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SAN DIEGO - Amid all the plots and subplots of this meeting of an established dynasty and a powerful heir apparent is the legacy of frustration borne by the coach of the upstart San Diego Chargers.

Marty Schottenheimer is the winningest coach in the history of the NFL to have never reached the Super Bowl. Through his stops in Cleveland, Kansas City, Washington and San Diego, he has put his teams on the cusp of greatness yet never achieved it. And today, at Qualcomm Stadium before 70,000 fans and a national television audience, the whole process will play itself out again.

Will Schottenheimer, who is 5-12 in playoff games, take the Chargers to the next level? Or will he again taste frustration and defeat at the hands of a foe whose coach and quarterback are synonymous with playoff success?

Don't ask Bill Belichick, the coach of the New England Patriots, because he doesn't care what anyone else thinks.

"I'm not making anything out of it," Belichick said last week when asked why people make such a big deal out of Schottenheimer's playoff record. "I don't think it really matters. I think this game will come down to whatever team plays better on Sunday. I think that is what is really important." Belichick and the Patriots are the opposition for the Chargers today (4:30 p.m.; Ch. 4, 12), and the stakes are high. The Patriots can take another step toward resuming their dynasty if they beat the Chargers and move on to their fifth AFC Championship game in the last 11 seasons.

For Schottenheimer, today's game could result in a step toward validation in the minds of those who doubt his leadership. But it's not something resting heavily upon his soul.

"I'm not going to sit here and try to fool you and say that we self-scout what we did in the playoffs a couple of years ago, or even at Kansas City or Cleveland," he said. "When you get down to this situation you have the best of the best playing. You are going to be given opportunities in the course of every game that is played - regular season or postseason - where you have an opportunity to make plays.

"If you make them, generally you win," he said. "And if you fail to make them, you're going to lose. That has been the formula that has followed us in the past in the playoffs. We won a game in the sixth quarter when I was in Cleveland. We had a field goal situation and we missed. We ended up getting the ball back in the sixth quarter, I think it was against the Jets, and kicked the winning field goal.

"Now, I've been on the other side of it," he said. "You find yourself in a situation where you're trying to make a play and you don't make the play and you look up the field at the scoreboard and the game is over. You've missed your opportunities. I think it's more an example of that than anything."

Schottenheimer has the tools to make a serious run at the brass ring this time. He's got the best running back in the league (LaDainian Tomlinson), the best tight end in the game (Antonio Gates), the NFL's sack leader (Shawne Merriman) and a strong supporting cast for him among the front seven, all of whom share a penchant for pressuring the opposing team's quarterback relentlessly.

"When you talk about pressure and sacks, as we know, they're different," Schottenheimer said. "You can produce pressure without getting sacks and when you're up against Tom Brady, I think that's the most you can hope for. He's not going to be sacked very frequently because he's not going to hold the ball - he's going to find a way to get the ball out of his hand.

"A year ago? I think we're a much different team than we were a year ago," he said. "We've had the benefit of a year to develop and both of our Shawns (Shawne Merriman and Shaun Phillips) are much improved over a year ago."

There are weaknesses in the Chargers, at least as they translate to the playoff stage. Their quarterback, Philip Rivers, has only been in one playoff game and watched it from the sidelines. Their receivers are pedestrian at best, and the secondary outside of Quentin Jammer could be considered similarly.

Belichick, for one, isn't buying into the argument that Rivers will fold when he sees a Belichick-authored defense for the first time. "They are in a good rhythm," he said of the San Diego offense. "They've scored more points than anybody. He has had great numbers in the fourth quarter, which is what really counts when the game is on the line.

"He's not a rookie," he added. "He has had a lot of experience, at least going through the preparation process and seeing different teams and schemes. He has had an opportunity to play this year and he's played very well. I'm sure he'll be ready to go on Sunday."

Schottenheimer also paid appropriate homage at the "well coached" shrine.

"They are probably as well-coached fundamentally and technique-wise as anybody I've seen," Schottenheimer said of the Patriots. "They know what they're doing and for a guy like myself, who had no skill - I don't know if there's anybody up there who remembers when I was with the Patriots - you really admire players that have an ability to understand what it is that they're being asked to do and go about it and do it like they do."

Fundamentals and technique are important qualities to have at this level of play, but Schottenheimer knows he has the ace in the hole - a true game-breaker in Tomlinson, who can run, catch and even throw the ball for positive yardage at any time of the game.

"I have gone on record saying, and there may be an element of bias, that I believe he is the finest running back that I have seen in the National Football League," Schottenheimer said. "My frame of reference generally goes back to Jim Brown. With all due respect to all those others, I just happen to believe that he is the best. Having said that, however, his skills as a player pale in comparison to the qualities that he has as a human being.

"He's one of the finest people that I've ever been around," Schottenheimer continued. "He is committed to football. He loves the game. Once again, as I mentioned with Shawne Merriman, the guys that are the great players in this league are the ones that combine skill, a relentless work ethic, and a sense of pride that I am going to be the very best. We're fortunate to have a couple of them around here."

Belichick obviously agrees that Tomlinson is everything he's said to be.

"Nobody finds the end zone better than he does," he said. "He's outstanding with the ball in his hands. When they hand it to him, there's no way to keep him from getting it. In the passing game, maybe you could do something and try to take him away as a pass receiver, but when they hand him the ball in the running game, you have to tackle him.

"Who has stopped San Diego offensively? They're averaging 31 points a game," he continued. "They're hard to stop. And they don't turn the ball over."

The challenge doesn't stop with the offense, Belichick added.

"Defensively, they've sacked the quarterback against everybody," he said. "They knock every quarterback down. I don't think we're going to go out there and complete every single pass, hold them to 3 yards rushing. It'd be great if it happens, but I think that's totally unrealistic.

"They have a good football team," he said. "They do a lot of things well. We'll have to play our best game. That's what it's going to take."

MARK FARINELLA may be reached at 508-236-0315 or via e-mail at mfarinel@thesunchronicle.com