I know a lot of people do not like him and I don't really know enough about him to say one way or the other but I have a lot of respect for what he did yesterday against New England. Guy showed a lot of guts playing on that bad knee and played pretty damned good too. He has gotten a lot better this season and I think the Chargers will be a tough out again next year. Thoughts ?
I like Rivers' toughness, but he forces too many passes and he needs to Miyagi his emotions. I hope my Chargers can make another run at it next season.
They'll be back. They're going through what Jordan went through against the Bad Boys Pistons in the late 80s. The Chargers are far from done.
I admire his guts and his abilty to play yesterday , he did rather well..but from what I've seen and heard he's a bit of a jerk.
Response to the poster who asked what the newspapers are saying about LT: The local newspaper has said a lot about his toughness and anguish. They also make the point that the Chargers did have a decent running game (Turner and Sproles) that should have compensated for a not-100% LT. They even have nice things to say about Seau (who is an icon in SD) who blew up the 3rd down play on the goal-line. But the newspaper also said that the Pats were simply better, and nobody will ever know if the Chargers would've won without all those injuries. For sure, the game was quite close and the defense played very well. If the Chargers score a TD on 2 of the occasions they were inside the 10, then who knows. There is not a lot of bitternes here. People realized that the Chargers played the Pats quite tough (probably, only the Giants gave them more trouble in the last season game) but were outmanned and outgunned by the better team. Nobody's whining. And, nobody is taking shots at LT; they love him here. As they love Seau and Harrison. Seau has a restaurant here, and it was crowded with people who were Chargers fans but happy to see Seau get the chence to win his first SB. Apparently Rivers' condition was a lot worse than was made public; the team said he had trouble walking upright at halftime. So, it was a really gutsy performance and if he improves a few things (including becoming a bit calmer) he could be damned good. he's certainly the future of the Chargers. I agree with the Husker who said that the Chargers will be back...they certainly will.
You're right, Rivers' condition was worse than was made public - he had surgery in-between the Indianpolis game and the New England game. The Link
Wow that is pretty gutsy...I don't like Rivers but he is pretty tough to play after surgery. LT better not play in the pro bowl!
I heard some parts of his interviews post game and I think he handled himself well. He made mention of the injuries but also said they got beaten by the better team. Said they have the talent and desire to focus in offseason and make things different. I think if he takes down his taunting and back/forth with fans he will be a league favorite. At least not deemed as a whiny immature ***** like he is now. Tremendous performance and amazing heart in that young man. When Norville Turner says he has not met a tougher football player in any position in all his years in the NFL, that says something. Norv has been around some badasses.
It's not like the Chargers didn't have several opportunities to win that game. That alone should be motivation for them.
I spent most of the game thinking that if they had played Volek they probably would have won. Rivers had nothing on his passes the whole game, understandably, and Volek is a more than capable backup. It was gutsy for Rivers to go out there, though stupid, and it was incredibly idiotic for Norv to let him play.
The guy has a big, fat mouth that he needs to keep shut, but having your knee scoped less than a week before a game and playing with a partially torn ACL and a sprained MCL puts you in the 'Baller' category.
I don't see the fan "taunting" or whatever as a big deal; to me it's in the same catagory as the Giants' RB yesterday who mocked the Lambeau Leap, just not quite as funny.
What cigar said. He takes it to a new level. Graham Harrel very much reminds me of Phillip Rivers. A douche when winning, a douche when losing. I think both are ballers and Harrel is a tough son of a gun. He has to be as much as he hits he ground when playing in conference.
IMHO I think the Chargers needed to have Gates on the field more than LT. The running game was (almost) OK with Sproles-Turner (although LT might have converted 2 of those FGs into TDs. But Gates is an amazing TE; like Moss, you HAVE to respect him wherever he goes. Without him, the Chargers were really hamstrung (even though the WRs played well). I hoped he would be on the field at least as a decoy, but...oh well.
The Chargers would not have won playing Volek. Rivers really only made one terrible throw(the underthrow on the bomb to chambers that hobbs picked) The other pick had more to do with chambers not getting his body in position to shield off samuel from getting the pick. It was a weak effort by a WR on a 50-50 pass. I also think they were too predictable in the red zone and I would have seriously considered going for it on 4th/2 inside the pats 10 down 14-9. You have a great o-line/fb and turner most plays got plenty of yards after contact. Plus if you don't get it, you have them hemmed inside the 10.
it has been, accurately I think, pointed out that LT at << 100% would be a "jogging back" not a running back. The guy has laid it down for the past 6 years; any criticism of him at this point is simply reckless and emanating from fans who have no concept of injuries and their ramifications. He (LT) said that he had no burst. That being the case, it was far better for the chargers to use the Turner-Sproles combo. I think they needed more aggressive play-calling in the red-zone and they really DID miss Antonio Gates...the guy who filled in weighs 300lbs and has no moves. Plus...anybody notice how OFTEN the chargers ran it on first down? I found myself thinking of our (i.e. UT) O in the post-Vince years.
Wrong. For Rivers to gut it out on a TORN ACL gets huge props from me. That guy was a MAN to go out there and play on that. There is no way Volek would have beaten the Patriots. Rivers was their best chance and that's why he played, torn ACL or not. They did not lose the game because of him.
