Chargers By The (Jersey) Numbers: #17
by John (obviousman) on Jun 13, 2009 8:17 AM PDT
in Chargers By The (Jersey) Numbers
15 comments
Although there have been seven different Chargers players that have worn the #17 jersey, it would be silly for me to pretend there was actually a competition here. Consider this another "lock" post, similar to #14 with Fouts. Your winner....
via imgs.sfgate.com
Philip Rivers, QB. Stats and history after the jump. Share your favorite Rivers memories in the comments section. The vote for the best Chargers QB ever will have to wait for one more QB.
via i.a.cnn.net
I know I've posted this picture before, but I love it. I love that Ben Roethlisberger is riding motorcycles, Eli Manning is living it up in NYC and Rivers is either at home with his wife and kids or breaking down plays. Although he can match the other two QBs in terms of physical skills, I think it's the cerebral part of his game that eventually lead him to have the best career of the three.
Let's go over his stats. I'm going to ignore his first two years as a "backup".
| Record | Comp.% | Pass Yds | Pass TDs | INT | QB Rating | |
| 2006 | 14-2 | 61.7 | 3388 | 22 | 9 | 92.0 |
| 2007 | 11-5 | 60.2 | 3152 | 21 | 15 | 82.4 |
| 2008 | 8-8 | 65.3 | 4009 | 34 | 11 | 105.5 |
That's quite the third year, huh? With the running game sputtering in 2008, Rivers threw the team on his back and became a better player while doing it. Philip was a very good QB in 2007, one who got better late in the season and in the playoffs, but he exploded as a top 5 (maybe top 2 or 3) QB last season. And there's no reason to think that 2008 was a fluke, because it's not as if he had a running game or a defense that made him look particularly good. The only advantage he may hold over other QBs around the league is a punter that can help in the field position game. Simply put, Rivers kept the team from falling into the gutter last season and was the only reason the Chargers made it into the playoffs.
I know the QB Rating stat is almost outdated, but I still believe it's a good barometer for how good of a passer the QB is. To get a high QB rating, you have to be accuracte, avoid mistakes and take what the defense gives you. That's what a smart QB does, and that's what Rivers does. So....just how impressive was that 105.5 QB Rating last season? It was tops in the league. Let's look at the top 5 and see how close they were.
| Player | QB Rating |
| P Rivers | 105.5 |
| C Pennington | 97.4 |
| K Warner | 96.9 |
| D Brees | 96.2 |
| P Manning | 95.0 |
That's quite a jump. Without question, Philip Rivers was the best quarterback in the NFL during the 2008 season. But with such a big drop-off between him and the number two guy, it's hard to figure out just how good he was last season. Let's look through all of the 100+ QB Rating seasons for active NFL QBs and see if we can find some more comparable seasons.
| Player | QB Rating | Record |
| P Manning (2004) | 121.1 | 12-4 |
| T Brady (2007) | 117.2 | 16-0 |
| D Culpepper (2004) | 110.9 | 8-8 |
| K Warner (1999) | 109.2 | 13-3 |
| P Rivers (2008) | 105.5 | 8-8 |
| D Brees (2004) | 104.8 | 11-4 |
| D McNabb (2004) | 104.7 | 13-2 |
| P Manning (2005) | 104.1 | 14-2 |
| B Roethlisberger (2007) | 104.1 | 10-5 |
| B Griese (2000) | 102.9 | 7-3 |
| M Bulger (2002) | 101.5 | 6-1 |
| K Warner (2001) | 101.4 | 14-2 |
| C Palmer (2005) | 101.1 | 11-5 |
| P Manning (2006) | 101.0 | 12-4 |
Wow, that's both amazing and a little bit scary. Amazing because statistically Rivers' 2008 season was the 5th best amongst active quarterbacks. For those people asking if Rivers is in the class of Manning and Brady yet, yes he is. Both Brady and Manning have had a record-breaking season that Rivers hasn't had yet, but he is consistently at their level. Actually, besides Brady's 2007 season he's never has a QB Rating above 100. Also, I think this puts to rest the conversation of if Rivers was an improvement over Drew Brees. That 2004 season was his last with the Chargers and his best overall, and it was still topped by Rivers. It's also worth pointing out that the 2004 season shows up a whopping four times in the list above and was partially caused by, and also led to, new rules for wide receivers and cornerbacks. If you take out that 2004 season, Rivers' 2008 season becomes the 3rd best and Culpepper, McNabb and Brees don't even make this list.
The part that's a little scary is that the most comparable in terms of record is Daunte Culpepper. You never want your star QB compared to Culpepper, but if I'm being logical I know that Daunte's career was sidelined more by his injury than a loss of Randy Moss. At one point he was a great QB. Similar to Rivers, the 8-8 record was caused not by a poor offense but by a pourous defense. With the return of Merriman and hopefully an improved running game, Rivers should join Manning and Warner as the only active QBs to have more than one season with a QB Rating of 100 or better and the record should improve as well.
