The NFL Spin Zone ‘Countdown to Kickoff’ series continues with 17 days until kickoff, profiling San Diego Chargers quarterback No. 17, Philip Rivers.
Today is August 22, 2016, which means there are exactly 17 days until the NFL season kicks off.
As we wait for the two teams to kickoff the NFL season, the team at NFL Spin Zone has decided to profile a player whose number is associated with the amount of days until that first kickoff.
With that in mind, there are 17 days until football, so I will profile San Diego Chargers quarterback, No. 17 Philip Rivers.
Related Story: 2016 QB Power Rankings: Where is Rivers?
When you look back on football, the name Philip Rivers will be one that is mentioned with some of the best quarterbacks to ever play the game.
Taken in the wild 2004 NFL Draft, Rivers was selected No. 4 overall by the New York Giants, but he would never play a snap in New York. Eli Manning was taken No. 1 overall in the draft by the Chargers, however, he did not want to play for San Diego. That led to the Chargers trading Manning to the Giants, with the Giants giving up Rivers, a 2004 third-round pick, and a 2005 first-round pick. It was one of the more interesting draft day situations, but it has seemed to work out for both sides.
Manning has won two Super Bowls for the Giants, while Rivers has played exceptionally well over his career for the Chargers. The Chargers also used the 2005 first-round pick to select Shawne Merriman. Merriman was hindered by injuries, but he did have 39.5 sacks in his first three seasons, with 17 of them coming in 2006.
With a 92-68 career record, Rivers will most likely win his 100th football came in 2016. Along with winning his 100th game, Rivers will cement himself as one of the best quarterbacks to play the game. As we sit here today, the former North Carolina State quarterback is 14th in his career for completed passes (3,462), 14th for career passing yards (41,447), 11th for career passing touchdowns (281), eighth for career passer rating (95.5), tenth for career passing yards per game (252.7), and seventh for completion percentage (64.8).
Along with the impressive numbers, Rivers has been to five Pro Bowls (2006, 2009, 2010, 2011 and 2013) while also winning Comeback Player of the Year in 2013.
For only the second time in his entire career, Rivers had a losing record in his 2015 campaign, going 4-12. The Chargers as a whole struggled, mainly because of injuries throughout the offense and a poor defense. Even with the injuries on offense, Rivers threw for a career-high 4,792 yards. He also threw a career-high 661 times, which put him at sixth all-time for attempts in a season.
Rivers is a fierce competitor and his passion shows on the field. As we head into the 2016 season, he will have his top pass-catcher, Keenan Allen, back in action. When healthy, Allen has been a huge target for Rivers, receiving 315 targets in only 37 games. Allen also has caught 16 touchdowns from Rivers for 2,554 yards.
The Countdown Continues: No. 18 A.J. Green
The Chargers may not be a Super Bowl contender in 2016. However, with Rivers, they are always a team to watch out for because of his elite ability. Who knows how many more years he will put the pads on, but we do know that he will continue to shine in the NFL when he does.
There are 17 days until the NFL season kicks off. That means we are closer to watching No. 17 show why he is one of the best quarterbacks in the NFL.