Phillip Rivers tearing it up

[Bob's your Information Minister]

14/20, 167 yards, 1 TD.

Should we concede the division to San Diego?

[bpc]

Cutler still did better.

Besides, what did you say about the preseason Bob?

I saw that deer in the headlights look during week 17. He hasn't even seen real bullets yet this season. They'll come and he'll blink.

[SoCalBronco]

14/20, 167 yards, 1 TD.

Should we concede the division to San Diego?

It's Green Bay.

[Clockwork Orange]

I saw that, he was sharp and very impressive.

[Hercules Rockefeller]

But we shouldn't read anything into what Cutler did yesterday because it was preseason, right?

[69bronco]

SD are definate contenders on both sides of the ball. But Phillip Rivers will at best be as good as Drew Brees In my opinion.

[69bronco]

It's Green Bay.
Green Bay secondary isn't too shabby

[watermock]

Rivers SHOULD be decent...I don't remember but he was a super high pick. Let us handle SD Boob. Step aside and let the big boys teach him a lesson.

[Bob's your Information Minister]

But we shouldn't read anything into what Cutler did yesterday because it was preseason, right?

START CUTLER AND WIN THE DIVISION!

[Raiders Rock]

I saw alot of Rivers in the ACC here, he has a quirky release but I think he will be a damn good NFL QB

Cutler will be good, he played well in his first game but he still has alot to learn in the NFL, Rivers has held that clipboard a while

[Dedhed]

14/20, 167 yards, 1 TD.


Those numbers are almost as good as our 2nd stringer.

[youcandoit1687]

i was hoping he wouldnt do well. i see the chargers as the best team ON PAPER right now but i will still hold doubts on rivers and marty

[Bob's your Information Minister]

I'm watching the game now...and Rivers is scary.

[Killericon]

I'm watching the game now...and Rivers is scary.

Does he look as good as Brees did last season?

[Hulamau]

Rivers vs Cutler are gonna be classic duels for years to come. Though San Deigo will likely find other ways to screw the pooch every few years. San Diego had a healthy Vincent Jackson who is their Brandon Marshall with a full; yuear of experience now.

That is a big addition for SD getting V. Jackson back this year.

For years it will be Cutler, Scheff and Marshall vs. Rivers, Gates & Jackson.

Our run game counteracts their run game even though LT is better than any one RB on our team, but we've got the best WR corp.

[Bob's your Information Minister]

Does he look as good as Brees did last season?

I think he's better. Course it IS only one preseason game, but it's impressive stuff.

[watermock]

Rivers will be a better QB than either Leinart or Young but his low release will bite him when it counts with tipped passes.

[Black96WS6]

Rivers looked **** good. You can tell the difference when he left and Feely came in, it was night and day.

I think my favorite part of that game was Rivers throwing a perfect fade pattern to Vincent Jackson for a TD, then the GB challenge, then the overturn (VJ's foot was on the line), and then Rivers comes right back and throws another perfect fade to a diving VJ for a TD. So technically, he threw for 2 TDs in a row ROFL!

[*WARHORSE*]

Rivers SUCKS.

[watermock]

Rivers is very accurate and timely. He still has a low release tho. I wouldn't trade Blade for any of the young guns at this point. This includes Rivers, Young, Leinart, Eli, or Alex Smith.

[BroncoBuff]

Yeah ... I'm pretty high on Rivers and have been all year. He and Cutler have a lot in common - both started 40+ college games, and both are natural leaders.

I saw part of that game ... and I'm telling you, if I had to choose - I might rather have Rivers than Favre this year. Favre looked AWFUL ...

[Dedhed]

I think Rivers will be better than Brees, but not this year.

[Bronco_Beerslug]

Rivers vs Cutler are gonna be classic duels for years to come. Though San Deigo will likely find other ways to screw the pooch every few years. San Diego had a healthy Vincent Jackson who is their Brandon Marshall with a full; yuear of experience now.

That is a big addition for SD getting V. Jackson back this year.

For years it will be Cutler, Scheff and Marshall vs. Rivers, Gates & Jackson.

Our run game counteracts their run game even though LT is better than any one RB on our team, but we've got the best WR corp.

The Chargers aren't going to miss a beat this year, in fact they'll probably be better. Rivers looks great! Throws a great ball, great touch and can wing it in there too.
Their D is awesome even though it was against Favre.

How about V. Jackson? That TD snag was a beauty!

[GonzoLays]

I was PISSED when San Diego decided to let Drew Brees go. Drew Brees is solid and that was about as good as he was going to be. We could easily game plan him. Phillip Rivers on the other hand has the UPSIDE and TALENT to be a dominant QB in this league. Whether he becomes one or not, I have no idea, but just the possiblity of it makes me uneasy.

