Rivers runs hot, cold outside San Diego, too

By: JOHN MAFFEI - Staff Writer | Thursday, January 10, 2008 11:25 PM PST ∞

Philip Rivers seems to be the engine that drives sports-talk radio in San Diego.

Whether people in San Diego love him or hate him, they love to talk about the Chargers' quarterback.

Rivers is also the topic of conversation on the national level.

"Philip Rivers was living in a dream world last year," said CBS analyst Phil Simms, who worked the broadcast of last week's Titans-Chargers game. "First year as a starter, 14-2, that team, that talent.

"He got roughed up this year on the field, in the press. Maybe I'm a little old school, but sometimes that's the best thing that can happen to a quarterback.

"It just makes them a little more grisly, tougher.

"It just helps them compete better. He has fought through injuries and some unbelievably tough games. For as good as they are, he has taken his share of hits this year. He has come through it very, very well."

Dan Dierdorf will work the Chargers-Colts game at 10 a.m. Sunday on CBS with Greg Gumbel. Dierdorf, too, weighed in on Rivers.

"I would put the ball into Philip Rivers' hands right off the bat," Dierdorf said of Sunday's game. "I wouldn't wait for them to struggle running the ball before I started letting Rivers put the ball in the air.

"I'd throw on first down with regularity against the Colts. I would come right out and put it right into Rivers' hands in trying to get the Colts defense a little off balance."

The Chargers beat the Colts earlier this season in Qualcomm Stadium in a game many have called a fluke. Darren Sproles returned a kickoff and a punt for touchdowns, Colts quarterback Peyton Manning threw six interceptions and kicker Adam Vinatieri missed a pair of field goals, including a 29-yarder late in the fourth quarter that could have won the game.

"The Chargers certainly aren't going there overconfident just because they won earlier in the year and just because they won back there in '05," Dierdorf said. "It's not that the Chargers were a horrible football team early in the season.

"They were a very good football team that was struggling to find a way to win.

"I like where the Chargers are right now. I like the way they think about themselves. I like that they can find different ways to win.

"And they're playing solid defense. There's a lot to like about San Diego."

More Chargers

< Channel 8 will have a 60-minute "Chargers Playoff Prime-Time" special at 8 p.m. Saturday or immediately at the conclusion of the Jaguars-Patriots game. Kyle Kraska, John Howard and Larry Himmel host the show.

< Today at 11:30 a.m., the NFL Network has a replay of the Colts-Chargers game from Week 10 of this season.

< CBS' Sunday coverage starts at 9 a.m. with "The NFL Today." The show features James Brown, Dan Marino, Boomer Esiason, Shannon Sharpe, Bill Cowher, Charley Casserly, Lesley Visser and Sam Ryan.

< Last week's Titans-Chargers game was the highest-rated game of the four wild-card games, posting an 18.6 rating, peaking at 21.9, and a 32 share of the audience for CBS.

More NFL playoffs

< This weekend's divisional games kick off Saturday at 1:30 p.m. on Fox with Seattle at Green Bay. Kenny Albert, Daryl Johnston and Tony Siragusa are the announcers.

< Saturday's 5 p.m. game on CBS is Jacksonville at New England. Jim Nantz and Simms are the announcers.

< Sunday's 1:30 p.m. game is the New York Giants at Dallas on Fox. Joe Buck, Troy Aikman, Pam Oliver and Chris Myers have the game. Cowher will break down the Chargers-Colts game.

< Chiefs coach and former San Diego State defensive back Herman Edwards is scheduled to appear as a guest analyst on ESPN's "NFL Live" at 1 p.m. today and the Saturday morning "SportsCenter."

It ain't working

I'm not in favor of a college football playoff system, but it's obvious from this year's TV ratings that the public isn't buying into the Bowl Championship Series system.

Monday's BCS national championship game, matching LSU and Ohio State ---- played six days after the New Year's Day games and a day after the NFL playoffs ---- drew a 14.4 rating. That's down 17 percent from last year's Florida-Ohio State game and down 34 percent from the 2006 USC-Texas game. It was the lowest rating in 10 years of BCS championship games.

Of the four BCS games on Fox, only West Virginia-Oklahoma in the Fiesta Bowl posted a better rating than last season.

Overall, Fox's BCS games drew a 9.0 rating, down 13 percent from last year.

