Martin Catching On to Gilbride’s Offense

It’s almost like Tony Martin is in midseason form.

Coming off his first Pro Bowl appearance, the San Diego Chargers’ wide receiver is doing an excellent job of grasping coach Kevin Gilbride’s multiple offense.

In the exhibition opener against San Francisco, Martin got behind Rod Woodson to catch a 31-yard pass from Stan Humphries. The next week, he had an 80-yard catch-and-run for a touchdown against Indianapolis. And last Saturday, as Humphries was being slammed to the turf at Tennessee, Martin got behind a defensive back to catch a 39-yard TD pass.

That’s why they call him “Touchdown Tony.”

“This offense, once you get it down and grasp it, you can make some big, big plays,” Martin said Wednesday. “And that’s the exciting part.”

Martin hasn’t mastered it yet, but Gilbride is pleased with his top offensive threat.

“I’m not surprised at all by his ability to make those big plays,” Gilbride said. “What I’m impressed with is his effort to pick up the subtleties of the offense, and understand it completely. He amazes me. Even today he’s asking me some questions that usually you have to be doing this stuff a little bit longer before you ask.”

As San Diego’s backup wide receiver in 1994, Martin was at times known more for the passes he dropped than the 50 he caught for 885 yards and seven touchdowns. His biggest catch as a Charger came that season, a 43-yarder in the AFC championship game at Pittsburgh that helped put San Diego in its only Super Bowl.

Then came consecutive outstanding seasons in which he knocked one Hall of Famer out of the Chargers’ record book and pulled even with another.

In 1995, Martin broke Kellen Winslow’s club record with 90 catches, for 1,224 yards. Last year, Martin was one of the few bright spots in San Diego’s plodding offense. He caught 14 touchdown passes, tying Lance Alworth’s club record. And he nearly matched his receptions record, with 85 catches for 1,171 yards. That earned him a starting Pro Bowl spot.

And now comes Gilbride’s offense, in which receivers must read the coverage and make adjustments on certain routes. On his 80-yard TD pass, Martin saw the cornerback sitting to the outside, so he broke for the post.

That’s a big change from former coach Bobby Ross’ one-back offense.

“Basically, we just set numbers and would go with it, no matter what,” Martin said of the old regime. Gilbride “has given me a lot of flexibility to do things. Like he says, we’re not going to run uphill. If defenses are playing short, we’re going to throw deep. If they’re playing deep, we’ll throw short.”

While he’s comfortable in this offense, Martin said he still has a ways to go to feel as comfortable as he was in Ross’ offense.

“It’s like learning to drive, or where you’re used to doing something and now you’ve got to put that down and try something new,” Martin said. “It’s like being a baby again.”

Martin, who signed a four-year, $9.4 million contract in May, enjoys the give-and-take he has with Gilbride in practice.

“If you know how to read defenses and you know what Coach Gilbride is trying to get across, you can elevate yourself in this offense,” he said. “Basically I’m studying every day, trying to make the right reads, and you’re going to make some wrong reads, but that’s what practice is for.”

If Humphries can stay in one piece behind a shaky offensive line, then Martin, who turns 32 on Sept. 5, could have another career year.

“He’s a great role model,” Gilbride said. “Hopefully some of our young receivers will begin to emulate him. He works very hard physically, and mentally, he’s really into the game. Most of the great ones that have been around are that way.”

Notes: The new “You’ll have to trust us” era under Gilbride isn’t off to a good start, with the coaching and public relations staffs having a miscommunication Wednesday. The PR staff was surprised to look out the windows and see practice under way. The coaches, it turned out, were following their normal schedule for two days before a game. San Diego plays at Minnesota Friday night. . . . Security director Dick Lewis scanned the hill west of the practice field -- nicknamed Mount Gilbride -- with binoculars. He saw a few reporters, who’ve been banned from all but the first 30 minutes of practice, and other onlookers, but apparently no spies. . . . Gilride said opponents scouting the Chargers from a parking lot at the the top of the hill is “something to be worried about.” Gilbride was under the assumption that the property is private, but it’s actually leased by the county, and therefore open to the public. “We’ll have to have somebody watch them -- very easy to observe,” Gilbride said.