[SureShot]

14/20, 167 yards, 1 TD.

Should we concede the division to San Diego?

No, but you can concede 2nd place.:thanku:

[BroncoMatt]

No, but you can concede 2nd place.:thanku:


If he is conceding then it would be for 3rd place, SD will take 2nd

[DeusExManning]

I'm watching the game now...and Rivers is scary.

He does scare me and so does Jackson, San Diego's defense was on fire too. They will be our toughest competition.

[DivineLegion]

Belive it or not NC news is covering more of the chargers training camp then the Panthers and I can tell you if the way hes playing in practice and that performance on the field yesterday Phillip is not going to be a drop off from Brees hes going to be a major upgrade.

We never respected Brees as an orginization and knew we could catch him with mass blitzs every time because the guy is slow at making reads and has a slow release. Phillip Rivers has a Lightning fast release and amazing pocket awarness. You guys might act like your not concerned but as a fan of the Denver Broncos I am...

[Cito Pelon]

Rivers not so hot so far tonight.

[Bob's your Information Minister]

Omg Chargers Suk Lolololol

[Cito Pelon]

Wow, Brian Griese's career stats better than any Bear QB ever??????

[MechanicalBull]

Rivers with a pick 6 to Urlacher on the opening drive.

[Willynowei]

I'm watching rivers, and I'm not impressed. Twice he stared down his receiver, once urlacher picked it off, and on the one to gates on third down, he nearly got gates killed. Denvers season's looking better and better. I don't buy into the Rivers hype, watching today's game.

[plummershelper]

Holy Turner, Michael!! I still wish we'd have picked him up instead of Tatum. Great speed with some toughness. Oh the what ifs

[SportinOne]

Well, if you can't really count the good then you can't really count the bad.

I never realized that Rivers audibles so much. When he does it, it seems he looks for the shorter route. In fact, that's pretty much all he has thrown so far. Maybe that's a sign that he is not really comfortable with the long throws yet.

The Chargers will always be dangerous because of Lt and Gates, but you also have to realize that their WR's are worse than KC's, with a much less experienced QB.

I see them being very very inconsistent this year.. for the record, Rivers doesn't impress me at all, but it's only one bad game, we'll see.

[Black96WS6]

I'm watching rivers, and I'm not impressed. Twice he stared down his receiver, once urlacher picked it off, and on the one to gates on third down, he nearly got gates killed. Denvers season's looking better and better. I don't buy into the Rivers hype, watching today's game.

Wouldn't that be what you'd expect from basically a rookie who's never started an NFL game going up against a really good D? :welcome:

He needs to learn, and this is great practice :D

[2KBack]

Rivers still looks pretty good to me, the pick was terrible, but since then he has made good choices. The offense isn't doing much though

[Dagmar]

Rivers still looks pretty good to me, the pick was terrible, but since then he has made good choices. The offense isn't doing much though

Are you telling me the greatest team to miss the playoffs don't look AMAZING???

[2KBack]

Are you telling me the greatest team to miss the playoffs don't look AMAZING???

The best team ever to miss the playoffs two years in a row

[Jesterhole]

Wow, nice scramble and throw by Rivers. Not so bad after all.

[Cito Pelon]

Rivers in his 4th series now, Shott is giving him the work he needs.

[2KBack]

So do the bears have the worlds best pass rush, or should Rivers get used to grass stains?

[Cito Pelon]

Man, both teams are working their starters a long time.

[Black96WS6]

The scary thing is, Rivers still looks better than the Bears' established starter LoL :spit:

Same story as last year, Bears can only hope their D scores enough pts to win LoL :wiggle:

[Taco John]

14/20, 167 yards, 1 TD.

Should we concede the division to San Diego?



What's this "we" business. You guys should conceed 2nd place to them. You're going to be battling it out with the Raiders for third place. As far as San Diego is concerned, they still got Marty, right?

[Garcia Bronco]

Damn...Jamal Williams is a beast

[Garcia Bronco]

What's this "we" business. You guys should conceed 2nd place to them. You're going to be battling it out with the Raiders for third place. As far as San Diego is concerned, they still got Marty, right?

I'm going to go ahead and call it...San Diego is going to win the Division. :)

[Black96WS6]

Cromartie's got some penalties but man for someone as green as he is he seems to be doing a pretty good job. He's got some guns for a DB too!

[Taco John]

I'm going to go ahead and call it...San Diego is going to win the Division. :)



Now that's just mean...

[Garcia Bronco]

Now that's just mean...


:giggle:

[Black96WS6]

Wow nice pick...

[Garcia Bronco]

Easy int...`

[Black96WS6]

LoL Whitehurst is ahead of AJ Feely! Man Feely must really suck!!

