No looking back for Sproles

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Thursday, Nov 20, 2008
By Casey Pearce

As the Chargers prepare for their Sunday night contest against the Indianapolis Colts, running back Darren Sproles says he’s not thinking about the past.

“That was a long time ago,” Sproles said, referring to his two-touchdown performance in a Bolts win over the Colts last November.

But as Colts Head Coach Tony Dungy gets his team ready to travel to San Diego, Sproles has been on his mind plenty.

“Darren has been a thorn in our side,” Dungy said. “He’s made big plays against us. He’s a great player and a guy who can score from anywhere on the field. He’s done it against us. We have to be aware of where he is and try to do a better job on him than we’ve done in the past two games.”

In the Bolts’ Week 10 win over Indianapolis, the Chargers won despite managing just 177 yards of total offense. Sproles was a big reason why the Chargers were able to escape with a victory. He returned the opening kickoff 89 yards for a touchdown, and later in the first quarter he scored on a 45-yard punt return.

This week Dungy hinted that the Colts might do some things to limit Sproles’ chances in the return game.

“We can keep the ball away from him when we kick it,” Dungy said.

Then he thought of the second and more meaningful meeting between the Chargers, one in which Sproles took a screen pass 56 yards for a touchdown in the Bolts’ Divisional playoff win over the Colts.

“Getting it out of the backfield, we’re going to have to try to have an answer for that as well,” Dungy said.

This season, Sproles is averaging 4.7 yards per carry in relief of LaDainian Tomlinson and has a career-high 15 receptions, including a 66-yard touchdown on a screen pass earlier this season.

While Sproles didn’t have much to say about his big night against Indianapolis last fall, Head Coach Norv Turner was more than happy to brag about his scat back.

“There’s some great performances,” Turner said. “It’s when you’re prepared like he was and the opportunity’s there. He took advantage of it. It’s remarkable. In both of our games with Indianapolis we had some guys with remarkable performances. A lot of guys had games that are very memorable for them.”

During training camp, Turner regularly praised Sproles for the hard work he put in during the offseason, and Sproles has seen his work pay off. In addition to his added load on offense, Sproles continues to get it done in the return game. He joins Jets return man Leon Washington as the only players in the NFL ranked in the top 10 in both kickoff and punt returns.

Earlier this week, the NFL announced that Sproles is currently leading all AFC return men in Pro Bowl voting. True to his humble, soft-spoken nature, Sproles didn’t have any thoughts on voting, but Turner was again willing to pat Sproles on the back.

“He’s earned it,” Turner said. “His performance is as consistent as you could ask for. It’s explosive. It’s exciting. I think everyone appreciates it. They know he’s doing everything he can and giving great effort on every single play.”

Injury update

Chargers defensive end Luis Castillo (groin) and cornerback Cletis Gordon (knee) did not participate in Thursday’s practice. Gordon will likely miss a second-consecutive game, while Castillo’s status will be determined later in the week.

“I think it’s day to day,” Turner said of his starting left defensive end. “We’ll have a better idea of where he’s at tomorrow.”

Cornerback Antonio Cromartie was limited Thursday due to lingering pain in his hip.

Turner said running back Michael Bennett, who has practiced throughout the week in his number 29 jersey, will most likely be inactive Sunday.

“We’re getting him ready,” Turner said. “He’s practicing and learning the system.”

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No looking back for Sproles

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