Heavyweights meet again

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Wednesday, Jan 02, 2008
By Tom Shanahan, Chargers.com

Chargers Head Coach Norv Turner didn’t hesitate following the Bolts’ 23-17 overtime win on Dec. 9 at the Tennessee Titans to volunteer an opinion.

“That was as physical of a game as you’ll see in the NFL,” he said, adding it was contested with playoff intensity.

A month later, Chargers and Titans crank up the playoff intensity again, this time for real, when they meet in the Wild Card round of the AFC playoffs Sunday at Qualcomm Stadium.

So what happens when the Chargers’ physical offensive line -- which clears the way for a running game ranked seventh in the league averaging 127.4 yards a game -- meets the Titans’ physical defensive line -- ranked fifth in the league for yards allowed rushing at 92.4 per game -- collide again so soon?

“It’s more physical,” said Chargers offensive line coach Hal Hunter. “They know what they’re going to bring, and they know what you’re going to bring. They remember the last game and they remember what they’re in for. Both know they have to step it up.”

Which is fine with the Chargers, a group that sometimes is underestimated around the league for its physical play.

“I think teams from California get that wrap -- that they’re a finesse group,” Chargers quarterback Philip Rivers said. “But anybody that has lined up across from (the Chargers’ offensive line) knows that’s not the case. We know in this locker room, and I think guys in the trenches know around the league, that this is a tough nasty group that gets after you pretty good.”

One of the key matchups of the game is on the Chargers’ left side, where guard Kris Dielman (6-4, 310) and tackle Marcus McNeill (6-7, 336) will square off against defensive tackle Albert Haynesworth (6-6, 320) and defensive end Kyle Vanden Bosch (6-4, 278).

The Titans don’t flip-flop their tackles and ends, so it will be an all-day battle.

“The whole game,” Hunter said. “They don’t substitute for them, either,”

All four players are Pro Bowlers. Dielman made his first Pro Bowl this season as a third-year starter and fifth-year pro and McNeill made it last year as a rookie.

Haynesworth made his first Pro Bowl this year in his sixth NFL season and Vanden Bosch made his second this year in his seventh NFL season. Vanden Bosch had played on the other side or inside in past seasons.

“What helped (Haynesworth) more than anything is moving Vanden Bosch to the same side as him,” said center Nick Hardwick, a Pro Bowler last year that will be relied upon to help double-team Haynesworth. “You can’t just double team him and leave the left tackle alone because he’s got his hands full with the defensive end. You’ve got a couple of unbelievable players over there and that makes the 3-2 (blocking) combination tougher.”

In the first game, Haynesworth and Vanden Bosch set the tone early when Chargers running back LaDainian Tomlinson was limited to 12 carries for 33 yards and 2.8 yards a carry. Vanden Bosch finished the game leading the Titans in tackles with seven and in sacks with three. He had seven quarterback hurries. Haynesworth had four tackles with a sack with a sack and a two quarterback hurries.

But the Chargers’ began to break down the Titans and find running room in the second half as they came back from a 17-3 fourth-quarter deficit. Tomlinson, the NFL rushing champion, finished the game with 26 carries for 146 yards and an average of 5.6 yards per carry.

One play after Haynesworth left the game with a leg injury in overtime, Tomlinson broke off his game-winning 16-yard touchdown run -- around the left side.

“They’re physical and they’re an effort team,” Hunter said. “They’re tough and play hard every snap. I think their defensive line sets the tempo for how D-lines are supposed to play.”

McNeill said he and Dielman made an agreement coming off the practice field Wednesday to do their talking after the game. Perhaps that’s getting their game faces on.

“That’s nothing new,” Hardwick said. “Have you ever known those guys to say anything?”

The win over Tennessee was the Chargers’ third straight in what is now a six-game winning streak. But the Bolts’ offensive line played two of its best game the next two weeks. During the six-game winning streak, the Chargers averaged 143.8 yards rushing a game to rank second in the NFL.

The Bolts' time of possession average of 32:36 is third. In a 52-14 win over the Detroit Lions, Tomlinson rushed 15 times for 116 yards and two touchdowns before he was pulled from the game in the third quarter. Darren Sproles took over and ran 25 times for 122 yards and two touchdowns. It was the first time in franchise history the Chargers’ had two backs top 100 yards in the same game. The next week, the Bolts beat the Denver Broncos 23-3 as Tomlinson again topped 100 yards with 19 carries for 107 yards and one touchdown before he was pulled in the second half.

Tomlinson ran for 56 yards in last week’s 30-17 win over the Oakland Raiders when he carried only five times in the second half after having clinched his second straight NFL rushing title.

“We’ve got to clean up some things from last week, but we’re alright,” Hardwick said. “It wasn’t as technically as sound of a game as we would have liked, but we got the job done. The last couple of weeks coming out of Tennessee, we’ve been playing good ball.”

Echoing Hunter’s comments, Hardwick, in his fourth NFL season, says rematches against physical opponents always mean more of the same.

“We’ll get after it again,” he said. “Playing a team like that, you’re not going to avoid the physical contact, and I don’t think we necessarily want to. We’re going to get after it, too. Were not going to change what we’ve been doing. We’re not going to be the Colts and spread you out. We’re going to get after it.”

MikeNowak, Chargers.com

The play of Nick Hardwick, Kris Dielman and the Chargers' offensive line will be pivotal Sunday.

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