With Rivers at QB I wonder if any receiver in S.D has any fantasy life left? Remember Eli's first year as a starter? Shockey was only usefull receiver that year in NY and he had a bad year.
I am downgradeing all S.D offense for this year.
My biggest question is L.T holding a top 5 RB rank and Gates being able to maintain top TE rank. My thoughts are both are in jeapordy.
Eli was a rookie and Rivers is in his 3rd year.
I want to elaborate a little bit on that, because I think a lot of message boarders have the same sort of misconception Buckeyedawgs has.When a QB is a rookie, everything is new. It's not just a matter of not having started a game. The speed of the NFL game is a hard thing to get used to for rookie QBs, as well as the complexity of the defenses, a playbook which is generally more extensive than at the college level (even if it isn't, it is certainly new), adjusting to new coaches and WRs, and a whole lot of other things.
A 3rd year QB, even if he hasn't been starting, has had an opportunity to adjust to many of these changes. Rivers hasn't been in a closet for the last two years just because we haven't seen him in a game. An actual game is 3 hours once a week. NFL players live football 6 days a week. While Eli Manning had the benefit of a few months to learn the plays, adjust to the speed of play, adjust to defenses, work with his teammates, etc., Rivers will have had two additional years of mini-camps, and training camps, and preseason games, and in-season practices/classroom/film study, to become ready. I find it odd that many fans don't seem to grasp this difference.
While game experience certainly brings the education to a new level, Rivers is in no way at the same level as a rookie. Most QBs who sit their rookie year come in and do fine their 2nd year (if they are going to be any good at all). Palmer was a recent example. Rivers, with 2 years' experience, should be just fine in 2006 if he is NFL starter material. If he fails miserably, it will be because he is someone who can't cut it at this level, not because it's his first year starting.