Did Philip Rivers play under the same system / coaches they ran at Indy? Because picking up a playbook in that short amount of time is insane unless it’s the same coaches or similar coaches with similar playbooks and nomenclature as the ones he’s had in the past
Yeah, Steichen was a coach for the Chargers while Rivers was there. Also apparently they’ve kept in pretty much continuous contact, since Rivers is running the same type of offensive system at the high school team he coaches.
Steven Ruiz of The Ringer wrote overnight that the Colts’ playbook was significantly pared down because of little preparation time and Rivers’s lack of Daniel Jones’s mobility. The fact that Grandpa still nearly dinked and dunked his way to a win (against a10-3 opponent!) is pretty remarkable.
I had a suspicion the first game would be ok. There’s not a lot of recent tape on Rivers (naturally!) and he’d be relatively fresh. There’s a fair number of 40-something players who could probably manage to look respectable for one game.
The question is really what happens now that teams can prepare specifically for him and he has to deal with the week to week physical grind, albeit only for another 3 games.
Even for a non-grandfather, one complete dud of a game out of the next three would not be shocking. Worse, he’s got to deal with limited mobility against 2 division opponents and SF. If he’s still suiting up in week 18, Indy closes with a game at Houston with the potential it helps decide the division between Jacksonville and Houston. That may end up constituting elder abuse.
Back in the early 90s when the Browns cut Bernie Kosar, Troy Aikman was injured and they signed Kosar and made him start 4 days later. He was still in football shape, but Dallas’ playbook was not at all similar to Cleveland’s, so he had to learn a whole new offense in 4 days, and he did it successfully, performing well and was a part of Dallas’ superbowl run there.
Dude was one of the smartest football minds of all time, doesn’t get enough credit for it. He used to do preseason commentary for the Browns and the insights he had for those games were remarkable. He’d always notice every little detail about everything, even in the vanilla preseason play design. Like, do you remember how insightful Tony Romo was in his first year as a commentator before he dumbed it down? Bernie was on a level above that. And this is decades after his playing career, so it’s not like he was commenting on offensive trends immediately after he was playing.
But he wasn’t a smooth broadcaster. He slurred a lot, probably from after effects from concussions. But in terms of actual football insight he was among the greatest of all time.
Cowboys have a shot at leading the league in both points scored (currrently fourth) and points allowed (currently second). Quite the accomplishment that they can reflect on while watching the playoffs on TV.
If Houston continues to score points as it has recently, the Texans and their ferocious defense will be a tough out in the playoffs. The Chiefs are no longer an issue, the Ravens have yet to be consistently convincing (and have New England, Green Bay and Pittsburgh coming up!) and the Texans seem more likely to be able to contain Super Josh Allen than anyone else.
With this idle musing, I am not, however, discounting the Pats and Jags, both of whom have also been impressive. I’m looking forward to an entertaining AFC playoffs.
I was really hoping the Colts would win that game, just because it would be such a cool story and personal achievement for Rivers. I thought he looked pretty sharp mentally in terms of seeing the field and reading the defense, but man his throws to the outside … lacked zip, shall we say. If he doesn’t get some power back into those throws, he’s a pick-6 machine waiting to happen.
I think that the only reason that didn’t happen was because that team was playing extremely conservatively. Keep it on the ground, only throw short passes or when someone is very open.
The only turnover of the entire game was essentially the last play of the game, when he threw the ball in desperation to what was (sort of) a deep pass. That being said, he wasn’t extremely far off, but it was a bit high and thrown into an area with a few defenders. Cornerback Devon Witherspoon was able to tip it and it was caught by safety Coby Bryant to seal the game.
And that was certainly a desperate situation, where Seattle kicked off to Indianapolis with 18 seconds on the clock, and by the time the ball returner had gone down around the 30 yard line, there was only 11 seconds left for Rivers to somehow get the ball to field goal range. While the Colts had a very good game plan that kept Rivers safe and allowed them to get by leaning on the run game (with two really good RBs, one of which is the best in all of NFL, and a solid interior O-line), they did not have the QB to get the ball down the field quickly.
I don’t know what they’re going to do going forward. They have to face the 49ers next week, and while San Francisco isn’t as good as Seattle, they are still one of the better teams in the NFL and will have the advantage of an entire game’s worth of tape for this team. I have a feeling they’ll eat the Colts alive with their defensive front.
Indeed. After yesterday, I think the Bills are the team to beat in the AFC. Or perhaps the Broncos. Can’t count out the Jags. Texans look really tough. Maybe the Pats? And don’t forget about the Chargers.
OK, I have no idea.
To me, the Broncos are the more solid team, and the Bills are the real wild card. Buffalo has very much struggled at times, but they feel like a slumbering beast that can wake up at any time and dominate, especially when Josh Allen gets into a groove.
The Patriots seem like a paper tiger. They are unquestionably a good team; any team that can win that many times has to be. But they’ve had the easiest schedule in the league, and let’s see who they beat…
Dolphins, Panthers, Bills (the first time), Saints, Titans, Browns, Falcons, Buccaneers, Jets, Bengals, and Giants. Of all of those teams, the only one who currently has a winning record is the Bills. (Panthers and Bucs both are at 7-7. so don’t have losing records either.)
New England has a reason to be proud, I think their QB has grown into a legitimate franchise leader, and they have hope for the future, but I don’t expect them to go deep into the postseason.
Denver is a little like Houston in one way. If Bo Nix continues to improve, the Broncos will ride his better play and a tough defense a long way. In much the same way that the Texans will if CJ Stroud regains form.
As a Patriots fan, I agree. They are good as a team and very well-coached, making the most of what they have. Maye is excellent, but they have no depth, no superstar threat on offense except Maye, and the defense is hurt and fading in the stretch. I’m optimistic for the future and happy they will make the playoffs, but there is no chance they are a Super Bowl contender at the moment.
And, meanwhile, 31 other NFL fandoms are saying, “dammit, you guys were supposed to be bad for a lot longer than five years!”
I mean, it makes sense. Given how bad their defense is, the offense has no choice but to run an air-it-out aggressive style to play constant catch-up.
You do know they play the NFCW next year?
I’m feeling the same way about my Seahawks. The only teams we have beaten that don’t have a losing record are the Jags, Texans, Steelers and Colts and the last one hardly counts (not only becuase their QB hadn’t play for 1800 days but they were ravaged with injuries elsewhere).
I don’t know about your Seahawks, but I feel like my Seahawks are pretty legit.
Focus on the losses. The losses have been so close, and have all been against tough teams. Both the Bucs and Niners losses were from a fluky turnover right as they were on the verge of winning, and they were a missed FG away from beating the Rams.
They are a solid SB contender this year. I think they haven’t been this good since 2015. If they win on Thursday, they should be considered a favorite to win it all this year.
The standard for a Super Bowl contender is also much lower than often thought. The 2008 Cardinals were 9-7 and came close to winning the Super Bowl, and the 2011 Giants were 9-7 and indeed did win the Lombardi.
Honestly, there are only two requirements to be a Super Bowl champion:
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Be good enough to get into the playoffs somehow (and that might even mean being the best team in a really awful division).
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Get hot late.