[penguintheory]

Bob, your sudden homerism of AFC West teams other than KC makes me think you have so little faith in your team, you're creating these threads as insurance for your "told-you-so's" after KC gets stomped by Denver and San Diego. It's only been two preseason games, don't lose hope yet. If I see an 'Aaron Brooks rocks' avatar, I'm going to be sick.

[Bob's your Information Minister]

I created this thread a week ago.

[penguintheory]

So, no faith at all then?

[Bob's your Information Minister]

It was a joke.

[Cito Pelon]

Post on existing threads is the rule, Bob, so I figured I'd revive this rather than start a new Bolts vs. Bears thread. So it's just another joke that backfired on you.

[Archie]

Cutler still did better.

Besides, what did you say about the preseason Bob?

I saw that deer in the headlights look during week 17. He hasn't even seen real bullets yet this season. They'll come and he'll blink.

How you can compare coming off the bench in the 2nd half in week 17 to preparing as a starter from day one is beyond me..... I won't disagree that a backup's job is to be ready to go at all times but I am not so naive to assume that what we say that day was the "defining moment" for Rivers. The kid is a gamer. I've said elsewhere that Rivers will be much better then people here are willing to give him credit for. The bolts are lacking elsewhere (namely WR's) but they have talent and Rivers could take them places.

I'm not conceeding anything to the Bolts this year but they will be the other team in the division that we have to contend with and Rivers will be a big reason why...

[Garcia Bronco]

Post on existing threads is the rule, Bob, so I figured I'd revive this rather than start a new Bolts vs. Bears thread. So it's just another joke that backfired on you.

And you're a good man for it too, and you are exactly right. It didn't need another one

[DeusExManning]

What's this "we" business. You guys should conceed 2nd place to them. You're going to be battling it out with the Raiders for third place. As far as San Diego is concerned, they still got Marty, right?

Taco this is one of my all time favorite posts from you ever.

[boltaneer]

Rivers was intervied later on in the game and was asked about the INT and he said that he saw Urlacher but thought he could squeeze it in there anyway. Definitely a learning experience for the kid.

That said, he does indeed have a tendency to stare down receivers too much. That's something he'll need to work on.

The starting defense still looks pretty good and they haven't given up any points yet. Of course, they haven't faced a great offense yet.

I'm not surprised by the result however. Chicago wins their games with their D and special teams.

[Paladin]

Ya wanna tell Boob how much better the Chuggers are than the mullets?

He said that LT was not a good RB, and that Gates was a second stringer compared to Gonzo.

Wanna talk to him? Here, we'll hold him for you....

[Mediator12]

Rivers was intervied later on in the game and was asked about the INT and he said that he saw Urlacher but thought he could squeeze it in there anyway. Definitely a learning experience for the kid.

That said, he does indeed have a tendency to stare down receivers too much. That's something he'll need to work on.

The starting defense still looks pretty good and they haven't given up any points yet. Of course, they haven't faced a great offense yet.

I'm not surprised by the result however. Chicago wins their games with their D and special teams.

I agree, but would add in Decent offense yet. Good Lord, CHI started an arena player at WR ;D Yet they are not willing to grab Lelie in a trade ???

Plus, The OL was pretty bad against a dominant DL. Good thing no such thing exists in the AFCW huh?

[Bob's your Information Minister]

LOL...don't put words in my mouth you jerk. I never said either of those things.

[bpc]

How you can compare coming off the bench in the 2nd half in week 17 to preparing as a starter from day one is beyond me..... I won't disagree that a backup's job is to be ready to go at all times but I am not so naive to assume that what we say that day was the "defining moment" for Rivers. The kid is a gamer. I've said elsewhere that Rivers will be much better then people here are willing to give him credit for. The bolts are lacking elsewhere (namely WR's) but they have talent and Rivers could take them places.

I'm not conceeding anything to the Bolts this year but they will be the other team in the division that we have to contend with and Rivers will be a big reason why...

Because I don't care what anybody says, a QB has a learning curve upon starting in the NFL. Ben Rothlisberger was one exception, he had a smart HC who took the ball out of his hands to eliminate mistakes off the bat. Most QB's are not this lucky. Rivers has about a quarter and a half of actual game experience. IMO Cutler has none.

The preseason is much different than the regular season. I was reading "next man up" and one of the most memorable quotes was by E. Mulitalo from the Ravens talking about the disparity between the preseason and regular is like a complete 180. It is on a different level.

Rivers is probably seeing a basic 4-3 front this preseason just like Cutler will. I don't care how great Cutler does, he will still need to take his bruises and learn from his bad passes. He is lucky to have one of the best QB coaches on his side. Rivers lined up against a good defense today and threw a pick on the third play that was returned 64 yds for a TD. Just think, they are playing a vanilla defense!

The chargers have talent but i'll be surprised if they do better than 9-7 this year.

