CHARGERS HEAD COACH NORV TURNER
(on this being his second game against Kenny Britt and from watching him on film, especially his performance Sunday, how much has he grown)
There are just a few guys that have that rare, explosive speed and quickness. When he gets going, he gets his head of steam up. In the Philadelphia game he gets matched up with those safeties that is tough duty for everybody. He was extremely impressive in the way he played last week.
(on why the Chargers have had so much success against the Titans)
I think every game is different. People talk about this game or that game, I know when we went back there and came from behind a few years ago, we were very fortunate to win that. There were some very close plays and officiating calls that had an effect on that game and we were fortunate to win. Obviously, last year's game they turned the ball over early and gave us some opportunities. I think they are right now, and we played New England last week and I looked at them and thought they were as complete a team in all three phases, and now I turn around and put the tape on of Tennessee with the explosive plays offensively that they made and the way they are playing defense and certainly playing in the kicking game, they're equally as impressive.
(on if there are any common threads in the last four games between the Chargers and Titans)
Like I said, I think every game has been a little different. The game there they dominated and we were able to kind of get a run on them in the second half and make some plays and win in overtime. The playoff game here was down to the fourth quarter and it was a two or three play difference game. Last year the biggest difference in that game and the other games is the turnovers early in the game.
(on if he feels like this is a make or break game for their season)
As I said after the game on Sunday and what I said to our team is we need to go and win a game. We need to put a complete game together. We've hurt ourselves with turnovers, we know that. I think we have improved some in special teams, although we will be tested this week. Being at home and playing a good team, it is a real big game for us.
(on their offense's struggles running the ball)
I think there have been some games where we have run the ball pretty well and our average per carry isn't as bad as our net yardage. We have gotten behind in games where there isn't a whole lot of time to run the ball. Obviously, last week we were down, after the first drive of the second quarter we are down 20-3. We have been down in three of four games because of either our turnovers or kicking game situations. We have been behind where we haven't really had the opportunities to run the ball. The two games that we won here at home we stayed in a rhythm, we took care of the ball and we were able to run the ball and get more runs. That is the biggest, frustrating thing to me is that we haven't gotten enough runs.
(on why they've been so good statistically on both offense and defense this year without it translating into wins)
I think statistics can get inflated a little bit depending on certain circumstances. Some of our yardage has come when we have been behind and we are trying to get back even and we're in a no huddle, pass-every-down mode. If you are making plays, you are going to get yards. Obviously, the two things that you say we've had fumbles returned and kicks returned for touchdowns and we've turned the ball over 18 times. We have fumbled the ball in all areas of the field whether we have been backed up or down inside the 10. If you have an 80-yard drive and you fumble the ball at the 1 and don't get points, it has a big effect on whether you win or lose.
(on how big of an asset backup quarterback Billy Volek is to the team with his experience in the Chargers system and the league in general)
I like Billy and Billy has worked awfully hard. He and Philip (Rivers) work real well together. I think they help each other and Billy does a good job preparing and getting ready to play if he needs to play. He played last year extensively in that last game of the season against the Redskins and played well and brought us from behind to win the game.
(on how the Chargers have been able to limit Vince Young in recent games)
I don't know that you limit a guy. I think when you are in a 3-4 defense, I think it helps you with some of the perimeter game. We try to make a big issue of limiting the plays he can get to the outside. He is dangerous and he scares me every time he has the ball.
(on if he is expecting to see Vince Young or Kerry Collins at quarterback for the Titans)
That is the thing they have over us right now. We have to prepare for both. The way Kerry played obviously throughout that game and the plays he made in the passing game, I can understand why that would be the thought. We also know the success that Vince has had. We just have to make sure we are ready to handle which guy plays.
(on why they've had so many turnovers this season and how it's impacted their season)
The number one thing that I would look at and say we've had a lot of guys handling the ball who haven't handled the ball in the past on a regular basis. I think that we have had eight different guys that have fumbled and a lot of them it's the first time they have been playing as starters or having a role that is significant. Sometimes it is a little bit of a learning process of what it takes to secure the ball in this league. The guys that have had the early fumbles have not had fumbles in the last three or four games. We've just had some injuries and played some other guys and they've had opportunities and they've turned the ball over.
(on what he sees from Titans linebacker Stephen Tulloch)
Just a heady, sharp guy that is a playmaker. Obviously, he is their leading tackler and he diagnoses and plays the pass extremely well. He is a physical player. I was very impressed with him when we played in the past.
(on how much the loss of Kassim Osgood has impacted their special teams)
It is hard to evaluate that on any of them. I could ask that about a number of guys who aren't here. You get to replace them with a guy and sometimes it is a work in progress because you replace them with young players. As I said, the biggest thing we had in the first three or four games in our kicking game were we had some late training camp injuries of guys that had worked to prepare for different spots, weren't available early and we put some young guys in there that weren't ready. That has been a bigger issue than anything else. I think we have improved getting some guys back and then we added some new players.
