where he is this vacation,” Chargers coach Norv Turner said.

Turner said he hasn’t sure how long starting quarterback Philip Rivers or backups Billy Volek and Charlie Whitehurst will play against the Rams.

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J.T. O’Sullivan took another step to becoming the San Francisco 49ers starting quarterback.

O’Sullivan was selected by coach Mike Nolan on Thursday to start San Francisco’s exposition home tin opener against the Green Bay Packers on Saturday. O’Sullivan also the 49ers preseason icebreaker last week at Oakland.

Nolan continues to allege there is a -way competition between O’Sullivan and holdovers Alex Smith and Shaun Hill to become the starter for the team’s regular-spell introduction Sept. 7 against Arizona.

But O’Sullivan evidently has reserved the lead in that competition. He has booked all the snaps with San Francisco’s first-unit resentment in team during guidance camp practices this week and will start against a team he spent time with in 2004.

“It’s another break to display cabinet what he can do, as it is for and Harry else,” Nolan said. “Right now, we are just in an evaluation manner.”

O’Sullivan, a sixth-year journeyman with his NFL team, the San Francisco fault while completing 5 of 8 for 71 yards in one barrio of fighting last week against the Raiders.

But he also threw an interception near Oakland’s goal line to end one need and lost a blunder near midfield to end another.

Nolan said O’Sullivan will play most of the first half along with the rest of San Francisco’s regulars against the Packers. Smith and Hill will come in after that in the same gyration the 49ers used during last week’s 18-6 loss at Oakland.

“I feel I’m kind of evolving every one day and valid out there and trying to play exactly how they want me to play,” O’Sullivan said. “The next step is to be able to do it again and again. This game is the next chance to show what I have.”

O’Sullivan did not take any snaps in 11-on-11 team drills during the first days of tuition camp as Smith and Hill got all the work. But both players have come along slowly this summer in new coordinator Mike Martz’s complex offensive classification.

O’Sullivan in that organism last year when both he and Martz were with the Detroit Lions. O’Sullivan played in four meet with the Lions last time of year and threw the first regular-season passes of his NFL job.

Nolan had said throughout the first week of camp in July that he strategic to evenly divide exercise time and playing time during the preseason between his quarterbacks. He still has not put a schedule on when he plans to define his starter for the regular period.

“Obviously, were chitchat about what us the best occasion to win,” Nolan said. “I am still encouraged by all three quarterbacks and feel a lot on the mend than I ever have (about the attitude) since I’ve been here at any time.”

Smith, who worked with the additional team in Thursday’s preparation, will not be with the team Friday during its final groundwork for Saturday’s game.

Smith was scheduled to fly to San Diego late Thursday to be there Friday filling station for David Edwards, Smith’s ex- flatmate and close friend since youthful. Edwards committed suicide Sunday at age 24.

Smith has been relieved from Friday’s team accomplishments to join the service, which will be held at Smith’s parentage home in San Diego. Edwards and his family also were very close with Smith’s family.

“Obviously, this has been a sincerely hard week, let solitary the quarterback property going on,” Smith said. “With this up for grabs on, it kind of puts things in perspective for me. It will be good to go down there and see all the people, all the contacts, to kind of deal with it.”

Smith will fly back to the San Francisco Bay Area on Saturday a.m. and be about to for his prospect against the Packers that late afternoon.

“I’ll come back and delight it the way I every time have, just center in and take benefit of the reps I get and try to make the most out of them,” Smith said.

Posted on August 16th, 2008 by admin
Filed under: NFL football news