D1G
01-08-2005, 01:46 PM
Chargers have lots of support in their Rivers infatuation
By Jim Trotter
UNION-TRIBUNE STAFF WRITER
April 22, 2004
Associated Press
Phillip Rivers may lack "escapability" in the pocket, but he started an NCAA-record 51 consecutive games of North Carolina State and completed 72 percent of his passes in his senior year.
If the Chargers trade the first pick in this weekend's NFL draft and pass on Mississippi quarterback Eli Manning, they likely would take North Carolina State quarterback Philip Rivers with a lower selection.
How good is Rivers, a four-year starter with a quirky delivery and a jaw-dropping résumé?
"Whoever drafts him will be in the Super Bowl in three years," said USC offensive coordinator Norm Chow, who coached Rivers for one season at N.C. State. "This guy is a quarterback. He understands how to play quarterback. He started something like 54 straight games in college and set all kinds of records. He's special. Guys like him don't come along very often. But I'm prejudiced. I love the kid."
For a more objective assessment of Rivers' abilities, phone calls were made to several coaches whose teams competed against Rivers the past four years in the Atlantic Coast Conference.
Manning to Bolts: Don't draft me
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Joe Stein's Draft Preview
Defense
Ends | Nose tackles
Tackles
Inside linebackers
Outside linebackers
Cornerbacks | Safeties
Special teams
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Offense
Quarterbacks
Running backs
Wide receivers | Tight ends
Offensive lines
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Jerry Magee's draft analysis
"We played against a lot of good quarterbacks in the 20 years that we've been here," said Florida State defensive coordinator Mickey Andrews, "and he ranks right up there against the best. We played against some Heisman winners and All-Americans, and I don't know if I played against a guy any harder to defend."
Added Clemson coach Tommy Bowden: "He is good, real good. Just the simple fact that he has played in five bowl games and been the MVP of every one of them. He broke every (passing) record in the conference and never missed a game . . . In the end, we beat him twice and he beat us twice. Notice I said 'he,' not 'they.' It was him. Not the wideout, not the defense, not this guy or that guy. He beat us."
Rivers' stock has soared since the end of last season. He initially was projected to go late in the first round, but some now believe he could go as high as fourth overall to the Chargers if San Diego trades down with the New York Giants.
Some NFL personnel people and coaches believe Rivers is in the same class as – if not better than – Mississippi quarterback Eli Manning, the projected No. 1 pick. Rivers has size at 6-foot-5, 228 pounds. He has durability, starting an NCAA-record 51 consecutive games. And he has a history of producing, completing 63.6 percent of his passes for 13,484 yards and 95 touchdowns with only 34 interceptions.
As a senior, Rivers completed an astounding 72 percent for 4,491 yards and 34 touchdowns with 17 interceptions. His arm strength trails that of Manning and Ben Roethlisberger of Miami of Ohio, but his understanding of defenses and a quick, albeit unorthodox, release make him tough to defend. Just ask Chan Gailey, who coached 16 years in pro football before accepting the Georgia Tech job three years ago.
Philip Rivers
Position: Quarterback
Height: 6-5
Weight: 228
School: North Carolina State
Scouting report: He has a weird sidearm throwing motion and is not going to rate any comparisons with Michael Vick or even Ben Roethlisberger for the way he moves around in the pocket. So what? Rivers racked up extraordinary statistics, has a quick release and unerring accuracy. Norm Chow, the USC quarterback guru, worked with Rivers as a freshman and still raves about him. Rivers, the son of a football coach, seems to have an innate understanding of the game and the ability to make the right decision time after time. He's not regarded as a great deep thrower but compensates with all the other outstanding things he does, such as going to the right man with his passes and hitting receivers in stride. Rivers might be the quarterback closest to playing effectively in the NFL immediately.
– JOE STEIN
As the offensive coordinator with the Pittsburgh Steelers, Gailey was credited with making Kordell Stewart an effective quarterback, something few others have accomplished. So, he knows what it takes to succeed at the NFL level.
"Philip Rivers is going to be very successful," Gailey said. "He has all the intangibles, and the two biggest for playing quarterback are decision-making and accuracy. He has both of those. The speed of the game will get him initially, but he'll adjust.
"You can pressure him and fluster him at times, but he'll get it before long. There's no doubt in my mind he's going to be successful."
Like others, Gailey said he initially was struck by Rivers' awkward delivery, which sometimes looks as if he's throwing sidearm. But Rivers rarely had his passes batted at the line.
"I know he's got an awkward motion and it looks nasty," Gailey said. "But after being on the field against him, shoot, he gets the job done. It's irrelevant."
Asked about potential negatives with Rivers, Gailey stated the obvious: "Speed, mobility, escapeability. He's not very good at that. But the other thing is that he's hard to tackle. He's so big and strong, you can hit him, but you can't knock him down. He finds a way to get the ball off."
Some believe Rivers would be the consensus No. 1 pick if his surname were Manning. The Chargers are known to love Rivers' ability, particularly after coaching him for a week in the Senior Bowl in Mobile, Ala. But do they dare pass on a Manning, particularly after they passed on chances to draft quarterbacks John Elway in 1983 and Michael Vick in 2001?
Rivers sounds as if he knows whom he would select.
"I'm certainly confident I'm as good as anybody in the draft," he said recently. "If me and (Manning) were on opposite teams with equal talent around us, it would be a battle. I think he's a great player. I was around him some this summer, and he can really throw it. My evaluation is he's as good as he's made up to be."