[DeusExManning]

Rivers was intervied later on in the game and was asked about the INT and he said that he saw Urlacher but thought he could squeeze it in there anyway. Definitely a learning experience for the kid.

That said, he does indeed have a tendency to stare down receivers too much. That's something he'll need to work on.

The starting defense still looks pretty good and they haven't given up any points yet. Of course, they haven't faced a great offense yet.

I'm not surprised by the result however. Chicago wins their games with their D and special teams.

Have not seen you for a while, I agree. Living in the OC I will definitely be attending some games, especially when the Broncos come in to whoop up on you to complete the sweep. Every year I go there are more Bronco fans in the stands then Charger fans. This was the first time I have ever seen when the road team had more fans then the Home team. I can't wait. If you want to get tickets together let me know. I have a ton of friends that are Charger fans.

[Archie]

Because I don't care what anybody says, a QB has a learning curve upon starting in the NFL. Ben Rothlisberger was one exception, he had a smart HC who took the ball out of his hands to eliminate mistakes off the bat. Most QB's are not this lucky. Rivers has about a quarter and a half of actual game experience. IMO Cutler has none.

The preseason is much different than the regular season. I was reading "next man up" and one of the most memorable quotes was by E. Mulitalo from the Ravens talking about the disparity between the preseason and regular is like a complete 180. It is on a different level.

Rivers is probably seeing a basic 4-3 front this preseason just like Cutler will. I don't care how great Cutler does, he will still need to take his bruises and learn from his bad passes. He is lucky to have one of the best QB coaches on his side. Rivers lined up against a good defense today and threw a pick on the third play that was returned 64 yds for a TD. Just think, they are playing a vanilla defense!

The chargers have talent but i'll be surprised if they do better than 9-7 this year.

I don't disagree and Rivers will show some rough spots but unlike many high 1st round QB draft picks, Rivers has had the luxury of riding the pine and learning on the side for two years. He'll make mistakes but a) he's a good QB - both solid skills and intangibles and b) he's had the kind of time FEW hgh draft pick QB's get to learn what the NFL is like.

Denver 12-4. Chargers 10-6. Take it to Vegas.

[DeusExManning]

Rivers is Dan Fouts, almost identical without the beard.

[Cito Pelon]

Rivers was intervied later on in the game and was asked about the INT and he said that he saw Urlacher but thought he could squeeze it in there anyway. Definitely a learning experience for the kid.

That said, he does indeed have a tendency to stare down receivers too much. That's something he'll need to work on.

The starting defense still looks pretty good and they haven't given up any points yet. Of course, they haven't faced a great offense yet.

I'm not surprised by the result however. Chicago wins their games with their D and special teams.

yeah, your team certainly played one of the best D's in the league. 17 better throw those passes with more mustard on them if he wants to squeeze it in.

[boltaneer]

yeah, your team certainly played one of the best D's in the league. 17 better throw those passes with more mustard on them if he wants to squeeze it in.

He'll learn. It's his second NFL start. At least he saw Urlacher and thought he could squeeze it in rather than not knowing where the hell he was throwing it.

I'm not obivious to the fact that he'll have growing pains. All QBs do, no matter how long they they learn behind a vet.

[Cito Pelon]

Rivers is Dan Fouts, almost identical without the beard.

Whaa? Can you elaborate on that?

[Xenos]

He'll learn. It's his second NFL start. At least he saw Urlacher and thought he could squeeze it in rather than not knowing where the hell he was throwing it.

I'm not obivious to the fact that he'll have growing pains. All QBs do, no matter how long they they learn behind a vet.

Given how badly the offensive line did, I thought Rivers did a decent job overall against a great defense. That 3rd and 15 pass to Floyd was pretty neat especially considering that he almost got sacked. That's the great thing about preseason, the mistakes don't hurt as much and they serve as great lessons for real games.

Also keep in mind three important things: \
1) Rivers didn't have LT, Parker, or Jackson, and Gates only played two series I believe.
2) The fact that they kept running it could mean that the coaching staff wanted to see how the run blocking was coming along, unlike last week when they decided to experiment with the passing.
3) The short dump passes, instead of the long passes that we expect from Rivers, could be because there was no one open or because the coaches felt that it would be easier on Rivers to get rid of the ball quickly and avoid another interception.

[Broncoman13]

I don't disagree and Rivers will show some rough spots but unlike many high 1st round QB draft picks, Rivers has had the luxury of riding the pine and learning on the side for two years. He'll make mistakes but a) he's a good QB - both solid skills and intangibles and b) he's had the kind of time FEW hgh draft pick QB's get to learn what the NFL is like.

Denver 12-4. Chargers 10-6. Take it to Vegas.

