Good vibes flowing for Rivers

By: MIKE SULLIVAN - Staff Writer | Saturday, July 28, 2007 12:17 AM PDT ∞

SAN DIEGO ---- Philip Rivers is now an established NFL quarterback. That's much different than the situation 12 short months ago, when he arrived at training camp to replace the highly productive and highly popular Drew Brees.

Of course, 22 touchdown passes, a 61.7 completion percentage and 14 victories tend to eliminate a lot of apprehension. And as the Chargers' first full-squad practice looms today, Rivers said he's much more comfortable and calm as he approaches his second season as an NFL starter.

"I'm coming in with a decent number of games under my belt," said Rivers, a fourth-year pro from North Carolina State. "There's not a whole lot of the unknown, whereas last year there was a lot of unknown.

" 'How am I going to react? What's it going to be like?' Now I know what's expected and I know what to expect. I'm just excited and anxious more than anything."

Adding to Rivers' enthusiasm is the presence of new coach Norv Turner, a man well respected in NFL circles for his offensive mind and ability to get the best out of quarterbacks.

Rivers certainly isn't a finished product, and the 25-year-old figures to grow under a man who was a college quarterback at Oregon and has drawn raves from the likes of Pro Football Hall of Famer Troy Aikman.

"It's going to be a treat," Rivers said. "I can already tell. It's going to be a lot of fun. He's a guy, as a quarterback, that's very demanding of the quarterback and expects a lot from him. But he does a heck of a job of relaying information and allowing me to know how he thinks.

"I think that's the key as the play caller. The quarterback needs to know why the play caller's calling the play and what he's wanting to get out of it. That's something I can see we think a lot alike, which is going to make the whole transition really smooth."

Turner spent a lot of time evaluating Rivers' first season as a starter and saw a lot of things he liked.

He felt Rivers "grew a great deal" during the season and responded to the challenge every time he was asked to do more things within the offense.

Turner even liked the way Rivers handled a late-season stretch in which he struggled.

"He went through a little period where he didn't play quite as well, but he finished really strong and that's real typical of a young guy," Turner said. "... When you're a young player, a 16-game season, a five-month season can take a little bit of a toll.

"He came out of it and was really going well again when the season ended."

In the five months that he's been around Rivers, Turner has been awed by the quarterback's pinpoint accuracy.

"I've been lucky to be around a bunch of guys who can throw it awfully well," Turner said. "Philip is as accurate as almost anyone I've been around. He may be as accurate as anyone I've been around. I'll reserve that. He's awfully accurate.

"The thing Philip has a great feel for is delivering the ball in a lot of different manners."

Rivers' self-analysis of his first season as a starter includes the personal belief that he is a much better leader than he was 12 months ago.

But center Nick Hardwick thinks Rivers has always performed that task admirably.

"I've always thought he was a good leader," Hardwick said. "It must have been in his head that he was unsure. But to me, he's always been a good leader, even when he wasn't starting. He's a great leader."

Whether Rivers' 2007 season is viewed as a success might end up hinging on whether he can lead the Chargers deep into the postseason. He's among the many players drawing motivation from the playoff debacle against the New England Patriots in January.

"Having just about everybody back and with the additions we've made, we know what the expectations are," Rivers said. "There hasn't been a whole lot of dialogue in the locker room about what we expect and what we've got to do and all that rah-rah (stuff) because we know how disappointed we were last year and what we should have done.

"Now it's a matter of getting back at it to get it done."

Chargers notes

The Chargers concluded three days of practices involving mostly rookies on Friday. Coach Norv Turner was pleased with the workouts and also termed the stretch as a good experience for the coaching staff leading into today's initial full-squad practice. "It was real good for our staff," Turner said. "It gets you three days to get back into it and really get focused again. I'm excited for (today)." ... The Chargers don't have a bona fide No. 1 receiver but that doesn't concern receivers coach James Lofton. "We've got some good depth here and some good competition," said Lofton, a Pro Football Hall of Famer who played 16 NFL seasons. "There's nobody who has really solidified the job as the quote 'No. 1 receiver.' But I don't think we need a No. 1 receiver. We just need guys who are willing to go out and play hard."

Contact staff writer Mike Sullivan at (760) 739-6645 or msullivan@nctimes.com.

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