Is Philip Rivers a Hall of Fame Quarterback?
One of the most intriguing quarterbacks of all-time and certainly over the last 20 years is "Mr. Charger" himself. That's right, Philip Rivers. No. 17 had a pretty great career despite never winning a Super Bowl. The current head coach at St. Michael Catholic High School in Alabama played a full season (16 games) in the final 15 years of his 17-year career (ESPN Stats & Info).
Rivers' stability and consistency allowed him to have one of the best careers among AFC signal-callers this century. He should start preparing his note cards for his Hall of Fame speech that he will be giving in a few years. Here are three reasons why the former N.C. State star had a Hall of Fame career:
All-Time Ranks
If skeptics were to look at the numbers of Philip Rivers, they might be a little shocked at where he sits among the all-time greats. Rivers is sixth all-time in passing yards (63,440), sixth all-time in passing touchdowns (421), seventh all-time in passes completed (5,277), and ninth all-time in passer rating (min. 10 seasons played; 95.2). He is also tied for ninth all-time in fourth-quarter-comebacks (29).
If there was any thought that Rivers did not have all-time great numbers, that notion should be put to sleep. Very few quarterbacks have put together the career numbers that Rivers was able to.
Philip Rivers' Awards
Rivers is an eight-time Pro-Bowler, Comeback Player of the Year (2013), passing yard leader (2010), touchdown pass leader (2008), passer rating leader (2008), completion percentage leader (2013), and member of the San Diego Chargers 50th Anniversary Team. Philip Rivers can claim all of those titles. Not to mention the fact that he was a winner. The team around him was never good enough to help him win a Super Bowl. However, he only had four losing seasons in 17 years. That is remarkable.
The Chargers and Colts always had a chance with Philip Rivers under center. That much can be said.
Consistency
Year in and year out, Philip Rivers played his tail off. He has over 4,000 yards passing in 12 of his 17 career seasons. In every season except one, Rivers completed over 60% of his passes (Pro Football Reference). He also only had a passer rating of under 82.0 once in his career.
In Chargers history, Rivers holds franchise records upon franchise records. Those include games played (228), wins (123), completions (4,908), pass attempts (7,591), pass yards (59,271), seasons with 4,000+ pass yards (11), and many others. In most respects, he is the greatest player in franchise history. He is also one of the greatest quarterbacks of all-time. He always gave his team a chance when he was on the field. His numbers and awards speak for themselves.