NFL
By Rick O’Donnell
It’s crazy to think that Phillip Rivers, after 5 years off, just before his Hall of Fame vote, would be the Indianapolis Colts’ best quarterback option, but here we are. When you look at the NFL as a whole, you have to wonder one of two things. Is Phillip Rivers, a top 10 quarterback statistically, just that good, or is the current class of NFL quarterbacks really that bad?.
It’s not even from a statistical standpoint. Phillip Rivers has an arm and has always been a gunslinger. What really isn’t getting talked about enough is, yes, Rivers is 5 years removed from the game and can still come back and play good football. However, the NFL is in a constant state of evolution. The passing game has been at the forefront of the past few seasons. What Rivers did against a playoff-caliber 49ers team should be a red flag for the NFL. Taking nothing away from the future Hall of Famer, but if the NFL has progressed as much as people want you to believe, how did a 44-year-old QB take 5 years off, and still put up top 10 passing yards?
That says a lot about today’s game. With all the disguises and changes in defenses of the past 5 years, Rivers was still able to come in with about 2 weeks of practice and still be better than almost 70% of today’s QBs. That’s a problem. That’s a real big problem that more people should be talking about. Hats off to Rivers for still having the talent and drive at his age to produce. It proves his Hall of Fame jacket is on the way, but what is wrong with the rest of the NFL?
Give Rivers his flowers, but why can’t these young quarterbacks come in and have the same success? Yes, there have been plenty of success stories with rookie quarterbacks, but outside of an eye-opening first season, most of them regress in year two. Not to mention, outside of maybe Drake Maye, not many have developed after that. Most young quarterbacks stay statistically flat throughout their entire career. So you have to wonder, is the NFL doing enough to help young quarterbacks succeed?
If the NFL truly is a passing league, what’s going on with today’s game? With roughly half the playoff teams having QBs in the bottom half of the league in QBR, is quarterback play not as essential as we thought, or is the level of talent of young players across the board not being developed? Is it a lack of QB development? Could there be a return to a more pocket-friendly passing game? Either way, the NFL should take notice and not just decide that Phillip Rivers is just one hell of a talent. He is. However, the success of a “former” player taking that time off to come in like nothing has changed proves the game is more nuanced and someone should take notice.
