Turner’s Chargers seal elusive playoff win

THE WATERY eyes were evident in Norv Turner’s face, a swelling of emotions stemming from the season-long burden he has carried as Marty Schottenheimer’s successor in San Diego.

Turner wouldn’t say he was crying — “it was probably the rain,” he shrugged — but who could blame him if he did spill a few tears? He entered the NFL playoffs as San Diego coach facing more pressure than any other head coach. He was, essentially, hired to do what Schottenheimer couldn’t — win a playoff game.

Even as he did just that Sunday, with his Chargers beating the Titans, 17-6, in the final wild-card game of the weekend, the doubters were there. San Diego fans booed him, just as they had at different points of the regular season. Some made their preference known for Schottenheimer. The negative environment was certainly evident at half-time, as the Chargers trotted off the field trailing 6-0. The blame for the lack of offence — San Diego had just six yards rushing in the half — was directed at Turner, considered one of the league’s most creative play-callers.

You see, while his players have home-field advantage, Turner doesn’t.

“Norv was brought here in an odd situation,” running back LaDainian Tomlinson said. “It was either get us back to the playoffs AND win a game in the playoffs or you are a failure.

“I felt like he was given the raw end of the stick. When people were booing it was kind of unfair to him.”

Yet, Turner wasn’t alone at the bottom of the respect-meter.

Philip Rivers, his quarterback, faced similar problems. While Turner tried to ignore the disgruntled fans, Rivers faced a defence that didn’t respect him. Earlier in the week, Titans linebacker Keith Bulluck said point-blank that his team would do everything it could to stop Tomlinson and force Rivers to beat them with his arm.

Tomlinson had 17 rushing yards on 15 first-down carries, and the lack of a running game stuck Rivers with third-and-17, third-and-18, third-and-12 and third-and-11 in his first five third-down opportunities.

“We attacked the run,” Bulluck explained after the game. “We wanted to put the game in Philip Rivers’ hands.”

And then Bullock added one more comment, the one that said it all about the game’s outcome.

“He did a great job.”

After producing just 88 passing yards in the first half, Rivers rallied, eventually finishing with 292 yards on 19 of 30 attempts. He had four completions of 30-plus yards and two of 20. Chris Chambers caught six passes for 121 yards and Vincent Jackson caught five passes for 114 yards and a touchdown.

“One thing I know is that I’m about as competitive as it gets,” Rivers said. “I don’t pay much attention, but I hear all the talk. I hear that I’m the question mark. But I know what I can do. I know my teammates believe in me. I go out there and play.”

The Chargers (12-5) advance to face the Indianapolis Colts on Sunday.

Meanwhile, Eli Manning threw three touchdown passes to lead the New York Giants past Tampa Bay 24-14 and into a second-round NFL playoff match-up next week at Dallas.

The Giants will face their NFC East divisional rivals for a berth in the National Conference finals on January 20. The Cowboys would host that game if they beat the Giants, who cannot host a playoff game.

“We’re going to be ready. We’re fired up to be going to Dallas,” Manning said.

Seattle will visit Green Bay next Saturday in the other National Conference second-round matchup.