The Chargers have given up three touchdowns on special teams, which has led Norv Turner to put their starters on that unit. "They still have a role on special teams, but we've minimized it a little bit," Turner said. "We'll take that role back up." The Chargers rank next-to-last among the 32 NFL teams in both punt return average allowed and kickoff return average allowed. The special teams breakdowns have played a significant role in the team's 1-2 start.

San Diego's passing game is predicated on their receivers getting past opposing team's safeties, which will lead Philip Rivers to test rookie Earl Thomas. "They've got a real style about them," Seattle coach Pete Carroll said. Thomas has played well in his first two games. His 15 tackles lead the team, but he hasn't had any chances to show off the range and instincts that made him the 14th pick of the draft. "I've got to come in the game with a different mindset," Thomas said. "Because I really haven't gotten challenged deep so far."

Chargers tackle Marcus McNeill signed his one-year $630,000 contract tender Saturday. McNeill is in his fifth NFL season after joining the team as a second-round draft choice in the 2006 NFL Draft. He played in the Pro Bowl following the 2006 and 2007 seasons. ?We?re all very happy that Marcus has decided to sign his tender and go back to work,? said GM A.J. Smith. ?He has missed some time on the job, but we will be patient, get him up to speed and Coach (Norv Turner) will decide how quickly he gets on the field.? McNeill signed his contract Saturday and is now on the Roster Exempt list. He will miss Weeks 3-5 and will be placed on the active roster for the team?s game Week 6 in St. Louis on Oct. 17. McNeill signed in time to travel with the team to Seattle.

The San Diego Chargers are operating as if Mike Tolbert will start against the Seattle Seahawks on Sunday. Ryan Mathews, who sprained his right ankle last weekend against the Jacksonville Jaguars, is unlikely to play, a source with knowledge of the situation said Thursday.

The San Diego Chargers have rejected several trade offers for wide receiver Vincent Jackson, letting the Wednesday deadline to trade him pass without making a deal, according to multiple sources. The NFL and the NFL Players' Association had agreed to a 4 p.m. ET deadline for San Diego to trade Jackson, which would have allowed him to be active by the fifth week of the regular season. By letting Wednesday's deadline pass, the Chargers will keep Jackson on the exempt list for the first six weeks of the season. San Diego still can trade him by the Oct. 19 trade deadline. "We had multiple offers and the Chargers squashed them all," Jonathan Feinsod, one of Jackson's agents, said.

Vincent Jackson is unlikely to receive a long-term deal beginning in the 2010 season. If he wants to leave San Diego, Jackson might be forced to accept a one-year deal worth $4 million to $6 million. The Vikings are currently talking about a trade for Jackson.

Ryan Mathews allowed his fumble in Monday night's opener to disrupt his performance for the remainder of the game. "After that play, everything went downhill," Mathews said. "I wasn't even making reads. I was just taking the ball and running as hard as I could. The problem was that I wasn't running smart. I ignored my instincts and went away from everything I've been doing over the past few months." Before the second-quarter fumble, Mathews averaged 4.8 yards per carry. For the remainder of the game, the total dropped to 3.0. "At the time, it set me back," he said. "The fumble still bothers me, but I'm never going to get that play back. I have to move forward and try to make big plays down the line. ... My coaches and my teammates came up and said that I can't have lapses like that. It has a negative impact on the team, which is the last thing I want. "I have come up with a bad case of amnesia. When a bad play happens or I make a mistake, I have to let it go right away."

Chargers wide receiver Vincent Jackson will be eligible to play in Week 5 if he's traded under the terms of a settlement between the NFL and the players union. The pact clears the way for an NFL team to acquire Jackson, a top-tier wide receiver who caught 68 passes for 1,167 yards and nine touchdowns last season, for most of the season.

With roughly 8,000 general admission tickets still unsold, the Chargers expect Sunday's home opener against the Jaguars to be blacked out. That will end a streak of 48 straight sellouts, including the playoffs. The last Chargers home game blacked out was against New Orleans on Nov. 7, 2004. "We're disappointed, but from a couple weeks out we thought this was a possibility," executive vice president A.G. Spanos said.

The Vikings may be making a play for Chargers wide receiver Vincent Jackson, according to reports out of Minnesota. "Source tells me Vikes making a play for V Jack. Not sure if anything eminent. I have NOT confirmed or got a denial from Vikes," Henry Lake of KFAN wrote on his Twitter page.