Chargers must tell Rivers to take out trash

(And wasn't Igor Olshansky in a James Bond film?)

Yet no one has done more damage to the recent image of the Chargers than Rivers. Rivers is Trent Dilfer with a bigger mouth, shorter attention span and worse haircut.

My good friend and colleague Gregg Doyel loves Rivers. Figures. Punks beget punks.

I have never seen a player commit such egregious taunts and acts of trash talking while simultaneously being defended vigorously by coaching and teammate apologists.

Even Philadelphia Eagles management and some players took on Owens and told him to shut up. The Chargers not only say very little to Rivers about his childish acts, they seem to embrace them.

"We're going to let Philip be Philip," Tomlinson told the media this week. "No one has talked to him about it, because that's the way he's always been. He's his own man, and at this point I don't think you can try to sit him down like a high school player and say, 'You shouldn't be talking like that.'"

Sorry LaDainian, but that's exactly what someone should do. Rivers looks like a man slowly and utterly losing his mind.

In December, Rivers was caught by television cameras jawing at Denver quarterback Jay Cutler for no good reason.

That led to this quote from Broncos cornerback Champ Bailey: "And I don't really care for the guy, first of all. He's not a respectable guy right now, because you talk too much trash and do this and that, but you're really not a great player in this league right now. You're surrounded by great players, but you're not a great player. I think he needs to understand where he stands in this league -- where he stands on his team first and foremost."

When the classy Bailey speaks that way about a player, it means that player really is a punk.

Minnesota safety Darren Sharper said when the Vikings and Chargers met earlier this season, Rivers was blabbing even as the Chargers were getting bulldozed by Adrian Peterson.

"Rivers is that kind of guy," Sharper said at the time. "He likes to run his mouth. He's going to learn he is going to have to stop doing that, too."

Rivers this season was also caught again by cameras telling the fans at Qualcomm to shut up. He has told Raiders fans to shut up, too.

Then came the Indianapolis game and Rivers popping off to Colts fans.

Talk, talk, talk.

"Even I'm embarrassed for him," Ryan Leaf might say.

I want to root for the Chargers.

If only they would shut up.