Philip Rivers

Philip Rivers (born December 8, 1981) is an American football quarterback for the San Diego Chargers of the National Football League (NFL). He was one half of the Manning-Rivers draft trade which sent him to San Diego and the 1st overall pick, Ole Miss quarterback Eli Manning, to the New York Giants. Rivers played college football at North Carolina State University. Rivers' career passer rating of 95.9 is third-best all-time among NFL quarterbacks with at least 1,500 passing attempts, behind Aaron Rodgers and Steve Young.

After starting Chargers quarterback Drew Brees went to the New Orleans Saints following the 2005 season, Rivers came off the bench to lead the Chargers to a 14-2 record in his first season as a starter. In 2007, he helped the Chargers win their first playoff game since 1994 after beating the Tennessee Titans in the wildcard round of the 2007 playoffs and eventually leading them to the AFC Championship game. He has a career total of 13 fourth quarter comebacks, his most recent being on September 11, 2011, when he led the Chargers to a 24-17 win over the Minnesota Vikings.

Early life
Rivers was born in Decatur, Alabama, where his father Steve was the head coach of Decatur High. Philip went to Decatur then moved to Athens. As part of a fifth-grade project, he had to make a poster about his dreams and aspirations. On the poster, he pasted his face over that of a Minnesota Vikings player who had appeared on a cover of Sports Illustrated. He has worn the number 17 since ninth grade; it is in honor of his father, who wore the same number in high school. After his dad, Steve, got the head coaching job, Philip played high school football at Athens High School in nearby Athens, Alabama.

College career
After high school, Rivers attended North Carolina State University in Raleigh, North Carolina, where he played for coach Chuck Amato. During his collegiate career, Rivers shattered almost every NC State and Atlantic Coast Conference passing record. His career culminated with an NCAA record 51st consecutive college start. The Wolfpack went to four consecutive bowl games under the leadership of Rivers, winning three of them, including a New Year's Day victory over Notre Dame in the 2003 Gator Bowl.

Rivers was named ACC Athlete of the Year in 2004 and was also named the game MVP of four bowl games, two Tangerine Bowls, a Gator Bowl and the 2004 Senior Bowl. Rivers was even named the "Offensive MVP" for NC State in a losing cause to Pittsburgh in 2001's Tangerine Bowl. He was considered a Heisman candidate by some journalists, but he was not invited to the Heisman Trophy presentation. Rivers finished his career with 13,484 passing yards, 4th all-time among Division 1-A quarterbacks (he was 2nd at the end of his collegiate career). He also threw 95 touchdown passes, which ties him for eighth all-time with Kliff Kingsbury and Brady Quinn. Rivers' number was retired before his final home game at North Carolina State.

2004 NFL Draft
Rivers was projected to be an early first-round pick in the 2004 NFL Draft. But despite Rivers' record of success in college and remarkable accuracy (72% completion percentage for his senior season), questions about his lack of arm strength and his unorthodox side-arm throwing motion were concerns for some NFL GMs. The pre-draft consensus was that Rivers could be selected by the Pittsburgh Steelers with the 11th pick. The Chargers coveted Eli Manning and wanted to select him with their first round pick, which was also the first overall pick of the draft. However, after Eli Manning indicated before the draft that he would not sign with the San Diego Chargers, the Chargers were forced to adjust their plans. Rivers was their first alternative to Manning because the Chargers head coach at the time, Marty Schottenheimer, had coached Rivers at the Senior Bowl and he liked what he saw from Rivers. The Chargers agreed to a trade on draft day with the New York Giants. Manning was selected by the San Diego Chargers then later in the draft traded for Rivers, selected with the fourth pick by the Giants. The Chargers also received draft picks from the Giants that were used to select future Pro Bowlers Shawne Merriman and Nate Kaeding.

