The brilliance of Philip Rivers

[richpjr]

Nice read:

http://sports.yahoo.com/blogs/nfl-shutdown-corner/greg-cosell-s-film-review--the-brilliance-of-philip-rivers-223719797.html

[Viejo Bolt]

Rivers is awesome. He deserves to win a title.

[thelightningwill]

Nice read:

http://sports.yahoo.com/blogs/nfl-sh...223719797.html

I was okay with this article until dude used "athleticism." What the fuck! Stupid-ass word - made it so I can't take the rest of the commentary seriously. If Howard Cosell had read this, he'd have burned it.

Rivers is great anyway.

[Bolt-O]

"Athleticism is the quality of having the kind of strength and energy that makes a great athlete. It takes athleticism to run marathons, play pro football, or sprint down a cobblestone street in high heels without falling."

-Vocabulary.com

[thelightningwill]

"Athleticism is the quality of having the kind of strength and energy that makes a great athlete. It takes athleticism to run marathons, play pro football, or sprint down a cobblestone street in high heels without falling."

-Vocabulary.com

Athleticism is a word for the lazy or the weak minded.

An athlete can be good at swimming, running, throwing, hurdling, putting, or flinging a bowling ball while smoking and drinking.

So, if the writer says Philip Rivers lacks athleticism, he's wrong.

I assume the writer meant to say that Philip Rivers isn't agile, but the writer lacks skills in expression.

[Bolt-O]

To be honest, I don't disagree with you that Rivers is an athlete. He runs faster, throws farther and reacts faster, and is more coordinated than most human beings. In the small world of NFL QBs, he is in the lower half or quarter in speed, probably lower half in arm strength, and at the top in reaction, and small movement in the pocket. He still looks like a baby giraffe when loping down the field. Cosell is using the term in relative terms to the rest of the NFL QBs, which I think is fair. Those with better arms and speed are better athletes, but not necessarily better QBs. So if you are above the norm for QB's in the throwing and running, they get tagged as "athletic" QBs. Lazy usage, but still most people with high school educations can get it.

[thelightningwill]

To be honest, I don't disagree with you that Rivers is an athlete. He runs faster, throws farther and reacts faster, and is more coordinated than most human beings. In the small world of NFL QBs, he is in the lower half or quarter in speed, probably lower half in arm strength, and at the top in reaction, and small movement in the pocket. He still looks like a baby giraffe when loping down the field. Cosell is using the term in relative terms to the rest of the NFL QBs, which I think is fair. Those with better arms and speed are better athletes, but not necessarily better QBs. So if you are above the norm for QB's in the throwing and running, they get tagged as "athletic" QBs. Lazy usage, but still most people with high school educations can get it.

Rivers has weak arm strength? Dude uses about half a throwing motion and can still make a strong and accurate deep pass better than most NFL QBs. His release time is as quick as any.
Rivers is a bad runner. That's what that writer meant. I got that that was what he meant by "athleticism", but I don't think it had much to do with me making it through high school. It's because I've seen Rivers play, and, yes, he sucks at running.

Howard Cosell was a brilliant communicator. This other Cosell - at least based on that one word, which, to me, is like listening to Eli Manning scrape her clitoris over a chalkboard - shouldn't get paid to write.

[Stinky Wizzleteats+]

I the he gets paid to evaluate talented football players, and happens to write about them sometimes...

[homeless simpson]

I think athleticism, the way it's being misused when attributed to qbs, is like saying Lee Trevino isn't a professional athlete/player, because his sport doesn't involve running etc. or compared to other pro players in their same sport only use one part of their body ex. kickers punters etc.

so when a qb starts running, or a punter makes an open field tackle, you'll hear the word athleticism thrown around because the announcers are blown away that the qb did something other than throw the ball, or the kicker did something other than kick.

for just the nfl, it's also used for when a player plays a different or alternate position, like if a former qb gets converted into a TE or wr, or if a defensive player starts making plays on offense. (a multi sport athlete makes sense to have the word "athleticism" attributed to them.) And/or if a top cornerback can also show skills to be a top wr, then athleticism fits there (if it's a top cb turning into a mediocre wr, then no)

but yes, in the proper sense of the word, announcing a professional athlete has athleticism is wrong because without athleticism they wouldn't have even made it that far.

[oneinchpunch]

Rivers has weak arm strength? Dude uses about half a throwing motion and can still make a strong and accurate deep pass better than most NFL QBs. His release time is as quick as any.
Rivers is a bad runner. That's what that writer meant. I got that that was what he meant by "athleticism", but I don't think it had much to do with me making it through high school. It's because I've seen Rivers play, and, yes, he sucks at running.

Howard Cosell was a brilliant communicator. This other Cosell - at least based on that one word, which, to me, is like listening to Eli Manning scrape her clitoris over a chalkboard - shouldn't get paid to write.

Greg is Howard's nephew. He's a Senior Producer at NFL Films and created and Produces NFL Matchup which has been on for decades and is the best football show on TV. He spends a huge amount of time breaking down film.

[TTK]

Greg Cosell is a pretty damn good analyst IMO.

[Steve]

Athleticism is a word for the lazy or the weak minded.

An athlete can be good at swimming, running, throwing, hurdling, putting, or flinging a bowling ball while smoking and drinking.

So, if the writer says Philip Rivers lacks athleticism, he's wrong.

I assume the writer meant to say that Philip Rivers isn't agile, but the writer lacks skills in expression.

Athleticism describes how athletic a player is, which is NOT something that can be measured. Includes stuff like change of direct, balance, and total body strength. It has a real meaning. It's a word that is just difficult to define.

This is like the bullshit some snobs like to shovel about "not being a real word". That would imply that people who use the language don't get to continually make up new words.

What you should say is that you don't like it, which is fine, but it is a real word with a real meaning.