I would never do that. But I'm pretty sure it wasn't Norv who fumbled in the red zone on the opening drive of the second half. And I'm pretty sure it wasn't Norv who dropped a pass thrown at his hands to kill what could have been the game-winning drive. I'm pretty sure Norv didn't throw the flag for an imaginary pass interference call that kept the Colts touchdown drive alive in the third.

Okay, Norv does seem to be the guy frowning at that sort of thing a lot more than most, but in the end, Rivers and L.T. need to hang on to the ball. We'll take the lousy officiating as a given this year.

The Broncos got "smoked" by the Raiders. The Jets lost in overtime on a 57 yard field goal by Janikowski. Now, any kind of loss to the Raiders is at least somewhat embarrassing. But I watched that game, and "smoked" is certainly not the word.

Also, the Jets are an "elite" team, not just a "legitimate playoff contender" (last week's column). J-E-T-S and so forth!

Signed,

John "Unbiased" N.

Long Island, NY

P.S. I'm cocky now. Not a good look for a long suffering Jets fan. Cutler throws for 500 this weekend.

Will you not stay dead, King?! We all just cried about your demise, and now you rise, feisty as ever. Don't cry for KIng, Blogentina! The truth is he never left you...

The real QE2 never bagged groceries, and I'm sure she backs Man United. Monarchs love the powerful and popular. Who else would she support? Rhyl? Either she's a fake, or she's trying to trick you into thinking she's a populist. Either way, watch out. She'll clean out your bar.

What are you smoking, and where can I get some?

I'm referring, of course, to picking the Saints over the Bucs.

The rest of the column seems unremarkable. That Lizzie gets embarrassing when she's lit up, doesn't she?

I liked the old sports desk guy better...

The weather turns cold and the Buckeyes are headed for the Rose Bowl, and maybe the Browns and the Bengals will get their act together. Ohio as UPSET State this week.

Also King there a couple old teams that have hung around the Mead hall way too long. I mean Chicago and Baltimore. Did you know McAlister picked Kerry Collins once in a SuperBowl game? McAlister is out, Collins is hanging around, but there are cracks in the Csonka Kiick analogy. The 2008 Bears look like the 2007 Bears, check the results.

Finally I suspect @bukk66 doesn't live and die with Norv Turners coaching decisions. (Well neither do I, but it is sad, sad, stock market crashing sad. Pretty soon you just turn it off and wait to read about it in the paper..)

I know what the Spanos want, they don't want a Superbowl trophy, they want a new stadium, and the former real estate magnates must be taking this recession hard. Anyway the port initiative that would have put the Chargers in their new digs fell way short, and so it's back to the Q.

Talk of moving the team out of town has fallen to the side as well. There's nothing to do but play the game, so Alex, Dean, play the game, tell AJ Smith, play the game, forget the votes of confidence, I know what Ray Kroc would have done after last weeks game, he would have gotten on the PA system and chewed some tail.

That's what we need, Ray Kroc. Oh boy, now I better stop drinking.

I don't live and die by anyone's coaching decisions. But that doesn't change the fact that Rivers and L.T. need to hang on to the ball. I'd be willing to bet that Norv wasn't using his evil mind-control rays to force those mistakes from the sidelines. Or maybe me was. Maybe he fears success.

I had this bad dream that King wasn't going to be around so much anymore.

Go Packerrrrrrs. wooooooo....

/already drunk

Suppose the Chargers lose back to back home games and the playoff picture fades to black, (and the RB they traded rips their defense)

So now what do you think?

Is it still Norv's problem?

Or is it AJ's problem?

Rivers had the top passer rating before they shipped to Pittsburgh,

and what was the new defensive coordinator thinking when with less than 30 sec, the Colts with 4th and inches at the 50 yard line, the Chargers stacked the line? Manning threw a ten yard dunker, which got Vinateri into FG range

Why not concede the 1st down, and make Indy run the ball. The Colts only had one time out.

no doubt this team misses Merriman, but there is way to much talent here to play sub 500 football, especially in the AFC west. They lose this week and Norv is toast, that's my guess, but maybe AJ is out too, the Spanos really want a new stadium, and maybe they will decide that a winning team is one way to achieve those results (Check the Padres last World Series apprerance, in 98 and the bond issue that got them into Petco Park that year)

Just win baby.

And fumbles=lack of preparation. Blame the mistakes on the players, but blame the losing mindest and lack of preparation on the coaches.

Norv Turner is to football teams what time is to fresh fish. Take something beautiful and appealing and pretty soon it's going to stink.

Couldn't help but point this out, but you've got Cincinatti's record listed (correctly) as 1-9-1. The team they tied, Philadelphia, is listed as 5-5. Something is askew, I believe.

As a life long Redskins fan who suffered through almost 8 years of Norv as our coach, I couldn't agree with Manotat more. A classic symptom of a Norv-coached team is lack of preparation, intensity, and concentration on the basics. The longer he's the coach of any given team, the worse they generally become at protecting the ball, tackling, and the overall fundamentals of the game. It's a galling lack of focus exibited in his teams week in and week out.

As has been pointed out before, he's an excellent offensive coordinator--I think largely because he can focus on creating imaginitive plays and formations, and doesn't have to deal with the basics (as long as the head coach has someone on staff to deal with the basics, this is not a problem). As many others have said, he's a living, breathing example of the Peter Principle: that people are often promoted to their level of incompetence.