Quarterback class of 2004
Rivers was one of four quarterbacks taken in the first round of the 2004 NFL Draft along with Ben Roethlisberger, Eli Manning, and J.P. Losman. Rivers, Roethlisberger, and Manning have been voted to the Pro Bowl since becoming starters, none have produced a season with a losing record (although each has had an 8-8 season), but Roethlisberger and Manning both have won two Super Bowls. They have been compared favorably to the Quarterback class of 1983, which included Hall of Fame quarterbacks John Elway (1st pick), Jim Kelly (14th), and Dan Marino (27th).

2004
In August 2004, Rivers signed a six-year, $40.5 million contract with the San Diego Chargers that included $14.5 million in signing bonuses. However, due to a protracted contract negotiation with the San Diego Chargers, Rivers only reported to the team during the last week of training camp. As a result, the Chargers gave incumbent quarterback Drew Brees the opportunity to retain his starting job at the beginning of the season. With almost no training camp time under his belt, Rivers was unable to wrestle the starting position from Drew Brees during the 2004 preseason. Rivers began the season as the Chargers' third QB option, behind Doug Flutie, but ahead of the #4 QB Cleo Lemon. Unfortunately for Rivers, Brees went on to have by far the best season of his career up to that point. By the end of the season, Drew Brees was named to the NFL Pro Bowl and won the NFL Comeback Player of the Year Award. Rivers received very limited playing time in the 2004 season, playing in only two games. He only threw passes in the second half of the last game of the 2004 season (a win over Kansas City), by which time the Chargers had already clinched a home playoff spot and the AFC West division title.

2005
Rivers was promoted to the #2 on the quarterback depth chart after the Chargers released Doug Flutie, who later signed with the New England Patriots.

Rivers was unable to beat out Drew Brees for the starting quarterback job in the Chargers' 2005 training camp and preseason. In the Chargers' final game of the 2005 season, at home in Qualcomm Stadium, Rivers entered the game after Brees dislocated his right shoulder late in the second quarter due to a hit from Denver Broncos safety John Lynch. Rivers completed 12 of 22 passing attempts for 115 yards with one interception and two fumbles. The Chargers lost to Denver, 20–7. However, Rivers led the Chargers on their only scoring drive that game, which culminated in a 4-yard TD run by RB LaDainian Tomlinson.

2006
After the 2005 season, Drew Brees was not re-signed (partly due to the injury suffered in the Denver game) by the Chargers, instead signing a large contract that included sizeable guaranteed money with the New Orleans Saints during the 2006 free agency period. Many doubted the Chargers' decision to change quarterbacks as they were a Super Bowl contender, believing that Rivers' inexperience would hinder them. Rivers was named the Chargers' starter going into training camp. Expectations were high for Rivers due to the large amount of talent on the San Diego Chargers' offense and the performance of his peers from the 2004 draft (Eli Manning and Ben Roethlisberger) as starters.

Football Outsiders projected that Rivers would become an NFL star before the 2006 season due to his spectacular completion percentage in college (72% as a senior). After just 5 NFL starts, Rivers was named the second best NFL quarterback under 25 years of age by Sports Illustrated and had numerous comparisons to Dan Marino for his quick release and pocket presence.

On September 11, 2006, Rivers made his NFL start against the Oakland Raiders. Rivers managed the game well despite only passing 11 times, but completed 8 passes, one for a touchdown, in a 27–0 rout of the Raiders. After his first game, Rivers led the NFL in QB rating with 133.9.

The fifth week of the season, the reigning Super Bowl-champion Pittsburgh Steelers came to town, and Bill Cowher's defensive game plan revolved around stopping LaDainian Tomlinson. This game marked a turning point for Rivers, who aided by head coach Marty Schottenheimer's opening of the playbook, led the team in a come-from-behind victory throwing 24-of-37 for 242 yards and two TDs, winning 23–13.

