San Diego Chargers need a victory to get Mike McCoy off hotseat

SAN DIEGO -- They are calling it "White Hot Sunday" at Qualcomm Stadium when the San Diego Chargers face the Jacksonville Jaguars.

The Chargers apparently designated the home opener as such so fans wear white.

But Mike McCoy's coaching seat is hot to the touch as well.

The Chargers begin what could be their last season in San Diego with a game against the Jaguars, who have grown in significance.

Getting a win on Sunday is paramount for the Chargers after last week's meltdown in Kansas City. Despite leading by 17 points in the fourth quarter, the Chargers fell in overtime for their ninth straight AFC West loss.

The Chargers, though, haven't been doing much winning no matter the foe. They have won but twice in their last 13 games, which explains the temperature rising on McCoy's backside.

Now in his fourth season, McCoy is 22-27 with the Chargers as they come off their worst season since 2003.

So maybe it was a good sign when McCoy said Wednesday's practice had a bit of "saltiness" to it. Even in health-conscious San Diego, that's a good thing.

The Chargers have put some seasoning on this season before it slips away in the first month.

If they fall to 0-2, the Chargers would have to get right in the first month with two of the next three games on the road: at Indianapolis and Oakland.

That's why Sunday's game has taken on such a grand importance, no matter that the year is just getting underway.

And with a November vote looming on the Chargers using taxpayers' dollars to build a new stadium, being able to display a winning product takes on added meaning.

"Let it rip," quarterback Philip Rivers said.

After getting their heart, and a win, ripped away in Kansas City the Chargers need a positive performance.

"It's not a good feeling to stink up a game like that," defensive end Corey Liuget said. "We know we are better than that."

They get a chance to prove just that against the Jaguars on Sunday.

--Defensive end Joey Bosa admitted it was tough watching his team fall in the opener, with him not active to play. And it looks like that will be the case this week as Bosa didn't work in Wednesday's padded practice. In fact, Boss hasn't had a contact workout with the Chargers since ending his 31-day holdout. "I just want to get out there and play," said Bosa, the No. 3 pick in this year's draft. "It's been too long. I just want to help my team win."

--Quarterback Philip Rivers doesn't like talking about injuries but he was doing just that on Wednesday. "If you would have told me in week one that we would have lost (Jeff) Cumberland, Keenan (Allen) and Stevie Johnson, I would have shook my head. But here we are."

--Team chairman Dean Spanos said coach Mike McCoy's job is not in jeopardy. "We've only had one game," Spanos said. But McCoy is coming off a 4-12 season, the team's worst showing since 2003.

NOTES: With wide receiver Keenan Allen lost for the year, the team took a look at free agents Chris Givens, Aaron Dobson and Griff Whalen. ... DE Joey Bosa (hamstring) isn't expected to be active on Sunday and will miss his second straight game after skipping the preseason in a contract dispute. The last time Bosa played four quarter of football was in November for Ohio State against Michigan. He didn't practice on Wednesday. ... ILB Jatavis Brown has opened some eyes with his play on Sunday. While he was good in practice, his work when subbing for Denzel Perryman got the attention of the coaches. The team's fifth-round draft choice could see more field time this week. ... P Drew Kaser is coming off a bad game and it will interesting to see how the rookie responds. His 17-yard punt late in Sunday's loss was among the reasons the Chargers blew a 21-3 lead. ... LB Denzel Perryman was going to blossom in his second year as a starter, but it got off to a rough start. Perryman was caught in bad angles and he displayed some shoddy tackling agains the Chiefs. He lost some snaps later in the game to rookie Jatavis Brown. ... DE Damion Square will be missing the second game of his four-game suspension on Sunday. He violated the NFL's drug policy.

--CB Jason Verrett (calf) was limited in practice but it isn't expected to hamper him on Sunday. ... ILB Nick Dzunbar (knee) was a full participant in practice.