09-22-2015, 06:43 PM
(09-22-2015, 10:02 AM)djs7685 Wrote: 2010.
I'm not saying that he didn't have anyone to throw to the entire year, but I'd put it on par with what the Bengals had to deal with last year. A couple guys missed significant time, and there were others in and out of the lineup through the year and even Rivers' better weapons were obviously hurting (much like A.J. still looked hurt toward the end of last season).
Rivers threw for 4,700+ yards, completed 66% of his passes, and had a 30/13 TD/INT ratio despite all of the injury problems. I can't remember ever seeing another QB put up a 100+ passer rating with weapons on par with what Rivers had to deal with in 2010. No receiver topped 782 yards on the team due to the injuries piling up.
Vincent Jackson barely played at all, Gates and Floyd missed significant snaps, and the guys that came in to clean up were Randy McMichael, Craig Davis, Patrick Crayton, Seyi Ajirotutu, and Kelley Washington. They had a good run game that year, but Rivers still played very, very well even when he was throwing the ball to some less than exciting receivers.
We can sit here and nitpick whose injuries were a bigger deal or whatever, but all that I'm saying is that I was VERY impressed with Philip Rivers' 2010, and if Andy put up those numbers given a similar situation, we'd all be petitioning to have statues built of him both outside and inside the stadium.
Yeah this did happen (VJax held out that year), but there's a reason you have to go back to 2010 to find an example. QB's usually suffer when their receivers are decimated by injury and/or FA losses. Flacco and Brady in 2013 both come to mind as recent examples of QB performance taking a dip due to losses at receiver. Eli struggled that year as well after losing his #1 and dealing with some injuries at receiver.
All 3 of those players rebounded in a big way after their receivers improved, either through FA, draft or getting guys back. Dalton looks like he's about to have a rebound season as well.
The training, nutrition, medicine, fitness, playbooks and rules evolve. The athlete does not.