Philip Rivers exposes the NFL’s dirty secret after returning from retirement with the Colts, and it reveals a leaguewide issue
Philip Rivers isn’t buying a common belief many have shared about the present-day NFL after returning from retirement.
The last couple of weeks have been quite an experience for the Indianapolis Colts, as well as the NFL as a whole. Philip Rivers, making his return to the NFL at 44 years old, seemed like an April Fool’s joke at first, but instead, he showed that the mental side of playing QB is still a massive asset.
Over the past couple of years, defenses have begun to gain the upper hand on offenses across the NFL, leading to increased struggles at the QB position. After making his return to the league after five years in retirement, Rivers was asked if he noticed defenses being more complex to read. The future Hall of Famer had a shocking answer.
Philip Rivers isn’t buying that playing QB today is harder than in his prime
With Rivers heading back into retirement, he can now speak freely on what he saw in his return to the NFL. He started three games and finished with 544 yards, four touchdowns, and three interceptions. At his age, he certainly wasn’t in NFL shape, but that didn’t stop him from having a great game against the San Francisco 49ers, throwing for 277 yards, two touchdowns, and one interception.
On the “Up & Adams Show,” Rivers was asked if he had noticed defenses being tougher, and he poured some water on that thought process.
“They (NFL defenses) have responded in a lot of ways not to give things away, the disguises and the complexity of the schemes maybe a little bit. But at the end of the day, there was a lot of what I remembered was happening out there.” – Philip Rivers
It seems that most QBs have grown accustomed to relying on their talent and physical abilities, rather than the mental side that QBs need to read a defense. If a 44-year-old like Rivers is able to still have a game as he did against the 49ers, it all but proves how valuable that element of the game still is. Hopefully, younger QBs at the college or even high school level take notes of this and work to improve that side of their game by the time they reach the league.
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