Momentum and consistency play vital roles in a winning season and it’s important to keep the players focused, Chargers coach Norv Turner told a group of listeners at the Hall of Champions Sports at Lunch on Thursday, June 11.  And he might have added: a jump-start. Agonizingly, but for a jump-ball Carolina catch and a referee’s admitted mistake of a fumble in Denver, last year’s pre-season-favored San Diego team could have started 4-0 rather than 2-2.  Then the team had to rally remarkably for an even 8-8 record. Turner knows he’s an easy target, as fans last year frequently took aim at the head coach when things went wrong for a team with so much talent. Observers have said that boos from the stands bounce off his shoulders. That was the case when the season was headed south. According to his staff, not once did Turner press the panic button. He maintained faith in his methods and the patience to carry them out. “I think when the year is over, you look back at some of those things and evaluate or have an opinion about it,” Turner commented. “Spending time thinking about it (at the time) certainly doesn’t help us get ready.” Despite slow starts, Turner has put the Chargers in the playoffs two straight seasons.  “I think we have solved our problems … but we have a very demanding schedule for the first month,” he said.  The Bolts open at Oakland, host Baltimore and Miami, then travel to Pittsburgh. “There’s a fine line in being ready early.  We want to continue to get better as the season progresses,” Turner said. “We were eighth in the league in rushing.” He said there’s a misconception about the Bolts’ running game because they threw the ball exceptionally well last year. “Our quarterback (Philip Rivers) had a great year,” he added. When Turner hears internal excuses about not running the right plays (“What are you running the ball for?”  “We’re a passing team, throw the damn ball!”) his reply is, “This system works; you guys make it work.” “Some may have been critical of LT’s (LaDainianTomlinson) performance last year, but he ran for 1,000 yards. We hope he can get 1,400 this year,” Turner said. “No question we can run the football better. We’ve addressed issues on both sides of the ball. We’ve made some changes in our approach.  Different mindset. We need to rush the passer. “Thought we did extremely well in the draft.  Stressed need for the pass rush.” The draft produced a backup running back and a backup nose tackle, a pass rusher, two guards, a safety, a wide receiver and a cornerback.  The coach was enthused about Kevin Ellison, a safety-linebacker from USC, cornerback Brandon Hughes from Oregon State, offensive tackle Ben Muth from Stanford, guard Louis Vasquez of Texas Tech and a potential backup running back in Gartrell Johnson from Colorado State. “We’re not always able to address things in the draft but we did this year,” he appraised. Getting Shawne Merriman back not only gives the Chargers their defensive mojo again but it adds life to Shawne Phillips and Luis Castillo. His pet expression: “If you want something, you earn it.  If you want something you never had, you have to do something you’ve never done.” “Our guys are doing that,” he said. He was asked if LT would do much passing.  “Before I came here, he’d thrown eight passes,” he replied. “With me he has thrown one and that was for a touchdown. Maybe we’ll have him pass again. Pick the right time, right spot. “Teams felt if you stopped LT they had a good chance to win the game. That’s when you have a tendency to force the run. Last part of the season they were defensing for the pass so we ran the ball more, extremely well.” For information about the Chargers, visit www.chargers.com.