Can San Diego QBs get the job done?

By J.E.  |   Saturday, May 20, 2006  |  Comments( 4 )

San Diego Chargers
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When thinking of the San Diego Chargers' offense, fans most likely tend to envision a three-headed monster. That's understandable, considering the fact that for the last several years, the explosive offense had been led by Pro Bowlers LaDainian Tomlinson, Antonio Gates, and Drew Brees.

This year, however, fans might have to come up with some different images to help define the San Diego attack. With Drew Brees set to team up with Reggie Bush in New Orleans, the Chargers will hand the quarterback reins over to the unproven Philip Rivers. Rivers, a former first-round draft pick who was brought to San Diego in a well-publicized trade that sent Eli Manning to the Giants, has thrown only 30 NFL passes in two seasons.

Naturally, there are questions as to how well Rivers will perform in the starting role, and this puts head coach Marty Schottenheimer in a tough position. Although it would be unfair to expect Rivers to come right out and throw for 300 yards and a couple of touchdowns every week, Schottenheimer will feel some pressure to keep Rivers on a short leash. That's because the Chargers are coming off a dismal year in which they played well below their potential and failed to make it to the postseason after having won the AFC West in 2004. If Rivers falters on the field, Schottenheimer could be forced to make a switch.

However, the names behind Rivers on the San Diego depth chart don't exactly inspire confidence for a playoff run. The backup job is currently held by A.J. Feeley, who was acquired by the Chargers prior to Week 7 of the 2005 season in a trade with the Miami Dolphins. Feeley didn't take a single snap for either the Dolphins or the Chargers last year. In five NFL seasons, Feeley has appeared in 18 games (13 as a starter) and has thrown for 3,047 yards, 19 touchdowns, and 21 interceptions. Despite showing some promise with the Dolphins, his mostly inconsistent play made him expendable in light of Gus Frerotte's emergence as the clear starter.

The third-string quarterback on the Chargers' roster is rookie Charlie Whitehurst. This former Clemson star was selected in the third round (81st overall) by San Diego in last month's NFL draft. Whitehurst is another player whose resume is spotted with inconsistencies.

As a sophomore in 2003, he completed 288 passes for 3,561 yards and 21 touchdowns while leading the Tigers to an 8-4 record. Then Whitehurst took a turn for the worse in 2004, completing just 50.7 percent of his passes for 2,067 yards, 7 touchdowns, and a whopping 17 interceptions. Although 2005 was a little better in terms of statistics (2,474 yards, 11 touchdowns, 10 interceptions), Whitehurst's performance really didn't do much to raise his stock on draft day. It's clear that General Manager A.J. Smith picked up Whitehurst as a developmental project, so the Chargers are certainly hoping that they don't encounter a situation where they need Whitehurst to take the field during the regular season.

The bottom line is that the San Diego Chargers need the Philip Rivers gamble to start paying dividends immediately because neither Feeley nor Whitehurst have the tools to unseat the Broncos and put San Diego back on top again. If the team loses their passing attack due to an ineffective quarterback, then opponents will be able to key on LaDainian Tomlinson and shut down the running game too. If that happens, the Chargers will be facing yet another disappointing season.

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