I've seen BPC post enough to know that he understands the game and very rarely disagree with what he says when it's football related. This is one of those rare occassions. I think Philip Rivers is going to be a hell of a QB. No, he's not gonna be in the class of Peyton Manning or Carson Palmer. But he will be everybit as good a QB as guys like Ben Rothlisberger or Matt Hasselback (damn if I didn't have to pick the two with the hardest last names to spell!). Honestly, I think the only thing that keeps him out of the same league as the top tier is his WR corps. If he had guys like Palmer or Manning to throw to he would be a very dangerous QB. Plus, with a guy like LT that can also be effective in the passing game and a safety valve in Gates, it's safe to say that the Bolts can be conservative with Rivers.

I would say Rivers ends up with 2900 yards 18 TD's and 12 Int's. Not great numbers, but a solid season for a first year starter.

[worm]

gotta suck to have kosar again when Denver has the trump...

history repeats...

[boltaneer]

The Bolts WR corps could suddenly get a giant boost if Vincent Jackson plays to his potential. He looked great against the Packers but had a freak injury and may not return until the season opener.

McCardell went to the Pro-Bowl in 2003 and hasn't shown signs of slowing down as he racked up his highest TD total of his career last year.

Parker is a solid number three receiver who has done well at number two. His main problem has been major injuries (and he does have a minor injury at the moment) but he seems to be improving in that area.

TE Ryan Krause (an unknown to most people) has shown flashes of major potential but is also very injury prone and has struggled to get on to the field in the past couple of years.

Gates and LT are always going to be the focus of the offense as long as their healthy and capable.

[SportinOne]

Like i said, Chargers are dangerous, yes. In the NFC they'd win most divisions based on raw talent alone. But this year im just not too worried about them winning more than 9 or at the very most 10 games. I'm convinced that we won't lose more than 5 so there you go.. we do have a very tough schedule so anything could happen.. but i just don't see it.

Then again, i never saw 13-3 coming last year..

How we lost those 3 games i'll never know ;)

As far as Cromartie goes, the guys a thug. He is super athletic but he's probably not mentally stable enough to ever become elite. He's just not a...what's the word i'm looking for.... oh yes, champ.

Damn, that word just trumps everything. I love it.

[elsid13]

Like i said, Chargers are dangerous, yes. In the NFC they'd win most divisions based on raw talent alone. But this year im just not too worried about them winning more than 9 or at the very most 10 games. I'm convinced that we won't lose more than 5 so there you go.. we do have a very tough schedule so anything could happen.. but i just don't see it.

Then again, i never saw 13-3 coming last year..

How we lost those 3 games i'll never know ;)

As far as Cromartie goes, the guys a thug. He is super athletic but he's probably not mentally stable enough to ever become elite. He's just not a...what's the word i'm looking for.... oh yes, champ.

Damn, that word just trumps everything. I love it.

I disagree with you on Cromartie. I was kinda hoping when Denver had 2 draft picks that we select him and move him to safety. That kid really has the potential to be a #1 corner in this league. And I think it unfair to question his mental stability and call him as thug when there are lot worse bozos running around in the NFLs

[Gcver2ver3]

Like i said, Chargers are dangerous, yes. In the NFC they'd win most divisions based on raw talent alone. But this year im just not too worried about them winning more than 9 or at the very most 10 games. I'm convinced that we won't lose more than 5 so there you go.. we do have a very tough schedule so anything could happen.. but i just don't see it.

Then again, i never saw 13-3 coming last year..

How we lost those 3 games i'll never know ;)

As far as Cromartie goes, the guys a thug. He is super athletic but he's probably not mentally stable enough to ever become elite. He's just not a...what's the word i'm looking for.... oh yes, champ.

Damn, that word just trumps everything. I love it.


i wouldn't say cromartie is a thug.....

i think the kid is the most gifted athelete at his position since...well champ bailey

mentally & health wise he's got a lot to prove.....

but i think the kid has a chance to be amazing

[Drek]

Cromartie is an amazing athlete sure, but then so were the half dozen flops Shanahan drafted for us at CB before getting Champ and striking gold with Foxworth and Williams (Paymah is still an unknown).

DB isn't about just athletic ability though, that'll help you make the big "wow" play but it won't make you a consistant coverage guy. Cromartie has almost no polish to his game, missing significant time to injuries, switching positions, and never seeing the in game reps that you'd expect a starter to see (FSU rotates a lot). On top of that he brings injury concerns. I like the guy's upside but all the talk about him being a steal at 19 is a bit overdone. He's got a hell of a lot of questions to answer still.

As for Rivers, yeah, I'll go with the real game action from last season where he looked like he was going to **** a brick every time he snapped the ball. I don't see how a guy who's held a clipboard for two years would get that much out of an off-season program (unless he was dragging his ass prior to Brees' departure), and we'll see how long it takes for him to build chemistry with the offense like Brees had.

