SPORTZ INN

SAN DIEGO – The challenge was daunting: Defeat the best team in football, a green-and-gold-clad crew of talented, undefeated, still-hungry champions led by a nearly unstoppable quarterback.
Not unpredictably, Philip Rivers(notes) failed.
Despite a valiant effort that included 385 passing yards and a near-comeback from a 21-point deficit with 10:27 remaining, the San Diego Chargers’ struggling, overburdened quarterback face-planted near the finish line: With 33 seconds remaining in Sunday’s 45-38 defeat to the Green Bay Packers at Qualcomm Stadium, Rivers dropped back and lofted a downfield duck that settled into the hands of a defender, an unnerving sensation he has experienced with greater frequency than any NFL passer in 2011.
After serving up a career-high three picks on Sunday, two of which were returned for first-quarter touchdowns, Rivers has thrown 14 interceptions – three more than any other NFL quarterback, and one more than he had in all of 2010. In fact, in five previous seasons as a starter, Rivers exceeded that total only once, getting picked off 15 times in 2007.
Now, suddenly and surprisingly, he’s Jay Cutler(notes) in 2009, or Ryan Leaf back in the day.
Relax, Chargers fans – that Leaf reference was just a joke. Rivers isn’t close to that messed up, but he’s absolutely going through the worst stretch of an otherwise stellar career.
“I’m not the first quarterback that’s fought through this thing, and I certainly won’t be the last,” Rivers said shortly before leaving Qualcomm Stadium on Sunday evening. “You fight through a slump. A home-run hitter keeps swinging, and a 3-point shooter keeps shooting.”
While the football world ponders the source of Rivers’ rough patch – and it’s a very valid question – I’m putting much of the culpability for the Chargers’ continued descent into mediocrity on the organization’s real heavy-hitter. Tell me this: Has anyone done more swinging and missing lately than general manager A.J. Smith, and isn’t it time someone held him accountable for his declining batting average?
[Related: NFL Week 9’s Least Valuable Players]
Everyone seems to have a theory as to what’s wrong with Rivers, from an unreported physical ailment (he swears he’s perfectly healthy) to the sleep-disruption caused by the birth of his sixth child last month (zzzzzzz). And while it’s always fashionable to blame Chargers coach Norv Turner for any of the team’s failings, the truth is he’s doing a commendable job under less-than-ideal conditions.
The same cannot be said of Turner’s boss. Despite a three-game losing streak and zero impressive victories, San Diego (4-4) remains in a three-way tie with the Raiders and Chiefs for first place in the AFC West – but let’s not confuse it with the elite team it used to be.
In terms of talent acquisition, and team-building in general, Smith is in as big a slump as his quarterback, perhaps even bigger.
Imagine you were the general manager of another NFL franchise, and you were given carte blanche to raid the Chargers’ roster. How many of the 53 active players would you rush to put on your team?
[Related: Colts take front seat in Andrew Luck sweepstakes]
Let me tell you how some of the GMs I’ve talked to recently would approach such a scenario: They’d grab Rivers, wideout Vincent Jackson(notes) (who had a monster game on Sunday, with seven receptions for 141 yards and three touchdowns), cornerback Quentin Jammer(notes), punter Mike Scifres(notes) and two players who didn’t play against the Pack because of injuries, guard Kris Dielman(notes) and outside linebacker Shaun Phillips(notes).
No one else would likely generate more than lukewarm interest – not even perennial Pro Bowl tight end Antonio Gates(notes), who despite a good game against Green Bay’s struggling secondary (eight catches, 96 yards, one TD) appears to be 31 going on 50, his ability to achieve separation curtailed by a persistent foot injury and some extra pounds.
“It’s harsh to say, but he looks old and fat,” one Chargers source said of Gates. “He’s not beating people. We don’t have any speed, we’re soft on defense, and we put so much on our quarterback. When he was playing great, we could kind of get away with it. Now he’s not playing very well, and it’s all falling apart.”
Smith’s recent drafts have been alarmingly devoid of impact players, and if the idea has been to build a team around Rivers’ skills (in conjunction with Turner’s exceptional play-calling acumen), he’s underperforming in that department as well.
The GM’s ego hasn’t helped: Jackson, a big-time receiver who should be a highly valued asset, has been jerked around, and it’s not surprising that his play has been uneven in 2011. Smith has been more concerned with showing Jackson and his agents who’s boss than either a) locking him up with a long-term deal or b) trading him and trying to find an equally potent target for Rivers.
As Gates’ foot problems have become chronic, causing defenses to fear him less, Smith has yet to surround Rivers with at least a semi-legitimate replacement.
The running back situation is even more dubious. The Chargers held onto a declining LaDainian Tomlinson(notes) too long (in fairness to Smith, owner Dean Spanos deserves some of the blame for that), allowed future All-Pro Michael Turner(notes) to leave via free agency and ended up having to franchise diminutive scatback and return ace Darren Sproles(notes) before cutting him free after 2010, much to the delight of the Saints.
Smith tried to remedy the situation by trading up to select Jacob Hester(notes) in the third round of the 2008 draft. Viewed by Smith as a viable replacement for Turner, Hester wasn’t remotely close. He remains on the roster as a fullback but is hardly a rushing threat.
