Chargers Limit Talk to This Year's Patriots

<div class='quotetop'>QUOTE </div><div class='quotemain'><div>The Chicago Bears spent the week preparing for the Chargers in Sunday's season opener by trash-talking about a Nike commercial that featured Bolts running back LaDainian Tomlinson running wild over the Bears' defense.</div> <div> But when the Bears traveled to San Diego and lined up at Qualcomm Stadium, they left the trash-talking behind. The NFC defending champions just played football.</div> <div> "There was very little talking going on," Chargers outside linebacker Shawne Merriman said after the Bolts' 14-3 win.</div> <div> The Chargers believe they've developed that kind of game-day focus with maturity. In fact, the Chargers have taken it a step further than the Bears, resisting the temptation to trash-talk the New England Patriots, this week's opponent that eliminated the Bolts in last year's playoffs. No one popped off in the locker room after the win over the Bears or on Monday in the first day of preparations for the Patriots.</div> <div> "It's a testament to the character of the players in our locker room," Chargers tight end Antonio Gates said. "We take it one game at a time. This victory against Chicago got us off on the right path, but now it's time to tune in and get focused on New England in spite of what happened last year. We want to go out and play the best San Diego Chargers football that we can."</div> <div> A year ago the Chargers were 14-2 and held the home-field advantage in the AFC playoffs, but the Patriots came to San Diego and went home with a 24-21 upset of the Bolts. After the game, Chargers players were upset with the Patriots for celebrating on the Chargers' logo while mocking Shawne Merriman's "Lights Out" dance. But Gates said the Chargers aren't focused on avenging the loss or the Patriots' post-game antics.</div> <div> "We're much more prepared and experienced than last year," Gates said. "Emotions may get in the way of a game when you have a battle like we had last year. Emotions get involved, but at the same time we understand this is our job. This is our business to go out and perform to our highest level. We weren't able to do that last year."</div> <div> Chargers quarterback Philip Rivers admitted some emotions will be churning from last year's upset, but the Chargers will shift their focus by game time.</div> <div> "Emotions will be going and I guess some of it will be stimulated from the playoff game," Rivers said. "But this game doesn't change that one win or loss. You can't fix that game. It's a new year. Two years ago we went out there and won and then we didn't make the playoffs. For us, what's important is this is the second game on the schedule. We're 1-0, one of 16 teams that are 1-0 after the first week. Chicago and New England are two teams picked to be playing in early February, so we're getting some tests early."</div> <div> Gates described New England this year as the 2007-2008 Patriots, a reference to the playoffs taking place in the new year.</div> <div> "Sometimes emotions get out of hand, and we felt we didn't play that well in the postseason," Gates said. "But this is a new start and a new beginning. Fortunately, we came away with a win against Chicago. Now it's time for us to get focused on the 2007-2008 New England Patriots."</div> <div> It might also help the Chargers' mental preparation that they have a new coach in Norv Turner. He didn't suffer the pain of a promising season ending so suddenly. He didn't talk revenge against the Patriots; he talked about learning from last year's narrow losses at Baltimore, at Kansas City and in the playoffs to New England.</div> <div> "I haven't spoken specifically about (the playoff loss)," Turner said. "I think the players understand a lot of things stem from that game and that type of game in Baltimore. Those experiences, if you learn from it, help you. In a lot of ways, (the Patriots) are the same team but there are some differences. We'll start getting ready for this year's team."</div></div><div></div><div>http://www.chargers.com/news/headlines/cha...-talk.htm</div>