Clipboard Kings: Assessing The San Diego Chargers QB Depth
By Dan Viens
PART 18 IN A SERIES:
We hear it every year at this time, the backup quarterback is one of the most important positions on the roster. Whether it is or not is a debate for another time, but it’s under the microscope now more than ever as teams try to justify how many resources, or in some cases how few, they’ve committed to the position….and you hear reports of young QB’s who are just “killing it” in their mini-camps.
The position can either be rendered completely irrelevant: Jim Sorgi never getting his uniform dirty in meaningful situations backing up Peyton Manning from 2004 – 2010. Or franchise altering: The Colts never addressing the position appropriately, team goes 2-14 without Manning in 2011, total housecleaning, first pick, Manning moves on, Andrew Luck now in place.
I thought it would be interesting to take a look at every team’s backup situation. These aren’t grades, just an overall look at the total sum of each team’s outlook if their starter were to go down. I’ll consider the immediate situation and the longer-term picture.
I’ll go in order of my NFL Power Rankings 1.0, published May 10th.
Today, the San Diego Chargers:
STARTER: Philip Rivers (9th year)
PROJECTED BACKUP: Charlie Whitehurst (7th year)
Seems like the perfect understudy doesn’t he? I mean, after all….. his nickname is “Clipboard Jesus.”
Think again.
Whitehurst has always teased with his potential, but never delivered on it. Mired as the Chargers 3rd QB for his first 5 years in the league, he got his chance to earn a starting job when he was traded to Seattle in 2010. Forget about the ridiculous flowing locks cascading out of the back of his helmet, Whitehurst always looks the part of NFL QB. 6’5″ but uber-athletic, strong arm, extremely quick release……. but horrible accuracy. Furthermore, listen to him talk and he comes across as a guy who’s content being a backup. That’s OK for someone who’s 35 at the end of their career. But with Whitehurst, he’s ALWAYS appeared that way.
The Chargers snapped him up again this offseason when he hit free agency, released long-time veteran backup Billy Volek, and anointed Whitehurst the backup without anyone to challenge him. If Rivers gets hurt, they’ll regret that.
Verdict: Bad Bet By A Contender
PROJECTED 3RD QB: Jarrett Lee (Rookie)
Lee is a project, but as far as developmental QB’s go he could be worth a look. Most will remember Lee best as the guy who sat on the sidelines and watched Jordan Jefferson stink up the BCS Championship Game in LSU’s loss to Alabama in January. Tigers coach Les Miles took a huge dose of criticism for not giving Lee a chance in that game. He started 9 games for LSU last year and ran up an impressive 152.0 passer rating while throwing for 14 TD’s to only 3 INT’s. He played in a couple lower-level All-Star games after that and looked good. He was a 4-star recruit coming out of HS and possesses an intriguing skillset. With Norv Turner’s tutoring, Lee has a chance to follow the career path of another former LSU QB; Matt Flynn.
Verdict: Intriguing Long-Term Project
OTHER CONTENDERS: None
My Take: This could wind up being a disaster for the Chargers should Rivers suffer a significant injury. When you’re a team that holds realistic aspirations of contending for division titles, you better have a reliable backup plan. Whitehurst is not the guy you want to hand over your team to for any length of time in the middle of a playoff chase.
Complicating matters further is that Whitehurst injured his knee this week in camp, and while it doesn’t appear to be serious the Chargers are already calling around looking for another veteran to bring in. Reports have them considering bringing back Volek. Kyle Boller and J.P. Losman are other possibilities. Volek would make the most sense for obvious reasons, and even at the age of 36 he would be an upgrade over a healthy Whitehurst. No way the Chargers can rely on Lee as the primary backup yet. This is a classic case of a G.M. (A.J. Smith) taking his starter for granted and not taking the QB depth chart seriously. If Whitehurst is indeed the second guy in line, San Diego fans better look to the skies and start praying that Clipboard Jesus never has to do more than live up to his nickname.
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