Oh, Holy Night ... Oh, Holy Cow

Tuesday, Dec 26, 2006
By Josh Lewin, Chargers.com

Fact: Back in preseason, Philip Rivers fumbled his first two snaps against Seattle and spotted the Seahawks a 14-0 lead.

Fact: Philip Rivers misfired on his first nine passes against Seattle on Sunday.

Fact: No one cares and no one will remember.  That’s because in both of those games, the Chargers rallied for a 4th quarter comeback victory.

At halftime, the Chargers’ leading receiver was backup safety Clinton Hart.  He intercepted a pair of Matt Hasselbeck passes, while Vincent Jackson had the offense’s only reception – thankfully, a nine-yard touchdown on a crossing route.  The Chargers got great pressure on Hasselbeck, sacking him six times.  Merri’ Christmas, as in Shawne Merriman.  If number 56 is Santa Claus, he’s toting not one sack, but 15 1/2 of ‘em.)

Merriman was ferocious. Jamal Williams was a beast.  Quentin Jammer continued to prove he’s among the hardest-hitting cornerbacks in football, but let’s face it – the day belonged to Rivers.  On the TV broadcast of the game, and nationally on every talk show except maybe “The View,” the pundits were lining up and saying what Randy Cross articulated for America – “should this guy really be in the Pro Bowl over Tom Brady?”

Rivers’ fourth quarter performance was actually quite Brady-esque.  No doubt, Brady is Pro Bowl caliber because it’s never about the numbers.  It’s about what it says on the scoreboard at the end of the game.  Aikman was like that.  Kosar.  Numbers be damned. The only thing that matters are letters – L or W.  So far, Rivers has 13 of the latter and just two of the former.  He spotted Jackson in the end zone with the game on the line, and got it to him right on the word “Seahawks” stenciled on the turf.  And guess which letter Jackson was standing on when he caught it?  Right.  The “W.”  Could it have happened any other way?  After all, it was Christmas Eve…no “L.”

The thing about Rivers that continues to amaze is his propensity for making plays when you absolutely need him to, and doing it with the casual confidence that underscores his spirit.  Shoot, he was doing it in short sleeves, on a flat-out nasty wind-whipped day.  Most quarterbacks would bundle up – Rivers was, yes… sleeveless in Seattle.  (Sorry.)

There he was when you needed him most.  A modern-day Gene Kelley, dancing his way out of trouble… slingin’ in the rain.  (What does all that rain do, anyway?  Right.  Fill-up rivers.  Thank you.  And again – sorry.)  After a day of frustration, the Gosh N’ Golly Kid rallied the troops, and insisted after the game he never needed to say anything special to do it.  “This is not to sound cocky,” he assured reporters after the game.  “We all just honestly felt that with 2:00 left and the ball in our hands, we were going to win that game. It just didn’t dawn on us that the outcome would be any different.”

On the plane ride home, the quarterback and the coach were among those assembled for a while back by the plates of shrimp cocktail, and you could tell they enjoyed rehashing those final minutes.

“Boy, that ‘one play at a time’ thing really works,” the quarterback gushed to his head coach, and both men laughed at the cornpone that hung in the air, but both men knew it to be true.

Marty preaches “one play at a time” every Sunday, and Philip – the church-going Southerner who has heard his share of preaching on Sundays – has bought into it completely.  At the time of the deciding play, Rivers had been 9-for-29.  But purging that from his mind – with that ridiculously loud crowd screaming, and the rain sloshing off his helmet – Rivers simply stepped up, noticed safety Michael Boulware cheating in to contain Antonio Gates, and heaved his most beautiful pass in three weeks into the waiting arms of his new-favorite target.  Jackson – who had dropped a ball at the 15 just minutes before – cradled the spiral like it was a baby dropped from a balcony.  Touchdown, San Diego.  Hello, 13-2.

Now, about that 13-and-2.  That’s already the most wins by a Charger team in one season, and a win on Sunday would make it a 10-game win streak to end the regular season. But here’s the cautionary note – the ’92 Chargers closed in a similar fashion – they won 12 of their last 13 including eight straight, but then got wiped out in the divisional round of the playoffs, 31-0 in Miami.  Point is, it can all get taken away from you so fast.  One misstep and you’ve put your hand through the rare Picasso you just bought.

The thing that keeps it real, and keeps those thoughts out of your head, is that thing that the 199-win coach keeps saying again and again: “just take it one play at a time.”  That philosophy has led directly to this 2006 mojo, where the Chargers can tell the blackjack dealer “hit me” on 20 and just know that they’ll be dealt an ace.

The Chargers have earned the right to rest during that first January weekend.  Rivers can hang out and watch Seinfeld instead of game tape, which he has also earned the right to do.  Personally, I hope he watches the one Christmas episode they came up with in all those years of random hilarity – the one that introduces the now-famous “Festivus for the Rest-of-us,” the holiday invented by George’s dad. (You know.. .because he finds tinsel distracting.)

Rivers assuredly would identify with the “airing of the grievances.”  20-17 at the final gun on Sunday.  13-2 is the Chargers’ record, and keeping with the Holiday theme, It’s a Wonderful Life, indeed.  That’s thanks in part to the QB and what he got done in a hostile environment.  Another Festivus miracle.

To e-mail Josh Lewin joshrock105@gmail.com.

Josh Lewin is the Chargers’ radio-play-by-play voice on flagship station Rock 105.3.  His views do not necessarily reflect those of the Chargers’ organization.