One by one, Dan Fouts has watched Philip Rivers break his franchise records that have withstood the test of time for the last 30 years.
Why should Thursday night be any different?
"I'm getting kind of used to it because it keeps happening!" the Hall of Fame QB laughed.
Still, the one Rivers set against the Denver Broncos was particularly noteworthy and special.
Early in the second quarter, number 17 evaded the pass rush and flipped the ball to Hunter Henry, who rumbled 12 yards up the field. In the process, Rivers passed Fouts for the most career passing yards in San Diego Chargers history.
It was a significant accomplishment, which is why Fouts reached out to Rivers immediately after the game.
"I congratulated him last night," he said. "I've admired Philip's play over the years. He's an outstanding quarterback and a great leader. I liked Philip coming out of college. When the whole Eli Manning thing went down, people were upset about how that happened but what I saw out of Philip from his career at North Carolina State, I thought he'd be a perfect fit. He certainly has been."
In a fitting coincidence, Rivers (43,094 yards) passed Fouts (43,040) wearing a royal blue uniform number 14 made famous during the Air Coryell era. In fact, Thursday night was the first time the Chargers have donned that shade of blue since 1984.
"(Setting this record) was definitely special," Rivers admitted after the win. "I think making it even more special was wearing the uniforms we have. I know they didn't wear the all blue there, but that color blue was what they wore back in that era when Dan was playing. So that made it even more special."
So what was Fouts reaction to seeing the royal blue back at the Q?
"That was nice! I think it's a very attractive uniform, although they had the white helmet and blue pants. They didn't have the original uniform entirely, but it was still nice to see. I liked it."
