Am I imagining things or is Phillip ripping it?

[Rally5 495]

Is it just me?  I swear there was some pop on those throws?!  I think with how he 'chucks' it, if he can step into a throw he can still deliver with some velocity.  It also seems if he can't get his feet under him or his torso into the throw then he fires ducks.  If we can protect him, he may yet be able to deliver, he knows coverage schemes so if he can surveil the field and step into throws dudes going to complete 80% of his passes.  This is the way...

[shakedownstreet 2,033]

Yep he's best old white dude pocket passer left playing the game today. If he can keep it up the sky's the limit

[Bolts2Colts 302]

Yes I noticed on his first throw to Fountain. Lots of torque in torso:

https://twitter.com/lockedoncolts/status/1310325612683255808?s=21

 

He almost falls over afterward. 

[Rally5 495]

3 minutes ago, Bolts2Colts said:

Yes I noticed on his first throw to Fountain. Lots of torque in torso. 

https://twitter.com/lockedoncolts/status/1310325612683255808?s=21

 

He almost falls over afterward. 

That's almost exactly what I mean, good example.

[Smonroe 2,218]

Not only ripping it, but he's accurate too.  

[Thunderbolt 441]

That last int he threw that was intended for Mo in the Vikings game was on spot that bounced off Mo's chest. So our assessment on Rivers current zip zap on the ball is accurate. 

[bestQBever 570]

1 hour ago, shakedownstreet said:

Yep he's best old white dude pocket passer left playing the game today. If he can keep it up the sky's the limit

I still think Brady is better but Rivers has been killing it

[richard pallo 2,377]

I noticed it on the long throw to Cox over the middle.  I couldn't believe the velocity on the throw.  Noticed it right away.

[Fluke_33 2,401]

1 hour ago, shakedownstreet said:

Yep he's best old white dude pocket passer left playing the game today. If he can keep it up the sky's the limit

Old white dudes keeping it up sounds like the theme for half of the commercials during sporting events.  

[EastStreet 8,760]

I rewatched parts this morning, and highlights this afternoon. Definitely had some zip.

[jbaron04 76]

First 2 games his arm looked weak to me last game it looked in better shape

[Lucky Colts Fan 5,563]

3 hours ago, Rally5 said:

Is it just me?  I swear there was some pop on those throws?!  I think with how he 'chucks' it, if he can step into a throw he can still deliver with some velocity.  It also seems if he can't get his feet under him or his torso into the throw then he fires ducks.  If we can protect him, he may yet be able to deliver, he knows coverage schemes so if he can surveil the field and step into throws dudes going to complete 80% of his passes.  This is the way...

 

2 hours ago, Bolts2Colts said:

Yes I noticed on his first throw to Fountain. Lots of torque in torso:

https://twitter.com/lockedoncolts/status/1310325612683255808?s=21

 

He almost falls over afterward. 

 

1 hour ago, Smonroe said:

Not only ripping it, but he's accurate too.  

 

1 hour ago, richard pallo said:

I noticed it on the long throw to Cox over the middle.  I couldn't believe the velocity on the throw.  Noticed it right away.

 

28 minutes ago, EastStreet said:

I rewatched parts this morning, and highlights this afternoon. Definitely had some zip.

 

Agreed.

 

He also seemed like he moved around the pocket much better today.  Zip.  Accuracy.  On time.  No sacks.  No interceptions.  No turnovers, period.  Made the right calls at the LOS.  Dumped/Went Deep as needed.  Mistake-free football.

 

And don't forget the nice rainbow he threw to TY last week (that TY dropped ).  Rivers can still rip it.  Hopefully, we don't really need him to until January/February.    Right @Grigson's Gaffes?

 

[DontEverGiveUp 899]

Of course he's ripping it.  That's what he's done for 14+ seasons.

 

The only people who claimed his arm had physically declined were talking heads that never actually watched the Chargers games...they only looked at stats and jumped on the "Old Man Rivers is washed up" narrative.

 

The Colts got the best FA quarterback available in the off-season, even if it wasn't the most popular pick.  Let's just hope the Colts end up doing something with it.

