Philip Rivers on return to NFL: ‘Maybe it will inspire’ others not to be scared
Philip Rivers may not have been able to give the Colts a victory in his first game in five years, but he certainly inspired. And after the Colts’ heartbreaking 18-16 loss to the Seahawks, the 44-year-old quarterback made a stunning and inspiring return.
While Rivers didn’t necessarily come back to inspire — he came back to win — he understands why that’s one of the biggest takeaways.
“It’s not the motivation, but I think of my own boys, my two sons, but certainly [that] “I follow the high school team that I coach,” Rivers said. “That’s not why I’m doing it. Again, it’s… I know it comes with it, and I know it’s a story, and I know it’s rare, and all those things. But I wasn’t looking for it. I was having fun there, coaching at South Alabama. That kind of thing doesn’t happen. Obviously, it doesn’t happen every day.
“Maybe it will inspire or teach people not to run or be afraid of what may or may not happen.”
Rivers, who was coaching son Gunner at Fairhope St. Michael Catholichoped his players could understand that their coach wasn’t afraid to try.
“There is doubt, and it’s real,” Rivers said. “The guaranteed safe bet is go home, or don’t go, and the other is ‘Shoot, let’s see what happens’. I hope that in the sense that it can be positive for some young boys or for some young people, it doesn’t have to be boys.”
Rivers, who completed 18 of 27 passes for 120 yards, a touchdown and an interception, put the Colts in position to win with a few key completions to set up Blake Grupe’s 60-yard field goal with less than a minute to play. However, Seattle scored a 56-yard field goal by Jason Myers on the ensuing drive. Rivers’ final desperation pass was intercepted.
But that’s not how it will come out. As he noted, his focus will be on a crucial Week 16 game Monday night against the 49ers. At 8-6, Indianapolis is still in the thick of the playoff race, currently one game back of the AFC’s seventh seed.
