touchdowns while catching two passes for 64 yards; he accounted for over half of the Chargers' 352 yards from scrimmage. After the game, the usually mild-mannered Tomlinson shouted at New England players celebrating on the Chargers midfield logo at Qualcomm Stadium by mocking Merriman's sack dance, and suggested Patriots head coach Bill Belichick might be to blame in a post-match interview. "They showed no class at all, and maybe that comes from the head coach," said Tomlinson. Both Tomlinson and Belichick said that they'd put the incident behind them while they were together in Hawaii the following month for the Pro Bowl. 2007 season Tomlinson and other Chargers defended Schottenheimer after their swift exit from the 2006 playoffs, but the coach was nonetheless fired by team president Dean Spanos on February 12, 2007. A dysfunctional relationship between Schottenheimer and general manager A.J. Smith was among the reasons given by Spanos. Norv Turner, who was the San Diego Chargers offensive coordinator in Tomlinson's rookie season, replaced Schottenheimer as head coach a week later. "Norv is the perfect fit for our team. He will know exactly what to do with our team," Tomlinson said of the hiring. Tomlinson struggled for much of the opening game, finishing with 17 carries for only 25 yards. However, he did throw the seventh and final touchdown pass of his career (a 17-yarder to Gates), and scored once himself as San Diego beat the Chicago Bears 14–3. In Week 2, they travelled to New England for a rematch of the Divisional Round with the Patriots. It was the first game the Patriots played after being sanctioned for the Spygate incident; Tomlinson again criticized the organization, commenting, "I think the Patriots actually live by the saying, 'If you're not cheating, you're not trying.'" New England won the game 38–14, with Tomlinson rushing 18 times for 43 yards. In Week 6, he again had a big game against the Raiders, rushing 24 times for 198 rushing yards and four rushing touchdowns. That would be one of only two 100-yard rushing performances in the first eleven games for Tomlinson, who ranked only sixth in the league for rushing yardage with five games to go. In a Week 12 win at Kansas City, Tomlinson gained 177 yards on 23 carries and scored twice, passing Walter Payton on the all-time career rushing touchdown list with his 111th. A day later, Tomlinson honored