Rivers also carefully planned 32 games of championship driving force and 28 fourth quarter comebacks. With the Chargers starting quarterback, that number is clearly the No. 1 in team history, all adding 123 wins.
“A lot of things I can say about Philip Rivers,” said Running Hall of Fame. chargers.com. “I think one thing I will always remember is that I never felt like he would lose at quarterback.
“The confidence he exudes really penetrates the entire team,” Tomlinson added. “Then, his ability to connect with everyone on the team regardless of your background or game. He is truly a great leader.”
However, of all the 300-yard game and memorable moments in the Rivers career, what he remembers the most is what he remembers the most—just the way he plays the game.
Because, Dadgummit, almost no one liked this game better than River, known for his sleeves and hearts, letting his opponent know what he thought.
“I looked at some of the edits and shook my head,” Rivers said. “Some are a little awkward, some places I go, 'dang, it's funny. I exploded.' But I know I'm exploded.
Rivers continued: “But it's just fun, again in the backyard. I won't say anything to my brother when we were a kid.”
Rivers added: “It never changed. It was in the backyard of Decatur, Alabama…and then happened to be in Qualcomm Stadium or Arrow Stadium or a mile high stadium. That kind of magnified.”
Hardwick and Spanos use the term “infectious” when describing how they feel around the river every day.
“It could be a practice in the week, it could be a representative against the Scouts team, and you might feel the importance of that game,” Spanos said. “If someone in the defense knocked it down, he would be angry. It would fire him.”
“A big part of what makes him so good is that he has that motivation, everything is important to him,” Spanos continued. “I remember he talked about a conversation once after practice, and he talked about the saying, 'Everything matters.' His point is that it's not just game day that has to matter, he embodies that.
Spanos added: “No doubt this has disappeared from his teammates, and it's an important part of what we're here to be so successful with him.”
“When someone works like this, it's hard not to buy it,” Hardwick explained. “After so many years he still finds so much joy in all the little things. This spirit – obviously he's very committed to winning and competing – but you can still keep it from perspective and remember where you are.”