When we think about great quarterbacks, we think of the big names like Tom Brady, Drew Brees, and Peyton Manning; however the best of this season might belong to someone else, someone a bit younger. Long has this man flown under the radar, putting up great numbers, while slowly making a name for himself. And this year, with his hobbled and no name receiving corps, he is on a collision course with the record books by out performing nearly every defense he plays against.
I'm talking about San Diego Charger's quarterback Phillip Rivers. Many fans know him as the quarterback with an awkward throwing motion and tons of talent around him. Some say they that that talent has been the reason for his success, however his resume shows much more than a quarterback who just "manages the game" by using the talent around him. Over the past five years, Rivers has one of the best, if not the best passer rating (96.9), completion rating (63.4%), yards per attempt rating (8.0 YPA), and TD:INT ratio (125:53) in the league. He has piled up just under 18,000 yards in his four a half years of being the starter, crossing the 4,000 yard mark twice. Rivers has been cheated out of a couple Pro-Bowls, and has only ever been voted to one, but he has led his Chargers team to the playoffs every year that he has been the starter, and has been a seemingly unstoppable force in the league.
However, Rivers has never been as unstoppable as he is this season, and the ironic thing is this year he is doing it without all of the "talent" around him. Rivers started the year without his best wideout, Vincent Jackson, and best left tackle, Marcus McNeill; yet his numbers were through the roof. Next, he loses his other two top receivers Malcom Floyd and Legadu Naanee to injury, and a couple weeks after that, he is forced to play without his All-Pro, already hobbled, tight end Antonio Gates, but goes and has one of his best games of the season. Last week, he played with WRs Patrick Crayton and Seyi Ajirotutu, and TE Randy McMicheal, a group I'm sure most people had never heard of until after Sunday's game, which Rivers posted four touchdowns in a desperately needed road victory. Sunday's game showed the kind of play Rivers has shown all year, who is on track to not only put up career bests in most passing categories, but also put is mark in the record books, as he can be only the third QB in history to record over 5,000 yards in a single season.
Despite the Chargers 4-5 record, they are still a team that has very determined play-off hopes, and Rivers has been and will continue to be instrumental in the Chargers quest for the Super Bowl. Not only that, but it scary to think what Rivers will be able to do when all of those weapons I mentioned earlier get back on the field. It's very scary....
PLAY OFF PICTURE:
It's mid-season, time to start dishing out the play-off charts. Here is the current play-off picture, as of Week 9.
AFC-
North: Baltimore Ravens (6-2)
South: Tennessee Titans (5-3)
East: New York Jets (6-2)
West: Kansas City Chiefs (5-3)
Wild Card: New England Patriots (6-2)
Wild Card: Pittsburgh Steelers (6-2)
Winning teams not included: OAK (5-4), IND (5-3)
My Sleeper Pick: San Diego Chargers (4-5)
NFC-
North: Green Bay Packers (6-3)
South: Atlanta Falcons (6-2)
East: New York Giants (6-2)
West: St. Louis Rams (4-4)
Wild Card: New Orleans Saints (6-3)
Wild Card: Philadelphia Eagles (5-3)
Winning teams not included: TB (5-3), CHI (5-3)
My Sleeper Pick: Tampa Bay Buccaneers (5-3)