The Rose Bowl on ABC, matching USC and Illinois, saw its rating drop 20 percent.

Despite the decline in ratings, BCS games won time slots and days for Fox and ABC.

Still, it's obvious the system needs to be tweaked if not entirely revamped.

Does that mean a playoff, leading to a true national championship game? Maybe.

Tennis anyone?

The professional tennis season begins this weekend with 137 hours of coverage of the Australian Open on ESPN2.

Play begins at 4 p.m. Sunday and continues through the women's final on Jan 25 and the men's final on Jan. 27.

Most days, there will be same-day action at noon. Live matches air at 12:30 a.m. each day with coverage shifting to ESPN Classic and/or the Tennis Channel.

ESPN2's broadcast team includes Dick Enberg and Cliff Drysdale working the matches, and Bud Collins in the studio. The analysts include Darren Cahill, Mary Carillo, Mary Joe Fernandez and Patrick McEnroe.

Chris Fowler will work in the studio and call selected matches, while Luke Jensen and Pam Shriver will roam the courts as reporters.

Collins, Drysdale and Enberg have worked or played in approximately 275 Grand Slam events.

Last year's women's final ---- Serena Williams vs. Maria Sharapova ---- drew a 1.9 rating, ESPN2's best tennis rating ever.

ESPN Classic will rebroadcast great matches from past Australian Opens today, starting with the 1995 Andre Agassi-Pete Sampras match at 10 a.m., the 2000 Agassi-Sampras match at noon and the 2003 Venus Williams-Serena Williams match at 2 p.m.

Tee it up

< After this weekend's Sony Open in Hawaii, the PGA Tour moves to California for the five-round Bob Hope Chrysler Classic from the Palm Springs area. The tournament begins Wednesday on The Golf Channel. Comedian George Lopez serves as the event's host and will be featured in a special with Lee Trevino at 6 p.m. Tuesday on TGC.

< NBC has a 90-minute special ---- "On the Brink: PGA Tour Q-School Special" at 12:30 p.m. Sunday. Jimmy Roberts hosts the show that covers the emotions of the 1,100 players who are trying to earn a PGA Tour card.

Minor league hoops

NBA TV will carry 14 games from the 2008 D-League Showcase from Qwest Arena in Boise, Idaho. The D-League is the developmental league for the NBA, and this event is a gathering place for NBA general managers and player personnel directors.

Action starts Monday and runs through Thursday, with 10 of the games broadcast live.

Among the players on the NBA radar are Taurean Green (Idaho), JamesOn Curry (Iowa), D.J. Strawberry (Albuquerque), Yatu Tabuse (Anaheim) and Randy Livingston (Idaho).

If you want to quiz your friends, here are the names of the D-League teams: Bakersfield Jam, Utah Flash, Sioux Falls Skyforce, Anaheim Arsenal, Iowa Energy, Dakota Wizards, Fort Wayne Mad Ants, Los Angeles D-Fenders, Albuquerque Thunderbirds, Colorado 14ers, Rio Grande Valley Vipers, Idaho Stampede, Austin Toros and Tulsa 66ers.

I'm looking to get a Mad Ants T-shirt.

Around the dial

< ESPNU has a prep basketball double-header Saturday, featuring several players who have committed to major colleges. In the first game at 2 p.m., Delvon Rowe (Michigan State) and William Buford (Ohio State) will be on the floor. In the second game at 6 p.m., B.J. Mullens (Ohio State) and Yancey Gates (Cincinnati) will be playing.

< ESPN Classic has a Joe Frazier marathon, beginning at 10 a.m. Saturday. Nine of Frazier's noteworthy bouts will be featured, highlighted by Ali-Frazier III at 1:30 p.m.

< The Roger Clemens interview on CBS' "60 Minutes" Sunday got a 13.8 rating, a 75 percent improvement from the same time slot last season.

< If your flipping the dials looking for the college football all-star games that usually air this time of year, the Hula Bowl is at 3 p.m. Saturday on Versus. Good time slot, opposite the NFL playoff games.

< Olympic swimmer Amanda Beard, who recently appeared in Playboy, has begun doing segments on Fox Sports Net's "Best Damn Sports Show Period."

Staff writer John Maffei's TV/Radio Column appears every Friday. He can be reached at (760) 740-3547 or jmaffei@nctimes.com.