The San Diego Chargers’ new coach, Norv Turner.

AP / Jeff Roberson

New England Patriots coach Bill Belichick is known for his, shall we say, uninspiring news conferences. His monotone and general avoidance of anything resembling bulletin-board material make don’t make for great quotes.

That’s part of the reason why some, this reporter included, believe Belichick had so much vitriol directed at him for last week’s videotaping incident — he’s not media-friendly.

But if you listen closely, you can pick up little nuggets of information from the coach.

Take last week, for instance. When Belichick wasn’t trying — mostly in vain — to deflect questions related to videogate, he did get to answer some questions about the Chargers, New England’s opponent tonight.

Specifically, the San Diego offense and how it will look under new head coach Norv Turner, whose strength is on that side of the ball.

“Norv’s offense is Norv’s offense,” Belichick said. “We’ve seen that at Dallas, at Washington, at Oakland.”

Ding-ding-ding!!

If Belichick, the man who has a couple of his game plans enshrined in the Pro Football Hall of Fame, knows what he’s going to see against the Chargers, that probably puts San Diego at an immediate disadvantage.

In fact, Belichick is 5-2 as a head coach in games where Turner is either head coach or offensive coordinator. One of those losses was in 1991, Belichick’s first season at the helm in Cleveland and when Turner was with the Troy Aikman-Michael Irvin-Emmitt Smith Cowboys.

Belichick noted that a Turner offense is generally well-balanced, but with a good amount of attempts downfield.

The last time Turner and Belichick stood on opposite sidelines was for the 2005 season opener; Turner was in charge of the Radiers.

New England claimed a 30-20 win that day, but true to Belichick’s word, Oakland took plenty of chances with the deep ball. Kerry Collins was 18-for-39 that day, and eight of his completions went for 16 or more yards, including a 73-yard first-half touchdown pass to Randy Moss, playing his first game with Oakland.

The Raiders rushed 22 times for 92 yards.

When Turner was the offensive coordinator in Miami, he squared off against the defensive mastermind, Belichick four times, and was on the winning side for just one of those tilts.

But while Belichick’s Patriots also trumped Turner in his first tour of duty with San Diego, as coordinator in 2001, the Chargers he inherited this year have one of the most potent offensive trios in the NFL in running back LaDainian Tomlinson, quarterback Philip Rivers and tight end Antonio Gates.

The Chargers’ weakness on offense is at wide receiver, which may make it difficult to stretch the field.

Gates poses problems because of his versatility.

“One of the problems with Gates, particularly in Norv’s offense this year, is finding him,” Belichick said. “You don’t know where he’s going to be.”

If finding Gates is the only mystery Belichick will be trying to solve once the game starts, it may be a long night for San Diego.

smanza@projo.com