Rex Ryan, 'Stay Classy, San Diego'

SAN DIEGO (AP) -- Tight end Randy McMichael wasn't backing down a day after saying the Chargers beat themselves and that the New York Jets had nothing to do with a 27-21 win over San Diego.

`'I'm always going to say what I believe," McMichael said Monday afternoon. `'I'm the type of person that I never rescind what I say. If I say it, I mean it. I'll leave it at that."

 Jets coach Rex Ryan certainly didn't leave it at that, having some fun with McMichael's bitter outburst, which came after the Chargers blew an 11-point halftime lead.

 "Stay classy, San Diego," Ryan said Monday, repeating the line made famous by Will Ferrell's character, Ron Burgundy, in the movie "Anchorman."

 The Chargers led 21-10 at halftime and then failed to score in the second half. Philip Rivers threw two more interceptions -- giving him nine in six games, compared to seven TD passes -- and a two-minute drill imploded. The Chargers also committed 13 penalties for 95 yards, and cornerback Antoine Cason was burned three times for TD catches by Plaxico Burress. Cason whiffed twice while trying to chuck Burress.

 "We had them and we took our foot off the gas. I'm not giving credit to anybody," McMichael said afterward. "This is our fault. It had nothing to do with anyone on their team. The guys in this locker room, we lost the game. The San Diego Chargers beat the San Diego Chargers. Nothing to do with the New York Jets. It's embarrassing."

 Rivers was a bit more diplomatic in offering his take on what turned into a stinker of a second half.

 "I think anytime you're up 21-10 at halftime and you lose you certainly feel like we let it get away from us," Rivers said. "The Jets had something to do with causing it to get away from us, certainly. I'm not speaking for Randy. Randy hates to lose, like all of us do in that locker room. There's not anybody who cares any more than he does. That's how you want it. You want everybody in that locker room, everybody that had a hand in that, to feel like, hey, we could have changed the outcome. You never want to say, `They beat us.' You always want to feel like, `Hey, if we'd have done this, we would have won the game.' That's the case in most every game, but certainly the opponent has something to do with it."

 After the Jets kicked a field goal for a 27-21 lead, the Chargers got the ball back on their 24 with 1:29 left. After moving to the 49, Rivers had two incompletions, including throwing the ball out of bounds on fourth-and-3.

 "We didn't get it done," he said. "It's a little harder than it looks to go 80 yards in a minute and 30 seconds, or whatever it was. "We tried to get out of bounds on a couple and they tackled us inbounds. It's a scramble. If you've got 2 1/2 minutes and two timeouts it's not as much of a scramble but obviously the ball's got to go off the field. We don't have time to dink and dunk. They were so deep that I tried to get a couple of crossing routes and get out of bounds and we didn't. That's what made it hard to get lined up and get into something that gives you a chance to get into position to throw into the end zone."

 Rivers complimented the Jets' defense.

 `'It's a good group. It's a good defense. They've earned that over the last few years. That being said, the first half, we were going good," Rivers said. "We didn't necessarily have a bunch of yards, but we were putting together drives and scoring touchdowns. That's what it's about."

 Rivers is four interceptions short of matching last year's total of 13.

 Although Rivers took a few hard shots early in the season, both he and coach Norv Turner say there's nothing wrong with him physically.

 "'I'm as healthy as I've been," Rivers said.

 Rivers said the Chargers don't need any drastic changes. Up next is a road game next Monday night at defending AFC West champion Kansas City, which has won three straight since losing 20-17 at San Diego on Sept. 25.

 "We just need to play better and put a complete game together," he said. `'We still haven't put one together and we're 4-2. You can look at that two ways: Obviously we're not playing as good as we can and we've won four games, or we better put it together or we're not going to get done what we want to get done."

 Turner declined to give an injury report.

 Star tight end Antonio Gates returned after missing three games with plantar fasciitis in his right foot. He had five catches for 54 yards and a touchdown.

 Gates said he felt just the normal day-after soreness on Monday.