As veteran quarterback Philip Rivers continues to adjust as the starter for the Indianapolis Colts, he seems to be finding plenty of familiarity in several aspects of the offense.
Having a history with Frank Reich and Nick Sirianni has helped the transition run smoothly and now, Rivers is seeing shades of one of his former running backs in rookie Jonathan Taylor.
“Jonathan (Taylor) reminds me a lot of Michael Turner, if you all remember Michael Turner from the old San Diego days and then obviously with the Falcons,” Rivers told reporters Wednesday. “Similar in size and people forget how fast Michael Turner was, but he could really run – same with Jonathan. They are similar in that regard. That’s who he reminds me of.”
Turner was a fifth-round pick with the San Diego Chargers in 2004, the same year Rivers entered the league. But because LaDainian Tomlinson had already established himself as the best running back in the league by that time, Turner held the backup role. In his four seasons with the Chargers, Turner saw just 228 carries.
It wasn’t until his arrival in Atlanta did Turner become a star. His first season with the Falcons was a memorable one. He earned an All-Pro nod after taking 376 carries for 1,699 yards and 17 touchdowns.
At 5-foot-10, 244 pounds, Turner was a bit heavier than Taylor (5’10, 226). But both players have been praised for their combination of size and speed.
Taylor will be joining a backfield that already includes Marlon Mack, who rushed for 1,091 yards and eight touchdowns in 2019. Though the work will be split, Rivers feels they will be a great complement to each other.
“Then Marlon (Mack) is off to already having a heck of a career, but Marlon has been awesome this camp. Gosh, he’s made so many plays both run game and pass game. He looks and seems to feel great,” Rivers said. “I think certainly in answering that question about those two guys, they will complement each other very well, but I think the one thing that stands out about both of them – as I’ve always had the best view in the house after I hand one off to them – is their vision. They both have really good vision. They are both patient and have really good vision. The combination of that with the guys we have up front, it can really make the run game awesome.”
How the workload will be split remains to be seen, but the backfield should have plenty of success in 2020 as a whole with Taylor potentially breaking out during the second half of the campaign.