HEAD COACH NORV TURNER (general comments) Sunday, November 28, 2010
"It was a complete win for us. I thought our guys played in a very, very physical manner. It's nice to be able to run the football the way we've run it over the last two or three weeks. I think it does have an effect on our entire game. Defensively, to come up with the big plays, when you're scoring on defense and getting takeaways, it's a good feeling. I gave all of our guys on the kickoff team a game ball. That's probably as dramatic of an improvement as you can have from the beginning of the season to where we are now. That kind of set a tempo for everybody."
HEAD COACH NORV TURNER (on the balance in the Chargers offense) Sunday, November 28, 2010
"There are two things I always believe in offensively. You want to be good enough to do whatever you want to do. ... And the next step for me is if you are playing a team that's playing you with a lot of coverage, you want to be able to run the ball. If you are playing a team that's up there to stop the run, I think we've proven we can make big plays and be a good passing team. That, to me, is what happens when you're balanced. When the game started, Indianapolis was not going to let us get a play thrown up the field, not going to let us get a big play. I think they felt if we tried to hold it to get the ball up the field, they'd get pressure. I think Philip (Rivers) did a great job of getting the ball down underneath. But it did allow us opportunities to run the football. And I think our offensive line is obviously outstanding in the run game, and Michael Tolbert kind of fits our offensive line. They have a great feel for him, he has a great feel for them."
HEAD COACH NORV TURNER (on the defensive pressure on Peyton Manning that led to interceptions) Sunday, November 28, 2010
"I think pressure always plays a part of it. I thought (Kevin) Burnett made an outstanding play and read Peyton all the way and was kind of a freed-up guy there. I don't think Peyton ever saw him. There's no question if you're going to play good pass defense, you have to get good pressure."
HEAD COACH NORV TURNER (on Vincent Jackson's injury) Sunday, November 28, 2010
"Unfortunately it's what happens when you haven't been going. His calf, he's got a strain in it, and he was pretty sore. Hopefully it's not a long-term deal and we can get him back."
HEAD COACH NORV TURNER (on any feeling he might have that his team is coming together) Sunday, November 28, 2010
"In certain areas we've been playing at a real high level all year. As I told our guys after the New England game, none of that matters because we weren't giving ourselves a chance to win. You can go out and move the ball and throw for a thousand yards or do whatever you want, or play defense and hold them under 200 yards, but if you are turning the ball over and giving up kick returns and getting punts blocked, you're not going to win. We've made a lot of personnel adjustments. We've worked hard to get the right people in the game in the kicking game areas. We've not given up big plays all year. What those things have allowed us to do is to be more balanced on offense. We were doing a lot of the same things early, but we weren't getting anything for it because we were having so many negative plays."
HEAD COACH NORV TURNER (on whether the Chargers are getting on another late-season roll) Sunday, November 28, 2010
"We have a lot of very confident guys who are very smart. They know why we were struggling early. ... I think all of our guys understand now that, as I said, we have to protect the ball, we have be sound in the kicking game, we can't give up big plays on defense. That's what we've done over the last period of time. And with the game on the line in two or three games, we've played awfully well in the fourth quarter."
HEAD COACH NORV TURNER (more on the success in the late season) Sunday, November 28, 2010
"We didn't plan not to start well. We had a lot of injuries. We had some problems. We had young backs mishandling the ball. But we know it's a six-month season and we work hard to make sure we're building as the year goes on."
QUARTERBACK PHILIP RIVERS (on the Chargers' performance in general) Sunday, November 28, 2010
"The defense was awesome. Talk about a team win. That is certainly what tonight was. Getting two defensive touchdowns is obviously huge. Special teams was awesome -- Nate (Kaeding) obviously with five field goals and they covered kicks like crazy. Offensively, we did enough. We found out real early they weren't going to let us throw it over their head. They were going to make us dink and dunk. We did that. We just needed to convert a few of those third downs down there to score touchdowns. Had it been a tighter game, that could have cost us. A great win, a huge win on the road. Now we go back for a division game against Oakland, and this is getting tight and getting fun. "
QUARTERBACK PHILIP RIVERS (on whether he feels the team is getting on a roll in the late season) Sunday, November 28, 2010
"You do feel it. It's a good feeling. But you know how quick that feeling can go away if you let one slip. But I'll tell you, at 2-5, a lot of teams would have thrown in the towel. But we have a group of resilient guys, tough guys, who really play together and believe in one another. We weren't going to let this thing get away from us. Now we're right here in the hunt."
QUARTERBACK PHILIP RIVERS (on whether beating the defending AFC champions helped the Chargers gain credibility) Sunday, November 28, 2010
"We may have. But you know, we really aren't concerned with what everybody thinks on the outside. ... That's one thing we've never done. A few years ago, everybody thought we were the odds-on favorites for the Super Bowl and we started 1-3. We just have to stay focused. The 'win one game at a time,' I know it gets overused, but we've really bought into it. And we're going to keep that as our focus as we move forward."
QUARTERBACK PHILIP RIVERS (on whether he feels like he's a target for Indianapolis fans and whether the team rallies around that) Sunday, November 28, 2010
"I really don't think so. I know much was made of the playoffs here a few years ago, but it's always been clean on both sides. I think the fans here are great. They love their team. They get a few jabs at the opposing team's bench, which is what you get everywhere. It's always fun to come and play here. You're playing a good team, in a great stadium, with great fans. We've been fortunate that we've played well, guys have stepped up and we've been able to win our fair share of games here. This league is week to week. We haven't arrived anywhere. You have to do it again next week. ... We've been down this path before. We want to stay on the path we've been on in past years to give ourselves a chance to play into the new year."