Overall I'm much more worried about the Chargers' D then their O, Tomlinson is overrated and stoppable and Marty doesn't get late game ball management or play calling at all. They'll continue to fumble the big game as long as he's their coach.

[SportinOne]

well, you guys certainly have the right to your own opinion, and you already know mine. I will admit that i just don't take anyone with a golden "grill" seriously. Name one character guy in the NFL with a mouthful of gold and/or platinum. To me i just see a guy with too much talent for his own ego to handle.

[Ron Mexico]

14/20, 167 yards, 1 TD.

Should we concede the division to San Diego?

With a 2nd preseason game under his belt, I think we can now safely say that Marty will teach him how to lose after all. And didn't he learn anything after seeing the Portis injury or the Brees injury from last year? Nope. He ran down the field and tried to tackle Urlacher after throwing the INT. I think I could hear the SD GM screaming "No!!!" and the sigh of relief when his season wasn't ended after the play.

Shanahan has the formula for beating SD and the Broncos executed it flawlessly in the 2nd half of their first meeting last year and again in the 1st half of their 2nd meeting (game was truly over at the half). That formula hasn't changed this year.

[Gcver2ver3]

well, you guys certainly have the right to your own opinion, and you already know mine. I will admit that i just don't take anyone with a golden "grill" seriously. Name one character guy in the NFL with a mouthful of gold and/or platinum. To me i just see a guy with too much talent for his own ego to handle.


you may be right....only time will tell

all i'm saying about cromartie is physically you can't be any better at cb...

he has great size...6"2....210...all muscle...

he's blazing fsat...great hands...and hits like a mack truck......

and he jumps higher than any corner i've ever seen....

we have not seen many players at corner ever that matches those physical credentials...

but it takes more than that to succeed in the pro game.....mentally & health wise as i said earlier are his obstacles....

[elsid13]

well, you guys certainly have the right to your own opinion, and you already know mine. I will admit that i just don't take anyone with a golden "grill" seriously. Name one character guy in the NFL with a mouthful of gold and/or platinum. To me i just see a guy with too much talent for his own ego to handle.

Edge

[Xenos]

Cromartie is an amazing athlete sure, but then so were the half dozen flops Shanahan drafted for us at CB before getting Champ and striking gold with Foxworth and Williams (Paymah is still an unknown).

DB isn't about just athletic ability though, that'll help you make the big "wow" play but it won't make you a consistant coverage guy. Cromartie has almost no polish to his game, missing significant time to injuries, switching positions, and never seeing the in game reps that you'd expect a starter to see (FSU rotates a lot). On top of that he brings injury concerns. I like the guy's upside but all the talk about him being a steal at 19 is a bit overdone. He's got a hell of a lot of questions to answer still.

As for Rivers, yeah, I'll go with the real game action from last season where he looked like he was going to **** a brick every time he snapped the ball. I don't see how a guy who's held a clipboard for two years would get that much out of an off-season program (unless he was dragging his ass prior to Brees' departure), and we'll see how long it takes for him to build chemistry with the offense like Brees had.

Overall I'm much more worried about the Chargers' D then their O, Tomlinson is overrated and stoppable and Marty doesn't get late game ball management or play calling at all. They'll continue to fumble the big game as long as he's their coach.

To be fair, he did play better than Brees given the fact that he only practiced with the second unit the entire year. Heck even John Lynch and Gerran Warren admited that he was getting the ball off quicker than Brees and was harder to get to because of his quicker release. Besides you can't have someone who hasn't really played a snap to suddenly do well against a very good Denver D that threw everything but the kitchen sink at him. I give more credit to you guys as opposed to how Rivers actually did. But now that he has survived that tribulation as well as faced the #2 defense in the Bears, he'll hopefully learn from his mistakes and be better.

Edit: And I just found out that the Bears actually gameplanned for yesterday's matchup. So while it may not be the entire defensive gameplan of the Bears, it shouldn't wasn't a vanilla defense either. Of coure, that interception is still River's fault and one heck of a move by Brian Urlacher. That said, I'm kinda glad it happened now then later. Having the Bears stack their defense against us was nice and gave some good ideas of what Rivers can do given his limited options on offense.

[Xenos]

The Bolts WR corps could suddenly get a giant boost if Vincent Jackson plays to his potential. He looked great against the Packers but had a freak injury and may not return until the season opener.

McCardell went to the Pro-Bowl in 2003 and hasn't shown signs of slowing down as he racked up his highest TD total of his career last year.

Parker is a solid number three receiver who has done well at number two. His main problem has been major injuries (and he does have a minor injury at the moment) but he seems to be improving in that area.