So, I've covered the statistical side of Rivers (who needs a nickname). It's your turn to cover his personality, his leadership and everything else you like about him in the comments or in your own FanPost. Nickname suggestions are also welcome.
0 recs |
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Oh, come on, you can do it. You don’t have to give RL a whole paragraph… you don’t have to put him in the competition. Just a reference to the collective TD/Int ratio of all the also-ran QBs at #16 (that’s a lot of Ints). It could be the shortest article of all 99. You could refuse to nominate a player. You could go on a diatribe. You could talk about how great it is that the team has finally recovered from the blow. I know, it’s hard even to hit the “one” and “six” keys consecutively in this context, but a full sense of the team’s tradition includes an accounting of all the players at that number!
Related: It would be nice if you’d mention a little bit about each of the other players to wore a number where there’s no real competition. Who are all the other guys who wore #17?
by Neoplatonist Bolthead on Jun 13, 2009 8:56 AM PDT reply actions 0 recs
I disagree
While I understand the completionist angle of your comment, I would argue that
“L**f is now officially a wanted man in Texas, after failing to turn himself in on drug and burglary charges.”
is a fitting post on day 16. NOT a part of the team’s tradition, still a f-ing loser, a guy that I want to forget ever happened.
by theGEN3RAL on Jun 13, 2009 9:28 AM PDT up reply actions 0 recs
I knew someone would get that
"I did not invent the wheel, I was the crooked spoke adjacent." - Aesop Rock
by John (obviousman) on Jun 13, 2009 10:41 AM PDT up reply actions 0 recs
Other 17s
Enis Hunter
Jesse Freitas
John Friesz
Rick Partridge
James Tuthill
Dick Wood
Outside of the last name on that list, which has been used thousands of times by prank callers, I know only one guy. Friesz, who I did a report on in 4th grade math class (long story). Do these guys interest you more than an in-depth study into Rivers’ stats?
"I did not invent the wheel, I was the crooked spoke adjacent." - Aesop Rock
by John (obviousman) on Jun 13, 2009 10:43 AM PDT up reply actions 0 recs
Was that so hard? Name and position, that’s all I was on about. Would have taken two lines. It’s not like you told us anything we don’t know about The PR Machine (that’s my first nomination: can’t you see the headlines? “PR Machine Spins Broncos”). You could make a pun on his last name. Flowin’ Rivers? I still like The PR Machine better, but I’m sure I’ll top it later this week while I’m thinking about something else.
by Neoplatonist Bolthead on Jun 13, 2009 11:59 AM PDT up reply actions 1 recs
i like the PR machine
maybe “the spin doctor” although it is a degree removed…
by Stephen (shaynes41) on Jun 13, 2009 8:13 PM PDT up reply actions 0 recs
My three year old daughter
Used to skip 16 when she was counting to 20 and I never corrected her either. The is no 16 in my world
by Stephen (shaynes41) on Jun 13, 2009 10:58 AM PDT up reply actions 0 recs
I heard that's a requirement
for Chargers cheerleaders. Be careful!
"I did not invent the wheel, I was the crooked spoke adjacent." - Aesop Rock
by John (obviousman) on Jun 13, 2009 12:11 PM PDT up reply actions 0 recs
Gotta <3 Phillip
Although I can’t really think of a good nickname for the guy, I would like to shout out some praises for “The Underrated Assassin” that we know as #17.
Dude married his MIDDLE school sweetheart, and is a dedicated family man. That’s a good starting point, because he’s gotten a ton of bad press since the camera caught him sarcastically shouting smacktalk at Cutler. What was he saying? Something like “Hey Jay, the goal’s over there!” In any event, this clip has been played over and over on all the highlight/analysis shows and much has been made of it being unprofessional and all that. As many times as I’ve seen that clip, I’ve never once heard anything about the cocky bullsh*t that Cutler was talking earlier.
So of course, after that made the news the fans started gettin’ on Phillip even more, especially the f-in Raider beotches, and the cameras started looking for it, and the commentators blew it up to be a question of his maturity and all that. Bwahahaha….WHATEVER!
Consider his career…the stats that obviousman posted above frame his professional career nicely, but even before that.
What did you say doc? My ACL is shredded? Well hell, pour some ‘tussin on it, brace it up, and let me get out there. We’ve got a championship game to play!!!!
Phillip is everything I could possibly wish for in a quarterback, and even though he was the best QB in the league last year here are the ratings for the passers in Madden 10:
1.Peyton Manning IND – 99 rating
2.Tom Brady NE – 98 rating
3.Drew Brees NO – 97 rating
4.Kurt Warner ARZ – 94 rating
5.Ben Roethlisberger PIT – 93 rating
6.Donovan Mcnabb PHI 91 rating
7.Tony Romo DAL – 88 rating
8.Philip Rivers SD- 88 rating
9.Jay Cutler CHI – 87 rating
10.Eli Manning NYG – 87 rating
Item #784 on my list of things that will be better in this world if the Chargers win the championship this year, Phillip will get the respect from everyone he so richly deserves .
by theGEN3RAL on Jun 13, 2009 10:57 AM PDT reply actions 1 recs
Rec'd
If only for the ’tussin.