On November 12, 2006, Rivers had the best game of his short career and led the San Diego Chargers to an improbable comeback against the Cincinnati Bengals. Down 28–7 at halftime, Rivers led the Chargers on six drives culminating in touchdowns. After driving in for the Chargers first touchdown after halftime, Nick Hardwick, Rivers' center, reminisced about Rivers, mimicking his southern drawl, "He's yelling 'Y'all don't think we're out of this' to the Bengals. When he said that, I said, 'Shoot, I guess we ain't out of this. Right on.'" Rivers threw for 337 yards and three touchdown passes, while LaDainian Tomlinson scored three of their four rushing touchdowns. San Diego outscored Cincinnati 42–13 in the second half winning the game 49–41, matching the biggest comeback in 23 years for the Chargers.

Then following week against what was considered at the time to be a strong Denver Broncos defense, the Chargers became the first team in history to win back-to-back games after trailing by 17 or more points and also the first team to win four straight when allowing at least 27 points in each game. Rivers led several 4th quarter comebacks in 2006, and posted the league's highest 4th quarter quarterback rating. His performance over the season led to a selection to the 2007 Pro Bowl. After a 14–2 season the Chargers were set to play the New England Patriots in the divisional round of the playoffs. The Patriots won that game, and Schottenheimer lost his job. The Patriots went on to the AFC Championship where they lost to the Indianapolis Colts 38-34.

2007
Norv Turner took over as the head coach of the Chargers in 2007. After a 1–3 start, the Chargers found their groove, finishing 11–5 and winning the AFC West for the second straight year. The Chargers also won their first two playoff games since the 1994 season, beating the Tennessee Titans and the Indianapolis Colts before falling to the Patriots in the AFC Championship Game 21–12. In the 2007 AFC Championship Game, Rivers' was lauded by his teammates and the press for playing the entire game with a torn anterior cruciate ligament, which later required surgery and was ranked among the NFL Top 10 Gutsiest Performances. Chris Harry of the Orlando Sentinel said "I don't think anyone will ever accuse Philip Rivers of being soft." Kevin Acee of the San Diego Union-Tribune said, "To go out there and put his knee, and ultimately his career, on the line. It has to go down as one of the gutsiest performances."

2008
In 2008, Rivers led the NFL in multiple categories including touchdown passes (34), passer rating (105.5), and yards per pass attempt (8.4), and adjusted yards per attempt (8.8). On December 28, 2008, Rivers set the Chargers team record for touchdown passes in a season with 34, a record previously held by Dan Fouts, who had 33 in 1981. After a 4–8 start, Rivers threw 11 touchdown passes and only 1 interception to win the final four games of the season, winning the AFC West division against the Denver Broncos with the score 52–21 leading them to the playoff against the Colts. Despite having good stats in 2008 Rivers was only able to lead his team to an 8-8 record and they were able to win the division over Denver by a tie-breaker. On January 3, 2009, the San Diego Chargers defeated the Indianapolis Colts 23–17 to advance to the AFC Divisional Playoff. Rivers led the Chargers down the field down 3 points with under 2 minutes left. He set up Nate Kaeding for a game-tying field goal that would lead to overtime, where the Chargers would go on to win 23–17, thanks to a Darren Sproles touchdown. In the divisional round versus the Pittsburgh Steelers, Rivers played well throwing for over 300 yards and 3 touchdowns but was sacked 4 times and threw an interception. Despite his efforts, the team fell short and lost to the Steelers 35–24. They possessed the ball for only 17 seconds during the third quarter and had only 15 yards rushing.

2009
On August 24, Rivers signed a 6-year,a $92 million dollar contract extension with the Chargers, with approximately $38 million guaranteed. Rivers was voted into his second career Pro Bowl on December 29. He ended the season with a passer rating of 104.4, the third highest in the entire NFL, after passing for 4,254 yards, 28 TD's with only 9 interceptions. For the second consecutive year, he led the NFL in yards per attempt (8.8) and adjusted yards per attempt (9.1). He led the Chargers to the second seed in the AFC with a 13-3 record, tied for second best in the NFL. In the divisional round of the playoffs, Rivers was 27-40 for 298 yards while rushing and throwing for a touchdown and was intercepted twice. The Chargers lost 17-14 to the New York Jets, who moved on to play the Indianapolis Colts in the AFC Championship, which they lost 30-17.

