Why are Rivers and Eli HOF candidates?

[RunKC]

Just hearing this garbage about these guys is annoying as hell. Why do they get to get in?

What has Rivers done besides stat padding?

Eli never had an all pro season, never had a QB rating higher than 94 and won all of his postseason games with defenses that gave up 21 or less points.

Is the HOF really going this soft? Will they literally let just anyone that’s played forever in?

[Gary Cooper]

Originally Posted by ThaVirus

This is my issue. Eli was pretty average throughout a great deal of his career. Outside of durability (he did have a great Iron Man run) and a couple hot postseason runs (that I am so, so thankful for), he's just blah. It's tough to remember each individual season going so far back, but I think you're right. He was probably not even top 10 for the vast majority of his tenure.

Rivers, on the other hand, was definitely top 5 pretty frequently and generally at least top 8. He was a very good QB for quite a while, but the lack of postseason success really kills him. And I really hate to judge QBs by team accolades, but at some point I kind of feel like, if you truly are that great, you would have won something of significance at some point in a 15+ year career.

I've never thought of Rivers as top 5. Brady, Manning, Rodgers, Brees, Roethlisberger were all better than him IMO. There was always some other QB you could throw into the mix as well during that time.

[New World Order]

Rivers kind of reminds me of Romo

[Rain Man]

Originally Posted by cosmo20002

FWiW

Marino - Rivers
240 - 240 - Games started
147- 134 - Wins
8-10 - 5-7 - Playoff record
61K - 63K - Yds
420 - 421 - TDs
252 - 209 - INT
59 - 64 - Comp %
86 - 95 - QB Rating

Some similar passing #s, although Marino played in an era when 3000 yards was a good season compared to 4000 for Rivers

That's an interesting comparison, but I agree that your last sentence tells the story. Rivers did it in an era when Manning*, Brees, and that patriot guy* were far above him. No one was above Marino in his era.



* - Some cheating involved.

[Rain Man]

Originally Posted by ptlyon

And let's not forget the bitch move Eli pulled for them to get them where they ended up in the first place

Yep. And while I wouldn't vote for either of them, I'd vote for Rivers easily over Manning because Rivers played for a team that Manning was afraid to go to. Rivers manned up when Manning ran crying to his daddy.

[lawrenceRaider]

Originally Posted by DaneMcCloud

What's sad is that Davis had a total of 8,887 yards and 60 TD's while playing next to the #1 overall pick in 1983 and a fellow Hall of Famer, while Priest Holmes had 86 TD's and 11,134 total yards while playing next to Trent Dilfer, Tony Banks, Damon Huard and a broken Trent Green.

If there's any organization that needs to clean house, it's the Pro Football Writers of America.

And what's a damn shame is that Terez is no longer here to talk some sense into those morons.

Dane, even you could have run for north of 1,000 yards and 15 TDs behind that Chiefs OL. It was perhaps the best OL ever assembled.

A Smith or Sanders would have gone for 2500 yards on the ground and likely even more TDs.

[lawrenceRaider]

Originally Posted by New World Order

Rivers kind of reminds me of Romo

I'd rather have Romo than Rivers.

[ThaVirus]

Originally Posted by JudasRising20

I've never thought of Rivers as top 5. Brady, Manning, Rodgers, Brees, Roethlisberger were all better than him IMO. There was always some other QB you could throw into the mix as well during that time.

Yeah, looking back at the stats, you're probably right. He wasn't often top 5, though there were maybe three or four seasons in which I'd argue he was. Generally, top 8 would be a better billing for him.

[Gravedigger]

Originally Posted by Rain Man

That's an interesting comparison, but I agree that your last sentence tells the story. Rivers did it in an era when Manning*, Brees, and that patriot guy* were far above him. No one was above Marino in his era.



* - Some cheating involved.

But the rules during Rivers career were favoring the offense pretty heavily comparative to Marinos time, and I think that hurts Rivers more so than people realize. There was a reason why Rivers bitched every time a play didn't go his way, I don't remember seeing Marino cry that much during his career to get calls to go his way.

In terms of Hall of Fame status I would say that Eli deserves to get in on his Super Bowls and Playoff record alone, and will likely get in, however with Rivers I think he should have to wait awhile. He's close enough to Marino to warrant him getting in eventually, and they'll shove him in first ballot and say he's the next Dan Marino, but Phillip Rivers isn't Dan Marino, imo he should have to wait for a ballot or two to pass before he gets in.

They'll desperately try to play off Rivers, Eli and Big Ben's year as the closest to 1983 that you can get, and that is technically true as it hasn't been seen since that time, but I'll take John, Jim and Dan over Eli, Ben and Phillip any day of the week.

[GayFrogs]

I don't think Rivers was good enough to overcome his lack of playoff success. King of the wild card round and not much else...whoop de doo. If eli gets in, frank clark and sammy watkins should also get in.

[FloridaMan88]

I'd put Drew Bledsoe into the HOF before Phyllis... which is more of an indictment of Phyllis' candidacy.

At least Bledsoe had some postseason success... leading the Faketriots to the Super Bowl under Parcells.

[Frazod]

The only way Rivers gets in is if his luck changes. Dude must have been born under a ladder in a room full of broken mirrors and black cats. Nobody could find ways to snatch defeat from the jaws of victory quite like the Phyllis-led Chargers. All the talented teams he was on and they couldn't win shit.

That victory formation fumble against us kind of sums up his career.

[Gary Cooper]

Although I don't believe either player should be inducted, I have no doubt both will be inducted. Frank Gore will get in as well.

Does anyone not see Rivers and Manning both getting in?

[Rain Man]

Originally Posted by Frazod

The only way Rivers gets in is if his luck changes. Dude must have been born under a ladder in a room full of broken mirrors and black cats. Nobody could find ways to snatch defeat from the jaws of victory quite like the Phyllis-led Chargers. All the talented teams he was on and they couldn't win shit.

That victory formation fumble against us kind of sums up his career.

He retired in the offseason, so the only way his luck is changing is that he'll likely never choke away a game again. But it's still possible that he'll be on the sidelines as a guest and will accidentally trip a Charger who's running for a winning touchdown.

[Frazod]

Originally Posted by Rain Man

He retired in the offseason, so the only way his luck is changing is that he'll likely never choke away a game again. But it's still possible that he'll be on the sidelines as a guest and will accidentally trip a Charger who's running for a winning touchdown.

He's the football version of Bad Luck Schleprock.

[FloridaMan88]

Originally Posted by Rain Man

He retired in the offseason, so the only way his luck is changing is that he'll likely never choke away a game again.

He's a high school football HC now so he has new ways of choking, both as a coach and teaching a new generation of future chokers.