Drew Brees And The Chargers

It's no secret that I'm a Chargers fan first and a fan of any individual player a distant second. Philip Rivers is my current favorite Charger, but if he was released tomorrow I'd root like hell for whatever QB A.J. and Norv decide should wear the lightning bolt next season.

And that's not never gonna change as long as the Chargers play in San Diego.

The question could be asked, I suppose, which quarterback I'd prefer played for the Chargers. Or, to put it in specifics, would I rather it be Drew Brees or Philip Rivers quarterbacking the Bolts?

Though its not a reflection on either player, I go with Philip 100% of the time.

Drew Brees has developed into a great quarterback, but I don't wish that he was still a Charger. Brees had every opportunity to succeed in San Diego and started to fulfill his promise only after two subpar seasons that did little to convince the San Diego brass that he could develop into a top-tier QB.

For a refresher, here's the timeline of events:

April 2001: Brees drafted in second round;

2001 season: as rookie, Brees rides pine behind Doug Flutie and sees his first career action in week 8, nearly leading the Bolts to a comeback win over the Chefs, but then never sees the field the rest of the season as the Bolts go from 5-2 to finish 5-11 ... Mike Riley is then fired;

2002 season: Brees installed as starter under new coach Marty Schottenheimer ... team storms to a 6-1 start and is sitting at 8-4 after a December 1 overtime win over the Broncos ... team loses its final 4 games to finish 8-8 and miss the playoffs ... those losses include a blowout loss to the eventual Super Bowl runner-up Raiders (Drew played poorly) and a dagger loss to the Chiefs (Drew played well);

2003 season: a bad bad season on all Bolt fronts (except LT, of course, see this game, and this, and this) ... a tough early season schedule mires the Bolts at 0-4 and they never recover, finishing a dismal 4-12, with Brees completing only 57.6 percent of his passes and throwing 15 picks to only 11 touchdowns;

2003-04 offseason: faced with Brees' poor 2003 season, the Chargers trade for Philip Rivers ... Drew Brees begins ridiculous off-season training regimen (one wonders why he had not undergone such a regimen in previous off-seasons);

2004 season: after a Rivers holdout, Brees earns the starting job ... after a few dicey early season performances that result in losses to the Jets and Broncos, Brees starts to roll and the Bolts finish 12-4, with Drew completing 65.5% of his passes for 20 TDs to only 7 picks ... Brees also performs well in the dagger playoff loss to the Jets, going 23-33 for 279 yards and 2 TDs;

2005 season: an up and down season with outstanding highs and dagger lows that ends with Brees' shoulder getting crumpled in the finale against Denver, a game in which Drew probably should not have even played ... Brees last walks off the field as a Charger with his throwing arm lifted awkardly over his head;

2005-06 offseason: faced with uncertainty over Brees' throwing shoulder, and a ton of caysh already committed to Philip Rivers, the Bolts offer Drew an incentive-laden contract with little guaranteed money ... Drew signs for more cash with the Saints.

So that's pretty much it. Drew Brees was a Charger, and now he is not. The Chargers made a tough decision under tough circumstances, based on widely varying evidence of Drew Brees' potential as a starting QB. I'm glad it has worked out for Drew but there was no guarantee that it would. I don't fault the Chargers for going with Rivers then, now or going forward.

If Drew wins on Sunday in Miami that's great, but whether he does or not has nothing to do with, and is no reflection on, the San Diego Chargers.