Despite a talent-laden roster and offseason additions to address the deficiencies, the Norv Turner-coached Chargers keep making the same mistakes, leading to speculation that the coach may be the problem. (Getty Images)

San Diego coach Norv Turner was correct when he said this isn’t last year’s team after the Chargers' 27-3 loss to the Falcons. San Diego had 23 players on its 53-man roster Sunday who weren't on the active roster at the end of last season. Therein lies the problem.

Despite roster turnover, Sunday’s loss fit the blueprint of nearly every Chargers loss under Turner’s leadership. If it’s not the players, then it must be the coaching.

Turnovers, costly penalties, poor protection, an inability to get pressure on opposing QBs and a failure to come from behind have been the ingredients of nearly every Chargers loss under Turner. All were prevalent Sunday, and on Monday, Turner identified those elements of the game as key areas for improvement.

“I am as upset as anyone in San Diego,” Turner said. “I don’t like going out and having our team perform the way we performed. It happened. We are going to fix it. We are going to do everything in our power to fix it.”

Every year under Turner there have been fixable problems and yet they keep occurring, no matter who the players are on the field.

“[The mistakes] are similar in every loss,” QB Philip Rivers said after the game. “When you lose, this is what happens. This loss is no different than any of the 50 losses we have had since I have been here. The score is different, but you lose because you turn it over. You lose because you didn’t play well.”

If you lose because you didn’t play well, you lost because you beat yourself. Elite teams generally lose because they get beaten by another elite team coached by an elite coach. The Chargers have had the talent under Turner but have failed to be an elite team because they have continually beaten themselves.

Elite teams also find a way to come from behind to win. The last time the Chargers won or tied a game with a last possession touchdown was Week 9 of 2009 vs. the Giants. An elite coach makes the necessary changes at halftime, and his team responds by playing smart football in the closing minutes of the game to pull out a win. When the Chargers fall behind, their propensity for making mistakes only increases.

“I don’t think [poor play when behind] is unique to us,” Turner said. “Other teams get in that situation when they get behind. They have a tough time protecting the ball because people are turning it loose and that type of thing.”

Other teams, however, find ways to win. The Broncos repeatedly came from behind and won last season with Tim Tebow as their quarterback. Meanwhile, Turner has Rivers. The Chiefs did it Sunday trailing the Saints 24-6. “They really cranked it up in that fourth quarter,” Rivers said of the Chiefs' comeback.

Turner is not an elite coach, and the Chargers are not an elite team. A Turner-coached team continually repeats its mistakes and Turner has shown an inability to lead his teams through adverse situations during games. 

This doesn’t mean that Turner isn’t a good coach. Through roster turnover, Turner has the highest winning percentage (.606) of any coach in Chargers history. With one more win, Turner (113) will tie Don Coryell (114) for most career wins. Coryell belongs in the Hall of Fame for his contributions in changing the game of football.

The best coach in Chargers history was Bobby Ross. He led the Chargers to the Super Bowl in 1994 with less talent than most of the Chargers teams coached by Coryell and Turner. That team didn’t make excuses. It just found ways to win.

Despite Sunday’s all-around miserable team performance, Rivers insists all of the Chargers goals for this season are still obtainable. “The only thing we lost yesterday was the chance to win every single game we played,” Rivers said. “Nothing else can we not accomplish.”

If the Chargers are to reach their goals of making the playoffs and ultimately winning the Super Bowl, then a seismic shift must occur with Turner as a leader. Championships are not built on the excuses made from repeating fixable problems.

Follow Chargers reporter Dan McLellan on Twitter @CBSChargers and @sandiegosports.