North Carolina State University Athletics
Rivers Readies for Mini-Camp
6/9/2004 12:00:00 AM | Football
June 9, 2004
By Tony Haynes
Gifted with a remarkable capacity to breakdown the often complex Xs and Os of offensive football, Philip Rivers should be able to grasp the information in his new NFL playbook faster than many players. But that doesn't mean there isn't a learning curve to deal with. The former NC State quarterback will get a better indication of just how far he's come this weekend when his new team, the NFL's San Diego Chargers, holds a full-squad mini-camp.
Having already participated in a rookie orientation camp and several workouts called "Offseason Coaching Sessions," Rivers says he is feeling more familiar with the offense, his coaches and new teammates.
"I feel like I'm picking up the system and that part is going well," Rivers told Chargers.com. "But the part I'm getting more comfortable with is the speed. It's not a huge difference, but it's a hair difference that makes quite a bit of difference. You have to learn to speed up a little. Part of that comes with becoming more comfortable with your receivers and the whole team. Mini-camp is a chance for everybody to develop some camaraderie before training camp."
This weekend's mini-camp at the team's practice facility in San Diego will be the last official workouts for the Chargers before they begin preseason training camp July 30th in Carson, California.
Rivers, who holds a bushel of ACC records and ended his career No. 2 on the NCAA lists for passing and total offense, was the fourth pick in April's NFL Draft. After initially being selected by the New York Giants, he was eventually traded to San Diego in exchange for Eli Manning, who was the first player taken in the draft.
Rivers is expected to compete for the starting quarterback job in San Diego along with veterans Drew Brees and Doug Flutie.
If you're an NC State fan and you either live in southern California or plan to be there this weekend, you could have the opportunity to watch Rivers practice. Saturday's two workouts (10:15-to-12 noon and 2:45-to-4:30) and Sunday's practice (10:15-to-12 noon) are open to the public. Admission and parking at Chargers Park are free.
Summer Football: Gopack.com will wet fans' appetite for NC State football over the next several days. First, we'll provide stories and quotes from Chuck Amato's annual summer press conference, scheduled for Thursday afternoon. Excerpts of the press conference will also be shown on "Inside Wolfpack Sports with Lee Fowler" this Sunday at 11 a.m. on WRAZ Fox 50 in the Triangle area. Starting next Monday (6/14), Gopack.com will offer a position-by-position breakdown of the 2004 Wolfpack football squad, a series that will run for several days.