[Athanasius 6]

This is Rivers since his freshman year in college. He's ALWAYS needed to be able to set himself to throw with any "zip" since he's a body thrower.

 

That restricted arm motion he uses simply doesn't allow for any pop if he can't put his body into it.

[DontEverGiveUp 899]

2 hours ago, bestQBever said:

I still think Brady is better but Rivers has been killing it

I disagree.  Brady has certainly declined in his accuracy, which started last season and has carried into his stint with the Bucs.  He's still a great QB, but he is occasionally missing throws these days that he didn't used to.

[2006Coltsbestever 21,348]

Not sure why anyone doubted him to be at least good. So far he has been very good actually and had we beat the Jags I would even say great. 38 for QB's is just a number now days. That really isn't old in todays league for that position. He may play until he's 40 or 41?? Look at Brady and Brees.

[IinD 2,123]

2 hours ago, Fluke_33 said:

Old white dudes keeping it up sounds like the theme for half of the commercials during sporting events.  

They kill me with those commercials. I've always cringed inside whenever I've had family over and they're talking about 'if you've had an erection lasting over 4 hours call a Dr'...wth?? 

 

[IinD 2,123]

He doesn't seem washed up or anything thankfully. It's nice having a guy who will not get lost in the moment or have trouble getting guys lined up, calling an audible etc. He understands situations and can't really be fooled like a young guy or just a guy who isn't very good.

 

I think he'll earn his money this year and will have a great moment or three...

[2006Coltsbestever 21,348]

4 minutes ago, IinD said:

He doesn't seem washed up or anything thankfully. It's nice having a guy who will not get lost in the moment or have trouble getting guys lined up, calling an audible etc. He understands situations and can't really be fooled like a young guy or just a guy who isn't very good.

 

I think he'll earn his money this year and will have a great moment or three...

Honestly if we stay healthy, I see no way we don't make the playoffs. Winning the Division is 50/50 only because of Tennessee.

[RollerColt 2,361]

He’s always thrown like that. Once Manning went to Denver I really started to take notice of Philip during those divisional games. I won’t go as far to say he’s vintage or anything, but Rivers is doing exactly what is expected of him. His throws have enough power for accuracy, but they’re not too much where the ball is nearly impossible to catch. If you’re a FA receiver playing in Indy, you’ve got to be excited. 
 

I think I remember an interview once where he explained his throwing motion was one of the reasons for his longevity. 

[IinD 2,123]

Pretty amazing when you realize he's in the top 10 in many all time categories.

 

He was kind of an afterthought being on the west coast, playing for a team that didn't even have a stadium for a few years and a fan base that didn't love the Chargers in general it seems (not knocking their fans or anything).

[Superman 8,587]

He's not "ripping it." He's playing okay. Hasn't really gone downfield yet, definitely not with any success. His throw to TY last week looked fine. 

 

Rivers is doing well, he's playing efficiently overall, and he's keeping the chains moving. He has to do better at making plays on third down, and he has to do better in the red zone. I put some of that on play calling, but I think the entire offense is still finding it's way. It's early in the season, new QB, new receivers all over the place, injuries all over the place, no preseason. So I'm not sounding the alarm, but there are some areas where Rivers will need to do better if we're going to beat good teams this year. 

[Rally5 495]

1 hour ago, Superman said:

He's not "ripping it." He's playing okay. Hasn't really gone downfield yet, definitely not with any success. His throw to TY last week looked fine. 

 

Rivers is doing well, he's playing efficiently overall, and he's keeping the chains moving. He has to do better at making plays on third down, and he has to do better in the red zone. I put some of that on play calling, but I think the entire offense is still finding it's way. It's early in the season, new QB, new receivers all over the place, injuries all over the place, no preseason. So I'm not sounding the alarm, but there are some areas where Rivers will need to do better if we're going to beat good teams this year. 

He ripped a few throws, meaning, he delivered some balls with more velocity than I thought he had left.  He has big issues when he can't set his feet or get his core active in the motion, make no mistake.  But he popped some pads Sunday and I didn't think he had that juice left.  I'm working my way to cautiously optimistic, but I realize the upside is limited.  We have to run and give him a pocket against top defenses.  

