One man's opionion..........
The story we've heard often here in North Alabama is that when Phil's dad, Steve Rivers, coached high school football, Philip would come to practice after school to help and (mostly) play. Although he was only 8 or 9, he enjoyed picking up the high school sized football and throwing it around with his dad's players. The best way he could manage throwing a ball that was a little too large for a little boy was to balance it in his hand and half-heave and half-throw it. His throwing motion hasn't changed much as he starred at Athens High, Alabama, North Carolina State and now the San Diego Chargers. At each level, we heard all about how that odd way of throwing would keep him from having much success. All he did at every level was win games and break records. Now, Rivers is threatening to catch Dan Marino's all-time season yardage mark of 5,084 yards set in 1984. Opposing coaches are raving about Rivers, and finally, we aren't hearing as much about his unusual way of throwing the ball. In fact, his throwing motion seems to have gained acceptance. Get a load of this line from a recent New York Times story:"....River's flawless delivery is a primary reason he is threatening to topple a single season record..." Flawless? My, how times have changed.
The story we've heard often here in North Alabama is that when Phil's dad, Steve Rivers, coached high school football, Philip would come to practice after school to help and (mostly) play. Although he was only 8 or 9, he enjoyed picking up the high school sized football and throwing it around with his dad's players. The best way he could manage throwing a ball that was a little too large for a little boy was to balance it in his hand and half-heave and half-throw it. His throwing motion hasn't changed much as he starred at Athens High, Alabama, North Carolina State and now the San Diego Chargers. At each level, we heard all about how that odd way of throwing would keep him from having much success. All he did at every level was win games and break records. Now, Rivers is threatening to catch Dan Marino's all-time season yardage mark of 5,084 yards set in 1984. Opposing coaches are raving about Rivers, and finally, we aren't hearing as much about his unusual way of throwing the ball. In fact, his throwing motion seems to have gained acceptance. Get a load of this line from a recent New York Times story:"....River's flawless delivery is a primary reason he is threatening to topple a single season record..." Flawless? My, how times have changed.
