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Antonio Gates, like many of his teammates, wondered just how much better the Chargers' offense could get under this offensive guru the team hired as its head coach in February. “That's what's amazing about it,” Gates, the All-Pro tight end, said yesterday. “Just when we felt we had gotten everything out of this system, it's like, 'Wow! We can do this? You're putting this in?' ” The Chargers began a three-day, closed-to-the-public minicamp yesterday. Despite the camp's voluntary nature, every player on the roster was in attendance. And those on the offense are particularly stoked about the direction they are headed under new head coach/de facto offensive coordinator Norv Turner.
The word of the day when Turner was hired was continuity, as he was the team's offensive coordinator in 2001 and installed the offense the Chargers have used ever since. But there has been some subtle and some not-so-subtle tweaking in the past month during offseason coaching sessions.“We've installed things that have not been part of the offense, that may not have been handed down,” center Nick Hardwick said. “He must have kept them for himself.”
Turner, who has had his troubles as a head coach but is one of the most respected offensive coordinators in the league over the past two decades, is almost entirely concerned with the offense during practices. That is a departure from Marty Schottenheimer, who was primarily a defensive coach and was hardly involved in instituting the playbook on either side of the ball.
Turner, whose off-the-field persona is as laid-back as a hammock, is intensely vocal and just a bit salty on the field.
“He lights up,” quarterback Philip Rivers said.
Which is exactly what the Chargers expect to do. They return all but one offensive starter from a team that led the league with 492 points and was fourth in the NFL with 365 yards a game.
Every time Turner speaks of the offense it is with an underlying excitement about what is possible. He acknowledges how good they became under Cam Cameron, but he hints at greatness to come.
“There are things we can build on,” he said last month. “It's been a young group. Cam did a great job, but we'll take the young guys and utilize what they do best. There are a group of guys ready to build on what they've done.”
Players are buzzing about new routes and twists on old ones. Gates, for one, has added several new possibilities to a repertoire of routes that already has seen him lead the team in receptions each of the past three seasons and make three Pro Bowls. There appear also to be more deep options and no reluctance to dial long distance.
While Turner is a perfectionist and can often be heard hollering about a lack of discipline on a play, Rivers and others have been excited by his knack for ad-libbing and his acceptance of players doing different things to make plays.
“There is a lot more back-yardness to his style,” Rivers said.
“He makes it so visual,” receiver Vincent Jackson said.
While every offense in the NFL speaks of being able to impose its will, it appears this offense believes that is entirely possible.
They are following the lead of a head coach who sees the potential for something even more special from an offense that had six Pro Bowlers, including the league MVP, in 2006.
He is pushing them.
It did not escape Turner's notice that the Chargers played a half-dozen of the league's 10 lowest-rated defenses last season, scoring 234 points against those six teams. This season, they play eight games against defenses that in '06 ranked in the top 10.
“The challenge I put to them is that you look at our schedule and we play a number of the best defenses in our league,” Turner said. “The real test is if you want to be one of the elite offenses you have to play against the best defenses. If you go out and score 45 points against a defense that isn't that good, it doesn't help you the next week.”
His résumé, which includes being offensive coordinator of the Dallas Cowboys when they won Super Bowls after the 1992 and '93 seasons, gave him instant credibility, players said. That credibility has only grown.
“He's been part of some great teams,” tackle Shane Olivea said. “There's a difference between getting there and staying there. He sees a team that has the possibility of staying great for a long time.”



SignOnSanDiego.com > San Diego Chargers -- Offense has new bag of tricks