[PRnum1 229]

My fellow Colts fans, if the Oline can keep Rivers upright and keep his jersey clean I promise you he will lead us to the AFC Championship game.

 

Always remember, sometimes you have to believe in a dream first before it can come true.

 

Now who's with me ???

[DontEverGiveUp 899]

1 hour ago, Superman said:

He's not "ripping it." He's playing okay. Hasn't really gone downfield yet, definitely not with any success. His throw to TY last week looked fine. 

 

Rivers is doing well, he's playing efficiently overall, and he's keeping the chains moving. He has to do better at making plays on third down, and he has to do better in the red zone. I put some of that on play calling, but I think the entire offense is still finding it's way. It's early in the season, new QB, new receivers all over the place, injuries all over the place, no preseason. So I'm not sounding the alarm, but there are some areas where Rivers will need to do better if we're going to beat good teams this year. 

Rivers already has multiple completions on passes that traveled 30+ yards in the air downfield.  And then of course there was the 50 yard dime he threw that TY dropped.

 

As for 3rd downs, we have actually ran the ball in many of these situations and came up short.  Need to get that conversion rate up, but it's mainly due to play calling and game situation at this point.

 

Same thing with the red zone.  We've missed kicks, got stuffed on 4th down, and MAC caused an INT.  There's always room for improvement, but Rivers has little to do with the red zone failures this far.

 

He's playing much better than just "okay".

[shakedownstreet 2,033]

28 minutes ago, PrNum1 said:

Now who's with me ???

**** it why not

We're going to the Superbowl!

[Grigson's Gaffes 97]

5 hours ago, Lucky Colts Fan said:

 

 

 

 

 

Agreed.

 

He also seemed like he moved around the pocket much better today.  Zip.  Accuracy.  On time.  No sacks.  No interceptions.  No turnovers, period.  Made the right calls at the LOS.  Dumped/Went Deep as needed.  Mistake-free football.

 

And don't forget the nice rainbow he threw to TY last week (that TY dropped ).  Rivers can still rip it.  Hopefully, we don't really need him to until January/February.    Right @Grigson's Gaffes?

 

Yeah his arm strength is still just as great as it was when he came into the league day 1 LOL let’s see him fire some out routes to the flats and see if it holds up. Different ball game when you’re not beating up on the New York Jets of the world. The Colts best games have been when they’re running the ball, that isn’t a coincidence. In 3 games the colts have played one team with A win. Let’s see how Sunday goes before you start gloating and tagging me out of nowhere.

[2006Coltsbestever 21,348]

3 hours ago, Superman said:

He's not "ripping it." He's playing okay. Hasn't really gone downfield yet, definitely not with any success. His throw to TY last week looked fine. 

 

Rivers is doing well, he's playing efficiently overall, and he's keeping the chains moving. He has to do better at making plays on third down, and he has to do better in the red zone. I put some of that on play calling, but I think the entire offense is still finding it's way. It's early in the season, new QB, new receivers all over the place, injuries all over the place, no preseason. So I'm not sounding the alarm, but there are some areas where Rivers will need to do better if we're going to beat good teams this year. 

His Y/A is 8.6 and he is completing almost 79% of his passes. Sorry but that is better than ok. Not sure what you are watching? 3 TD's/3 INT's is just okay I will give you that. Last season the main stat everyone was dwelling on was Y/A with JB because it was bad. 8.6 is great no matter how you slice it. It should even be better if TY would've caught that perfect 50 yard TD pass. 

[2006Coltsbestever 21,348]

28 minutes ago, Grigson's Gaffes said:

Yeah his arm strength is still just as great as it was when he came into the league day 1 LOL let’s see him fire some out routes to the flats and see if it holds up. Different ball game when you’re not beating up on the New York Jets of the world. The Colts best games have been when they’re running the ball, that isn’t a coincidence. In 3 games the colts have played one team with A win. Let’s see how Sunday goes before you start gloating and tagging me out of nowhere.

