CARSON -- The NFL education of rookie Chargers running back Michael Turner has been quick. He already has unearthed a gem from LaDainian Tomlinson, the man Turner hopes to back up this year.
Turner fancies himself as a ball carrier who can run inside or outside. Tomlinson suggests finding the edges to help extend Turner's life as an NFL back.
"That's what L.T. told me," Turner said.
The 5-foot-10, 237-pound Turner listens with both ears. It's with both eyes the offensive coaches watch him, and they're upbeat in what they see.
"I like him," coach Marty Schottenheimer said. "He has the ideal body type for a runner. He has a low center of gravity, and he's got some girth to his lower body. And those kind of guys are hard to knock down."
Low is where the Chargers found Turner in the draft. It was in the fifth round when they called the name of a relieved -- and surprised -- Turner.
"I thought I was going to go higher in the draft," Turner said. "The draft kept going, and I was getting kind of worried. I had no idea where I was going to end up."
Turner said Chicago, Philadelphia and Dallas showed the most interest. The Chargers, especially with an elite back in Tomlinson, didn't appear on Turner's list.
But the Chargers pulled the trigger, and now they are pulling Tomlinson off the practice field with regularity.
"I think they know what I can do," Tomlinson said with a smile. "They just want to get those younger guys in and see what they can do."
The goal is to get a reliable back to spell Tomlinson, the workhorse who rushed for 1,645 yards and caught 100 passes in 2003. Tomlinson accounted for 45.9 percent of his team's offensive yards; only Baltimore's Jamal Lewis, at 46.1, was higher.
The Chargers are up on Turner, who is battling Jesse Chatman and Doug Chapman for Tomlinson's caddie duties.
"(Turner's) a powerful runner," Tomlinson said. "Once he hits the hole, he hits it downhill. He is strong."
Turner was the equivalent of Charles Atlas at Northern Illinois, where he produced some impressive statistics: 13th all-time on the NCAA career rushing list (4,941 yards) and second in the nation in rushing the past two years (1,915 in '02; 1,648 in '03).
Many scoff at those figures, pointing to Northern Illinois' schedule.
"Some people say it's because who I was playing against and that's why I got those numbers," Turner said. "But I did it against the big schools, too. They are legit in my mind. If it was that easy, everyone would be doing it."
Turner rolled the Tide last year when Alabama had the nation's seventh-best rushing defense. Turner rushed for 156 yards in Northern Illinois' 19-16 upset.
It was during Turner's junior year at Northern Illinois that a sportswriter tagged him with the nickname "Turner the Burner." It stuck.
Turner, the 154th overall pick, hopes to do likewise with the Bolts.
"It's something that grew on me," Turner said.
Now Turner, who had only two fumbles in his final 508 attempts, takes root with the Chargers.
"He has some real good instincts," Schottenheimer said.
Among them is listening to Tomlinson.
Contact staff writer Jay Paris at paris@nctimes.net.
