is philip rivers closer to leaf or peyton

[smazza]

closer to leaf

SD picks third straight inadequate QB

[Velcro]

He is not a leaf type of player as he doesn't have an attitude problem, so i'd say Peyton(in his first year), BUT, he has a long long way to go to be comparable to peyton now, as opposed to Peyton coming into the league.

[KnightsRule]

closer to leaf

SD picks third straight inadequate QB

They are not even close to same QB but I am guessing you are meaning he will be a bust.  Rivers has some major flaws in his mechanics as Carr did a couple of years ago and they were able to straighten Carr out.  If Rivers throws like he does now where he drops ball below his waist before he slings it he will lead NFL in fumbles and be riding pine.  He is one of the most accurate passers ever to come out of NCAA but better work on his throwing mechanics NOW! I say the jury is out until we find out if he is being coached right and if he is suseptible to change.  He does not appear to be an attitude case like leaf that would not allow himself to be coached.  I think he makes it but we will have to wait and see.  I think SD should have been smart and took Big Ben.

[Bullshiznitz]

I think bust also. I see him following a very similar path as Brees did. Maybe average at best.  I personally think Ben Roth. will be the best out of the 1st round QB's. Especially if he gets to sit his entire first year.

[smazza]

bullshtz-why is it only you and I see the obvious on this board?

what did rivers accomplish in coolege to make him a no 1 pick?

[smazza]

Once Again, Chargers Blow It at the NFL Draft

After Missing Out on Vick, San Diego Passes on Manning

By JIM ARMSTRONG, AOL Exclusive

Three years ago, they could have had Michael Vick, but blew it. Saturday, they had Eli Manning in their hands but bowed to the pressure and traded him away.

 

Luckily for Eli Manning, he was only a member of the San Diego Chargers for a few hours.  

 

If this keeps up, the San Diego Chargers could become the first Canadian Football League team with palm trees outside the stadium.

The Chargers certainly aren't doing any good trying to compete in the NFL. Knowing them, they'll get the first pick in the draft again next year and give Ryan Leaf another crack at it.

Manning and his family didn't want anything to do with San Diego. And frankly, who could blame them? If you're a drunken sailor on leave, San Diego is the place to be. If you play the ponies, you can't beat San Diego when Del Mar is running. If you like warm ocean breezes and sweet young things in bikinis, it doesn't get any better than San Diego.

No wonder I love San Diego. Talk about your great American cities. They've got L.A.'s weather, but none of L.A.'s traffic or smog. Plus, they've got these great fish tacos. And name me one other city in which you can jump on a train downtown and be in Tijuana shopping for $9 leather jackets in a matter of minutes.

Heck, if it weren't for the Chargers, I'd think about moving to San Diego. They've got everything Miami has to offer except the friendly, neighborhood cocaine dealer on every street corner. Not only that, one out of every three people in San Diego speaks English, which is more than Miami can say.

Great place, San Diego. Unless you happen to play football for a living.

If you're a football player, you'd rather get frostbite in Buffalo than play in San Diego. You'd rather hang out in polka bars in Green Bay or slam Iron City beer in Pittsburgh or get eaten by desert lizards in Phoenix. Anything to avoid playing for the Chargers.

How bad are things in San Diego? The Chargers have finished last in the AFC West in five of the past six seasons. They're 18-46 since the turn of the century. Don't ask me how, but they went to the Super Bowl after the 1994 season, whereupon they were spanked and sent to bed without dinner by the 49ers.

 

· Weekend's Best Sports Pix  

 

 

Since then, they've had one winning year. Twice they've finished 4-12. Two other times, they finished 5-11. And we won't even talk about the 2000 season, when they lost 15 of 16 games.

Was it any surprise when Manning's dad, Archie, told the Chargers' front office before Saturday's draft that his son wasn't about to play in San Diego? If they selected him with the first pick, young Eli was prepared to sit out a year and go to law school. Smart move if you asked me. Sitting out a year and going to Iraq would beat playing in San Diego.

The Chargers took him anyway, but dealt him to the New York Giants an hour later for a package of draft picks. As part of the deal, the Chargers got the Giants' first-rounder, former North Carolina State quarterback Philip Rivers. A few words of advice for my man Phil: Enjoy the beach, kid. Because the job is going to stink.

(Light) Weighting Game

Where have you gone, Joe Frazier, a nation turns its lonely eyes to you. Or maybe you haven't checked out all those lightweights in the heavyweight division.

No wonder Lennox Lewis got bored and retired. There's nobody out there who could make him break a sweat. Saturday night, some oversized punching bag named Vitali Klitschko knocked out retired hair stylist Corrie Sanders to win the WBC heavyweight title.