The Bears will be a nice test but I think we pull it out. After we win that there will still be some people say the Bears weren't truly a 3-0 team lol, that is how silly some are. Bears to me are good at worse but not SB contenders, it would still be a solid win. Until we beat someone like the Ravens or Steelers the true respect won't come IMO. 

[Grigson's Gaffes 97]

8 minutes ago, 2006Coltsbestever said:

The Bears will be a nice test but I think we pull it out. After we win that there will still be some people say the Bears weren't truly a 3-0 team lol, that is how silly some are. Bears to me are good at worse but not SB contenders, it would still be a solid win. Until we beat someone like the Ravens or Steelers the true respect won't come IMO. 

Yeah I actually think the Bears are a quality football team and that Trubisky is limited. If the colts go on the road and win, that’s a big win for them IMO. My thing with football is you can only play your schedule, especially in the NFL. It’s hard to win from week to week. So if you go get one on the road against a 3-0 team that’s a big win. Week to week, especially this season.

[2006Coltsbestever 21,348]

3 minutes ago, Grigson's Gaffes said:

Yeah I actually think the Bears are a quality football team and that Trubisky is limited. If the colts go on the road and win, that’s a big win for them IMO. My thing with football is you can only play your schedule, especially in the NFL. It’s hard to win from week to week. So if you go get one on the road against a 3-0 team that’s a big win. Week to week, especially this season.

I agree. Bears on the road would be a nice win. It is not like beating the elite teams but still nice. Any win on the road vs a good team is sweet. 

[Two_pound 251]

I think another important aspect of Rivers game has been how much he has lifted the play of the entire team thus far. These guys "believe" they can win because of the upgrade at qb. There is an almost insane amount of intensity out there. Just got to eliminate mistakes and keep it going. On to Chicago.

[Lucky Colts Fan 5,563]

1 hour ago, Grigson's Gaffes said:

Yeah his arm strength is still just as great as it was when he came into the league day 1 LOL let’s see him fire some out routes to the flats and see if it holds up. Different ball game when you’re not beating up on the New York Jets of the world. The Colts best games have been when they’re running the ball, that isn’t a coincidence. In 3 games the colts have played one team with A win. Let’s see how Sunday goes before you start gloating and tagging me out of nowhere.

 

Are you changing your argument about Rivers?

 

You've been saying he doesn't have the arm strength to zip passes downfield.  Now that he's done that, your argument is that he doesn't have the arm strength to zip out routes to the flat?    He's been zipping out routes to the flat since week 1.

 

Your argument is invalid.  He's proven you wrong within the first month of the season.  Let's see if he goes the entire season without making any precision passes with speed, then you can start gloating about your preposterous preseason predictions...  

[Grigson's Gaffes 97]

6 minutes ago, Lucky Colts Fan said:

 

Are you changing your argument about Rivers?

 

You've been saying he doesn't have the arm strength to zip passes downfield.  Now that he's done that, your argument is that he doesn't have the arm strength to zip out routes to the flat?    He's been zipping out routes to the flat since week 1.

 

Your argument is invalid.  He's proven you wrong within the first month of the season.  Let's see if he goes the entire season without making any precision passes with speed, then you can start gloating about your preposterous preseason predictions...  

you’re about the only one who thinks he still throws the ball with the same zip he once did. I’m glad you’re happy they’ve gone two weeks, against 0-3 times mind you, without him throwing picks that cost the team. “Preposterous”?! There’s a reason ONE team was in on him. Like I said, let’s see when they actually beat a team that has won a game. Hasn’t happened yet. 

[Lucky Colts Fan 5,563]

15 minutes ago, Grigson's Gaffes said:

you’re about the only one who thinks he still throws the ball with the same zip he once did.

 

I didn't say that, nor did anyone else.  He doesn't have the zip he did as a 24 year old.  None of us do.

 

18 minutes ago, Grigson's Gaffes said:

I’m glad you’re happy they’ve gone two weeks, against 0-3 times mind you, without him throwing picks that cost the team.

 

I am.  Are you?  

 

19 minutes ago, Grigson's Gaffes said:

“Preposterous”?! There’s a reason ONE team was in on him.

