"Rivers was at home in Alabam a on Sunday night when he got a call from Colts coach Shane Steichen and general manager Chris Ballard. They had just lost starting quarterback Daniel Jones to a torn Achilles tendon, and rookie backup Riley Leonard suffered an undisclosed knee injury in relief. "We said, 'What do you think?'" Steichen said Wednesday of phoning Rivers, the Chargers great who finished his career with the Colts. "He said, 'Heck yeah, I'm interested. Heck yeah.' So he slept on it and then we called him back Monday morning and he said, 'I need to get up there and throw in that building. Start moving around.'""
"The quarterback, five years removed from his last game, threw at the Colts facility Monday and Tuesday then went back to his hotel to think it over. When Steichen and Ballard called again, Rivers - in true Philip Rivers style - said, "Dag-gummit, let's freaking go." Said Steichen, Rivers' onetime quarterbacks coach and later offensive coordinator with the Chargers: "He's one of the most passionate players I've ever been around. The obsession for the game is off the charts.""
"Amazingly, there's a chance he could start Sunday at Seattle. Steichen wanted to get a good look at him in practice Wednesday but conceded that sending him out on the field is a possibility. NFL quarterbacks who have played in their 40s is an exceedingly small club, and includes George Blanda, Tom Brady, Brett Favre, Steve DeBerg, Vinny Testaverde, Warren Moon, Drew Brees, Matt Hasselbeck - currently Aaron Rodgers - and a handful of others."
Philip Rivers, 44 and a grandfather and a Hall of Fame semifinalist, received a call from Colts coach Shane Steichen and GM Chris Ballard after the team lost Daniel Jones to a torn Achilles and saw rookie Riley Leonard sustain a knee injury. Rivers threw at the Colts facility Monday and Tuesday, considered the decision at his hotel, then accepted the opportunity to return. Rivers expressed eagerness and passion for the game, and Steichen praised his obsession and competitiveness. A start Sunday at Seattle remains a real possibility pending practice evaluation.
Read at Los Angeles Times
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