Colts HC Shane Steichen membiarkan pintu terbuka untuk Philip Rivers memulai vs. Seahawks
Philip Rivers received a call from Indianapolis Colts head coach Shane Steichen about ending his five-year retirement and possibly re-joining the team on their practice squad on Sunday. One Sunday later, and the 44-year-old Rivers might be putting on the pads and going up against one of the NFL’s top defenses.
Steichen didn’t commit to who will start at quarterback for the Colts when they take on the Seattle Seahawks on Sunday, leaving the possibility that Rivers could play in the coming days.
“We’re going to go through this week of practice, see how it goes and then we’ll make a decision at the end of the week, probably,” Steichen told reporters on Wednesday.
Rookie Riley Leonard replaced Daniel Jones at quarterback when the veteran suffered an Achilles injury during Sunday’s loss to the Jacksonville Jaguars. It was initially believed that Leonard would get the start for the Colts against the Seahawks as primary backup Anthony Richardson is still dealing with an eye injury. But Leonard is also dealing with a knee injury this week, and even then, Steichen hinted that the rookie’s health status might not be the lone factor in determining who starts Sunday’s game.
“We’ll see how the week goes and we’ll make that decision,” Steichen said when asked if Leonard will start if he’s healthy.
Steichen added that Leonard will practice on Wednesday.
As for Rivers, Steichen said that the team called him shortly after Sunday’s loss and he immediately expressed interest in unretiring. From there, both sides quickly got the ball rolling on a deal.
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“He said, ‘I need to get up there, I need to get up there and throw, get in that building, start moving around,'” Steichen said. “So, he came in here and threw. He didn’t forget how to throw a football. He did that Monday. On Tuesday, he was in the hotel. … He called us, and we said, ‘What do you think?’ He said, ‘Dadgummit, let’s freakin’ go!’”
Rivers, whose 44th birthday was on Monday, spent the fall coaching his son Gunner’s high school football team and has been a high school coach ever since he retired from the NFL following the 2020 season. Of course, this will mark Rivers’s second stint with the Colts as he spent his final season before his first retirement in Indianapolis.
Roughly five years after his last NFL snap, Rivers admitted that he might not be in the shape that he was in during his peak playing days, but also noted that his athleticism was never really one of his top traits.
“I’m not sure,” Rivers deadpanned when asked what his weight currently sits at. “How about that? That’s an honest answer. … Not what it was when I walked off the field in Buffalo [before my first retirement]. Tapi aku tidak akan lari dari siapa pun.”
Keputusan Rivers untuk keluar dari masa pensiunnya dan bergabung dengan Colts juga muncul saat dia bersiap untuk dilantik ke dalam Pro Football Hall of Fame sebagai bagian dari kelas 2026. Dia baru-baru ini dinobatkan sebagai semifinalis dan sepertinya kandidat kuat untuk segera dinobatkan sebagai finalis. Tetapi jika Rivers masuk ke daftar pemain aktif dan mengambil kesempatan dengan Colts, dia tidak akan memenuhi syarat untuk dilantik di Hall of Fame hingga setidaknya tahun 2031.
Tapi Rivers baik-baik saja dengan menunda harapan Hall of Fame. Dia jelas sedang melawan emosi ketika ditanya mengapa dia merasa inilah saatnya untuk kembali, menunjuk pada organisasi Colts dan kecintaannya pada permainan sebagai alasannya.
“Sesederhana mungkin: seorang pelatih yang saya cintai, dan sebuah organisasi yang sangat saya nikmati, Tn. [Jim] Irsay percaya pada saya di tahun 2020 ketika keadaan tidak berjalan baik di tahun 2019,” kata Rivers. “Sial, rekan satu tim yang bisa bermain dengan saya — 14 di antaranya masih di sini. Ruang pelatihannya sama. Teman-teman PR juga sama. Ruang peralatannya sama. Mereka menginginkan saya. Saya akan mencoba membuatnya sesederhana itu. Ini adalah permainan yang saya suka mainkan, permainan yang saya pikir sudah selesai saya mainkan. Tentu saja, saya tidak menaruh harapan untuk bermain lagi. Aku kira kapal itu sudah berlayar, tapi ada sesuatu yang membuatku bersemangat.
“Itu adalah salah satu kesepakatan yang pintunya terbuka, dan Anda bisa melewatinya dan mencari tahu apakah Anda bisa melakukannya atau lari darinya. Saya tahu ada risiko yang terlibat dalam apa yang mungkin terjadi atau tidak, tapi satu-satunya cara untuk mengetahuinya adalah dengan melakukannya. Saya hampir menganggapnya sebagai hadiah untuk kesempatan bermain lainnya.”
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