Two years later Smith reached for Ryan Mathews, trading up 16 spots to select the former Fresno State runner with the 12th overall pick. Mathews has been oft-injured and fumble-prone; converted fullback Mike Tolbert(notes), an undrafted free agent in ’08, is the team’s top ballcarrier.
Meanwhile, a defense that once boasted studs like Shawne Merriman(notes), Steve Foley, Jamal Williams(notes) and Antonio Cromartie(notes) is bereft of playmakers and nastiness, putting even more pressure on Rivers to excel.
[Related: Bengals look special under Andy Dalton’s command]
I’m not saying Smith doesn’t know how to judge players – he has had his share of smart picks, most notably Rivers in ’04 – and I do respect his strong principles and faith in his own methodology. That said, for all the criticism routinely thrown Norv Turner’s way, why isn’t Smith being scrutinized for his role in the team’s decline?
Despite popular perception, San Diego is currently a middle-of-the-pack operation, nothing more. The Chargers went 9-7 last season and missed the playoffs, making them 13-11 in their past 24 games. If they didn’t play in a division that has been among the league’s least competitive over the past decade, their current predicament might seem a bit more dire.
Then again, this is San Diego, where the local paper serves as an enabler for mediocrity and thus helps facilitate the art of settling. Smith is rarely criticized and, at times, his faults are blatantly excused or rationalized. Though he has yet to build a team that has won even a conference championship, many locals probably believe he’s the 21st century’s answer to Bill Walsh, only more charming.
Imagine if Smith was in charge of a franchise in New York, or Philadelphia, or Dallas – do you think he’d possibly be getting a bit more heat, or might have to answer for his autocratic stubbornness once in awhile? I don’t imagine he’d enjoy that hypothetical gig quite as much as his current one; in fact, there’s a pretty good chance he’d have been forced to vacate it by now.
[Related: NFL winners & losers: Eli Manning not elite yet]
All of this brings us back to Rivers, whose normal standard of excellence covers up a lot of organizational warts, and who consequently has the weight of a dilapidated stadium on his shoulders.
What’s the problem? Is it a physical issue? Rivers suffered a sternum injury in a Week 2 defeat to the Pats, and because he puts more of his body into throws than quarterbacks with stronger arms – which is to say most of them – some outsiders have speculated that this is the source of his problem. He swears his health is not a factor, however.
“It seems like everyone wants an answer,” Rivers said. “I guess that’s a compliment.”
I tend to believe there’s nothing physically or mechanically wrong, given that most of his passes on a high-volume afternoon (26-of-46, 385 yards, four TDs) seemed very well-thrown – though he did, admittedly, float the ball over the middle toward Jackson that Packers safety Charlie Peprah(notes) picked off at the Green Bay 18-yard line and returned 76 yards to the San Diego 6 with 14 seconds remaining.
That interception delighted about a third of the 68,908 paying customers at Qualcomm, as the large cheesehead contingent made itself heard throughout the game. There were jubilant cheers on back-to-back San Diego possessions late in the first quarter that ended with pick-6s: The first was a hard pass Rivers tried to force to Gates that bounced off the tight end’s hands and into the arms of Peprah, who weaved 40 yards through a slew of half-hearted tackling efforts; two passes later, Rivers attempted an ill-advised sideline throw to Patrick Crayton(notes) that cornerback Tramon Williams(notes) jumped on and turned into a 43-yard score for a 21-7 lead.
Spotting the Packers (8-0) 14 points is like swinging through the In ‘N’ Out drive-through lane on the way to a hot-dog eating contest against Joey Chestnut. As Rivers is the first to attest, Aaron Rodgers(notes) is the current top dog among NFL passers. “I don’t think it’s even close,” Rivers said.
It doesn’t hurt that general manager Ted Thompson has surrounded Rodgers with a fresh-faced (the Packers had the Clay Matthews(notes), Greg Jennings(notes), Williams, B.J. Raji(notes)), underrated playmakers (Desmond Bishop(notes), Morgan Burnett(notes), Jordy Nelson(notes)) and meat-and-potatoes stalwarts (Scott Wells(notes), Jarius Wynn(notes), John Kuhn(notes)) everywhere Rodgers and defensive leader Charles Woodson(notes) turn.
Rivers should be jealous, not that he’d ever admit to that. He’s too fierce of a competitor to put his problems on anyone else, and he’s a relentless optimist, viewing Thursday night’s showdown with the Raiders at Qualcomm as a slump-breaking opportunity that can launch the Chargers on yet another second-half, season-saving run.
As Rivers insisted in his postgame news conference, “I’m not frustrated one bit; I’m excited about the next challenge.”
Turner, too, is keeping the faith. “I’ve never seen anything like this,” the coach said. “We’ll fight our way out of this. Philip will, because no one prepares any better. I can’t express how he just fights back and competes. And it’s not like he’s being reckless. He’s very much the same guy.”
If so, Rivers is doing a pretty good imitation of a less precise, more mistake-prone guy – and it’s clear that the Chargers aren’t good enough to win with that dude.
My theory: Rivers knows this, and he’s pressing, creating a self-perpetuating cycle that has 8-8 and 24 interceptions written all over it.
If Rivers is pressing, can you blame him?
Personally, I blame the guy who surrounded his quarterback with substandard talent, yet would have us believe it’s all part of the plan.