🏈 Phillip Rivers

crimson22

Member
I didn't know that Phillip Rivers was from Alabama. Why did he choose NC State? Did we try and recruit him? What was he ranked coming out of High School?

I understand that we had Brodie at that time and we were on probation. Any info?

Thanks
 
He's a lot like Pat White in a sense. A QB offered primarily as a defensive back from SEC schools.

In a bit of an unrelated note, our recruiting coordinator now, Cignetti, had a hand in snatching him out of AL.
 
uagrad93 said:
Our coaches were recruiting him as a SS or TE type. They didn't think he could play QB because of his release. He prepped at Athens High School.

What is funny about that is that Watts was our QB signed...and his release was his biggest problem.
 
Big_Fan said:
uagrad93 said:
Our coaches were recruiting him as a SS or TE type. They didn't think he could play QB because of his release. He prepped at Athens High School.

What is funny about that is that Watts was our QB signed...and his release was his biggest problem.

Tyler as it turned out had arm strength issues as well. Having receivers like Bill Flowers and Lane Bearden helped conceal this. If he were coming along now, Tyler would be a prototype spread qb for a West Virginia style spread.
 
psychojoe said:
Big_Fan said:
uagrad93 said:
Our coaches were recruiting him as a SS or TE type. They didn't think he could play QB because of his release. He prepped at Athens High School.

What is funny about that is that Watts was our QB signed...and his release was his biggest problem.

Tyler as it turned out had arm strength issues as well. Having receivers like Bill Flowers and Lane Bearden helped conceal this. If he were coming along now, Tyler would be a prototype spread qb for a West Virginia style spread.

If I remember correctly, Tyler was one of the top ranked QB's in the country by most services. He fit the Franchione offense quite well. The South Carolina game in 2001 was a loss, but Tyler's performance still sticks out in my mind as one of the gutsiest I have ever seen.
 
crimson22 said:
I didn't know that Phillip Rivers was from Alabama. Why did he choose NC State? Did we try and recruit him? What was he ranked coming out of High School?

I understand that we had Brodie at that time and we were on probation. Any info?

Thanks
I had the same questions in my mind this weekend. One thing about him I always liked is his moxie (Sp?), now I know where it came from. Sweet Home Alabama!
 
Big_Fan said:
psychojoe said:
Big_Fan said:
uagrad93 said:
Our coaches were recruiting him as a SS or TE type. They didn't think he could play QB because of his release. He prepped at Athens High School.

What is funny about that is that Watts was our QB signed...and his release was his biggest problem.

Tyler as it turned out had arm strength issues as well. Having receivers like Bill Flowers and Lane Bearden helped conceal this. If he were coming along now, Tyler would be a prototype spread qb for a West Virginia style spread.


If I remember correctly, Tyler was one of the top ranked QB's in the country by most services. He fit the Franchione offense quite well. The South Carolina game in 2001 was a loss, but Tyler's performance still sticks out in my mind as one of the gutsiest I have ever seen.

I agree that he was a very gritty guy. I saw him play in high school (I live in his home town). He had pretty good receivers there (Bearden and Flowers) but not a lot as far as a running game. He was the short yardage guy, and his scrambles on passing plays let him have very respectable rushing totals. Pelham ran a no huddle type spread a lot of the time and because of this his stats were gaudy in high school. He was quite good on the short throws in high school, and high school DBs usually weren't good enough to exploit the average arm strength. You are right that he was a good fit in Franchione's system, where a run first qb was an asset. He ran more like a power running back in space than a qb, taking on tacklers instead of sliding or stepping out of bounds. His ineffectiveness on the deep passes was not usually a factor in that system.

He and Lane Bearden were classmates, and they definitely were two of the toughest individuals I've seen on one high school team.
 
psychojoe said:
I agree that he was a very gritty guy. I saw him play in high school (I live in his home town). He had pretty good receivers there (Bearden and Flowers) but not a lot as far as a running game. He was the short yardage guy, and his scrambles on passing plays let him have very respectable rushing totals. Pelham ran a no huddle type spread a lot of the time and because of this his stats were gaudy in high school. He was quite good on the short throws in high school, and high school DBs usually weren't good enough to exploit the average arm strength. You are right that he was a good fit in Franchione's system, where a run first qb was an asset. He ran more like a power running back in space than a qb, taking on tacklers instead of sliding or stepping out of bounds. His ineffectiveness on the deep passes was not usually a factor in that system.

He and Lane Bearden were classmates, and they definitely were two of the toughest individuals I've seen on one high school team.

I didn't realize we lived inside of a 30 mile radius of each other :shock:

Glad to see I'm not alone in North AL :D
 
Don't watch much pro ball do you? :D

Came out of Athens High School. Auburn and Alabama were both offering him as a DB. He said screw you guys, I'm a beast at QB (he has a lot of confidence). Went to NC State, tore it up, and now he is tearing it up in the pros.
 
Big_Fan said:
psychojoe said:
Big_Fan said:
uagrad93 said:
Our coaches were recruiting him as a SS or TE type. They didn't think he could play QB because of his release. He prepped at Athens High School.

What is funny about that is that Watts was our QB signed...and his release was his biggest problem.

Tyler as it turned out had arm strength issues as well. Having receivers like Bill Flowers and Lane Bearden helped conceal this. If he were coming along now, Tyler would be a prototype spread qb for a West Virginia style spread.

If I remember correctly, Tyler was one of the top ranked QB's in the country by most services. He fit the Franchione offense quite well. The South Carolina game in 2001 was a loss, but Tyler's performance still sticks out in my mind as one of the gutsiest I have ever seen.

No doubt about it, his South Carolina performance was an all-time Bama effort. Watts' 20 for 25 passing performance against SC is a Bama record for completion pct. for 20 or more completions, and the 162 yard rushing trails only Gilmer (216 yards vs. KY '45) and Shealy (192 vs. MSU in '79) for the best rushing game by a QB.

That 162 yards rushing was followed by two more 100 yard games against UTEP and Ole Miss. I believe the three consecutive 100 yard games (which I believe were his only three) is a record for Bama QBs and tied Trammell for total games by a QB over 100 yards.

RTR,

Tim
 
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