The Facts: Last week, HC Norv Turner said in San Diego he was getting Mathews ready "for everything he can handle.' Sounds very much like Mathews, if he stays upright, will get his 300 carries, and then some.

Diehards Line:So wrote SI.com's Peter King, who also pointed out that Turner likes his backs to run a lot, and he doesn't care if the rest of the league is going to this consistent two-back business. When the Chargers let Mike Tolbert go to Carolina in free agency and didn't replace him with a prominent back that sent the message about Mathews' role to the team loud and clear. "At that moment, I knew I'd be the guy,' Mathews said. And that means something. When Turner took over as Cowboys OC in 1991, Emmitt Smith's carries rose from 241 in 1990 to 365 in Turner's first year. In 2002 in Miami, the Dolphins had just acquired Ricky Williams and had just signed Turner as OC. Williams had his two biggest seasons for carries (383, 392) with Turner in Miami. And Frank Gore hit his career rushing high for attempts (312 carries) in Turner's only 49er season. The only real question for Mathews is whether he can avoid the kind of injuries that slowed him the last two seasons. According to King, "The Chargers intend to feed Mathews as much as any back in the league. It'll be up to him to handle it."