Kent Ninomiya - The Chargers say Philip Rivers injury is worse than they thought. They are now listing him as doubtful for Sunday's AFC Championship game with the Patriots for his injured knee. If he doesn't play, or can't play well, the team's fate will ride on the shoulders of seldom used Billy Volek. The back up was impressive last week as he held off the Colts and increased San Diego's lead at the end of the game. Volek has a history of stepping in and stepping up. Over the NFL's past 39 seasons, no quarterback has thrown for more yards in his first 10 starts than Billy Volek. Of course Volek has made only 10 starts in his eight seasons. In 2004 he started for the injured Steve McNair in Tennessee. Volek passed for 918 yards and eight touchdowns in two games. He's just the fourth quarterback in NFL history to pass for more than 400 yards in back-to-back games. Will Volek be able to step up again and lead the Chargers to the Superbowl? Can he rise to the occasion and out shine perhaps the greatest quarterback of all time? If history shows us anything it's that Billy Volek makes the most of his time in the spotlight. This will be the brightest light to ever shine upon him. Kent Ninomiya
