The Chargers have the best offense the Patriots will face in the first half of the season.

10:25 AM EDT on Friday, September 30, 2005

BY TOM E. CURRAN
Journal Sports Writer

FOXBORO -- The San Diego Chargers have the most balanced, efficient and explosive offense the Patriots will face in the first two months of the season.

AP photo

Drew Brees, throwing a pass in the season opener against the Cowboys, triggers the Chargers' high-powered offense.

In this stretch loaded with quality teams, San Diego will visit Foxboro on Sunday and trot out the league's best running back (LaDainian Tomlinson), perhaps its most underrated quarterback (Drew Brees), an elite tight end (Antonio Gates) and a savvy receiver crew headed by old pro Keenan McCardell.

The Patriots got an eyeful of Tomlinson in 2002 when he ran for 217 yards and two touchdowns in a 21-14 Chargers win in San Diego.

"He is very hard to defend because you have to defend the whole field and, again, it's not like he'll get through the line of scrimmage and you'll run him down for a 10-, 12-, 15-yard gain," said Belichick. "We know as well as anybody. He did it twice against us in '02, where he splits it and will go 40, 50, 60 yards and turn what looks like a short gain into a touchdown. That's a game-breaking skill, but along with that, he has a lot of power. He's good on the goal line and short-yardage situations. [He is] tough to tackle. He's fast, [has] good hands, is pretty good in blitz pickup. He does a good job."

Chargers coach Marty Schottenheimer used to call Tomlinson one of the best backs he's ever seen. He's given that up now. He just calls him the best running back he's seen.

In three games this season, Tomlinson has scored six touchdowns, and he will be trying to extend his NFL record of consecutive games getting into the end zone (15) on Sunday. He's already got 316 yards and a 5.4 yards-per-carry average.

Then there's Brees, who was so efficient last year (27 touchdown passes, 7 interceptions) that he forced the Chargers to keep him as their starter even after they had dealt for Philip Rivers, the fourth overall pick in the draft.

Brees is just ridiculously accurate and efficient.

"I think the big thing is his ability to make good decisions, run the team, manage the game, manage the clock, manage the situations, convert third downs, make good decisions in the red area, balance the game off," said Belichick. "He has a lot of skilled players that are very good, and he gets the ball to them in open spaces where they can make plays. Really, in the end, that's really what a quarterback's job is -- to get the ball to the playmakers on the team and to manage the game and to win. Whether it's been at Purdue or San Diego, he does a pretty good job of that."

Belichick detailed the quandary the Patriots face when asked whether the team has to guard against "overcommitting" to stop Tomlinson.

"What are you going to do?" asked Belichick. "Give him the ball and see whether or not you can tackle him in the open field? You don't want to get into that game. So whoever has him better get him. Whoever has Gates, they better get him. Whoever has McCardell, they better get him. Whoever has the Reche Caldwell, they better get him. I don't think you want to let any of them go. You're going to pay the price. I don't know. I'm not really sure what overcommit means; whoever has him better get him, whether that's overcommitting or undercommitting or being at the right commitment, I don't know. But whoever has him better get him because those guys can all make plays, and they do. All of those players, you're not just defending one thing or one player, but you have all of the skill players from sideline to sideline from goal line to pretty much goal line. It's tough."