TE Ryan Krause (an unknown to most people) has shown flashes of major potential but is also very injury prone and has struggled to get on to the field in the past couple of years.

Gates and LT are always going to be the focus of the offense as long as their healthy and capable.

You don't necessarily need a great receiver to be a great quarterback. Tom Brady is a good example, not that I'm comparing Rivers to Brady. If he can successfully pull off good plays, like the skinny post, then not having a legitimate #1 WR won't be a problem.

[Ballhawk]

From what I have heard Rivers and Gates have become fast friends. Rivers will be just find if he doesn't try to do to much. Marty just needs to "Jake" him for the year.

[bpc]

I've seen BPC post enough to know that he understands the game and very rarely disagree with what he says when it's football related. This is one of those rare occassions. I think Philip Rivers is going to be a hell of a QB. No, he's not gonna be in the class of Peyton Manning or Carson Palmer. But he will be everybit as good a QB as guys like Ben Rothlisberger or Matt Hasselback (damn if I didn't have to pick the two with the hardest last names to spell!). Honestly, I think the only thing that keeps him out of the same league as the top tier is his WR corps. If he had guys like Palmer or Manning to throw to he would be a very dangerous QB. Plus, with a guy like LT that can also be effective in the passing game and a safety valve in Gates, it's safe to say that the Bolts can be conservative with Rivers.

I would say Rivers ends up with 2900 yards 18 TD's and 12 Int's. Not great numbers, but a solid season for a first year starter.

It should be an interesting season. I think that Rivers is in a good position to be successful. The run-defense should be solid in SD which will give a chance in at least 75% of their games. The pass rush should also be good enough to help out a poor secondary. I thought their first round pick this was a major reach. He has Middlebrooks written all over him. Fast tall CB who did just enough in college to get a team to look at his triangle numbers. I don't think he'll be read for at least two seasons because of the learning curve at CB and the fact that he has had relatively little coaching on the collegiate level because of his injuries.

On offense Rivers has arguably the best players at HB and TE which will take a lot of pressure off of him. However at WR they are pedestrian at best. I haven't seen enough out of Jackson to say he is ready. McCardell will have some solid games but he is just average now and that was with a pro bowl QB throwing to him.

Rivers will need to learn the ropes quickly if this team is to have a chance at the playoffs this year. They will probably steal a couple games and I imagine they'll drop a few that they should win as well. The best thing for the Chargers this season is their favorable schedule. They have Oakland and Tennessee before their bye and they should start 2-0. The next two will be more challenging being at Baltimore and at home against Pittsburgh where SD has never really defended their turf all that well. I can see them being 2-2 through the first five weeks of the season. They are then at SF, at KC, with St. Louis, and Cleveland coming to SD. They should go 3-1 in those games but will they? I think they will easily handle SF and Cleveland. St. Louis is a game they could drop because of the STL passing game and ability to handle decent pass rushes. I think they slip because of the pass and run that STL can throw at them. 4-4 after 8 games. They will then be at Denver and Cincinatti, probably the toughest two games back to back they will have all season. Palmer should be healthy by this time and SD always plays bad in Denver. I pick them to drop these two games. They are now 4-6 after 10. They will then win back to back games again Oakland and at Buffalo although the buffalo game could be tough in December. This is SD annual BJ game though. Last year it was Miami. 6-6 after 12. Coming down the stretch the Chargers will have 3 of 4 at home but three of those will be against evenly matched teams. They will have Denver for the 2nd time in three weeks. I just our experienced secondary matches up well against Rivers. I think we will collect some mistakes and sweep the Chargers again. From there they have KC which they should beat at home unless LJ goes crazy, probably won't happen. They are at Seattle the 2nd to last week and have Arizona at home the week after. I think they lose to the Seahawks and the AZ game could have playoff implications. I'll give them the benefit over an overmatched AZ defense. All in all though I think they finish 8-8 with an average schedule. They could do better. It depends on Rivers though. He could be the difference in about 4 of those games if he plays well.

[Drek]

You don't necessarily need a great receiver to be a great quarterback. Tom Brady is a good example, not that I'm comparing Rivers to Brady. If he can successfully pull off good plays, like the skinny post, then not having a legitimate #1 WR won't be a problem.
When Tom Brady first started for the Pats he had Troy Brown, a VERY underrated WR who at the time was comprable to our own Rod Smith. Precise routes, tenacious after the catch skills, and reliable hands help young QBs a hell of a lot.

Dion Branch isn't exactly a slouch either, he gets discounted because their offense is about spreading the ball around, but he's a fair sight better than Reggie Wayne (comprable player) and many thought Wayne was ready, had he chosen FA this off-season, to become a team's #1.

Oh, and don't forget Charlie Weiss, one of the better offensive minds in recent pro football history.

