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The San Diego Chargers are already what the Carolina Panthers hope to be, a team that runs the ball effectively on offense and one that forces numerous turnovers defensively.
The Chargers, who play host to Carolina at 4 p.m. Sunday in the season's opener for both teams, feature possibly the game's most effective running back in LaDainian Tomlinson.
Last season, “LT” led San Diego to the AFC Championship game, where the Chargers fell to New England. During the regular season, Tomlinson rushed for 1,474 yards, his seventh straight year of topping 1,200 on the ground.
He also had six regular-season 100-yard rushing games, and now has 44 for his career. That's important because teams with 100-yard rushers won 73.4 percent of the time last year, according to the NFL. San Diego was 5-1 in those games.
Behind Tomlinson, the Chargers were seventh in the league in rushing, with 127.4 a game.
Tomlinson is also a dangerous receiver out of the backfield (60 catches in '07), but San Diego quarterback Philip Rivers said this week that the running back's value goes far beyond that.
“I think the part of his game that doesn't get as much recognition but may be as good as any back in the league is his blocking,” Rivers said. “He's an excellent pass protector that really understands pass protection and the schemes, the blitzes people are bringing.
“There's no telling how many hits he's taken off of me or kept me from getting a sack because of his ability back there to pick up a linebacker or a DB that's blitzing off the edge.
“He's just a true complete player and again, he's dangerous. I've got the best view in the house when he makes some of those runs. It's fun to hand it to him.”
Teams can't concentrate on LT, though, because the Chargers also have an effective air attack, orchestrated by Rivers. Antonio Gates is one of the league's top tight ends, and Chris Chambers and Vincent Jackson are dangerous threats at receiver.
San Diego finished 13-6 counting its three playoff games last season, while Carolina is trying to turn things around after a 7-9 effort.
The odds in this one seem to be working against Carolina. The Chargers are 16-2 in their Qualcomm Stadium over the past two seasons, including playoffs. And during the last four years, the Chargers have won seven of eight from NFC teams, among them a 17-6 victory in Charlotte in 2004.
One of the Chargers' most dangerous weapons is their ability to force turnovers; last season they topped the league in turnover differential, with a +24 advantage. Credit for much of that goes to cornerback Antonio Cromartie, who led the NFL with ten interceptions.
And San Diego starts the season in good shape physically.
“We are the healthiest we've been since last January,” said coach Norv Turner. “We knew it was going to take some time for some of these guys to get back. Some of them we didn't get back until a week or ten days ago, but we're slowly getting everyone back and we are healthy.”
Well, almost healthy, anyway. Talented linebacker Shawne Merriman will play with two torn ligaments in his left knee Sunday, but then he did so for the final six games of last season as well, Turner said.
