When the Chargers dropped their Week 5 contest against the Broncos to fall to 2-3 on the season, Head Coach Norv Turner had a simple message for his team.
“You can’t control anything other than your own situation,” Turner said. “I thought in that game we did a lot of things better than we had in the previous games and I thought we were close to getting on a roll. We had to go out and play and not get caught up in the negative things about not winning the game.”
Turner’s players bought his message wholeheartedly, and earlier this week quarterback 
“When you have a head coach that never flinches and never questions the schemes, the way we practice, what we’re trying to get done, it filters down into the locker room and into the team,” Rivers said. “Last year, 4-8 was the low. (This year) 2-3 wasn’t that, (but) we were still struggling. He leads us and we’ve got a lot of great leaders in that locker room that continue to get it turned around. He’s certainly had as much to do with our bounce back as anyone.”
Turner enters Sunday’s game with a 25-16 record in two and a half seasons with the Chargers. A win Sunday in Denver would give him a .619 winning percentage, which would push him past Sid Gillman’s .614 mark and give him the highest winning percentage among head coaches in Chargers history.
Count Broncos Head Coach Josh McDaniels among those who hold Turner in high regard.
“Norv does a great job of understanding strengths and weaknesses of your defense and the way that you try to play his team,” McDaniels said. “If you change some things up or if you have some success against him, then ultimately you’ve got to be ready for him to have an answer. Usually his answer … you see it fairly swift and it’s usually an answer that’s going to attack and make a big play.”
Five return
Tight end
Offensive tackle
“I would expect him potentially to take some snaps (Friday) if not Saturday before we go, get a little bit of a workout in,” Turner said.
Center
For a second-consecutive day, Broncos starting quarterback Kyle Orton missed practice due to a sprained ankle. Turner reiterated that his team is preparing for both Orton and Chris Simms and more importantly Denver’s offense as a whole.
“We’re preparing for the Broncos,” Turner said. “There are 10 other guys that play when they’re on offense and we’ll prepare for them. Like I’ve said all week, I don’t think they’re going to change dramatically depending on who is in there. We’ve played against Kyle and I don’t think they’re going to run a different offense if all of the sudden someone else is playing.”
Special guest
NFL Commissioner Roger Goodell was on hand at Chargers Park Thursday for a brief visit with the team. He addressed the entire team, answered a few questions from players and spent some time chatting individually with them.
“It was just like a meet and greet,” Hardwick said. “I think he wanted to show us his face and let us know he’s a real person. He’s a pretty personable guy.”
Vote for the Chargers
Earlier this week, the NFL announced the leading Pro Bowl vote-getters at each position and
Other Chargers who as of Tuesday ranked in the top five at their positions include Gates and fullback
Fan balloting takes place through Dec. 21. You can vote by clicking here.
Meet the Greatest Chargers
Running back Natrone Means and quarterback Stan Humphries have confirmed that they’ll be among more than 40 of the Greatest Chargers who will be on hand for the 50th Anniversary Block Party which will be held next Friday (Nov. 27) in downtown San Diego.
The Block Party will be the biggest football tailgate party of the year and will take from 5-11 pm. Upon entering the Block Party at 5th and J Streets, guests will be treated to a strong musical lineup, including the pop group Fountains of Wayne, as well as an assortment of food and beverages options.
Tickets are $35 and can be purchased by clicking here. Fans must be at least 21 years old to attend the Block Party.
Tightening up
Last week the Chargers faced what Turner called perhaps the most dangerous group of returners in the NFL and held the Eagles to an average of just 21.5 yards on six kickoffs and 4.3 yards on three punt returns. This week San Diego will face a Denver team that returned a kickoff and punt for a touchdown against them in Week 5, and Turner likes the way his coverage units are playing as they prepare for another challenge in Denver’s Eddie Royal.
“We’ve been consistent,” Turner said. “I think we’ve corrected the issues we’ve had that caused those plays (against Denver). We have added some young guys that have high energy. Early they made a couple mistakes but I think they understand what they’re being asked to do.”
The special teams units have been aided by the strong play of rookie
Tickets available
Fans are reminded that approximately more than 7,000 tickets remain available for the Chargers’ Nov. 29 contest against the Kansas City Chiefs. The Greatest Chargers will be honored prior to the game as the Chargers celebrate their 50th Anniversary Weekend.
Tickets are available now at the Chargers’ ticket office at Gate C at Qualcomm Stadium, at www.Chargers.com and through TicketMaster at 800-745-3000