No offense, but these two should have been fighting over a parking space outside Wal-Mart. Instead, Klitschko will be billed as the heavyweight champion of the world. Good luck selling those pay-per-views, boys. I'd rather watch Carrot Top and Don King try to tear out each other's hair.

Bronx Boo

Either George Steinbrenner's boxer shorts were too tight Sunday or he's a very unhappy camper. Hey, cheer up, Georgie boy, at least A-Rod hasn't been spotted tearing up the Upper East Side club scene at 4 in the morning.

For that matter, A-Rod hasn't torn up much of anything since putting on pinstripes. He is, however, above the Mendoza Line, which is more than Derek Jeter can say.

A-Rod was 1 for 17 in the Bombers' series at Fenway Park. Jeter, hitting .175, was 0 for 15 with seven strikeouts as the Yankees were swept by the Red Sox over the weekend at the Stadium.

If you've lost your scorecard, the Yankees have lost six of seven to the hated Red Sox. Not that it's any of my business, but what happens when Nomar Garciaparra and Trot Nixon start playing?

Raising 'Canes

Is it just me or do you, too, not get how NFL teams can blow it on draft day? Hint: Take the best former Miami player available. At least some teams are starting to get it. A record six former Hurricanes went in Saturday's first round. So why didn't Miami win the national championship? Don't ask me. I'm just the piano player.

Mailbag

Questions? Comments? Get-rich schemes? Feel free to e-mail me at dontmissjim@aol.com. A few random samplings from recent e-mails ...

Mr. Armstrong, First off, I want to say I have read many of your columns and disagree on at least three quarters of them. I bet that you're not actually a sports columnist, but someone AOL pays to incite real sports fans like myself. You should know better than to say Carmelo should have been the Rookie of the Year. He's a one-of-a-kind talent, but there's nobody who can compare to King James. -- RAMOSTm2@aol.com

You're right. I'm not actually a sports columnist. I'm a rocket scientist. Ticking people off is just my hobby.

 

What Do You Think?  

 

 

· Discuss This Column

· E-Mail Armstrong

 

 

I noticed that you said Richard Simmons and four CPAs could have made the playoffs in the East. I disagree. The Pistons, Pacers and Nets are just as good if not better than any team in the West. I'm a Pistons fan and they'll win it all. -- Deerz88@aol.com

The Pistons? Oh, you mean the team that took Darko Milicic instead of Carmelo Anthony on draft day. Like they're going to win the NBA championship.

Thank you, Mr. Armstrong, for your article. I don't like to beat around the bush. It blows me away that our country can send young men of 18 years of age to a foreign land to fight a war, but the NFL won't let a young man of 20 years of age play their stupid little football game. Who are they to tell these two young men they can't seek employment in the NFL? -- Jeremy Riggan

Couldn't have said it better myself, bubba.

Are you ready to pay the bills for all the injuries these teenagers will have by being in over their heads in the NFL? They should be allowed to mature both physically and mentally. -- TimD403@aol.com

Since when did being mature become a requirement for playing in the NFL? In case you haven't noticed, some NFL players have had a few legal problems. Or maybe you think Rae Carruth wears that orange jumpsuit because he thinks it will attract chicks.

Re: Moral to the story: Get ready for Jack McKeon's disgusting cigars again come October. I happen to like cigars. They're not half as bad as the smoke you're trying to blow up your readers' behinds. -- Joe, Murfreesboro, TN

I have a Macanudo a day myself, but that doesn't mean they're not disgusting. My wife makes me eat garlic afterward so she can tolerate my breath.

You write some funny stuff. I always read the end first, just to see what kind of responses you throw back at your haters. I'm not attracted to men, but if I were, you would be my sugar daddy. -- birddogjohnny@aol.com

Yeah, well, you got any cute daughters?

[KnightsRule]

bullshtz-why is it only you and I see the obvious on this board?

what did rivers accomplish in coolege to make him a no 1 pick?

The guy was a great college QB.  4 years starter in a good conference.  2003 acc player of the year. Sr season 4016 yards, 29 tds, 7 ints. He is a coach's son who knows how to play football and read defenses.  He had a huge game in senior bowl win guiding his team to all 4 tds and was mvp.  That being said if he does not work out the problem in his mechanics he will never be a good player in NFL.  Last year carson palmer was a rd 1 pick and he couldnt even start on his college team until he was a senior and you loved him steve. How come? Oh yeah he is a USC guy....

[smazza]

I didn't love palmer KR

you have me confused with someone else

i loved lienhart,carson's replacement.You are only a year off.

i said palmer was alucky sob that put 6 good games together to wim heisman.he should never have been #1 pick

acc isn't such a good football conference and rivers didn't seem to win many big games or he lost games he should have won.