NFL16 Cherry Picks W8: Poise'n in the Pocket, Philip Rivers Just Keeps Rollin'
Live-wire.
Fully charged.
Gung-ho, go-getter.
The Decatur Dynamo.
Jay Cutler’s bizarro-world opposite (Sorry Mr. Cutler, it‘s not you, it’s them (‘da Bears)).
All tags that hang well on San Diego Chargers sanguine quarterback, Philip Rivers. Some seem tailor-made, given that Rivers (‘04) has been signal-calling for over a decade on a team nicknamed, the Bolts.
In the football vernacular, Phil Rivers is best described as such: Prototype pro-set pocket passer, aka, PPPP. And with all those peas it’s no wonder Phil’s “bursting with country fresh (goodness) (ahem).”
Why the fawning over a signal-caller with a career playoff mark of 4-5? Because in all sport there are men, top-tier players, who 1) Seem destined to toil on teams that are incapable of fully utilizing their talents (under-staffed), 2) happen to join a club just after the cork-popping has ceased (Lafontaine (NYI) / Murcer (NYY)), or 3) get traded the same season it all comes together, his former acquiring what’s supposed to’ve been the missing piece to a championship puzzle.
In baseball, such a soul would be Ernie Banks, though, you could just as well throw in Billy Williams, Ron Santo and Fergie Jenkins.
Then there’s Akron’s first great NBA power-player, HOF center Nate Thurmond (d.2016) who for thirteen San Fran seasons battled the best big men in history, then got shipped to Chicago (C. Ray) the year the Warriors got title #2 (‘74-75).
In the National Hockey League it’s current superskate Alex Ovechkin (Capitals) and past greats Gilbert Perreault, Marcel Dionne, Rod Gilbert and Peter Stastny to name just a few.
It’s always a somewhat tenuous claim that one particular player could’ve won titles on a better club or should be held largely blameless for their current team’s struggles, no matter the stat-line and pollyannaish persona he may possess.
The dynamic of team sport is a complicated creature.
Who knows then if Rivers would’ve gone deeper into the post-season and made a Super Bowl had the Chargers opted to keep Drew Brees on board (30-28) and chosen to jettison Phil instead to New Orleans? You just can’t know.
What you can know are the numbers.
Here then are the numbers Phil's compiled in his 10+ at Chargers’ helm: 98-76, 65C%, 43K+ passing, 294-139 TD-ratio and 25 GWDs. If Philip keeps matriculating like he has he's gonna' have his #17 retired and then join that Cantonese sect (HOF) like former Bolts' quarterbacking great, Mr. Dan Fouts ('93 (#14)).
Interesting to note is the steady rise in the Bolts QB-sack totals.
In the Decatur Dynamo’s first 4 years as a starter, Chargers averaged just under 25 sacks per (24.75), whereas, since 2010 that number’s risen to 37+, a figure the 2016 Chargers’ offense is on pace to match (17). And though not privy to numbers on quarterback-hurries, common sense would say they’ve increased at a like rate.
So what’s in store for the Chargers the rest of 2016?
Standing at 3-4 in the AFC West and the NFL in the full throes of parity, Bolts are still very much in the thick of the playoff hunt. But if there’s a team more plagued by injuries than San Diego, I know not who they be. I count 21 in SD sick-bay.
Head coach Mike McCoy is in his fourth season with one playoff appearance and a win-loss mark of 25-30.
An undrafted QB out of Utah - LBS with brief stints in both NFLE and CFL, Mike’s signal-caller savvy was expected to be the tonic to turn Phil’s game up a notch and the Chargers into Super Bowl contenders.
Things looked promising early on as San Diego went 9-7 in 2013, made the post-season, beat the Cincinnati Bengals convincingly in the wild-card (27-10) and then played eventual AFC titlist the Denver Broncos close in the Divisional, falling 24-17.
But since then, progress has stalled.
Going 9-7 again in 2014, the Bolts missed the PS and then stumbled badly to 4-12 last season. Inconsistency has marked the 2016 campaign, not helped by all those hurts, but nevertheless playing every Sunday to win, their four (4) loses, three on the road (@ KC, IND & OAK), having happened by a total of just 14 points.
Encouraging as well are the team ranks: In yard gained per game (ygpg), Bolts come in at a respectable #13 (365.3 (#1 ATL 433.6)) and hold down the vaunted #2 spot in points scored (pspg (29.4)), then defeating the #1 in the Falcons (32) in OT last weekend on the road in Atlanta. A-1 confidence booster.
On the defense side is where SD’s injuries have taken their biggest toll as the Bolts rank a pedestrian 21st in yards allowed per game (yapg) and are trending trouble at 24th in points allowed per (papg). Ugh.
Schedule-wise, the Chargers have to be hopeful.
A challenging game at Sports Authority (Denver) awaits in Week 8 action, but the Bolts’ bye comes at an opportune time (W11) while the rest of the slate is not too imposing, meaning, most opponents wouldn’t frighten a Girl Scout troop on Halloween. Boo!
With a steady offensive attack that can recall & retain what seems a lost art of pass-protection, a tightened-up D, especially late, a little luck from the sporting gods (injuries) and San Diego should slip into the playoff party, by the backdoor, but in. Then, as any sport fan worth their units in amperes knows, anything can happen.
For Philip, a man who appears iron-laden in not having missed a start in ten-plus campaigns (See Also: D.Brees), he could have 3-to-4 productive seasons left in those limbs, if those offensive sack totals start trending the other way.
So while most in the sporting biz are preoccupied with the movements of Kaepernick, the musings of Brady and the whereabouts (bench or under-center) of hotter than a West Texas sidewalk in July, Rayne Dakota Prescott, Phil Rivers will just keep playing fully charged and lighting up that NFL scoreboard.
Cherry Picks W8: Even Steven
Redskins (4-3) v. Bengals (3-4): 10.30 Fox 9:30a (Ldn): Cincy wins
Chiefs (4-2) @ Indianapolis Colts (3-4): CBS 1:00: Kansas City wins
Arizona (3-3-1) @ Carolina Panthers (1-5): Fox 1:00: Cardinals win
Oakland (5-2) @ Buccaneers (3-3): CBS 1:00: Tampa Bay wins
Seattle (4-2) @ New Orleans Saints (2-4): Fox 1:00: New Orleans wins
Detroit Lions (4-3) @ Houston Texans (4-3): Fox 1:00: Houston wins
New England Pats (6-1) @ Buffalo Bills (4-3): CBS 1:00: Buffalo wins
San Diego Bolts (3-4) @ Denver Broncos (5-2): CBS 4:05: Chargers win
Green Bay Packers (4-2) @ Atlanta Falcons (4-3): Fox 4:25: Falcons win
Philadelphia (4-2) @ Dallas Cowboys (5-1): NBC 8:30: Eagles win
Record: 35 - 35 - 1
Chargers (LA - SD (b.1960)): 424 - 424 - 11
Steven Keys
NFL HunchLine
Photo credit: Chargers-wordmark, wc.cca, sportslogos, 8.25.15; P.Rivers, wc, 1.12.14, J.Beall; Chargers-cheer, wc, 9.4.9, Dirk; M.McCoy, wc, TL.Fenney, 8.28.13; Rivers, wc, K.Allison, 10.1.06, MD; cherries, wc, Hispalois, Spain, 7.2.12; NFL-symbol, wikiproject
Posted: 10.28.16 @ 11:03am EST; Copyright © 2016
References: Greatesthockeylegends.com; (PFR).com; Wikipedia
