San Diego Chargers: Can Philip Rivers Be Rejuvenated Again?
It’s been more than two decades since the San Diego Chargers made their lone Super Bowl appearance.
We will call it a comeback in more ways than one.
After a 9-7 season in 2013 that included a playoff victory and a 9-7 campaign a year ago that did not result in a postseason invitation, the San Diego Chargers plummeted to 4-12 in 2015.
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While much of the story surrounding the Bolts this season was in regards to the team’s potential move to Los Angeles, it was a real mess on the field. Following a 2-2 start, the team dropped 10 of its final 12 contests and failed to win a game against a divisional foe all season.
In this quarterback-driven league era of today, much of the credit as well as the blame goes on the quarterback. All told, Philip Rivers has been one of the most productive and durable players ever. He’s started every regular-season and playoff game for the Bolts since taking over the starting job at quarterback in Week 1 of 2006.
The fourth overall selection in the 2004 NFL draft, the former North Carolina State product ranks 11th in league annals in touchdown passes (281) and 14th in career passing yards (41,447).
But it wasn’t long ago that some felt he was headed on a downward spiral. Yes, there were the yards and the touchdowns but there was also a penchant for mistakes that he did not display earlier in his career.
In 80 regular-season outings from 2006-10, Rivers connected for 135 scores while coughing up the football 76 times (57 interceptions, 19 lost fumbles) in 80 games from 2006-10. San Diego won four straight division titles from 2006-09 and was 9-7 in ’10.
Then the usually-reliable quarterback began to have his issues when it came to ball security. In 32 games from 2011-12, Rivers threw for a combined 8.230 yards and 53 scores, a pretty impressive two-year span. But over the course of the contests the Chargers as a team committed a combined 54 turnovers and their star quarterback was responsible for a whopping 47 of those miscues.
Rivers was picked off 35 times in those 32 games and lost a dozen of his 24 fumbles. The Chargers missed the playoffs each of those two years and owned a combined 15-17 record. It was thought by some that the end may be near for the veteran passer. And it didn’t help matters that Rivers was sacked a career-high 49 times in 2012.
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One year later, the Chargers not only hired head coach Mike McCoy but added offensive coordinator Ken Whisenhunt, the well-traveled coach and one-time sideline leader of the Arizona Cardinals known for his work with quarterbacks. While the team dropped seven of its first 12 games, Rivers was spot on. The club would rally to win their final four regular-season outings and reach the playoffs.
That season, the revitalized performer completed 69.5 of this thrown for 4,478 yards and 32 touchdowns compared to only 11 interceptions. Rivers fumbled just three times and lost two of those bobbles, meaning a total of 13 turnovers in 16 games. For his efforts and with an assist from Whisenhunt, Rivers was named the NFL Comeback Player of the Year.
In 2014, Whisenhunt was hired as head coach of the Tennessee Titans and that seemed to affect Rivers’ play. That season, he threw 31 touchdown passes but coughed up the ball 20 times. This past season, he totaled career-highs in attempts (661) and passing yards (4,792) and connected for 29 scores. But he also threw 13 interceptions and lost a pair of fumbles.
A total of 32 games and 35 more turnovers. Which leads us back to Whisenhunt, who was dumped after 23 games and a 3-20 record with the Titans. He’s returned to San Diego as the team’s offensive coordinator and there’s no doubt Rivers has to be ecstatic with the move.
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The veteran quarterback won’t be the only player happy to see the coach back with the organization. This past season, only the Detroit Lions gained fewer yards rushing than the Bolts, who were limited to 84.9 yards per game on the ground. Look for Whisenhunt to get 2015 first-round pick Melvin Gordon on track this fall.
More importantly, you can expect Rivers to get back to being one of the better quarterbacks in the league, simply by taking better care of the football.