And someone previously mentioned Roethlisberger as an example of a rookie QB coming out of the gate rolling, well, thats simply not true. Sure he had a rookie year QB rating of 98.1, but thats overlooking the 8 (including playoffs) games with a sub 85 QB rating, or that the most he threw the ball in a single good game was 25 times. He didn't carry that team, the running game and defense did. He just didn't shoot them in the foot too much and made some big plays when it counted.

[bpc]

When Tom Brady first started for the Pats he had Troy Brown, a VERY underrated WR who at the time was comprable to our own Rod Smith. Precise routes, tenacious after the catch skills, and reliable hands help young QBs a hell of a lot.

Dion Branch isn't exactly a slouch either, he gets discounted because their offense is about spreading the ball around, but he's a fair sight better than Reggie Wayne (comprable player) and many thought Wayne was ready, had he chosen FA this off-season, to become a team's #1.

Oh, and don't forget Charlie Weiss, one of the better offensive minds in recent pro football history.

And someone previously mentioned Roethlisberger as an example of a rookie QB coming out of the gate rolling, well, thats simply not true. Sure he had a rookie year QB rating of 98.1, but thats overlooking the 8 (including playoffs) games with a sub 85 QB rating, or that the most he threw the ball in a single good game was 25 times. He didn't carry that team, the running game and defense did. He just didn't shoot them in the foot too much and made some big plays when it counted.

Very important to not confuse Marty's style of offensive play to Weis'... its about 180 degrees of difference! :approve:

[Xenos]

When Tom Brady first started for the Pats he had Troy Brown, a VERY underrated WR who at the time was comprable to our own Rod Smith. Precise routes, tenacious after the catch skills, and reliable hands help young QBs a hell of a lot.
If Eric Parker can stay healthy, I think he can be just as good as a young McCardell, or a Troy Brown. He's also very underrated IMO. Second only to Keenan in route running. I think Rivers can actually make him a very good weapon as opposed to Brees. Brees' short height and weak arm was actually detrimental to the Chargers a lot of time. He can never hit his receivers in stride or pull of quick passing slants because of his size. Plus he held onto the ball too long

Dion Branch isn't exactly a slouch either, he gets discounted because their offense is about spreading the ball around, but he's a fair sight better than Reggie Wayne (comprable player) and many thought Wayne was ready, had he chosen FA this off-season, to become a team's #1.

Oh, and don't forget Charlie Weiss, one of the better offensive minds in recent pro football history.
We also have Cam Cameron who is also a very good offensive coordinator. Maybe not as good as Weiss since he actually won superbowels, but he's getting up there.

And someone previously mentioned Roethlisberger as an example of a rookie QB coming out of the gate rolling, well, thats simply not true. Sure he had a rookie year QB rating of 98.1, but thats overlooking the 8 (including playoffs) games with a sub 85 QB rating, or that the most he threw the ball in a single good game was 25 times. He didn't carry that team, the running game and defense did. He just didn't shoot them in the foot too much and made some big plays when it counted.

Right now it's all speculation of course. We have the best front 7 right now, but our secondary needs to gel more if we want to make it to the playoffs. Our offensive line also needs work at Left Tackle, but other than that I think we can actually surprise a lot of people this year.

[Xenos]

well, you guys certainly have the right to your own opinion, and you already know mine. I will admit that i just don't take anyone with a golden "grill" seriously. Name one character guy in the NFL with a mouthful of gold and/or platinum. To me i just see a guy with too much talent for his own ego to handle.

Cro will be the first guy with a grill to be a character player. If he doesn't, he'll be put in his place like Foley and Phillips, and if he continues to be an annoyance, he'll suffer Donnie's fate.

[boltaneer]

On offense Rivers has arguably the best players at HB and TE which will take a lot of pressure off of him. However at WR they are pedestrian at best. I haven't seen enough out of Jackson to say he is ready. McCardell will have some solid games but he is just average now and that was with a pro bowl QB throwing to him.


Not to get into a pissing match about a minor detail, as I found your take an interesting read. (didn't necessarily agree with it but that's another debate ;) ) but the McCardell thing is puzzling.

I find it very interesting that a number of Bronco fans have very little respect for McCardell when they have a similar player in Rod Smith. They're the same age, put up similar numbers in their career and in recent years and both are very underrated, due to their lack of flashiness and now their age.

Parker has put up good number two receiver numbers in the past couple of years and if Jackson can pass him up on the depth chart this year, I think he'll wind up in the perfect spot and flourish even more as the slot receiver. It would play to his strengths more IMO.

[ludo21]

You find it interesting?? He is a Dolt, thats why!!! ;D


Mccardell is basically Smith, i respect them both, of course Rod is God, but Keenan has done nothing but be consistent his whole career and you gotta respect that.