Focus on Philip

USA Today has an incredible article today proclaiming that the Chargers may have the juice for the Super Bowl. It looks long but it is definitely worth the read as most of it is dedicated to old #17.

Relatedly, you will enjoy this link.

Chargers general manager A.J. Smith, the longtime Bills scout, was sold on Rivers’ arm strength and leadership intangibles.

“Philip reminds me a lot of Dan Marino because of all my years in Buffalo,” Smith says. “People say, ‘Well, what do you mean Dan Marino?’ In the sense of his quick release and his ability to shuffle in the pocket and buy time with vision downfield. And he makes quick decisions. Dan couldn’t run and scoot, but he would shuffle left, shuffle right. But the vision was always locked, not looking at a rush guy. He knows they’re there. He feels the rush. That’s a quarterback gift.

“Philip is extremely accurate. Now it’s a matter of him growing on the job.”

ESPN analyst Merril Hoge also sees the comparison.

“Philip Rivers reminds me of Dan Marino,” Hoge says. “He’s already at a level of anticipation that’s unbelievable. He can throw that thing right over somebody’s shoulder right in their ear. He has a swagger when he throws the ball, a willingness to throw where other quarterbacks wouldn’t even dream of it. The only other guy I’ve seen like that is Marino.”

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14 Responses to Focus on Philip

  1. Packaholic1 09/28/2006 at 8:20 AM #

    Wonderful article in USA Today. There are a number of “experts” on sports talk radio here in Atlanta eating their words because they said after PR’s senior year that he “throws like a girl” and “would never play in the NFL”.

  2. Lock 09/28/2006 at 8:30 AM #

    That article right there made my day. I look forward to starting a family, having a kid, and pointing to the TV screen during the Super Bowl, Rivers with MVP trophy in hand, and saying ‘I went to school with that guy. All 4 years.’

    So it’s not really much to brag about…but when your father was at State during the David Thompson era, you gotta compete somehow!

    Excellent article.

  3. Gopack80 09/28/2006 at 8:32 AM #

    I have always felt Philip was going to be a great pro. It would be awesome if he could win a Lombardi trophy.

  4. noah 09/28/2006 at 8:36 AM #

    Dan Marino, IMO, is the single-greatest QB in the history of football…so such comparisons are high praise, indeed.

    I don’t know why everyone was so worried about Rivers’ delivery and so casual about vince Young’s impression of Gene Garber. And please don’t quote me Michael Irvin’s brilliant synopsis of “Vince is just a winner…” No quoting people who can’t figure out that a y-knot should be significantly smaller than one’s own head.

    Rivers’ arm strength always surprises me. He looks like he’s throwing these passes in slo-motion, but then when he needs to, he just rears back and throws a bullet into the smallest of openings.

  5. WolfpackMan 09/28/2006 at 8:40 AM #

    Anyone who personally witnessed Philip Rivers perform at Carter-Finley and on the road via television during his 51 starts at State without a doubt knew he was going to be a great pro quarterback someday. I was hoping beyond hope that the Carolina Panthers would somehow trade for him, but, of course, that didn’t happen. It’s going to be a pleasure to see his progression in the NFL.

  6. redfred2 09/28/2006 at 9:22 AM #

    Don’t get me wrong, I loved to watch Marino play. But Rivers is like Marino and all of the greats, in the sense that he can see the whole field and knows exactly what’s going on around him. I don’t think PR is quite as much of a gun slinger as Marino was early on though. Rivers has more of an ability to play within himself and make the right decision without pulling the trigger like a young Dan Marino did when he first entered the NFL.

  7. PBdafan 09/28/2006 at 9:45 AM #

    I’m a Panther’s fan, but if San Diego and Carolina ever meet in the Super Bowl, I will be pulling for Phillip all the way. He made Pack football fun to watch, every second of his four years here.

  8. Cardiff Giant 09/28/2006 at 10:18 AM #

    Great article!

  9. packbackr04 09/28/2006 at 10:24 AM #

    The other thing that lots of poeple overlook is how down to earth he is… i remember sitting in playmakers and talking with him briefly on a couple of of occasions, and with all the fans that came up to him, it never seemed to get to his head. Really cool character with all the poise and ability to be a big time player in the NFL. Just as some of you had wanted Rivers to go to the panthers, i always wanted to see him and Jerricho hook up on the NFL level. Although Cotchery struggled in Herms system last couple of years, He is a Prime time reciever with excellent hands. Maybe one day.

    The thing that is killing me this year is how the “know it all” announcers and commentators continously down play Rivers, and say that he really hasnt impressed them much, and that he has not been asked to do much… HIs role is to make a few passes behind the rushing of LT which opens up alot for him to go downfield. Which is correct, BUT where is the objectivity… This time last year Ben Rothlisberger was in the exact same boat and was the toast of the town. He had a killer team that required him to do very little as well. I mean think of all the great players that were on the Steelers last year. But all we heard about was the stellar play of young Ben R. His stats never really did much for me and i never thought he was all that great last year. That said the Steelers did win a superbowl, but for petes sake, give rivers the same props you showered on Ben last year!

    sorry for the ramblings, but it irks me that State seems to get jilted at every corner by the media

  10. Jeremy Hyatt 09/28/2006 at 12:51 PM #

    not to be selfish, but does former nc state players succeeding in the nfl, like Rivers and Holt–actually help recruiting? I supposed it is good press but are we seeing any effects..

  11. PBdafan 09/28/2006 at 1:21 PM #

    You would think having a QB like Rivers would breed future QB recruits at State like SoCal with RBs, and Penn State with LBs. It sure hasn’t materialized yet. Nice first game for Evans though. I remeber Brian Griese going through the same thing at Michigan that Evans went through here. Similar football heritage too. Anyway, great article on Phillip. The more good press he gets, the more it should trickle down our way.

  12. class of 74 09/28/2006 at 1:45 PM #

    ^Rivers presence here would have paid dividends if we could’ve kept the offensive co-ordinator too!

  13. redfred2 09/28/2006 at 2:12 PM #

    Jeremy Hyatt

    I would say no. That happens only when the guy directly responsible for the QB, RB, LB’s development gets to talk directly to recruits during signing. It can’t be done with a revolving door coaching staff.

    I do think that the NFL, NBA, MLB, along with all of the NCAA programs, would be the beneficiaries ,if the professional leagues placed more emphasis on what programs they played under during college. It seems they kind of shy away from it though. I think it would provide more of a link between the fan bases and bring more interest to professional sports.
    It would mainly just enhance recruiting for the college programs though.

  14. 82grad 10/01/2006 at 8:07 PM #

    13/22, 145 yds., 1 td, 1 int today
    don’t put him int the HOF quite yet

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