With Chargers training camp underway, and the season just around the corner, Chris Ello takes an inside look at how the Bolts stack up position-by-position heading into 2009.
Today: Quarterbacks (tomorrow: Running Backs)
Starter
Philip Rivers, 6th yr., No. Carolina St.: It’s certainly not fair, but in this instance fairness doesn’t enter into it. In the 2004 NFL draft, three high-profile quarterbacks were selected among the top 11 picks. The Chargers, of course, had the first pick and drafted Eli Manning. The New York Giants, in the number four spot, grabbed Philip Rivers. With the 11th pick, the Pittsburgh Steelers nabbed Ben Roethlisberger. Manning, of course, forced his way to New York and Rivers was acquired by the Chargers, a deal that can be debated long into the night.
Here’s what can’t be debated: The three quarterbacks will be linked forever. And in his first five seasons in the NFL, Roethlisberger has won two Super Bowls. Manning has won one. Each of the last two NFL titles belongs to one or the other.
Rivers, meanwhile, has…well…won a lot of games, three division titles, one Pro Bowl berth (and last year should have been number two), and more respect for his toughness and leadership than any quarterback could ever ask for.
But he hasn’t won any Super Bowls. Hasn’t even been in one. Is the critique unfair? Yep. Will the comparisons between Rivers and the other two QB’s drafted alongside him continue? Again, yep.
So what can Rivers do? To be honest, not a whole lot more than he already has done as the Bolts’ full-time starter the past three seasons. Sure, there are probably a few passes he’d like to have back, and there are probably are few things he’d have done differently if he had to do it all over again.
But mostly Rivers has been everything a franchise could hope for in a Top 10 pick.
To take that step to the next level — a level currently occupied by guys like Brady, Manning (both of them), Roethlisberger and Warner — there’s really only one result that will do. A championship.
To get one, Rivers has to continue his own high level of play and maybe get just a bit better when it comes to trusting the talent around him to play at their own high levels. If he forces the issue too much, it may never happen.
One thing’s for sure, however. Rivers understands the opportunity that is still there for him. You want to bet against the fire in his belly that he can’t climb the mountain top?
Reserves
Billy Volek, 10th yr., Fresno State: Heading into any season, the most a team can hope for at backup quarterback is to have a guy that it can trust to win a few games should the starter go down.
Volek Can Be Counted On In Relief
In Volek, it’s pretty clear that the Chargers have that. They actually may have a little more. Only four QB’s in NFL history have passed for a combined 900 yards in back-to-back games, and Volek is one of them (426 yds. vs. K.C., 492 vs. Oak. in ‘04). And no QB in league history has ever passed for more yards (2,789) in his first 10 NFL starts than Volek did.
Of course, Chargers fans remember his most important contribution which came in the ‘07 AFC Divisional Playoff at Indianapolis. Replacing an injured Rivers in the 4th quarter, Volek led the Bolts on an 8-play, 78-yard game-winning drive.
It’s an interesting life being a career backup. Nobody really ever wants to see you in the game. But if Volek does come in, the Chargers should be able to keep things rolling — at least for a while.
Charlie Whitehurst, 4th yr., Clemson: Quick trivia. How many career touchdowns does Charlie Whitehurst have in the NFL? If you guessed zero, try again.
Though he has never thrown a pass in an NFL game, Whitehurst did have one 14-yard TD run against Tennessee in Week 2 of his rookie season. One could say that his ratio of snaps to TD’s is pretty good.
Beyond that, of course, we know little about Whitehurst except for what we see during the preseason. And for the past three years, that has been good enough to keep him around. His performance in the preseason opener against Seattle, however, my have raised a few questions.
To keep his spot, Whitehurst will need to pick it up over the final three preseason games. If he does keep his spot, figure that his role — once the season starts — will remain unchanged.
– Ello
