In his 12 years as an NFL quarterback, Philip Rivers has amassed various opinions, both for and against, when it comes to a Hall of Fame career.
Having played his entire career with the San Diego Chargers, the Alabama native has garnered a reputation of fearlessness with his never-say-die attitude. With 21 fourth-quarter comeback wins under his belt and starting (and finishing) the 2007 AFC Championship Game with a torn ACL, Philip Rivers has earned the adjective gutsy in every sense of the term.
The debate still stands though, if Rivers were to retire today, should he be inducted into the Pro Football Hall of Fame?
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The Case Against
Via the Hall’s website, there are 25 modern-day quarterbacks that currently reside in Canto, Ohio.
Of these 25 quarterbacks, 13 have Super Bowl wins. Even without Super Bowl wins, 20 of these quarterbacks have some sort of championship under their belt (the Super Bowl had not formed while some of these quarterbacks played). Philip Rivers does not have a Super Bowl ring and has only gotten as far as the AFC title game (2007). His record in the playoffs is nothing to be proud of either, standing at four wins and five losses.
Taking Hall of Fame quarterbacks out of the equation and comparing Rivers to his modern-day counterparts (i.e. current NFL quarterbacks), Rivers does not stack up well in terms of postseason success. Six quarterbacks, not including Rivers, have legacies that more than likely point to the Hall of Fame: Tom Brady, Peyton Manning, Aaron Rodgers, Drew Brees, Eli Manning, and Ben Roethlisberger. All six of these quarterbacks have playoff records above .500 and more importantly, all six of these quarterbacks have Super Bowl victories. Rivers has a playoff record of .444 and has not even reached the Super Bowl.
The Case For
By statistics alone, Rivers is a sure-fire Hall of Famer. Of the 25 quarterbacks that currently sit in the Hall of Fame Rivers he has more pass completions than 20, a better completion percentage than all, more passing yards and more touchdown passes than 19 of those legends, and a better passer rating than all but one of the 25 quarterbacks.
However, the NFL is in the golden age of offense, more specifically, the golden age of passing. Consequently, going off of the six current quarterbacks from before, Rivers only has more completions than one other quarterback, a higher completion percentage than three, more yards than one, more touchdowns than two, and a better passer rating than two.
There are some confounding variables within these statistics given that Rivers did not start for the first two years of his career and has had to endure three different head coaches; out of the “elite” six quarterbacks, only Peyton Manning has played under more head coaches. Regardless of the other current quarterbacks, hypothetically, if Rivers were to continue to play at his average statistical output for the next three years that would put him at sixth-best all time in completions (4,500), yards thrown (53,879), and passing touchdowns (365). Leaving statistics alone, what Rivers brings to the team with his football IQ is remarkable.
As Ricky Henne of Chargers.com reports, Pittsburgh Steelers head coach Mike Tomlin thinks very highly of Rivers knowledge for the game. “The amount of autonomy that Philip has at the line of scrimmage is dangerous for defenses and something to be contended with. Rivers’ leadership to the team is unquestioned as well.
The Chargers’ backbone has been a captain for 10 straight years and he has started every game since Week 1 of 2006.
In Conclusion
Philip Rivers has all of the statistics in the world to back up his campaign to be voted into the Hall of Fame. In addition he is also an undoubted leader on his football team and is one of the smartest football players in the league. Yet in an age where analysts describe how great a quarterback is by the amount of playoff success that they have had, Rivers pales in comparison.
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Certainly I believe that Rivers still has quality years left in his career and can still make a push for the playoffs and Super Bowl success; but currently, with Rivers’ lack of a Super Bowl ring and playoff mediocrity, if he were to retire today, Philip Rivers would not be elected into the Hall of Fame.