QUARTERBACK PHILIP RIVERS (on Mike Tolbert) Sunday, November 28, 2010
"Mike Tolbert is one tough runner. He loves to play football. We have a lot of guys like that. He's a tough, tough guy who was banged up some today and kept running hard. When you run with the style he runs, there's never a play that doesn't end without a hard collision. But our guys up front were great getting him over 100 yards a game."
QUARTERBACK PHILIP RIVERS (on how the Chargers have played so well against the Colts in recent history) Sunday, November 28, 2010
"I don't know; we've just played well in those games. You have to get some breaks in every game, and our defense was just unbelievable. You develop a rivalry and an excitement about some teams out of the division. It just happens. ... It has that same feeling when we play the Colts. It's a playoff game, that kind of intensity, that kind of atmosphere. ... It just has something about it when you play them. I don't know if they have that feeling. If they feel that way, we certainly do. We've been on the 'W' side of it now for a few times in a row."
QUARTERBACK PHILIP RIVERS (more on the Chargers' strong play in the late season) Sunday, November 28, 2010
"Well, history would tell you that. Our past experiences in having to deal with these type of situations, both the slow starts and the late-season runs, certainly helps you. It's a mentality. We haven't carried it over into January in the past. We know that. We can't change that today. We can only keep the run in November going into December. We have to make sure we keep the focus on that to give ourselves a chance."
OLB-SHAUN PHILLIPS (on playing against Manning) Sunday, November 28, 2010
"He's obviously one of the best quarterbacks, if not the best quarterback, in the game. It's always a challenge so you look for the challenge and you get up for the challenge. It's just one of those things. Guys were hungry. We got after it today. We were the better team today."
OLB-SHAUN PHILLIPS (on quarterback pressure being part of the game plan) Sunday, November 28, 2010
"Our game plan is the same every single week. Stop the run and get after the quarterback. That's the same game plan every single week and that is what we're good at. We understand that if we can stop the run, make a team one dimensional, then we can get after the quarterback. That's when we are at our best when we are rushing the passer.
OLB-SHAUN PHILLIPS (on playing with confidence as the game went along) Sunday, November 28, 2010
"Honestly, we are at our highest (with confidence) every single game. We prepare to win every single game. We go into every single game like we're gonna win."
RB-MIKE TOLBERT (on importance of the win and after a short week of preparation) Sunday, November 28, 2010
"It was very important for us to come out and get a victory and play well. We really came in and had to really focus because we had a short week. That was our main focus, which was to be crisp on everything we did, and I think we played a pretty good game today."
RB-MIKE TOLBERT (on the offensive balance) Sunday, November 28, 2010
"It's always helpful when you have the best quarterback in the league, in my opinion. And then when you also balance it out with a good running game, you never know what's gonna hit you as a defense."
RB-MIKE TOLBERT (on how Chargers took advantage of Colts defense) Sunday, November 28, 2010
"(The Colts) are good defensively, and they're fast. So we wanted to just run at them and hit them, hit them hard and just run downhill at them and that's what we did today."
CB-ANTOINE CASON (on how the team is playing as a unit) Sunday, November 28, 2010
"We're just playing together and sticking together, and that is when things get rolling. We have to keep that same focus going into each week. When the defense scores points it helps everything. We are glad to get turnovers for touchdowns. When the defensive line and linebackers are out there getting pressure, it allows us to do the things we know how to do, like play aggressive.
K- NATE KAEDING (on punting and his recovery) Sunday, November 28, 2010
"Now I feel 100 percent and can get through a whole week of practice. Being able to put together a whole week is a big part of my success. It's always a challenge to get out there and get the reps when I'm hurt. It felt good and I got into it pretty well, and that was a point of emphasis for me. I'm trying to get back into the swing of the game.
RB-JACOB HESTER (on the offense getting into a rhythm) Sunday, November 28, 2010
"Field position is a big part of why we have been able to come back and win some of these games and allowing us to have a bit of a winning streak going. The O-line is playing unbelievable as well as the tight ends. I just think we are finally playing all three phases of football. The young guys have some games under their belt and the older guys are able to spill them out."
WR-ANTONIO GATES (on the team putting it together in the last month) Sunday, November 28, 2010
"If you look at the last three to four games, we've been able to control field position and special teams has been terrific these last four weeks. We've been able to convert on 3rd downs, score in the red zone and that's how you accumulate wins over time." Every game now is important for us to continue to make a run as AFC Champions."
DE-LUIS CASTILLO (on the team's focus) Sunday, November 28, 2010
"We take our focus one play at a time and realize that we will give everything we've got for our teammates. That's why I love this team and love this coaching staff because, we've really bought in together and come together as one. It is nice to recall on pass seasons, but this is a new team. It's comforting to know that if we can play good football and give ourselves a chance, we can come back from anything. Its starts from the head guy in Coach Turner."
DB- ERIC WEDDLE (on the team's confidence) Sunday, November 28, 2010
We have a lot of confidence in what we can do. You play a game like this sometimes, and when you have success and you start to wonder what you did differently. We're not trying to reinvent. It's about understanding our responsibilities. If we can do that, that makes a perfect defense."
