North Carolina State University Athletics
Behind the Scenes With Tony Haynes: Rivers' Unmistakable Artistry
8/26/2002 12:00:00 AM | Pack Athletics
Aug. 26, 2002
Opener Leaves a Few Players Banged Up
By Tony Haynes
It's been said that the difference between what is and what isn't art is all in the eye of the beholder. It doesn't require a lot of talent to grab a can of Sherwin-Williams and splash it on a slab of canvas. While most of us would call such an effort of futility a mess, some cat in Carrboro might just tell you that this useless glob of paint is actually a masterful piece of art.
Whatever.
One thing I do know: Philip Rivers is definitely an artist. When it comes to creativity and ingenuity, no quarterback in the country can match the Pack's junior signal caller. Scouts say Rivers' arm strength is below par, yet the ball always seems to get where it's supposed to go. And for someone who isn't very fast, he always seems to elude the rush when a sack appears to be inevitable.
In NC State's season-opening 34-14 victory over New Mexico on Saturday night, Rivers painted a portrait that would have been appreciated by Monet. Was the performance always visually alluring? Absolutely not. Was it effective? You bet. Rivers completed passes while falling backwards, forwards and sideways. Some of his passes were line drives while others were pop-ups. Rivers is not into style points. He's good because he understands that wounded ducks are just as effective as tight spirals when they land in the hands of the intended target.
Rivers' understanding of the game, of the position he plays and of the offense he orchestrates make it unnecessary to have the arm strength of someone like-say-Ryan Leaf. You remember Ryan Leaf, the "can't miss" first round draft pick who could throw a football through a brick wall, right? Leaf, the can't miss kid, is now out of football completely. His cannon of a right arm never did him any good on the pro level because he failed to fully master all the little intangibles and nuances of the position that make players like Rivers so effective.
On a handful of occasions on Saturday night, Rivers didn't throw the ball to his receiver; he threw to a spot, knowing that his intended target and the ball would intersect at precisely same time. His unforgettable one-hand chest pass to Sterling Hicks just a fraction of a second before his knee touched the Carter-Finley turf was described by Wolfpack Radio Network color analyst Johnny Evans as "vintage Rivers."
Exactly.
"He's so sharp and he's got the presence of where everybody is on the field, not only on his team, but on the other team," Wolfpack head coach Chuck Amato said. "He can feel a rush when he's got his back to it because he knows where everybody is coming from. Thank goodness we have Philip Rivers."
Thank goodness indeed. Who needs Ryan Leaf when you can have Bobby Lane, Billy Kilmer, Bernie Kozar and Picasso all rolled into one?
With their variety of wild blitzes and bizarre alignments, the Lobos threw the kitchen sink and the garbage disposal at Rivers on Saturday. In the end, however, he left them with pantry full of frustrations and broken dreams.
This is a special time for NC State football. The program is on the upswing and so are the facilities. Interest is at an all-time high because the program has been energized by a head coach who has taken the old standards and moved them to another level.
More talented quarterbacks will likely come through NC State in the future, but if I were to venture a guess, I'd say that it's highly unlikely we'll see another player as unique as Philip Rivers. His artistry is unmistakable.