2010
Rivers led the league in passing yards, throwing for a career high 4,710 yards - 10 yards more than second-place finisher, Peyton Manning. The Chargers started off the year slowly again at 3–5 and finished a disappointing 9-7 and their four-year reign as AFC West champions ended while they missed the playoffs. Rivers' top wide receiver, Vincent Jackson, did not make a catch until the Chargers' 13th game of this season after a suspension due to a contract dispute with the team. In week 3 against the Seattle Seahawks Rivers threw for 455 yards and 2 TD's in a losing effort 20-27. These 455 yards broke the San Diego Chargers single-game record for most passing yardage, previously held by Dan Fouts, who had 444 in 1982. Rivers went over 400 yards and threw 2 touchdowns, but lost to the Oakland Raiders in week 5. In Week 8, Rivers threw for 305 yards, with 2 touchdowns and 1 interception in a 33-25 win against the Tennessee Titans, extending his active player-leading streak to 21 games with a TD thrown and giving him the record for most passing yards (2,649) ever after 8 games, passing Dan Fouts' previous record (2,580). Rivers threw for 4 touchdowns, two to backup tight end Randy McMichael and the other two to rookie receiver Seyi Ajirotutu in a comeback 29-23 victory over the Houston Texans. The Chargers' top receivers Gates (torn plantar fascia), Vincent Jackson (suspended), Malcom Floyd (hamstring), and Legedu Naanee (hamstring) did not play in the game. Rivers lost his first ever game in December, a 13-28 loss at home against the Oakland Raiders. Rivers was invited to the 2011 Pro Bowl, his fourth invite overall, and started in place of an injured Tom Brady. It was the first time he played in a Pro Bowl, twice missing previous games due to injury and once for the birth of his child in the 2010 Pro Bowl. Rivers was named the quarterback in the 2010 NFL Alumni Player of the Year Awards over Brady, the unanimous selection for The Associated Press 2010 Most Valuable Player Award.

2011
Entering the 2011 season, Nick Canepa of the San Diego Union-Tribune called Rivers a "better quarterback" than Fouts, a first-ballot Hall of Fame quarterback. Canepa cited Rivers "[completing] passes to an astounding 17 different receivers" in 2010, amid the injuries to Chargers receivers, and his then 55–25 record as a starter compared to 86–84–1 for Fouts. He also noted, "Fouts made more mistakes than Rivers." Rivers had completed 63.7 percent of his 2,455 passes with 58 interceptions and a 97.2 passer rating, while Fouts was successful on 58.8 percent of his 5,604 attempts with 242 interceptions and an 80.2 rating. Rivers had never thrown more than two interceptions in a game, including seven playoff games.

