I think — no, I know — the two most impressive people I watched Sunday were Philip Rivers, in a win, and Drew Brees, in a loss.
I remember talking to Phil Simms before the ’04 draft, when I’d come back from doing a story in Raleigh on the North Carolina State quarterback, Rivers, who was thought to be an early- to mid-field-round draft pick. Simms was a little down on Rivers because he didn’t like his arm very much. I was high on Rivers because of a few things — his presence, his ability as a true freshman to come in on opening day and command his team with confidence, his production at a mediocre Division I school for four years, and his optimistic love of the game.
What a tremendous 24 minutes he played Sunday — six straight touchdown drives between the middle of the second quarter and early in the fourth.
