Philip Rivers Must Chill

Well, you don't hear this everyday: Philip Rivers blames his crappy end-of-season numbers on ... hyperactivity. Yep, you read that right, the dude needs the team doctor to prescribe him some Ritalin (and if he won't do it, maybe Shawne Merriman's doctor will).

Rivers believes his issues toward the end of last season – he completed an NFL-low 47.1 percent of his passes over a five-game stretch – could be traced to his inherent hyperactivity getting the better of him. "I tend to get a little speeded up," he said.

To his credit, Rivers was still one of the league's best quarterbacks last season, ranking better than Tom Brady, Steve McNair Brett Favre and Ben Roethlisberger in terms of total value, according to Football Outsiders.

That said, I don't think Football Outsiders had a stat for "spazzing out between offensive series and its effect on a player's performance." If they did, chances are Rivers would rank pretty high. I recall during the Chiefs-Chargers Sunday Night game several instances of Rivers actually trying to rip his helmet off and looking like he wanted to take his head with it.

But that's what Norvell Turner's in San Diego for; he's known as an offensive mastermind, though he's had his issues as a head coach. Of course, in his defense, his last two head-coaching gigs were in Oakland and Washington, so he probably deserves the benefit of the doubt.