Gates gives Brewster credit for technique

SAN DIEGO -- Gophers football coach Tim Brewster was the Chargers' tight ends coach when Antonio Gates showed up for the first time at the team's headquarters on Murphy Canyon Road in San Diego.

"Most guys, when they get to the NFL, they have the basics on how to play the position," Gates said. "I didn't have a clue."

It was 2003. Gates hadn't put on shoulder pads since his senior year at Central High School in Detroit. But he was a great athlete, having led Kent State to the Elite Eight of the NCAA Division I men's basketball tournament.

Gates wasn't an NBA prospect. So he listened to those who told him his speed, skills and 6-4, 260-pound frame made him a potential NFL tight end.

"I figured, 'Why not?'" said Gates, who signed with the Chargers as an undrafted free agent. "And while I didn't know anything, I also didn't have any bad habits that the coaches had to fix. That's where Tim came in and really helped me learn the techniques of the position. Your first position coach is always going to be special, and Tim did a lot for my career."

While Brewster deserves credit for Gates' technique, a much higher being gets the nod for the rare gift that makes him one of the NFL's most feared offensive weapons. Gates has been a Pro Bowl starter, a consensus All-Pro and an all-around pain in the neck for defensive coordinators the past three-plus seasons.

He's also part of San Diego's new three-headed offensive monster that includes future Hall of Famer LaDainian Tomlinson at running back and receiver Chris Chambers, who was acquired in a trade with Miami on Oct. 16. The three of them combined for 218 of the Chargers' 237 total yards and three touchdowns -- two by Gates and one by Chambers in his Chargers debut -- in Sunday's 35-10 victory over Houston at Qualcomm Stadium.

The Chargers (4-3) have won three consecutive games, outscoring their opponents 104-27. Now they will bring all that power on offense to the Metrodome on Sunday.

"The one thing we were missing was experience at receiver," said Gates, who has a team-high 46 catches for 639 yards (13.9) and five touchdowns "But now we have Chris. A tremendous player. There's going to be problems for the teams we play."

With the Vikings having the No. 3 run defense, their biggest concern is finding a way to stop Gates. He often lines up as a receiver, and runs almost as fast. That's not good news for the Vikings, who continue to rank last in pass defense.

Gates caught three passes against the Texans. Two of them went for touchdowns of 49 and 31 yards. Both times, he lined up as a receiver.

On the 49-yarder, the Texans blew a coverage and simply didn't cover Gates. Quarterback Philip Rivers was so stunned to see Gates wide open downfield, he hurried his throw and threw "one of the worst passes of my life."

No problem. Gates adjusted, reached down near his shoelaces, scooped the ball up and took off. On Gates' second touchdown, Texans free safety C.C. Brown tried to cover him one-on-one. Gates came off the line and made a tremendous fake to the outside to freeze Brown. By the time Brown recovered, Gates had cut to the inside. He caught the ball at the 9-yard line, quickly sidestepped a defender and reached out to place the ball over the goal line as he was being tackled.

"Antonio creates a matchup problem," Chargers coach Norv Turner said. "Teams have a hard time treating him like a third receiver because [Tomlinson] is pretty good, too. So we still get a lot of run looks, and that really helps. On the [31-yard touchdown], Gates was being covered by a safety one-on-one. That's a great matchup for us."

ANTONIO GATES Ø

The former college basketball player signed with San Diego as an undrafted free agent.

Mark Craig • mcraig@startribune.com