Tomlinson could see even more passes

Adjust font size

Monday, Aug 06, 2007
By Casey Pearce, Chargers.com

Shortly after Philip Rivers became the starting quarterback of the Chargers last fall, he told the media of a lesson he learned that was sure to help him.

“It’s never a bad thing to check it down to 21,” Rivers said, referring to his luxury of throwing the ball to LaDainian Tomlinson when his receivers were covered down the field.

While the check down will always be a valuable tool in the Chargers’ offense considering the player getting the ball, Head Coach Norv Turner is looking for ways to get Tomlinson even more involved in the passing game.

“When you have a guy that is that dangerous in space, you have to find ways to get him the ball out there,” Turner said. “LT is such a good route runner and is so good at catching the football that we’re going to really use him as much as we can in that area.”

Turner has shown a penchant for getting his running backs involved in the passing game. With the Raiders in 2005, LaMont Jordan led all NFL running backs with 70 receptions. Last season, San Francisco’s Frank Gore tied for third among running backs with 61 catches.

“Norv is a guy that is going to find ways to get his guys the ball in different ways,” Tomlinson said. “That’s exciting to me. I enjoy getting involved in the passing game and I know Norv is going to bring some exciting schemes to us so we’ll be able to take advantage of how teams try to defend us.”

Even as the Chargers have added weapons around Tomlinson, his role in the passing game has remained central to the team’s offense. Antonio Gates (71 receptions) was the only Charger that caught more passes than Tomlinson (56) a year ago. He finished fourth on the team in 2005 (51 catches) and second in 2004 (51). Over his six-year career, LT has averaged 66 receptions per season. He and former Arizona Cardinals fullback Larry Centers are the only backs in NFL history to catch 100 passes in one season. Tomlinson accomplished the feat in 2003 and Centers topped the century mark with 101 receptions in 1995.

Turner has specifically spoken of creating formations that will allow Gates and Tomlinson to work off of each other and keep opponents from double teaming both of them.

“When the two of those guys are in the close range of each other, it’s hard to double both and it should give us opportunities to get either one of them involved,” Turner said. “How people decide to defend them will determine a lot of that. It’s nice to have guys like that.”

Turner said that part of his initiative is to simply get the ball in the hands of his playmakers as much as possible. When defenses take Gates and Tomlinson away, the scheme will provide great opportunities for other offensive weapons.

“It’s very important to me that we try not to go long stretches where our guys that handle the ball aren’t involved,” Turner said. “I think it happens to all of us and sometimes it’s by design of the defense. Hopefully if that happens, there are some other guys getting a lot of opportunities.”

Following Monday morning’s practice, Rivers smiled when asked about Turner’s creativity with his two favorite targets.

“It may not be noticeable to the average fan,” Rivers said. “You can only do so much, so many different things, but it would be nice to have certain packages where you’ve got Gates and LT on the same side or LT split out. We’ve added a few things and we’ll just see.”

Jackson returns

Wide receiver Vincent Jackson (lower leg) didn’t work Monday morning but returned to the field for the team’s afternoon practice. Linebacker Anthony Waters, defensive end Jacques Cesaire, offensive tackle Roman Oben and safety Bhawoh Jue sat out of the morning work as well as they have throughout camp.

Those missing both practices Monday included safety Miguel Merrick (knee), wide receiver Kassim Osgood (hamstring) and linebacker Brandon Siler (ribs).

Linebacker Shawne Merriman appeared to injure his hand during one-on-one pass rush drills midway through the afternoon practice but after a brief visit from the athletic training staff, the All Pro was right back in the action. Merriman said that he dislocated his thumb but the athletic trainers were able to pop it right back in place.

Game time

Week 2 of Chargers training camp will have a bit of a different feel as it wears on due to the fact that the team is now days away from its preseason opener. Turner likes the way the schedule sets up with his team playing on Sunday at home.

“Having a Sunday game keeps us in a training camp mode longer,” Turner said. “It’s like we have an extra day of camp. Traveling far away and playing on a Saturday night will make (next) week much shorter. The things we’re doing in the middle of this week we really have to do a good job with because we’re going to be short in terms of time next week.”

Turner also said that his team will spend some time on Friday preparing for Seattle. He did not yet say how much he plans to play his starters in Sunday night’s preseason opener.

As a part of the team’s continued support of the military, the Chargers will conduct a walkthrough at Marine Corps Air Station Miramar on Saturday where the players will have an opportunity to mingle with military personnel and sign autographs.

Nice progress

When asked about the progress of his rookies, Turner was complimentary of his young players and specifically pointed to his satisfaction over the fact that they’re not making the same mistakes multiple times.

“I think there are a number of rookies who are having good camps and adjusting to the speed of what we’re trying to get done,” Turner said. “We’re not having a lot of mental errors. That shows progress.”

Bright lights

The Nike commercial Tomlinson filmed at Qualcomm Stadium in late May began airing over the weekend. Rivers, Merriman and Gates are included in the spot, which features Tomlinson juking several Bears players en route to a touchdown. LT gave the final product a positive review but said that a phone call to Brain Urlacher and company may be in order.

“I don’t know how the Chicago Bears are going to feel about that, but I didn’t have anything to do with that,” Tomlinson said with a laugh. “It’s no disrespect to them. I liked the way it turned out. It showed a different part of me.”

Monday notes

- Cornerback Cletis Gordon stood out during the morning practice when he knocked two passes away from defenders and also got some work returning punts.

- Rookie tight end Scott Chandler made a pair of impressive plays down the field during the morning session. Both balls were thrown high but the former Iowa Hawkeye used his full 6-7 frame to go up and snatch them.

- Another tight end who got in the mix Monday morning was Brandon Manumaleuna, who got open deep down the sideline several times.

- Guard Scott Mruczkowski stood out during one-on-one pass rushing drills Monday afternoon when he won a pair of battles against Ryon Bingham.

- Players are given time off during the afternoon, but rookie cornerback Paul Oliver rarely spends that time in his hotel room. Nearly two hours after practice ends, Oliver is likely to be found in the defensive backs meeting room watching film and catching up on the Chargers’ defense.

Lisa Blumenfeld, Getty Images

Head Coach Norv Turner has been busy drawing up ways to get LaDainian Tomlinson even more involved in the Chargers’ passing game this season.

	Training Camp: Monday Norv Turner Following Monday mornings practice Head Coach Norv Turner talks about some of the rookies progress during camp and the teams practice schedule leading up to Sunday nights home preseason game vs Seattle. Play
	Training Camp: Monday LaDainian Tomlinson After Monday mornings practice Running Back LaDainian Tomlinson talks about his role during the preseason games and he comments about his new Nike commercial. Play
	Training Camp: Monday Philip Rivers After Monday mornings practice Quarterback Philip Rivers talks about the progress of the teams receivers and what Full Back Lorenzo Neal brings to the team. Play
	Training Camp: Monday Quentin Jammer After Monday August 6, 2007 evenings practice star Cornerback Quentin Jammer talks about wanting to finally play the first preseason game vs Seattle. Play
	Training Camp: Monday Nick Hardwick After practice on Monday August 6, 2007 Pro Bowl center Nick Hardwick answers questions about this Sundays preseason game vs Seattle. Play