“I want to play, regardless of all that,” Merriman said before leaving for South Florida for his final consultation on his knee. “I have teammates, I have friends in that locker room. I care about them. We're going to win a couple Super Bowls here.”

That quote, in yesterday's Union-Tribune, caught the eye of some around the NFL, where anything resembling a prediction of Super Bowl victories is frowned upon.

Asked about Merriman's assertion, Chargers General Manager A.J. Smith was at first incredulous and then a bit whimsical.

“Is that what he said?” Smith said before a pause. “I guess when he was in Coral Gables to see the doctor, he stopped by somewhere and had his palm read. Time will tell how good that palm reader really is.”

– KEVIN ACEE