A very strong will to win coupled with a wide range of facial expressions have earned Chargers quarterback Philip Rivers a certain reputation for being a bit of a jerk. He isn’t, and former Broncos tackle Orlando Franklin can attest to that.
Franklin, who joined the Chargers as a free agent after four with the Broncos, compared Rivers to Peyton Manning in a Wednesday interview with Paul Burmeister of NBCSN’s Pro Football Talk.
"[O]ne thing I noticed immediately when I got here is that Phillip Rivers is definitely more approachable than Peyton,” Franklin said. “I don’t know if it was because I was a lot younger being that I met Peyton in my second season and now meeting Phillip going into my fifth season but definitely I will say Phillip is more approachable than Peyton.”
It doesn’t make one guy a better leader than the other; they’re just different. Last year, receiver Emmanuel Sanders said Manning is a “far better leader” than Steelers quarterback Ben Roethlisberger.Franklin’s assessment lends credence to the idea that Manning, at this stage of his career, is more coach than player. And it therefore becomes a little harder for the players -- especially younger ones -- to connect right away with a guy who may at times seem to be more aligned with management than labor.