[ToTheLeft]

Phillip Rivers is not even in the top 15 QB's.

Brady
Manning
Palmer
Brees
Bulger
Hasselbeck
Garcia
Garrard
Romo
Big Ben
Cutler
Schaub
Anderson

all better QB's (and that list is not in any order)

[Knucklehead]

Brady
Manning
Palmer
Brees
Bulger
Hasselbeck
Romo
Big Ben
Phillip Rivers

You made me change my opinion. I just moved him to 9th!

[ToTheLeft]

not putting garrard and garcia over rivers proves you dont know football.

[Knucklehead]

not putting garrard and garcia over rivers proves you dont know football.

Garcia is a better overall player if he could stay healthy which he can't.
Show me some stats or record as a starter to show that Garrard is better. I watch more NFL that mast people. I am a major junkie.

BTW. You also had Schaub ahead of him. I think Matt will be great some day, but not yet. Not until they get him an OL.

Just give Rivers some credit will ya.

Anyway, as I said earlier it will be on #21's back we will win!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!1

[RubberMallet]

OK it's time to bring out the stats. First, let me remind you that Phillip has only been starting for 2 years. He has consistently done what he was asked to do to win. Is he flashy? no. Is he perfect? no. Is he as good as Brady? NO WAY! Is he top 5 or top 10 right now? NO. I am sick of how everyone is ready to say he's a bust. He is young, and has time to grow. He will be VERY good. I'm sick of the notion that all qb's have to be world beaters right away. Now compare Brady and Phillip in their first 2 years as starters, and you will find that they are not far off. Is Brady Better? YES. Will Phillip be better than Brady? Who knows yet!

Brady's 1st 2 years as a starter
Season Team Passing Rushing Fumbles
G GS Comp Att Pct Yds Avg TD Int Sck SckY Rate Att Yds Avg TD FUM Lost
2002 New England Patriots 16 16 373 601 62.1 3,764 6.3 28 14 31 190 85.7 42 110 2.6 1 11 5
2001 New England Patriots 15 14 264 413 63.9 2,843 6.9 18 12 41 216 86.5 36 43 1.2 0 12 3

Rivers 1st 2 years as a starter
Season Team Passing Rushing Fumbles
G GS Comp Att Pct Yds Avg TD Int Sck SckY Rate Att Yds Avg TD FUM Lost
2007 San Diego Chargers 16 16 277 460 60.2 3,152 6.9 21 15 22 163 82.4 29 33 1.1 1 11 6
2006 San Diego Chargers 16 16 284 460 61.7 3,388 7.4 22 9 27 144 92.0 48 49 1.0 0 8 2


SORRY! I spent 10 minutes spacing those stats out and when I post it is screwed. Try hitting reply with quote to read spaced out.

here are some stats...

in the last 40 years the team with the best rusher has only won the superbowl 3 times...

cowboys and denver...

arguement against the patriots?

a team with the leagues best passer has NEVER won a superbowl...

[flamesbball84]

not putting garrard and garcia over rivers proves you dont know football.

Garcia is a better overall player if he could stay healthy which he can't.
Show me some stats or record as a starter to show that Garrard is better. I watch more NFL that mast people. I am a major junkie.

BTW. You also had Schaub ahead of him. I think Matt will be great some day, but not yet. Not until they get him an OL.

Just give Rivers some credit will ya.

Anyway, as I said earlier it will be on #21's back we will win!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!1

David Garrard: 102.2 rating, 2509 yards in 12 games (equates to 3345 in 16 games), 18 TDs (equates to 24 in 16 games), 3 interceptions (equates to 4 in 16 games), 9-3 record in the 12 games in which he played this year. Also has a 104.8 rating on the road. Rating in 4th quarter when leading or losing by 7 points is 95.7 112.2 rating on turf. 112.2 rating indoors. rating when temperature is below 40 degrees is 87.6. 3rd down passer rating is 128.8. rating when ahead by 1-7 is is 97.9 and behind by 1-7 is 105.7; rating when ahead by 8-14 is 117.0 and behind by 8-14 is 117.2.

Phillip Rivers: 82.4 rating, 3152 yards in 16 games, 21 TDs, 15 interceptions, 11-5 record, 82.1 rating on the road. Rating in 4th quarter when leading or losing by 7 points is 38.4. 59.7 rating on turf. 49.4 rating indoors. rating when temperature is below 40 degrees is 68.9. 3rd down passer rating is 66.2. rating when ahead by 1-7 is is 65.9 and behind by 1-7 is 79.7; rating when ahead by 8-14 is 55.4 and behind by 8-14 is 88.1.

In all the other categories, I didn't notice any major rating/statistical difference between the two and/or their stats /rating reflected their overall rating/stats. So statistically, Garrard clearly looks like he's a superior QB to me...

[flamesbball84]

arguement against the patriots?

a team with the leagues best passer has NEVER won a superbowl...

Not true, Peyton Manning was the #1 rated passer in the NFL last year along with being #2 in yards and #1 in TDs and the Colts won the Super Bowl last year.

[Knucklehead]

Very impressed by the research and the input rather that BLA BLA BLA.

Anyway, I don't think it is imperative as to where he ranks for this thread. BTW he is still tom 10 like I said.

Bottom line for Phillip, don't give it away. He will be fine.

[RubberMallet]

1. Conventional wisdom: Defense wins championships.
Verdict: TRUE

i think the colts broke that mold last year....the years past i agree as the 4th, 7th, 2nd, 1st, 12th, and 1st best defenses won the superbowl until last year...the colts were 28th...

i don't know if that was a fluke or if a new ship has come to port.

San Diego D ranks 5th behind Indy, Pitt, TB, and NE in scoring D. Thats good, but they couldn't stop NE at all the week after the SpyGate scandal...

actually NE's defense is 8th if you look at defense-adjusted value over average. SD is 5th with indy, pitt, tb, with tennessee being the best overall...

and if you look at the weighted dvoa (it makes games earlier in the season less important, making the teams defensive ranking more of a "how are they doing lately"....SD is #1.

right now san diego is playing better defense than anyone in the country...

[RubberMallet]

arguement against the patriots?

a team with the leagues best passer has NEVER won a superbowl...

Not true, Peyton Manning was the #1 rated passer in the NFL last year along with being #2 in yards and #1 in TDs and the Colts won the Super Bowl last year.

when i talk about best passer i'm talking about tops in yardage...hence the phrase, passer....

[TDDance234]

Indy was better defensively than people give them credit for. They absolutely could not stop the run, ranking dead last in the NFL for most of the year (however, they really turned it on in the post-season).

Yet, they were 2nd overall in pass defense--second only to Oakland (what?!).

[Knucklehead]

Since we are finally Talking D and Mallet is making a great case for the Bolts "D" coming on strong, I'd like to point out that the whole team including the "D" started with new coaches this year. But no everyone is on the same page and the Defense is on fire. The depth has been incredible of late as well. They have fought through injuries to Castillo, Merriman, Phillips, Wilhelm, Olschantski, Jammer, and others in the last 6 or 8 games and came out still flying. The D is young, fast, strong, ball hungry and agressive. Watch out. By they way I love Cromartie and Weddle too.

[TDDance234]

SD's defense is just average. They are middle of the pack defensively. Merriman isn't scaring people like he did last year (however, Pitt is starting a 3rd string LT this week, SD should bring some pressure towards him). There best chance to beat Pittsburgh is to give the ball to LT 30 times and hope the offensive line opens up some running lanes. He's the X-factor and it took Norv too long to figure that out.

The bad news for them is that Pitt is in the top-3 defensively in the league. However, they are battling injury problems offensively. Without Parker, their running game really takes a hit. Davenport is nothing more than a short-yardage back and if they can't run the ball, it's going to be a long afternoon.

[ToTheLeft]

SD's defense is just average. They are middle of the pack defensively.

Dude, all these guys have done for the past few posts is prove that you are totally wrong and ignoring the facts.

SD's defensive is one of the 5 best, along with TB, Pitt, Tenn, and Ind.

[RubberMallet]

Indy was better defensively than people give them credit for. They absolutely could not stop the run, ranking dead last in the NFL for most of the year (however, they really turned it on in the post-season).

Yet, they were 2nd overall in pass defense--second only to Oakland (what?!).

yeah but you can't just look at yds and tds to say they were the #2 pass defense last year....just like you can't say that the ne patriots run d is sooo good because they are allowing under 100 yds rushing...

look at the teams indy played...12 of the games they played were against teams that threw for less than 215 yds a game. also only 5 threw for more than 20 tds....

they weren't that good...their opponents just weren't good at all...i'm not saying that their pass d was bad....it just wasn't the 2nd best in the league...

you have to look beyond the yahoo.com #'s...

[RubberMallet]

SD's defense is just average. They are middle of the pack defensively.

did you watch any football this year?

[flamesbball84]

sure the SD has been good lately, but their SOS in the last 8 games has been very POOR: indy, @jack, balt, @kc, @Tenn, detroit, denver, @oakland. Combined record of 61-67, only three of those teams ranked in the top half of scoring offenses (indy 3rd, jack 6th, and tenn at 16) and the other five ranked 20th or lower, including second worst scoring O in the nfl in KC. It would be absolutely unacceptable to not excel against that patsy schedule! And they still managed to give up 21 points to Indy despite 6 peyton INTs and a buttload of injuries on the colts O!

[RubberMallet]

uh....in the last 8 games theyve held those teams to on average 14 pts a game...take out the jax and indy games (2 of the best offenses in the league) and teams avged 12 pts a game....well below all their averages (14, 17, 18,18,20,22 respectively)

oh and they held the 28 ppg colts to 14 pts on offense...not 21...

[Knucklehead]

SD's defense is just average. They are middle of the pack defensively. Merriman isn't scaring people like he did last year (however, Pitt is starting a 3rd string LT this week, SD should bring some pressure towards him). There best chance to beat Pittsburgh is to give the ball to LT 30 times and hope the offensive line opens up some running lanes. He's the X-factor and it took Norv too long to figure that out.

The bad news for them is that Pitt is in the top-3 defensively in the league. However, they are battling injury problems offensively. Without Parker, their running game really takes a hit. Davenport is nothing more than a short-yardage back and if they can't run the ball, it's going to be a long afternoon.

What schedule are you looking at SD is playing Tennessee not Pittsburgh.

[Knucklehead]

sure the SD has been good lately, but their SOS in the last 8 games has been very POOR: indy, @jack, balt, @kc, @Tenn, detroit, denver, @oakland. Combined record of 61-67, only three of those teams ranked in the top half of scoring offenses (indy 3rd, jack 6th, and tenn at 16) and the other five ranked 20th or lower, including second worst scoring O in the nfl in KC. It would be absolutely unacceptable to not excel against that patsy schedule! And they still managed to give up 21 points to Indy despite 6 peyton INTs and a buttload of injuries on the colts O!

As Mallet has now proven, you are wrong.
Have you even watched a Charger game. This Defense is VERY good. I know I drink the Coolaid, but it's a FACT>

[flamesbball84]

sure the SD has been good lately, but their SOS in the last 8 games has been very POOR: indy, @jack, balt, @kc, @Tenn, detroit, denver, @oakland. Combined record of 61-67, only three of those teams ranked in the top half of scoring offenses (indy 3rd, jack 6th, and tenn at 16) and the other five ranked 20th or lower, including second worst scoring O in the nfl in KC. It would be absolutely unacceptable to not excel against that patsy schedule! And they still managed to give up 21 points to Indy despite 6 peyton INTs and a buttload of injuries on the colts O!

As Mallet has now proven, you are wrong.
Have you even watched a Charger game. This Defense is VERY good. I know I drink the Coolaid, but it's a FACT>

No, I am not wrong, the point of the post was to show how EASY the san diego schedule was, which helps explain why their D looked as good as it did. If other playoff caliber teams would have played such a cupcake schedule in the second half of the season they would have posted much better defensive numbers as well. It's not like their D was shutting down playoff teams every week. If you want to say how great the SD defense has been lately, you can't ignore the fact they have been playing losing teams for over half their schedule...

[TDDance234]

SD's defense is just average. They are middle of the pack defensively. Merriman isn't scaring people like he did last year (however, Pitt is starting a 3rd string LT this week, SD should bring some pressure towards him). There best chance to beat Pittsburgh is to give the ball to LT 30 times and hope the offensive line opens up some running lanes. He's the X-factor and it took Norv too long to figure that out.

The bad news for them is that Pitt is in the top-3 defensively in the league. However, they are battling injury problems offensively. Without Parker, their running game really takes a hit. Davenport is nothing more than a short-yardage back and if they can't run the ball, it's going to be a long afternoon.

What schedule are you looking at SD is playing Tennessee not Pittsburgh.

Yep. Brain-fart. Sorry.

[TDDance234]

SD's defense is just average. They are middle of the pack defensively.

Dude, all these guys have done for the past few posts is prove that you are totally wrong and ignoring the facts.

SD's defensive is one of the 5 best, along with TB, Pitt, Tenn, and Ind.

Ignoring the facts? Which is why SD ranks 14th in the NFL in total defense however you shake it?

[flamesbball84]

If you look at their games against teams in the playoffs, they allowed an average of 26.2 points a game, and they only played five teams with a winning record, while allowing an average of 15.5 points against 11 non-playoff teams. This only further proves the point of how SD padded their defensive numbers against bad or mediocre team.

Is the Chargers D good? Yes. Is it as great as some of you are hyping it up to be? Stats don't say so once you take into account strength of schedule...

[RubberMallet]

SD's defense is just average. They are middle of the pack defensively.

Dude, all these guys have done for the past few posts is prove that you are totally wrong and ignoring the facts.

SD's defensive is one of the 5 best, along with TB, Pitt, Tenn, and Ind.

Ignoring the facts? Which is why SD ranks 14th in the NFL in total defense however you shake it?

where are you seeing 14th in total defense? yards per game?...last i checked how many yards you get per game doesn't win football games...

nevermind they have forced the most turnovers, teams are scoring the 5th least pts on them...your analysis is terrible...