For Philip Rivers, going with the flow comes easy

The most impressive drive of Philip Rivers’ NFL career was far longer than a football field.

It happened during the offseason several years ago on a stormy weekend in San Diego. Rivers, All-Pro quarterback of the Chargers, had promised to speak at a Catholic retreat in Phoenix. The weather was nasty, though, and he worried his flight might be canceled.

So without flinching, Rivers hopped in the car, drove to Arizona, gave the talk, then drove home the same day.

He’s galaxies removed from the stereotype of a sports prima donna.

“I told them I was going to be there,” said Rivers, 35. “I was going to get there.”

Rivers is nothing if not honor-bound. He was that way when he got married as a freshman at North Carolina State, not only asking for the permission of Tiffany’s dad but of his football coach. He was that way in 2008, when he played through the pain of a torn ACL in the conference championship game at New England. And he’s that way today, as the father of eight who will live in San Diego and make the daily commute to Costa Mesa and Carson for practices and games.

Just as he is true to his word, this country boy is true to his roots. He grew up in Decatur, Ala., then played at North Carolina State before coming to San Diego in 2004.

“It was tough at first,” he said of adjusting to a West Coast lifestyle. “It took time, being from Alabama and then spending those four years in Raleigh. It took time to really dig into San Diego as a family. It was like, ‘We’ll be out here a little while, and then we’re going back.’

“Then after a while, it’s like, ‘Gosh, this is home.’ We have more and more children born here, then with your church and community, you get more entrenched that way.”

In a roiling San Diego market bitterly angry and disappointed about their franchise bolting after 56 years, Rivers still could be elected mayor in a landslide. It’s clear that he’s disappointed he had to leave — as evidenced by the decision to not uproot his family — yet he has been unwaveringly loyal to the team.

“He’s very pure, pure of thought, pure of intention,” said former Chargers Pro Bowl center Nick Hardwick, who came in as a rookie with Rivers in 2004 and played with him for a decade. “He’s very comfortable with himself. Everything you see is sincerity and honesty. There’s no pretense about him at all. It’s very endearing, maintaining that humble nature while also being a superstar.”

Both of the NFL teams in Los Angeles have players who are well known in football circles. The Rams have Todd Gurley, Aaron Donald, No. 1 pick Jared Goff. The Chargers have Joey Bosa, Keenan Allen, Melvin Gordon and Jason Verrett. But Rivers and tight end Antonio Gates are the only ones who have been household names longer than a few years, players even casual fans are sure to recognize.

In that sense, no NFL quarterback is more important to his team than Rivers. He is essential on and off the field to a franchise looking to build an L.A. fan base from scratch. And the paradox of that is, Rivers is the last guy to go looking for the spotlight.

“I’ll never forget when I was first drafted here and they had the rookie premier at the Coliseum,” Rivers said, referring to the annual event during which the first-round picks are photographed for trading cards.

“I remember driving up and seeing the signs to Los Angeles and feeling like, ‘Where am I? This is crazy!’ I remember calling my dad and saying, ‘Dad, I’m on 5 North and it says Los Angeles.’

“My dad has never been to Los Angeles, California. Ever. He’ll be 70 in two years. To me it’s like, that’s a faraway land. Now, I’m playing there. So in a lot of ways I feel like, ‘You don’t fit up there.’ But it’s just about being myself. That’s the only thing I’ve known.

“I remember when we came up for that first thing in Inglewood and I was like, ‘Hope y’all are OK with cowboy boots and blue jeans.’ That’s just all I know.”

Well, he knows cleats and pads too. He needs 4,167 yards passing to become the seventh player in NFL history to reach 50,000. He has 3,811 completions and needs 189 more to become the eighth player with at least 4,000.

What’s more, Gates needs one receiving touchdown to set the NFL record for the most by a tight end. He’s currently tied with the retired Tony Gonzalez with 111.

Gates and Rivers, whose careers are inexorably linked, almost think with one mind on the field.

“It’s like a marriage,” Gates said. “I just know certain looks, certain things that we’ve talked about for a decade. When we get in those situations again, he may look at me and say, ‘Stay skinny!’ or, ‘Keep your width!’ Whatever it is, it’s verbal sometimes, it’s non-verbal sometimes. It’s like we’re thinking for each other.”

One of the aspects of Rivers’ game that’s so rare, offensive coordinator Ken Whisenhunt said, is his pinpoint accuracy when on the move.

“The accuracy on adjusted throws is what sets him apart,” Whisenhunt said. “He sees the defense, he makes great throws, he makes throws down the field. When he’s throwing it down to the back, and the back’s moving left to right, or right to left, even when Philip has to move to avoid the rush, the ball is in a position where the back can keep running.”

That entails feeling pressure, even when a quarterback can’t see it, which Whisenhunt compares to fluidly navigating heavy traffic at high speeds. “If you’re driving down the road on the 405, and you’ve got cars all around you, and there’s a tire rolling right at you, you’ve got to avoid it,” the coach said. “He knows where every car is, and then he can make sure that he gets through without hitting that tire. Some guys have that vision.”

This season, for the first time, Rivers won’t be behind the actual wheel much. He and backup quarterback Kellen Clemens, his close friend, will have a driver take them daily from their nearby homes in San Diego’s North County to the Chargers practice facility in Costa Mesa. Although he’s not entirely comfortable being chauffeured, Rivers figures that will be like a quarterbacks meeting on wheels.

“It will take some adjusting,” he said, “but for me, that was the only way to do it. If I was going to be behind the wheel, I would have felt like I was slighting my preparation. I’ll still get home at close to normal time.”

A few years ago, the Chargers adopted a team motto, the Latin phrase “Nunc Coepi,” which means, “Now, I begin.” It’s a reminder that a fresh start is always at hand. That resonates with him now more than ever. “No question, this is a new beginning,” he said. “To me, it’s truly again and again — every practice, every play, every day. It’s more and more real to me every year. In the football world, how many more times am I going to get a chance to begin again? I don’t know. Definitely on the back nine. I really am excited. It’s been about as smooth as it can go. It’s kind of a new beginning. Just embrace it three to five years, and let’s see.”

Still, San Diego is not far from his heart. In his garage are a trio of connected padded seats. It’s where he used to sit every day for quarterback meetings at the now-dismantled Chargers Park.

“At some point, it will be kind of cool to set them up in a room somewhere,” he said.

But not now. This road warrior still has miles to go.

sam.farmer@latimes

Twitter: LATimesfarmer