CHARGERS: Rivers still seeks some Super bling

By MIKE SULLIVAN - Staff Writer | Thursday, March 6, 2008 12:01 PM PST ∞

SAN DIEGO ---- Pittsburgh's Ben Roethlisberger won his three years ago and Eli Manning of the New York Giants earned his last month. That leaves Philip Rivers and the Bills' J.P. Losman as the only members of the stellar 2004 first-round quarterback draft class without shiny Super Bowl rings among their cherished possessions.

The Chargers' quarterback knows he will always be compared with Roethlisberger and Manning, his fellow first-round draft picks. He craves a Super Bowl ring but doesn't feel burdened by the fact that he's ring-less.

"I think it's competitive fun; I don't know any other way to describe it," Rivers said. "As individuals and competitors, you always watch the guys you stack up with and came out in the draft with.

"Both those guys, as you said, have been there and won one. I don't think it necessarily adds any pressure. You're measured, ultimately, when your career is over."

Chargers general manager A.J. Smith, who pulled off the bold draft-day trade that netted Rivers after Manning publicly expressed that he wouldn't play for the Chargers, has never wavered in his high regard for Rivers. He also recently reminded a roomful of reporters that he believed all three were capable of big things when they came out of college in 2004.

"You have Ben with a Super Bowl ring, you have Eli with a Super Bowl ring, and Philip Rivers ---- no ring," Smith said. "Two out of three. I'm hoping that when I said marquee and special things are going to happen, I hope four or five years from now that our guy is not the only one (without a ring)."

Rivers said he feels a sense of urgency to get a ring because the Chargers reached the 2008 AFC Championship Game, not because of his two peers.

"Not because of Eli and Ben, but because we know what we've got here," Rivers said. "We've been talking about it for two years now. We got really close this year with a bumpy start."

Rivers also pointed out that the legendary John Elway didn't have a ring at the same juncture of his storied career. It took Elway until his 15th NFL season to win his first Super Bowl title.

"I'm by no means comparing us to them ---- of Elway and that bunch," Rivers said of a 1983 draft class that included Hall of Famers Elway, Dan Marino and Jim Kelly. "You're obviously measured over the course of a career."

First name only. Comments including last names, contact addresses, e-mail addresses or phone numbers will be deleted. Attempts to misrepresent your identity or impersonate any person will not be approved. All comments are screened before they appear online, so please keep them brief. Comments reflect the views of those commenting and not necessarily those of the North County Times or its staff writers. Click here to view additional comment policies.