The season is a quarter done, so I feel the need to anoint an MVP. For me, this MVP is clear, even if I don't like it. He makes his team better, and propels them forward. He hates losing, and if not for him, I don’t know if his team would have a win. He has risen above injuries and suspensions, the loss of his leading WR and LT, and still has put up some of the top numbers in the game. He plays under a blackout at home, and is hated on the road. Despite that, he excels. For me, the argument is clear: Philip Rivers is the MVP.
I was looking for a nickname for Rivers earlier today. We have one for several other players (Peyton Manning: The Sherriff, Tom Brady: The Surgeon, Aaron Rodgers: Ace, Eli Manning: Easy, Matt Schaub: The Scrapper, Matt Ryan: Matty Ice, Drew Brees: The Machine, Mark Sanchez: The Sanchize, Brett Favre: The Gunslinger, Ben Roeslithberger: Big Ben), but I feel like we are missing nicknames for Rivers and Cutler. Both are strong personalities and many other cities hate them. Heck, some of their own fans hate them. I felt cheated when Cutler was traded from Denver: I felt had they stayed in the same division, we could have seen the QBs going at it at midfield during a timeout or something.
I have heard Cut for Cutler, and Raging for Rivers, but those are not good nicknames. So, I came up with nicknames for them both together, as is appropriate. Cutler is The Punk while Philip Rivers is The Brat. Cutler is overly self confident. He may be good, but I am not sure he will end up with a ton of production over the long term. He is too self consumed. Rivers is significantly talented, but has an over inflated sense of self and what he deserves. He reacts against anyone who thinks they are better than him. He is also overly willing to take it on himself. But, you know what? The Brat is succeeding.
The last two years, Rivers has played well enough that the average fan would acknowledge him as a top 10 QB, and let you argue for him to be a top 5. However, most people would not buy him being a top 3 QB or better. Now, I love statistics. Today’s date of 10-10-10 makes me extraordinarily happy. So, I am going to look at what Rivers has accomplished statistically. He had 4000 yards and 34 TDs in 2008, and 4200 yards with 28 TDs in 2009. Both are good numbers for fantasy and real life. However, those are not the numbers that got me to take notice.
The first big stat that pops out to me is his attempts. In 2009, he had 486 pass attempts. He had 8 fewer the year before that. That may sound like a lot. However, Matt Schaub had 583, almost a hundred more. Those 6 attempts per game add up. Rivers’ 486 attempts last year ranked 18th in the league, behind such luminaries as Jason Campbell, Matt Cassel (who missed a game and still had more), and Matt Hasselbeck (who missed TWO games and still had more). That is almost a crime. It also begs the question, how can you throw for so many yards and TDs if you aren’t getting the attempts? That question led me to the second statistic that made me christen Rivers my first quarter MVP: YPA.
Rivers had so many yards with so few attempts because of his absurd Yards per Attempt. He led the league in YPA with 8.8 last year, and had 8.4 in 2008. Arguably, Rivers gets more out of every pass than any other player. He gets the ball down the field, and creates big plays.
So, if he has been doing this for years, why am I so hyped about him now? Well, that is because despite the loss of his best WR and Left Tackle, he is playing EVEN better. His YPA has jumped again, to 9.4 yards per attempt. He is lapping the field by more than half a yard over the next best QB in that QB this year. He has taken the Chargers on his shoulders this year. He has also responded to tough situations in a more mature way than he has before. He freaked out in the first game, but has since settled in and done what he needed to do.
BLISS
After note: I finished the majority of this column a day ago, but while I was posting it, the Chargers went down 12-0 early to the Raiders. Rivers was 1-4 for -4 yards. I watched closely to see what would happen. He finished that half 17 of 24 for 290 yards and 1 TD. The team went from being down 12-0 to winning at halftime, 17-15. That is a 16 for 20 for 294 yards run when the Raiders KNEW he had to pass to bring them back in the game. Tell me this guy isn’t the most important to his team so far this year?
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