 

Ok... there's no way to know that we were the only team, and it's "preposterous" to think otherwise.  

 

36 minutes ago, Grigson's Gaffes said:

Like I said, let’s see when they actually beat a team that has won a game. Hasn’t happened yet. 

 

We just had two impressive home wins in a row.  Solid defense.  Solid run game.  Effective offense on the ground and through the air (short, medium, and long balls).

 

I'm not sure what it would take for Rivers to change your mind, but I think it's gonna be a good year, maybe because of Rivers, maybe in spite of Rivers, maybe despite Rivers... but with a solid run game and defense... as long as Rivers plays smartyball... whether that's out routes, seam passes, or long balls.

 

Just don't turn the ball over and let our team beat their team.  

[Superman 8,587]

4 hours ago, Rally5 said:

He ripped a few throws, meaning, he delivered some balls with more velocity than I thought he had left.  He has big issues when he can't set his feet or get his core active in the motion, make no mistake.  But he popped some pads Sunday and I didn't think he had that juice left.  I'm working my way to cautiously optimistic, but I realize the upside is limited.  We have to run and give him a pocket against top defenses.  

 

So he has more arm than you expected? I'll give you that. 

 

Maybe I'm being pedantic, but when you say "ripping it," I think of guys with serious arm talent throwing the ball all over the field. I could give you examples, but I probably don't need to. 

[Superman 8,587]

4 hours ago, DontEverGiveUp said:

Rivers already has multiple completions on passes that traveled 30+ yards in the air downfield.  And then of course there was the 50 yard dime he threw that TY dropped.

 

As for 3rd downs, we have actually ran the ball in many of these situations and came up short.  Need to get that conversion rate up, but it's mainly due to play calling and game situation at this point.

 

Same thing with the red zone.  We've missed kicks, got stuffed on 4th down, and MAC caused an INT.  There's always room for improvement, but Rivers has little to do with the red zone failures this far.

 

He's playing much better than just "okay".

 

2 hours ago, 2006Coltsbestever said:

His Y/A is 8.6 and he is completing almost 79% of his passes. Sorry but that is better than ok. Not sure what you are watching? 3 TD's/3 INT's is just okay I will give you that. Last season the main stat everyone was dwelling on was Y/A with JB because it was bad. 8.6 is great no matter how you slice it. It should even be better if TY would've caught that perfect 50 yard TD pass. 

 

Per PFF charting, he's 4/9 on passes 20+ yards downfield. He has one pass completed 33 yards past the line of scrimmage, against the Vikings. (To MAC; really good throw, but it didn't exactly explode out of his hand.)  Per NGS, average completed air yards is near the bottom of the league at 4.9. Intended air yards near the bottom at 6.9. Longest completed air distance near the bottom at 39.2. 

 

He's not slinging the ball all over the field. The only throw that really qualifies is the shot to TY.

 

His efficiency is good to see, outside of the turnovers and coming up short on third down. His y/a is really good, completion percentage excellent. He's been meh on third down and in the red zone. Again, it's early in the season, and the offense is still working through things.

[stitches 7,592]

We have not taken a ton of long shots so far so I wouldn't say he's been ripping it, but his velocity seems good to me on most of the throws that require some zip on his throws. The far hash out throw seems very good to TY, the zip on some of the bullet passes down the middle seems good, too. His one shot to TY downfield looked great too. I'm not worried about his velocity. I want to see us take some more shots though. This is more on the playcalling than on Rivers though. 

 

I think he's been good and very efficient overall with what he's been asked to do. Definite upgrade over Jacoby. 

[SteelCityColt 4,447]

I'd say more he's what I expected out of Rivers at this stage of his career, and that's not exactly a bad thing. At least his arm isn't clearly shot, making us one dimensional. 

[lollygagger8 3,307]

Still having a hard time looking at his face after watching him be a crybaby for so many years, but I'm slowly getting over it.

 

His throwing motion is so weird to watch, it's hard to tell if he is really trying hard to rip it or not. 

 

Regardless, he's light years better than Brisket and that's all that matters.