Philip Rivers

The Chargers are gambling on yet another rookie quarterback this year. After being dissed by first-round draft pick Eli Manning—who publicly announced he’d refuse to wear the Bolt uniform—the Chargers pulled off a magnificent trade that put North Carolina State football hero Philip Rivers in their camp. Rivers, an Alabama country boy who may be the antithesis of the Chargers’ flawed 1998 draft pick Ryan Leaf, broke a string of passing records and started an NCAA-record 51 games at N.C. State. In the process, he earned a reputation for enthusiasm, teamwork and modesty. Rivers, his wife, Tiffany, and daughter, Halle, are happily acclimating to the West Coast.

Tom Blair: Welcome to San Diego. Have you begun the house-hunt? Are you surviving sticker shock?

Philip Rivers: We’re just renting an apartment right now, trying to get our feet wet in the area, to learn our way around. It’s a nice place, but obviously, as you mention, everything’s a little more expensive here, from gas prices to housing.

TB: Fortunately you have a nice paycheck.

PR: Yeah, I do have that.

TB: San Diego Chargers fans, who’ve been suffering from chronic depression for many years, were practically giddy about the draft moves that brought you to San Diego. Do you feel a responsibility to turn this club around? To perform any feats of magic here?

PR: No. It’s a responsibility, certainly. But I like to ask a lot of myself—and ask it of all the rookies that are here, and of the team that’s already been established. And I think that starts right now. Off-season workouts, and practices, and pre-season. That’s what’s gonna win games in the season. I know there’s been a lot of turnover here this past year, but it seems like the group that’s here is pretty close, and they seem pretty excited about the upcoming year.

TB: And you sound pretty energized.

PR: That’s the way I approach it. I just love playing football. And then to be playing in the NFL and with the Chargers makes you that much more excited. I approach every day with a lot of faith. It’s certainly different, ’cause I went from a place at N.C. State where I was as comfortable as I could possibly be—with the offense, with the people and the system. So I’m starting over again.

TB: What did you think of Eli Manning’s announcement that he would refuse to play for the Chargers if they drafted him?

PR: A little shocking. I don’t know him very well, but from my point of view, to have the opportunity to play in the National Football League, and be the number one pick in the NFL draft, it’s hard for me to find anything there to complain about. For me, if you’re a competitor, you’ve gotta look forward to the challenges that come with a team that’s maybe not where they want to be.

TB: So will you start at quarterback on September 12?

PR: That’s the only way to approach it—that you’re gonna have to take the first snap the first game. You’re gonna be as prepared as possible, physically and mentally, to accept that challenge. But if you’re not called on for the first snap—you gotta feel you’re one or two snaps away from being a starter, ’cause you never know what’s gonna happen in this league with injuries.

TB: Can or should rookie quarterbacks come into the NFL and expect to be successful from the start?

PR: It’s definitely possible. But I also think you’re gonna have some bumps in the road. And I think what makes a quarterback throughout the season is how you respond. Does one bump in week two or three affect games four and five? And does it get worse and worse, or do you correct it and turn it into a positive?

TB: Is it true you’ve never even attended an NFL game?

PR: I’ve never been to an NFL game. This is gonna be my first one.

TB: And you might be playing.

PR: That’s pretty exciting. Growing up in Alabama, there wasn’t an NFL team close, because the Tennessee Titans weren’t there until I’d gone away to college. And then I got a little busy. And after I got that far, I said, hey, I’ll just let the first game I play in the NFL be my first NFL game.

TB: Both quarterbacks Doug Flutie and Drew Brees, in frustration, have spoken out about some of the problems on offense. Brees once called himself a “fall guy” for the team’s dismal performance. How can you succeed with many of those problems still unsolved?

PR: The word “problem” can be overused. Best way I can answer that is that’s what you have to do in the summer—do all you can do to correct those mistakes. Everybody on this team can play, obviously, or they wouldn’t be here at all. So everybody has the ability to get the job done. It comes down to who’s gonna do the little things right. Who’s gonna read what they need to read and run the right route. Who’s gonna pick up a blitz. That’s the difference between a team being 7-9 and just missing the layoffs or being 10 and 6 and making the playoffs. From the best team in the league to the worst team, there’s not a lot of difference. The margin is not as wide as people think.

TB: San Diego’s had more than its share of “problem players” in recent years. The name Ryan Leaf comes to mind. You have a reputation for being an all-American boy. Almost too good to be true. Are you?

PR: Oh, I don’t think so. You know, off the field I always try to do the right thing. On the field I do the same. You’re never gonna perfect the game. Ever. But you can keep trying to get better every year. And if you lose that fire, you shouldn’t be playing the game. I don’t see me ever getting tired of it.

TB: Is it true you don’t curse, you don’t drink alcohol and almost never eat sweets?

PR: You got it. I do get a sweet tooth now and then.

TB: So have you tried a fish taco yet?

PR: That’s something I’ve never had an opportunity to do. So it’ll take a bit of time, maybe, for me to make that leap.

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