> Raymond Feist wrote:
>>
>> Man, almost makes me feel sorry for the guy. When your own coach is
>> saying, in effect, "We should have taken the other guy," how's he going
>> to flourish? That may not be the stake through Manning's heart, but if
>> he doesn't really step up his game, they're going to run him out of New
>> York like he was wearing a Red Sox hat in Time Square.
>
> ALMOST.
>
> I noticed a major difference between Rivers and Manning. Rivers plays
> with ALOT of emotion (a good thing if he can keep it in check) that
> permeates throughout the team. When he got sacked to end the game
> trying to come back (Baltimore?), you could tell he was pissed at
> himself when he spiked the ball. Every time Rivers makes a mistake
> (read: interception), he stays with the play, at least attempting to
> chase the defender down (well, I say attempt because he isn't the
> fleetest of foot). But the most telling thing is his body language.
> Whenever Manning comes off the field after something like that, he
> looks dejected, almost depressed, and seems to want to stand alone on
> the sidelines. Rivers looks pissed, and (the times that I have seen at
> least) will go to the coaches/players to try to figure out what went
> wrong. Rivers also seems to be everywhere along the sidelines, NOT
> wanting to be alone.
>
> I think the biggest thing that Rivers has going for him is our defense,
> though. Watching the NFL Network replay "sounds of the game", you will
> ALWAYS hear "we're gonna get it back for you" and "don't sit down, it's
> coming right back to us" and others like that. The confidence of the
> TEAM behind Rivers, even after a mistake, is nowhere NEAR the Gnats
> behind Manning. You can almost hear the Gnats saying to themselves
> "here we go again..."
>
> I think that the jury's still out on who will become the better PASSER,
> because if Manning can fix his mechanics, he could become one of the
> NFL's elite. But as far as quarterbacking (LEADING) a team, I think
> that San Diego DEFINITELY got the best of the bunch in that draft.
I agree.
I really didn't know much about Rivers until he was drafted by the
Chargers, but since then pretty much everything I've read/heard makes me
think A.J. Smith was a genius in nailing down that trade. He's a very
intense (in a good way), focused, but grounded young man. He's not out
nailing starlets and hitting parties, but at home with his wife and
three daughters. He's a coach's brat that used hang around practice
at the high school his dad coached, then at home and instead of Star
Wars or Ninja, he used to play "read the defense,", alone in the
backyard, setting up toys and stuff to simulate where the defense was
lining up, in other words, he was born to be a QB. As a coach's kid, he
listens and doesn't get down on himself when he's corrected, but rather
looks at setbacks as opportunities. He's the 2nd leading all time
passer in the NCAA 1-A record books, and he's got the most starts of any
QB in NCAA history (44). He's played in five bowl games, won them all,
was named MVP in all five, and was the ACC Athlete of the Year in 2004.
He's played teams like Ohio State, Notre Dame, etc., so he knows big
time football. He just doesn't believe in failure.
Manning on the other hand had, IMHO, worse cards. He's Archie's son
("best QB never to play for a winner," "only good thing about the
Saints") a legend at Ol' Miss, and that's where he went, so he spent
four years in his dad's shadow, and was in the same conferences as his
All-Everything older brother. Peyton was smart enough to to to
Tennessee and put the legend of his dad behind him. Moreover, I don't
think Eli is as good a QB as either of them. Archie was a sprinter, a
Fran Tarkenton type who had to run for his life most of the time to stay
alive behind a horrible offensive line. A lot of his passes were
sandlot and his numbers were high because the Saints were playing
catch-up most of his career. Peyton is a mechanic, a student of the
sport, a concert conductor who orchestrates every nuance of the game.
Eli is neither of those things. If his name was Joe Smith I don't think
he would have been number 1. I think he'd have gone behind
Rothelsberger and Rivers, and maybe behind Loseman. He's got all the
tools to be solid, even great if he doesn't get his head twisted by
being under the microscope in New York. This situation in the Giants
locker room doesn't bode well for his future, I'm afraid.
Unlike some of my fellow Chargers fans, I harbor no ill will against
Eli. I love the way things turned out and enjoy seeing a true gamer
line up under center every week. I was a huge Drew Brees fan and hated
to see him go, but Rivers has exceeded every expectation I had and the
team is at least a year ahead of schedule. I thought this year they'd
contend, maybe get into the playoffs, but now I think someone's going to
just have to step up and whip them for them not to go to the Super Bowl.
Best, R.E.F.
--
Never attribute to malice what can satisfactorily
be explained away by stupidity.
