The Charger 2x4 upside the head

On whether Norv Turner should put LT and Darren Sproles in the same backfield more often: “Norv Turner will do what he sees fit. What if he plays both of them and they don't do well? That's why coaches don't listen.”

That from Nick Canepa’s sitdown with former San Diego St. Aztec Marshall Faulk which appeared in Saturday’s U-T. And, yes, a fine question it is and pretty weak response by the Field Marshall. It remains baffling to us that a team possessing two dynamic and explosive talents would only play them one at a time. And this question is a long time coming because we were posing the very same proposition when it was Michael Turner who was Marshall’s backup before he signed with Atlanta.

Maybe there is some sort of gentlemen’s agreement between NFL offensive coordinators and their opposing defensive coordinators of which we were previously unaware whereby the OCs promise to not put too much pressure on the DCs by not putting their two best running threats on the field at the same time. And let’s be clear about something… it’s not like LT is exclusively a running threat. Tomlinson has over 500 hundred career receptions and over 3,800 receiving yards to his credit in his eventual Hall of Fame career. And Sproles is an absolute nightmare when he is set up on a screen utilizing his diminutive stature and quickness to dart his way downfield behind his much larger lineman.

We’re not asking for much. A package of 6 or 7 plays that utilizes both LT and Sproles in the backfield. Can you imagine being a D-Con and being tasked with – on the fly – a defensive scheme to contain LT, Sproles, Antonio Gates, Vincent Jackson and Chris Chambers? What’s not to like about getting LT motioning out of the backfield and isolated on a linebacker one-on-one a half-dozen times a game?

Gimmicky? Whatever. Hardly as gimmicky as the Wildcat formation that paid big dividends for teams that used it judiciously. We’re looking at you, Miami Dophins.

It's been said that the NFL is a copy-cat league so maybe someone else will have to take the plunge before Norv sees the light. 'Til then, young lads like us can always dream.