Rivers Won’t Talk About San Diego’s Super Bowl Chances

In an interview for the new issue of Sporting News, Chargers quarterback Philip Rivers resists the temptation to join in the growing chorus that thinks this year will be the year that San Diego finally wins an NFL championship. Asked whether the Bolts will win the next Super Bowl, Rivers tells Steve Greenberg, “I don’t even want to say yes because for two offseasons now there’s been so much hype around this town and in the national media that this is the most talented team in football -- the Chargers have got this and this and this -- and then we’ve gone 1-3 and 0-2. We’ve been battled tested, faced every situation we could face, had every type of adversity. You can kind of just sense now in our locker room, ‘Let’s be quiet and go play and get it done.’” Rivers also commented on the 2004 draft-day trade that brought him to San Diego along with picks that became linebacker Shawne Merriman and kicker Nate Kaeding, in exchange for quarterback Eli Manning, who made clear his desire not to play for the Chargers. “I like to think the Chargers got the best end of the deal,” Rivers said. “When you think about what Merriman has meant to this team, and Nate Kaeding’s one of the top kickers in this league, we have greatly benefited from it.” Of course, the Giants have won a Super Bowl with Manning. Though Rivers won’t say it directly, it sounds like he thinks that, come February 2010, the Chargers will have won one, too.