A change at quarterback is underway for the Indianapolis Colts after signing Philip Rivers to a one-year, 25 million dollar deal to make him the starter going into the 2020 season.
With Rivers taking over, and Jacoby Brissett going back to the bench, there will be some subtle differences between Rivers and Brissett. Here’s what Colts fans should see from Rivers’ game that is different than Brissett’s game:
1. Quicker passing game
One big issue with Brissett’s play last year, especially at the end, was how long he held onto the ball. In Frank Reich’s scheme, the job of the quarterback is to get the ball out of his hands quickly and in rhythm, and Brissett did not do that for most of 2019.
In comes Rivers, who’s one of the best at getting the ball to his receivers as fast as he can. Last season, Rivers got the ball out of his hands at the fifth-highest rate in the NFL (2.63 seconds) while Brissett was 38th out of 40 qualifying quarterbacks (2.93 seconds). Players like T.Y. Hilton, Parris Campbell, and even Nyheim Hines will benefit from the quick passing game of Rivers.
2. Pre-snap ability
A lot of what a quarterback has to do on the field comes pre-snap. Setting the offensive line protection, getting the receivers on the right route, identifying the MIKE linebacker, find any free rushers, and getting the team into the right play. Reich raves about Rivers’ abilities pre-snap of knowing what the defense is doing, and finding the exploits to attack the defense.
Being in the NFL for 16 seasons is a benefit to Rivers because he has seen every defense an NFL team can throw at him, and while this isn’t a knock on Brissett because he did an okay job pre-snap, Reich just sees how good Rivers is pre-snap and couldn’t turn down that opportunity to coach him again in Indianapolis.
3. Takes more risks
The growing concern with Rivers coming to Indianapolis is the interception numbers (20) he had last season with the Chargers. But, looking back on those interceptions, 17 out of the 20 came from when the Chargers were either tied or trailing in the game. When the Chargers were leading, he only threw three interceptions. Of course, wins andlosses get directly put on the QB, undeservedly so, but in the Chargers’ five wins, Rivers had a 9:2 touchdown to interception ratio, and in losses, it was 14:18.
According to Next Gen Stats, Rivers has a significant difference with Brissett in average intended air yards (IAY) per pass. IAY tracks the average yard per pass on every attempt from a QB and last year Rivers was in the middle around 8.6 yards AIV, while Brissett was near the bottom at 7.9 IAY.