I would be fine with Rivers as the second coming of Marino. One Superbowl appearance (a loss) in a 17 year career. A pile of choke playoff efforts.
That said, the Charges are a good football team. I don't see alot of slippage this year from LT. He's only 29 and has a couple of very good years still left in the tank.
The issues with this team are,
1) Norv Turner as a head coach. This ensures that the Chargers will pretty much always be outcoached in tight playoff games. This equels losses when there should be wins
2) Lt's head. His lack of discipline is really quite shocking. When a player consistantly looks around for others to blame and cannot face or deal with his own teams failings, it is a huge sign of immaturity. Can you imagine his antics playing out on a veteran Patriots team.
3) Rivers showed me something during the playoff loss last January. But, he still has not fully reigned in his tempor. Until he does, he is a playoff time bomb waiting to go off.
3) Perhaps most importantly, there is no high charachter, quality veteran leadership on this team. None. And this is a real kiss of death for playoff success. Has anyone on the Chargers stood up to LT's *****ing and complaining or stepped into to shut down the squabbling between LT and Rivers? These two are always saying or doing something stupid and there is no accountability. When your two biggest stars are also your two most undisciplined members of the team and no one can tell them to shut up and just do their jobs, it equates to more playoff losses, when these kinds of things are really magnified.
Seeing LT on the sidelines last year was hilarious. I can't stand the guy and it showed me that he has no heart. I don't know how badly he was injured and I don't know what kind of off season surgery he had as a result. What I do know is that he was not there for his team while Rivers was. LT was standing the whole time and the look of disgust on a couple of his teammates faces when they realized that he was not going back in, was wonderful.
I have no respect for LT.
I can't wait for football to start up as I'm getting pissed off just thinking about LT.