Turner says Chargers collapse 'about me,' not Rivers

In the wake of the Denver Broncos' improbable 24-point second-half comeback to defeat the San Diego Chargers 35-24, the better part of Tuesday was spent heralding Peyton Manning for his heroics.

Our very own Jim Corbett even reacted to the game by listing Manning as the leading candidate for NFL most valuable player honors.

There is another half to Monday night's game, however, and that's San Diego's collapse. More to the point: quarterback Philip Rivers and his six turnovers (four interceptions and two fumbles).

Rivers was so bad it prompted one reporter to ask Chargers coach Norv Turner after the game if he ever considered replacing Rivers with backup Charlie Whitehurst.

"No," Turner said, via U-T San Diego. "If you want to make this about somebody, it's not about one of the guys in there. Make it about me."

Nine times out of 10 we would make it about Turner because, let's face it, he has no business being an NFL coach, and he's proven that time and time again.

Was Monday night just another example? Maybe it was, but Turner didn't make those errant throws and cough up the ball twice. That was all Rivers.

Rivers used to be in the conversation about "elite" quarterbacks, but he's so far removed at this point that we forgot why he was mentioned in the first place. And it seems Turner might be wondering the same thing after saying Tuesday that the team would scale back its offense.

"Yes, we are going to limit some things we're doing, and I've got to do a better job and make sure we put things in there, and then we're calling things that have less risk," Turner said. "They may not have as big of a reward. We may not be quite the same big-play team, but we're not going to turn the ball over."

Speaking of turnover, expect plenty of it in San Diego this offseason. It's long overdue anyway.