CHARGERS: A win, but Bolts hardly in the running

More rushing woes vs. Chiefs; L.T. wants flaws to stay internal

By MIKE SULLIVAN - Staff Writer | Monday, November 10, 2008 8:03 PM PST ∞

SAN DIEGO ---- Winning a football game for the first time in four weeks couldn't cure all that ails the Chargers.

Of tremendous concern Monday was the Chargers' failure to run the ball successfully against a beat-up Kansas City team that owns the NFL's worst rushing defense.

During Sunday's 20-19 victory over the Chiefs (1-8), the Chargers averaged just 3.5 yards per carry while rushing for 92 yards. It was a pretty alarming showing because the Chiefs have allowed two teams to rush for at least 300 yards in a game this season.

Running back LaDainian Tomlinson is highly frustrated with the lack of production in the run game ---- the Chargers rank just 25th in the NFL ---- and hinted that there's internal friction involved in figuring out the reasons for why the rushing attack can't get untracked.

"That's tough to handle," said Tomlinson, who ranks 11th in the NFL in rushing yards (629). "I honestly believe, certain things ---- when you start to discuss things like this ---- they stay in house, that we discuss them among each other.

"There's reasons, but I'm not willing to talk about it to the media. That's something that has to be dealt with internally within the organization; players, coaches, you know, that has to be dealt with between us."

Tomlinson rushed for 78 yards on 22 carries against a Kansas City defense that entered the game allowing a staggering 5.4 yards per carry.

He said there has been "a conscious effort," to figure out the problems and stressed the issue isn't related to personnel, a la the offseason departures of former backup Michael Turner and Pro Bowl fullback Lorenzo Neal.

Tomlinson implied that it is the mind-set that's the problem.

"To me, there are certain times in the game you have to understand the momentum of when a team is kind of down and when you need to beat up on them and run the football a little bit versus maybe when you throw over the top of them," Tomlinson said. "So that's always something that needs to be felt with the coaches, and sometimes, I don't know, things don't get done in that fashion just because of the way the game may play out or it has played out most parts of the season."

Chargers coach Norv Turner said the Chiefs ganged up on the line of scrimmage with an abundance of eight-man fronts. He said a well-executed eight-man front won't allow a team to get its running backs outside.

Turner pointed to a myriad of reasons for why the running game continues to bog down.

"When you sit in there (and watch film) and break it down play by play by play, sometimes it's a guy, sometimes it's the way teams have decided to say, 'Hey, we're not going to let you run the ball,' " Turner said.

Offensive tackle Marcus McNeill said he doesn't sense any frustration on Tomlinson's part, but he also indicated that the running game has to improve. He said he and his linemates are constantly assessing their play looking for answers.

"We want to sit there and make sure we're not the guys who are causing it and not be that one player that's causing it not to break for that big gain," McNeill said. " ... You just have to take responsibility amongst yourself."

The running game could get worse before it gets better. Next up are the Pittsburgh Steelers, who lead the NFL in total defense and rank second in rushing defense. The Steelers are allowing just 62.3 yards per game on the ground and are giving up just 3.0 yards per carry, second in the NFL to Baltimore's 2.9.

"For whatever reason, the run game has been in a little bit of a funk," quarterback Philip Rivers said. "You keep grinding through this time, and hopefully you come out of it.

"It needs to get better, no question about it."

The Chargers improved to 4-5 with the narrow victory over the Chiefs, but perhaps some players haven't fully grasped the urgency typically associated with going just 3-5 over the first half of the season.

Strong safety Clinton Hart said some of his teammates underestimated the Chiefs, a team missing key players on both sides of the ball. According to Hart, Kansas City didn't inspire the same level of motivation that teams like New England or Indianapolis provide.

"I think what happened (was in) the first half guys were a little mellow," said Hart, who broke up a late two-point conversion pass that would've given Kansas City a victory. "There was a little chill around the locker room, and when we went back in, we realized that 'Hey, look, we can actually lose this game if we don't get it together.' "

Chargers notes

Chargers coach Norv Turner wasn't interested in the prevailing view that Sunday's win was highly underwhelming. "I can't and won't, and I'm just not going to get caught up in that because I've been coaching in this league too long," Turner said. â€- CB Cletis Gordon (knee sprain) will be sidelined two to three weeks, according to Turner. S Steve Gregory (neck) will be evaluated later in the week. DT Jamal Williams (chest) is day to day.