Rivers and the Chargers started out the season with a 24-17 win over the Minnesota Vikings. Rivers had 335 passing yards and two touchdowns thrown to running back Mike Tolbert. He also had two interceptions. Rivers and the Chargers lost 35-21 in Foxboro to the New England Patriots in Week 2. Rivers threw for 378 passing yards and had two touchdown passes to Vincent Jackson but also threw two interceptions again. Rivers threw two more interceptions as the Chargers held off the winless Kansas City Chiefs in Week 3, 20-17. In Week 4, the Chargers beat the winless Miami Dolphins 26-16, and Rivers threw a 55-yard touchdown to Vincent Jackson. In Week 5, Rivers threw for 250 yards and a touchdown pass to Malcom Floyd. He added a rushing touchdown as well. Despite two turnovers by him, the Chargers held off the pesky Denver Broncos 29-24. Rivers struggled in Week 7 after the bye. Rex Ryan's New York Jets limited Rivers to 179 passing yards and 2 interceptions. He did throw a touchdown to Antonio Gates, his first of the year. . The Chargers lost a heartbreaker, 23-20 to the Chiefs in overtime on Halloween. Rivers put up 369 yards, but had 2 interceptions and a crushing fumble. Rivers' poor performance during the 2011 season has led to media speculation that he may be suffering from an undisclosed injury. His former teammate, LaDainian Tomlinson, speculated that Rivers might be distracted by the burden of being the Chargers' star player. Rivers had a whopping 385 yards passing and added 4 touchdowns, but threw 3 crushing interceptions against the defending champion Green Bay Packers. Rivers threw for 274 passing yards and an interception and a fumble in a 24-17 Week 10 against the Oakland Raiders. He did however, throw 2 touchdowns to rookie Vincent Brown. Rivers threw for 280 yards and 2 touchdowns in a 31-20 loss to the Chicago Bears. He added 2 more interceptions thrown. The touchdown passes went to Antonio Gates and Vincent Jackson. The Chargers lost a heartbreaker, 16-13 in overtime to Tim Tebow and the Denver Broncos. Rivers threw for 188 yards and a touchdown to Antonio Gates. The Chargers finally won a game in Week 13, dominating the Jacksonville Jaguars 38-14. Rivers finish with 294 passing yards and 3 touchdowns. Rivers and the Chargers dominated the Buffalo Bills in Week 14, winning 37-10. Philip threw for 240 yards and 3 touchdowns, 2 to Antonio Gates, and Patrick Crayton. Rivers and the Chargers dominated the Baltimore Ravens in Week 15. Philip had 270 yards and a touchdown to Malcom Floyd in a 34-14 stomping. Rivers and the Chargers struggled in Week 16. On Christmas Eve, the Chargers fell 38-10 in Detroit to the Lions. Rivers had 299 passing yards and a touchdown, but 2 interceptions. Rivers concluded the season by throwing for 310 passing yards and 3 touchdowns, to Floyd, Jackson, and to Gates. The Chargers knocked out the Oakland Raiders 38-26.

Former NFL records

 * NFL Record for most passing yards through first 8 games of a season - 2,649 yards (2010)

Chargers franchise records

 * Most passing touchdowns in a single season: 34 (2008)
 * Most regular season wins in a single season: 14 (2006)
 * Most pass completions in a single season: 366 (2011)

Awards and honors

 * 4× Pro Bowl (2006, 2009, 2010, 2011)
 * 2008 Pro Bowl Alternate (Declined because of injury)
 * 2010 NFL Alumni Players of the Year
 * 3× AFC Offensive Player of the Month (December - 2008 & 2009, October - 2010)

Personal life
Philip Rivers married his junior high school sweetheart, Tiffany, in 2001. They have four daughters and two sons, and reside in Santaluz, California. On January 31, 2010, Rivers' youngest daughter Sarah Catherine was born. He had been selected to the AFC Pro Bowl team the same year but did not make it to the game in South Florida due to her birth. In an interview with NFL Network on the June 10, 2011, Rivers stated the family was expecting their sixth child. On October 11, 2011, Rivers and his family welcomed their new son Peter into the world.

Rivers is an active Catholic and does a great deal of work in speaking with youth about spirituality. He states that, "I feel fortunate that I have the physical and mental tools to play the game .... In turn I would like to use the popularity I have and have been given for the glory of God, to share with young people about how to be a better person - how to do things the right way." Rivers encourages youth to look to spirituality to understand that sexual intimacy should be reserved for marriage.

Rivers is a good friend of Chicago White Sox' pitcher Jake Peavy, who is also from Alabama and played for the San Diego Padres from 2002 to 2009.

Rivers' younger brother, Stephen, committed to play college football Louisiana State University (LSU) after attending Austin High School and Athens High School.

On March 8, 2012, Rivers announced his support for Rick Santorum for the Republican presidential nomination, citing Santorum's support for traditional marriage and commitment to right-to-life advocacy.