" As of last week, Darren Sproles was the leading vote-getter among fans to be the AFC's kick returner in the Pro Bowl.

The Chargers would like him to be able to continue to earn that spot.

"We've got one of the best returners in the league and we're not giving him the opportunity to change games for us," head coach Norv Turner said. "That's going to be a big point of emphasis for us, getting back to making sure we give Darren a chance in the return game, that we keep people off him and give him room to work."

Sproles has fallen to 17th in the NFL in punt return average (8.2 yards) and 18th in kickoff return average (23.7 yards). Over the last seven games (13 returns), he has just three punt returns longer than six yards. His kickoff return average over the last three games is 15.2 yards. "