Some call him arrogant, conceited, and a cry-baby. Others say he isn’t as good as the other two well-known, highly-publicized quarterbacks that were picked in the same draft as him, and for a moment there, I saw where they were coming from. However, two things happened that made me become a fan of Philip Rivers: him and Jay Cutler talkin’ crazy to each other during a Chargers home game a couple of years ago, and the 2008 divisional playoff game against the Indianapolis Colts.
The San Diego Chargers were playing the Colts, the defending Super Bowl champs, and Rivers was having a field day, picking apart the Colts defense at will. He got injured on a pass to Darren Sproles in the second half, and as he was leaving the field, he got into an exchange with some Colts fans, and right there, I became a fan of the man. I’m not a fan of everyone who talks crazy, but if you can back it up, which is what he was doing, and has done ever since, I have no problem with it, whatsoever. The Chargers went on to win the game, and advance to the AFC Championship. Come to find out, the man was playing with a torn ACL, but still showed up, and did work.
Last year, he tied Drew Brees with 34 touchdown passes, while throwing only 11 picks, but once again, the disrespect was rampant; all of a sudden, not only was he not as good as Ben Aura (which I can understand totally), or Eli (which is absolutely ridiculous), but he wasn’t even the best in his freaking division, since folks were already crowning Cutler. I don’t wanna shit on Cutler to build up Rivers, so I won’t go that route. However, I’ll say the Broncos had a three-game lead in the division last year and only needed one game to clinch, but they couldn’t do so. The Chargers finished the season on a tear, caught the Broncos, smashed them in the deciding game, then went on to win their opening-round game against the Colts (again), before bowing out in the next round to the Steelers (the eventual champs).There are some people who attribute his numbers to him playing in the AFC West, and for that, I understand where they’re coming from. The AFC West is God-awful, so that point is taken into consideration. There are others who say “well, he has the best running back in all of football.” Well hold on a second; let some people tell it, they say LT isn’t too tough, and just so happens to be hurt or injured during the latter part of the year, and if that’s the case, it would mean Rivers would have to pick up the slack, right? I mean, I’m just sayin; people can’t have it both ways. Eventually, people have to give the man his due.
In my opinion, he’s easily a top-ten quarterback, and if he gets the Chargers over the hump, and to the Super Bowl this season, I’ll vault him into the top-five. He’s a leader, he comes through in the late part of the season, and the man simply has no fear. Everything is in place for them to make it happen; guaranteed division title (about as guaranteed as can be), a team that realizes its days are numbered, and a star quarterback. Just wait and see.
Be easy.
-K. Masenda
http://www.edthesportsfan.com/
Comments
7 Responses to "What does Philip Rivers have to do to get some damn respect?"Excellent post. I am also a fan of Rivers. He's got that "I'm not backin' down" moxie that winning QB's seem to have.
His problem is that he hasn't won the big one (or gotten there) yet. Brady acts the same way as Rivers but he's perceived as being tough because he has the rings.
Rivers will always be linked with Eli due to the draft day trade and, even though Rivers has much better numbers, Eli got to the stage first.
If Rivers delivers (a championship), then attitudes toward him will melt away.
JAG
You have a point, E, however, he's a division rival so I'm bound by the rules of sports to not like him. Those are the rules. Nice post though.
Taking off the division rival hat, he's eons better than Eli. Plax made Eli look good. That's a short post unto itself.
That very game is when Rivers gained my respect. You can't be a QB without leadership and he has earned his stripes. His teammates believe in him and its not his fault that the rest of the AFC West is in shambles,lol
You play to win the game....not to your opponents' ability or lack thereof. I have him in my Top 5.
Excellent Article ED
If you measure Rivers by TD passes then he is great. If you measure him by wins and losses then you might see the same disturbing trend that us locals are painfully aware of and don't like at all. How does a good QB go 8-8 in by far the worst division in the NFL?
BTW: The Chargers are facing a Blackout this Sunday for the first time since 2004. But the NFL has granted the Chargers an extension to prevent the blackout. The Chargers are not the only team to be facing a Blackout this weekend but the other team, Detroit Lions, has an excuse.
nflparlay
Thank you sooo much for this article. Everyone know I am a HUGE fan of Rivers. I love just about every phase of his game. I think he plays by his strengths, knows his weaknesses, and is very rarely discussed when talking about elite QB's.
I even love his cockiness. In the NFL, you have to play at a high level, so if that spills over to his actions on the field, as long as it's not disrespectful I could care less (it's actually kinda sexy to me *blush*). I think that his passion for the game makes a monster out of him on the field, but I've seen him speak after the game and he seems nothing like he does on the field.
Dude is a baller, I don't care what no one thinks. And if you are hard on him because you don't like his personality, you're wack. Football isn't about being well liked, it's about how he plays on the field
Philip Rivers is an overrated asshole. He is way too cocky for his own good and deserves to get a career ending injury. If he ever showed some class then he might get some respect.Too bad he lost on Monday night. I bet he will finish his career out with some decent numbers, but will never win the big game. I gotta say I won't be upset by that prospect in the least. He will never be seen as one of the greats; too bad the chargers got rid of Brees, he seems to be thriving without them.
Once a cry-baby...always a cry-baby and Philip needs to invest in Kleenex. He is by far NOT a top 10 QB, otherwise they would have been to a SuperBowl more often the past few years. He stinks!
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