Rivers-Whisenhunt reunion raises hopes
Chargers quarterback had banner year with offensive coordinator in 2013
The last time Philip Rivers and Ken Whisenhunt worked together was so uplifting.
Rivers, the San Diego Chargers quarterback, had arguably the best season of his stellar career. Whisenhunt did such a splendid job in calling the shots, it allowed him to bolt for a head coaching gig.
That was in 2013, which was also the last time the Chargers made the playoffs.
Now they are connected again, trying to recapture the rhythm.
The job Whisenhunt landed with the Tennessee Titans didn’t quite work out. He didn’t even complete two seasons before he was fired, despite the franchise’s investment in Marcus Mariota. Rivers, meanwhile, was pressed, battered and badgered as the walls collapsed around him.
Joining forces again seems like such a good idea.
“It’s weird,” Whisenhunt told USA TODAY Sports. “He’s gone through some things. Of course, I’ve gone through some things. But when we got back together talking football, there was a commonality that made it feel like yesterday.”
The system Whisenhunt installed remains, albeit with slight tweaks. There’s no new terminol- ogy to be absorbed. The biggest difference probably comes with some of the offensive line calls that came with O-line coach Jeff Davidson. Otherwise, with Rivers in the middle of it all as savvy triggerman, it is about as smooth a transition as you’ll see when a new (well, old) coordinator takes over.
“It’s like he never left,” Rivers told USA TODAY Sports.
As usual, Rivers is bullish about his team’s chances. In one sense, that’s going out on quite a limb. The Chargers were 4-12 last season, and with a subpar running game behind a spotty O-line, there’s so much pressure on Rivers to keep them competitive with his arm.
In assessing last season, he throws up a stat as if it were a rainbow heave to the end zone.
“We lost eight games by one score,” he said.
No doubt, too many close losses can drive you crazy.
“I truly believe we can flip the thing and go 12-4,” Rivers said “Or at least win the division. Will we? It’s Denver’s until it’s not. But I think we can do it.”
The reunion with Whisenhunt, who replaces Frank Reich as the offensive coordinator, is crucial to the optimism. His philosophy is built on creating advantages with matchups that flow from an array of personnel packages. For this to work again, they will need a running game that features second- year pro Melvin Gordon to come to life, while Rivers uses his freedom to effectively manage the game at the line of scrimmage.
“It’s easier when you have a quarterback like Philip who can understand and handle all of that,” Whisenhunt said.
Whisenhunt, whose career trek included taking the Arizona Cardinals to a Super Bowl as head coach and grooming Ben Roethlisberger as a Pittsburgh Steelers assistant, was only in San Diego for the one season after coming in with coach Mike McCoy. But during that time, the coordinator and quarterback clicked because they quickly developed the type of respect that is not always automatic.
Listen to one talk about the other.
Whisenhunt: “If he changes a play, it may not be exactly what we talked about, but I trust that he’s seeing it.”
Rivers: “He’s a great people manager, from his staff to the players. He commands the room and runs the deal.”
Rivers is heading into his 13th NFL season. It’s notable that, given such a lengthy body of work, he matched his career high with a 105.5 passer rating in 2013, when the Chargers (9-7) rallied down the stretch to win their final four regular-season games. They also won their playoff opener at the Cincinnati Bengals before bowing out with a divisional-round loss at the Denver Broncos.
That was also the season Riv- ers threw for 32 touchdown passes, the second most in his career, with 11 picks, his fewest in the last six years.
McCoy offers another memory. At his first news conference, he predicted Rivers would complete 70% of his passes while working with Whisenhunt.
“Everybody looked at me like I had two heads,” McCoy said.
Rivers went on to complete 69.5% of his throws, a career high.
The Chargers also led the NFL in third-down conversion rate in 2013, which reflected an ability to avoid three-and-outs, control possession time and keep turnovers to a minimum. Can they do all that again? The Chargers are surely banking on it.