Philip Rivers on pressure as Colts QB: ‘It fires me up’
The Indianapolis Colts have made several moves this offseason in hopes the offense can return to being a respectable unit and one that can show multiple ways of being successful.
The biggest addition to the offense this offseason came in the form of the 38-year-old veteran quarterback Philip Rivers. Though he’s past his prime, the Colts feel Rivers is still able to lead the unit to the playoffs.
With immense pressure to perform as the new starter in Indy, Rivers is motivated by those who question whether he can carry the offense.
“It fires me up. It sounds like the type of group you want to play quarterback with and for,” Rivers told reporters Wednesday. “It’s just a matter of going and doing it one day at a time. I think the biggest thing for me is – be myself, but also find that sweet spot from aggressiveness and stupid. Know what kind of game it is and how the whole thing is coming together. Certainly, have done that throughout my career in different years and different times and don’t see any reason I can’t do that again.”
Rivers has been solid throughout the early portion of training camp. He has made connections with T.Y. Hilton and Parris Campbell, both of which bring an explosive element to the offense.
The veteran quarterback also has been impressed with second-round pick Michael Pittman Jr., who is beginning to come along at his first training camp.
“He’s been great. He’s a rookie receiver that got zero OTAs and zero offseason. That’s a challenge. I feel like receiver – every position is hard to come in as a rookie and play right away, and I know we have a handful in our locker room that have done that here,” Rivers said of Pittman. Each and every day he’s going to improve and there may be some bumps in the road throughout these next three, four weeks – throughout the season. There might be some hiccups here and there, but he seems determined to get better every day. I think he’s put together to me now the last two practices back-to-back where you’re starting to see that. He’s soaking it all up.”
The Colts offense has the chance to take a big step forward from their lacking production in 2019, but most of it will rest on the shoulder of Rivers, who feels motivated to prove he can still lead an offense.
