Chargers quarterback Philip Rivers continues to be defensive about his performance in 2011. Most recently, Rivers said that “there’s nothing different” about him.
Other than, you know, the stats.
And the stats are enough for owner Dean Spanos. Spanos told NBC’s Alex Flanagan after Sunday’s loss to the Packers that the Chargers’ franchise quarterback is having a non-franchise season.
“Sometimes you just have an off year,” Spanos told Flanagan. “That is what Phillip Rivers is having so far.”
Apart from whether Rivers or Spanos is right, the fact that Spanos spoke out about his quarterback is the kind of diss that can stir up a franchise known recently more for dysfunction than dominance.
For better or worse, Rivers gets a chance to get back on the horse, quickly. In three days, the Chargers host the Raiders in the 2011 season debut of Thursday Night Football.
Coincidentally, Mike Mayock of NBC and NFL Network will join PFT Live today to talk about his first assignment as a game analyst on Thursday nights, and I’ll ask Mike for his assessment of Rivers, the Raiders, and whatever else we can cram into the discussion.