Jody Gomez – USA TODAY Sports
The San Diego Chargers chose Brad Sorensen in round seven of this year’s NFL Draft. According to Tom Krasovic of utsandiego.com, “The Chargers have the makings of a quarterback controversy behind Philip Rivers – - if one goes only by the statistics from the exhibition opener.”
Former Denver Broncos offensive coordinator and current Chargers head coach Mike McCoy said, “We’re giving everyone an opportunity to compete. Everyone’s going to get an opportunity, and we have a lot of time left to make all of those decisions.”
Sorensen completed seven of his 10 passes for 84 yards and one touchdown in Thursday’s loss against the Seattle Seahawks. Charlie Whitehurst completed seven of his 15 passes for 59 yards, zero touchdowns and two interceptions against his former team.
Whitehurst is listed as Rivers’ primary backup on San Diego’s depth chart, but McCoy’s comments make it sound as though nothing has been written in stone.
In Whitehurst’s NFL career, he has three touchdowns, four interceptions and a 1-3 record as a starter. Whitehurst had 49 touchdowns and 46 interceptions in college with the Clemson Tigers. Sorensen had 61 touchdowns and 27 interceptions in his collegiate career, but the level of competition may not have been as tough.
It is difficult to find a backup quarterback who is capable of starting and succeeding should an injury happen to the starter, especially with limited cap space. Rivers is a workhorse because he has started every game for San Diego from 2006 to 2012, so maybe the backup quarterback will see limited action again.
I have said that San Diego needs a better primary backup for Rivers because the team would be doomed if he gets injured and Whitehurst has to start. I am not sure if Sorensen is the answer either, but this appears to be a battle to see who will be Rivers’ primary backup this season.
