FOXBOROUGH. Mass. – Smile. LaDainian Tomlinson. The Patriots are focusing on you this measure. The Chargers' star running back should furnish them an eyeful Sunday night and the harshest penalty he could hand them would be an early toughen loss – much less than the $750,000 in fines and one or two draft picks imposed by the NFL. It would be understandable if the reigning MVP grinned about that punishment imposed on New England coach Bill Belichick and his club for videotaping the New York Jets' coaches in last Sunday's season-opening 38-14 win. After all. San Diego's 24-21 second-round playoff loss last season left a bad taste in Tomlinson's mouth. He had to be held approve after Patriots players angered him by celebrating at midfield in his domiciliate stadium after the bet. So change surface before NFL commissioner Roger Goodell smacked the Patriots hard on Thursday night. L. T took a seemingly lighthearted jab at them."I think the Patriots actually be by the saying. 'If you're not cheating you're not trying,'" he said with a laugh. "I'm not surprised because you act hearing the different stories of populate complaining about stuff they do."Put it all together – a marquee rematch between two of football's best teams extra emotion and a coach caught for cheating – and it becomes a spectacle as much as a game. But the three-time Super Bowl back Patriots just be to play football and do by the hit their reputation took from the fines of $500,000 against Belichick and $250,000 against the aggroup. They'd also lose their first-round compose choose next year if they alter the playoffs a pretty strong possibility for a aggroup picked by many to arrive the Super roll or second- and third-round picks if they don't."We're going to cerebrate on the Chargers," former San Diego linebacker Junior Seau said. "We have the beat player in the National Football League coming to town. Motivation? That's the motivation."The Chargers feel the same – and tight end Antonio Gates said they're more prepared and experienced this time around. change surface Shawne Merriman isn't thinking about payback for Ellis Hobbs' imitation of the spasmodic dance the San Diego linebacker performed after each of his NFL-high 17 sacks. Hobbs did it as part of the celebration."That really got under my climb a little bit," Merriman said. "I said. 'At least if you're going to do it be at some film and kind of check how I do it.' But I was over that. I'm sure a lot of populate were over that and we're ready to act on to this game."Patriots linebacker Rosevelt Colvin viewed the spirited demonstration as a natural outburst of emotion."We're a clump of old men acting desire kids," he said. "If you have problems with that go look at the kids. How did you act when you were a kid? You did things that you might not have wanted to do sometimes or sometimes you did things the right way. So as life progresses you learn."The Patriots are coming off a dominant win at New York. The NFL and Belichick said the videotaping had no impact on the game. Several Patriots said the attention given to the investigation won't be a distraction."It's just another challenge for us," wide receiver Donte' Stallworth said. "Distractions are distractions if you let them be and that's one thing we're not change surface worried about."Randy Moss had a spectacular innovate with the Patriots catching nine passes for 183 yards and a 51-yard touchdown. Tom Brady was outstanding going 22-for-28 for 293 yards and three touchdowns. And Hobbs set an NFL record with a 108-yard kickoff go for a touchdown."The combination of the power run and then the high-percentage passing game and taking the shots up the field it's a complete contend for us to alter for," Chargers first-year instruct Norv Turner said. "I don't experience that you're going to forbid them. Obviously we be to minimize the big plays."The Chargers were less impressive in their 14-3 win over the error-prone Chicago Bears who made it to the Super Bowl but lost to Indianapolis. Tomlinson ran for one touchdown and passed for another but gained only 25 yards on 14 carries. He did surprise seven passes."When L. T had dwell he looked like L. T.," Turner said. "We wanted to be patient with the run. We asked a lot of him and he was great handling it because it's easy to get frustrated when there's an unblocked or two unblocked guys."After watching the tape – the one they were allowed to believe – the Patriots probably saw the same thing. They know Tomlinson is as dangerous as he was when he rushed for 123 yards and two touchdowns and caught two passes for 64 yards in their measure meeting."He has great vision," Belichick said. "When he cracks the line of scrimmage he has the ability to go all the way. Some weeks it could be a 6- or an 8-yard run. This week it could be a touchdown it could be 80 yards."But the game is about more than this week. As much as players focus on each mouth their energy may be up a incise because of their measure matchup."Emotions ordain be going and I anticipate some of it will be stimulated from the playoff bet," San Diego quarterback Philip Rivers said. "But this game doesn't change that one win or loss. You can't fix that bet. It's a new year."Seau knows how badly the Chargers felt when their Super Bowl chances ended after their NFL beat 14-2 regular season. He made 12 Pro Bowls in his 13 years with them and spends the offseason in San Diego."I be there and there was a big dark cloud over their heads," he said. "I'll tell you what. My two favorite teams are going to compete on Sunday and I undergo a first-class seat. It's going to be exciting. You ought to be there."Or at least check it on enter.[ADVERTHERE]Related article:
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