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I think Philip Rivers is the most underrated quarterback in the NFL. Oddly, for one of the very best QB's in the NFL, people don't know a lot about him.
We know everything about the legend of Tom Brady from his Super Bowl wins to his wife. We know about his body as if it were our own, getting weekly reports on his knee, his finger and ribs.
We know everything there is to know about Peyton Manning (and his entire family). It seems that if Peyton Manning in our living room on our TV throwing a TD pass, he's on our TV in a Sony commercial.
We know about Drew Brees, his bionic shoulder and his birthmark.
We know about Ben Roethlisberger, his success, his motorcycle, his long name and his ability to create magic when a play breaks down.
We know about Kurt Warner, his religion, his wife, his accuracy. And in big games there is no one better. I haven't calculated, it but before the last drive where Neil Rackers missed the field goal tonight (choke) he was second to only John Unitas in playoff QB rating closing in on 105. With his efficiency on that last drive he may have even passed him.
We know about Brett Favre... We know way too much about Brett Favre. At this point he's like a stalker that won't go away.
But what do we know about Philip Rivers?
Rivers played his college football for the NC State Wolfpack and 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. His career YPA (yards per attempt) average (9.55) is still the best in college football history.
Rivers was projected to be an early first-round pick in the 2004 NFL Draft. He was viewed by many prognosticators as the best quarterback in a draft that included Eli Manning and Ben Roethlisberger. 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, who possessed the fourth pick of the draft. Manning was selected by the San Diego Chargers then later in the draft traded to the New York Giants for Rivers and the rights to draft picks used to select future Pro Bowlers Shawne Merriman and Nate Kaeding.
Rivers is in his fourth year as a starter and has career quarterback rating - at 95.8 - second-best all time, one point behind Steve Young (96.8) among NFL quarterbacks with at least 1,500 pass attempts. Among active QBs - Rivers' regular season starting quarterback winning percentage (.719) ranks second-best behind Tom Brady (.764)
People often characterize Rivers as overly animated and conceited, but I characterize him as a gamer.
 When he came out of college skeptics said that "he threw like Bernie Kosar" and that would never work in the NFL. To that I always said, "What's wrong with being like Bernie? Like Joe Namath, Bernie Kosar was 1 game under .500 for his career and would have been far above that had his surrounding cast been better. You could definitely win with Bernie Kosar.
Although he's compared to Kosar because of his ¾ delivery he has a rocket launcher for an arm, something that distinguishes him from not only Kosar, but most NFL QB's. His release is quick like Dan Marino and his accuracy is deadly like Joe Montana.
The San Diego Chargers come into the playoffs on an eleven game winning streak, the longest in the NFL and have both the talent and depth to win this year's Super Bowl. Their back-ups would be starters for many teams as evident by their 4th comeback last week against the Redskins will all their big stars on both sides of the ball sitting on the bench.
Most NFL personnel will tell you that they think the Chargers have the best team and the best chance to win it all. I happen to agree.
The Chargers will face the NY Jets on Sunday who are riding one of those magical waves, not unlike the one the NY Giants rode just two years ago. The Jets lead the NFL in both rushing yards per game and points given up per game. Mark Sanchez has seemed to mature right before our very eyes as we have watch him go from a player that you could have accused of throwing games with (a league leading 30 turnovers) to only turning the ball over one time in his last five games.
Many people don't take the Jets seriously because of their record, but when you put the league's best defense together with the league's best rushing offense and don't turn the ball over you have a recipe for success. I know Rex Ryan has been blowing smoke out of his ass for the past few weeks saying that no one wants to play them, but the fact is that he's right. There isn't anyone realistically giving the Jets a chance in this game but I'm not so sure. I actually think that it is the winner of this game (either one) that will be the AFC Super Bowl representative.
Philip Rivers may not be viewed as one of the very best quarterbacks in the game today but that can all change in a few weeks. This week Rivers has a chance to prove his worth against the best defense he's faced all year. If the Chargers get past the Jets on Sunday I believe that when people wake up on February 8, the morning after the Super Bowl, they will have changed their mind. - Adam Foster
Adam is a freelance sports writer contributing to various online and print publications for over 12 years.
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