What about “Underdog” for Rivers?
"I did not invent the wheel, I was the crooked spoke adjacent." - Aesop Rock
by John (obviousman) on Jun 13, 2009 12:13 PM PDT up reply actions 0 recs
At least he's ahead of Cutler.
But Madden ratings, like the Pro Bowl, are mostly based on popularity rather than actual performance. If you went based on that, Brady and Manning wouldn’t crack the top 5.
And we can’t have that.
by maestro876 on Jun 14, 2009 1:25 AM PDT up reply actions 0 recs
still would like to see...
While I share the overall distain for #16, I would at least have liked to see what others had worn the number. Was there anyone truly deserving to be on the list, or just a bunch of also-rans?
by Figboot on Jun 13, 2009 7:58 PM PDT reply actions 0 recs
Top 3 nominees for 16
1. How far the team has come since Leaf
2. Mike Wood (kicker for 10 games with Chargers)
3. Bob Gagliano (QB – 1 game started with Bolts, 0 TD, 4 Int)
There’s a handful of other one-year guys as well, including Mark Malone and Clint Longley.
"I did not invent the wheel, I was the crooked spoke adjacent." - Aesop Rock
by John (obviousman) on Jun 14, 2009 7:28 AM PDT up reply actions 0 recs
Since I'm an ACC fan
I’ve been following PR since his college days. For all of his funky throwing mechanics & slow foot speed, one thing is for certain – the guy just flat-out wins. He’s one of the most competitive players that I have ever seen. Absolutely NO quit in this dog.
There isn’t a single QB in this league that I would take over PR. Sure, that’s partly homerism, but name me a guy who gives more to his team. The only one who comes close for me is Brady & I could never let myself go there. Not even Ben or Eli with their SB rings. If we can up the level of intensity for the rest of the team to match PR’s, we hoist the Lombardi in San Diego this year. Just ask Norm Chow.
If the thunder don't get ya then the lightning will!!
Robert Hunter
by Buck Melanoma on Jun 15, 2009 4:14 AM PDT reply actions 0 recs
I'm not sure what my favourite Rivers moment is
but a couple of ’em jump out.
2006: when thinking about Rivers’ succes, I don’t really like thinking about the ‘06 season, because this was LT’s year. In my mind I always think of Rivers in ’06 like Kerry Collins in ’08 or something (although he was definitely used more and still was quite important to the offense), but he still had some great moments.
-@ Cincinnati: this was an amazing game, what a comeback this was. Rivers had some great help fom Floyd and ofcourse LT in the running game, but PR managed the drives that led to a big, fat W
-@ Seattle: Rivers and LT both did not play well in this game, but sure enough, LT had a big run to up his numbers and Rivers gave us 2 TDs, including one in the last minute to put this game away
2007: this year, during the regular season, Philip was used way more and ofcourse he gained people’s trust because of his toughness playing in the AFC championship game. However, he did have a quite inconsistent regular season and he was still considered a QB who’s play you couldn’t rely on quite like Brady or Manning and stuff.
-@ Denver: I’m just never gonna forget his first NFL rushing TD; that stuff was pretty funny
-@ Tennessee: though LT put the game away and they both played crappy for the first 3 quarters or so, he did manage two great drives to tie the game and they came back amazingly again to win the game in OT
-@ Indy in the playoffs: again, great game. He was injured on a play where he landed badly but sure enough, that last play was a TD to little quick Darren Sproles. And that pass to Chambers for a TD was just absolutely perfect. Just like the TD pass to Gates against Carolina this season.
2008: this season he established himself as a top passer in the NFL. Although he didn’t make it to the pro bowl or was named MVP, that wasn’t quite based on Rivers’ stats as it was more based on the team record. In the end, the record was 8-8, but it wouldn’t have been ‘that good’ without Rivers. This year, he played with consistency. He made me believe that there is no better QB in the NFL except for Manning and Brady, but I’d still rather have Rivers.
-@ Denver & @ Saints (London): we lost both these games (* for Denver game), but I’ll never forget how well we played in the second half in both these games, especially Rivers.
-@ KC: we got the ball back on account of a great onside kick miracle, but Rivers still put the game away. Thanks to you too, VJ!
-vs Indy in playoffs: no comments needed, I think. Just one Rivers game that I’ll always remember.
Well, his name is LT
A true MVP
You know he'd love to lift up that Lombardi Trophy
A touchdown machine
You know what I mean?
Put him in the redzone, TD guaranteed
by LAZBOYxBE on Jun 15, 2009 5:09 AM PDT reply actions 1 recs
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