The question for the Chargers is whether the same can be said of Rivers.
:jints:
By Jim Trotter
UNION-TRIBUNE STAFF WRITER
April 22, 2004
Associated Press
Phillip Rivers may lack "escapability" in the pocket, but he started an NCAA-record 51 consecutive games of North Carolina State and completed 72 percent of his passes in his senior year.
If the Chargers trade the first pick in this weekend's NFL draft and pass on Mississippi quarterback Eli Manning, they likely would take North Carolina State quarterback Philip Rivers with a lower selection.
How good is Rivers, a four-year starter with a quirky delivery and a jaw-dropping résumé?
"Whoever drafts him will be in the Super Bowl in three years," said USC offensive coordinator Norm Chow, who coached Rivers for one season at N.C. State. "This guy is a quarterback. He understands how to play quarterback. He started something like 54 straight games in college and set all kinds of records. He's special. Guys like him don't come along very often. But I'm prejudiced. I love the kid."
For a more objective assessment of Rivers' abilities, phone calls were made to several coaches whose teams competed against Rivers the past four years in the Atlantic Coast Conference.
Manning to Bolts: Don't draft me
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Joe Stein's Draft Preview
Defense
Ends | Nose tackles
Tackles
Inside linebackers
Outside linebackers
Cornerbacks | Safeties
Special teams
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Offense
Quarterbacks
Running backs
Wide receivers | Tight ends
Offensive lines
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Jerry Magee's draft analysis
"We played against a lot of good quarterbacks in the 20 years that we've been here," said Florida State defensive coordinator Mickey Andrews, "and he ranks right up there against the best. We played against some Heisman winners and All-Americans, and I don't know if I played against a guy any harder to defend."
Added Clemson coach Tommy Bowden: "He is good, real good. Just the simple fact that he has played in five bowl games and been the MVP of every one of them. He broke every (passing) record in the conference and never missed a game . . . In the end, we beat him twice and he beat us twice. Notice I said 'he,' not 'they.' It was him. Not the wideout, not the defense, not this guy or that guy. He beat us."
Rivers' stock has soared since the end of last season. He initially was projected to go late in the first round, but some now believe he could go as high as fourth overall to the Chargers if San Diego trades down with the New York Giants.
Some NFL personnel people and coaches believe Rivers is in the same class as – if not better than – Mississippi quarterback Eli Manning, the projected No. 1 pick. Rivers has size at 6-foot-5, 228 pounds. He has durability, starting an NCAA-record 51 consecutive games. And he has a history of producing, completing 63.6 percent of his passes for 13,484 yards and 95 touchdowns with only 34 interceptions.
As a senior, Rivers completed an astounding 72 percent for 4,491 yards and 34 touchdowns with 17 interceptions. His arm strength trails that of Manning and Ben Roethlisberger of Miami of Ohio, but his understanding of defenses and a quick, albeit unorthodox, release make him tough to defend. Just ask Chan Gailey, who coached 16 years in pro football before accepting the Georgia Tech job three years ago.
Philip Rivers
Position: Quarterback
Height: 6-5
Weight: 228
School: North Carolina State
Scouting report: He has a weird sidearm throwing motion and is not going to rate any comparisons with Michael Vick or even Ben Roethlisberger for the way he moves around in the pocket. So what? Rivers racked up extraordinary statistics, has a quick release and unerring accuracy. Norm Chow, the USC quarterback guru, worked with Rivers as a freshman and still raves about him. Rivers, the son of a football coach, seems to have an innate understanding of the game and the ability to make the right decision time after time. He's not regarded as a great deep thrower but compensates with all the other outstanding things he does, such as going to the right man with his passes and hitting receivers in stride. Rivers might be the quarterback closest to playing effectively in the NFL immediately.
– JOE STEIN
As the offensive coordinator with the Pittsburgh Steelers, Gailey was credited with making Kordell Stewart an effective quarterback, something few others have accomplished. So, he knows what it takes to succeed at the NFL level.
"Philip Rivers is going to be very successful," Gailey said. "He has all the intangibles, and the two biggest for playing quarterback are decision-making and accuracy. He has both of those. The speed of the game will get him initially, but he'll adjust.
"You can pressure him and fluster him at times, but he'll get it before long. There's no doubt in my mind he's going to be successful."
Like others, Gailey said he initially was struck by Rivers' awkward delivery, which sometimes looks as if he's throwing sidearm. But Rivers rarely had his passes batted at the line.
"I know he's got an awkward motion and it looks nasty," Gailey said. "But after being on the field against him, shoot, he gets the job done. It's irrelevant."
Asked about potential negatives with Rivers, Gailey stated the obvious: "Speed, mobility, escapeability. He's not very good at that. But the other thing is that he's hard to tackle. He's so big and strong, you can hit him, but you can't knock him down. He finds a way to get the ball off."
Some believe Rivers would be the consensus No. 1 pick if his surname were Manning. The Chargers are known to love Rivers' ability, particularly after coaching him for a week in the Senior Bowl in Mobile, Ala. But do they dare pass on a Manning, particularly after they passed on chances to draft quarterbacks John Elway in 1983 and Michael Vick in 2001?
Rivers sounds as if he knows whom he would select.
"I'm certainly confident I'm as good as anybody in the draft," he said recently. "If me and (Manning) were on opposite teams with equal talent around us, it would be a battle. I think he's a great player. I was around him some this summer, and he can really throw it. My evaluation is he's as good as he's made up to be."
The question for the Chargers is whether the same can be said of Rivers.
:jints: