Chargers' QB call is right on the money
By Jeff Reynolds
April 10, 2006
Midway through his second NFL season, scouts, fans and Drew Brees himself were trying to figure out if the undersized quarterback had a place in the league.
Seems silly right about now, what with Brees bouncing from San Diego to New Orleans, where he’ll cash a contract worth as much as $60 million. Brees came to the Saints with much fanfare. He’s the first quarterback to be available in free agency after winning as many as 20 games in the previous two seasons combined. Only Manning, Brady, Roethlisberger and Plummer won as much in the last two years.
But the Chargers were left with little choice when faced with signing Brees to a long-term deal or turn the team over to 2004 fourth overall pick Philip Rivers. Brees, who has staples in his right shoulder for support after tearing the labrum in this throwing shoulder in Week 17, had kept Rivers buried on the bench during Rivers’ first two seasons. It wasn’t until Brees’ injury that Rivers was exposed to the life of a first-string quarterback.
The numbers — 12-of-22, 115 yards, one interception — in that game say it didn’t go swimmingly. The Chargers believe Rivers was a long way from sinking.
Before Brees compiled a 51-22 TD-to-INT ratio in 2004-05, he was just doing enough to skim by for San Diego. In his first game action, Nov. 4, 2001, against Kansas City, Brees was 15-of-27 with one touchdown (20 yards to Freddie Jones in a 25-20 loss).
No, first starts aren’t any foolproof indication of success in this pass-fail league. But humble beginnings can quickly become fairy-tale success stories in the NFL.
For comparison's sake, consider what Brees had as a supporting cast in 2001, when he played in only the one regular-season game vs. the Chiefs. A rookie halfback in LaDainian Tomlinson and veterans Curtis Conway and Jeff Graham at wide receiver on a 5-11 team. As the team improved around Brees, with additions at tight end (Antonio Gates), wide receiver (Keenan McCardell) and left tackle (Roman Oben), so did the numbers he was generating.
Rivers doesn’t have to be John Elway. Not just yet. Remember, Brees did have the benefit of getting the ball to Tomlinson 390 times each season and tossed it to Gates 170 times over the past two seasons. If Rivers can squeeze 20 points per game out of this offense, the defense — which gave up 19.5 points on average last year and should be improved once again — will have his back.
Rivers knows this feeling of being the second guy all too well. He went to North Carolina State to be a backup. But shortly after he arrived — before the second practice, as then-offensive coordinator Norm Chow tells it — he was atop the depth chart. He was 8-4 as a freshman.
The Chargers saw in Rivers what was evident in Brees when then-GM John Butler traded back — giving up the top pick, which was essentially the Michael Vick lottery ticket — to draft the passer in the second round of the 2001 draft. Leadership, toughness and intelligence. Head coach Marty Schottenheimer loved Brees, but it was Schottenheimer’s hands-on experience with Rivers at the 2004 Senior Bowl that led the Chargers to dupe the Giants in the Eli Manning Giveaway that ultimately brought OLB Shawne Merriman in 2005 (drafted with the first-round pick the Giants traded to the Chargers on Draft Day ’04).
And scouts say Rivers has the potential to be a better passer than Brees. His quick release can help the pass protection — Rivers has been sacked four times in 30 career attempts — but offensive coordinator Cam Cameron will adjust the offense to suit his other strengths. In terms of size and arm strength, Rivers outclasses Brees, who is five inches shorter and 20 pounds lighter.
GM A.J. Smith was encouraged by the way Rivers responded to clipboard duty over the past two seasons. Rivers could have been a divisive diva typical of today’s athlete. The coach’s kid kept his mouth shut — all the while Brees was first-class, as well — and waited for this chance. It’s exactly what you want from your leader.
It’s that kind of response, the reaction to the unexpected and unrehearsed, scouts look for to see if a quarterback can be special. Smith isn’t the only scout who believes the Chargers still have the right quarterback for the job.
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