Man, I thought it would be a piece of cake to find a list of QBs 3rd down QB rating on the internets and see if your impression is accurate or just due to your impressions (or both :-) Seems like that should be pretty easy to calculate…

Did you have stats to back up this impressions? If not, anyone have any idea where to find stats like this?

1. You’re absolutely, 100% wrong. Did Rivers throw a couple of costly, late-game interceptions in 2008? Probably, but he had almost no running game to speak of the entire year. You know how I know that he didn’t care? Because he didn’t speak up when the team kept trying to run the ball in the first half of every game. His stats were high because at the half time of most of the games it was like Norv was going “Well, now we’re behind and they know we can’t run. Save us, Philip!” Big Ben’s passing numbers go up when their running game gets stopped too, but during his tenure there’s yet to be an extended phase in which the running game isn’t working for the Steelers and Ben’s able to stay healthy.

2. You can’t ask Rivers to be Roethlisberger. That’s unfair. He’s not mobile and he doesn’t have the same lower-body strength. Ben is a freak and that’s why he’s won two Super Bowls. He’s bigger, stronger and more mobile than any QB since Culpepper. That’s how he extends plays. Rivers does exactly what you ask him to do in your first point, he recognizes his limitations. He knows he’s not out-running anybody and he knows that when he gets hit he has a penchant for fumbling the ball away or getting hurt (bad knee, bad foot). He throws the ball away to avoid giving up a sack and/or fumbling, and to preserve his body for the next play. Marino threw the ball away a lot too, that doesn’t mean that Randall Cunningham was better than him.

3. I thought his deep ball was fantastic last year. I thought it was horrendous in 2007. Here’s him compared to other QBs.

Passes of 20+ yards:
1. Brees – 66
2. Cutler – 55
3. McNabb – 52
4. Warner – 50
5. Rivers – 48

Passes of 40+ yards:
1. Brees – 16
2. Rodgers – 16
3. Rivers – 12

So Brees threw a better deep ball than Rivers last year. I’m not going to start nit-picking things about Rivers game when he was obviously one of the Top 3 QBs in the league last year. Don’t go by record either, because Kerry Collins wasn’t better than Philip. If Rivers can perform in 2009 the same way he performed in 2008, I’m happy. If his numbers come down but the running game gets better, I’m still happy and I doubt Rivers will say any negative about it.

His “skill” for extending plays is also the same skill that gets him sacked more and costs his team key yardage and makes getting first downs harder. Why doesn’t this hurt the team enough to keep them from winning Super Bowls. BECAUSE HE HAD THE #1 DEFENSE IN THE NFL!

I’m so sick and tired of people taking away credit from James Harrison, Troy Polamalu, James Farrior, Casey Hampton, Aaron Smith, Lamar Woodley, etc. and giving it to Ben Roethlisberger. The guy is just a decent QB that plays on a great football team. Give the credit where credit is due.

And, I’m REALLY stretching it by saying Big Ben was a decent QB last year. I’m giving the talking heads the benefit of the doubt on that one. During the regular season Big Ben had a -2.2% DVOA. That means that, on average, every time he dropped back he was more likely to make a below average play than an above average play.

There are lots of ways to win in the NFL and having a great QB is one of them. The Pittsburgh Steelers do not use this formula. Sorry Big Ben lovers.

I challenge you to show me one documented instance of Rivers bragging about his rating. Of course the coach is going to point it out, he’s always going to build his players up, but I have never, ever seen Philip say anything of this sort. When he speaks, he talks about the team as a unit unless he’s praising other players or singling out his own mistakes.

I think your criticism of his deep ball has some merit, but saying

Phillip has got to lead the league in throwing the ball away often on third down

I am so sick of all the Philip hate I have to listen to from non-Charger fans, but in here too? Give me a break.

the contrarian position; but I’m not sure this one pans out. If you look at Rivers completion rate on third down by yards to go here, it really belies the notion that he isn’t good on third downs.

And in fact comes out better than Big Ben on completions on third downs as shown here. Note that Rivers was also markedly better in the fourth quarter.

Wonko is right on the money, Pittsburgh’s defense allows Roethlesberger to get by with being average; who knows if he might put it up better numbers if he were forced into more shootout situations.

I might be overstating, but the two bombs that I clearly remember for VJ at the end of the season he had to lay out for, making the circus catch against Denver, and just barely dropping the one against the Steelers. In fact if you look at bombs completed per pass attempt Rivers had about 2.5% which turns out to be almost exactly the same as Brees who made many more attempts.

Finally you have leadership. Here is where I thought he really shined; he stayed upbeat and never blamed his defense for losses. Invariably he would go over what the offense might have done better in the wake of defeats. It’s easy to say Rivers should take a back seat to the running game; but you can only do that when the defense helps you jump out to a lead and your tailback is healthy; honestly how often were both those things true last year?