Offense strives for consistency

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Monday, Nov 12, 2007
By Tom Shanahan , Chargers.com

Among the first questions Chargers head coach Norv Turner heard Monday afternoon following a 23-21 win over the Super Bowl champion Indianapolis Colts inquired about the state of the offense and quarterback Philip Rivers.

Turner said when he reviewed tape of the Chargers' 12-play, 45-yard touchdown drive that included three third-down conversions -with two in third-and-10 situations - his answer was that nothing is wrong.

"The best example is the third-and-10 completion to Vincent Jackson on the touchdown drive," Turner said. "It was protected well, there was time to let the route develop, Vincent ran an in route, (Rivers) put the ball right between (Jackson's) chin and facemask. It was a 15-yard gain on a third-and-10."

The drive was completed without a penalty as the running back LaDainian Tomlinson scored on a 4-yard run for a 23-0 lead.

But when Turner reviewed other plays, he said it's a matter of the offense developing consistency to gain some rhythm.

One example was a false start for a 5-yard penalty after a 6-yard gain.

"We had second-and-4, but with the false start it's second-and-9," Turner said. "It's hard to get a rhythm when you do that."

Another example was a dropped pass by Michael Turner on second-and-7 from the Bolts' 38-yard line.

"Philip did a nice job of sliding around the rush and avoiding that guy that was free," Turner said. "He slips the ball to Michael, and when the ball hits him in the hands, it looks like a 15-yard gain. But he wasn't able to handle the ball. When you make those kind of plays, you get in a rhythm. When you're not, you're struggling."

Turner said the Chargers, or any team, can't afford such mistakes against a Colts defense that entered Sunday's game second in the NFL in scoring defense. A week earlier, Indianapolis held New England to 10 points into the fourth quarter before the Patriots rallied with two touchdowns for the win.

Indianapolis' defense features two fast defensive ends in Dwight Freeney and Robert Mathis and a safety, Bob Sanders, that can play in the box to disrupt running games.

"We did not handle those matchups consistently," Turner said. "Those are impressive players."

Both Rivers and Tomlinson also added the team isn't discouraged and with seven games remaining, the Chargers believes they can establish consistency and a rhythm before the playoffs arrive.

"You want to be hot at the right time," Tomlinson said. "We haven't been hot yet, but it has to be coming. There are seven games to go to the playoffs, and if we're fortunate enough to get there, that's when you want to be hot. I've seen it over and over in this league when teams get hot. It hasn't happened for us yet, but I know it's coming."

Rivers, who said he was coming off a good week of practice, said he's not confused by the defenses or struggling with confidence in his second season as a starter. He said the team has to just keep striving for consistency.

"You're not going to be the same team every year," Rivers said. "For whatever reason, it hasn't all come together. The key thing is keep grinding, keep working and it will happen. There is no reason to think it can't."

The Chargers remain in first place in the AFC West with a 5-4 record and have a 2-1 mark within the division. Rivers said a difference is that this year's team hasn't found ways to pull out wins as frequently as a year ago.

"There isn't any major flaw or reason," he said. "We just haven't found it; in spurts of games we've looked like the group we saw last year. But I think last year can be deceiving. I can find tapes of spurts last year when we were terrible, but we found ways to win. These past five weeks, we've found ways to win in four of them."

Greg Ronlov, Chargers.com

Wide receiver Vincent Jackson had a couple of timely catches Sunday that helped the Chargers score their only offensive touchdown of the night.

	Monday: LaDainian Tomlinson RB LaDainian Tomlinson on Monday talks with the media about the Sundays win over the Colts, and when asked about CB Antonio Cromartie he tells reporters "He's becoming a known play maker around the league now." Play
	Monday: Norv Turner Head Coach Norv Turner speaks at Charger Park on Monday November 12, 2007. Play
	Monday: Philip Rivers QB Philip Rivers on Monday answers questions from the local media about Sundays 23-21 win against the Indianapolis Colts. Play
	Monday: Antonio Cromartie CB Antonio Cromartie on Monday comments on his first NFL start that resulted in three interceptions. Play