The Craziest Sports Comeback Ever?
I hope he can work his way into a start and lead the Colts to a playoff berth. Not only is he a great athlete, but he is also a great dude and role model, on and off the field.
Welcome back to Mr. Right, a newsletter about navigating modern manhood for normal guys in a not-normal world. We hope you and your family had a wonderful Thanksgiving. This week, we discuss the return of 44-year-old NFL quarterback Philip Rivers and a great quote on taking risks.
The Craziest NFL Story Ever?
Quarterback Philip Rivers is a legend. Full stop.
This week, the Indianapolis Colts signed Rivers out of retirement to play for their practice squad amid a string of devastating QB injuries. Rivers last played for the Colts in 2020, and overall, played 17 seasons in the league while putting up some fantastic stats.
We can look at quarterbacks Aaron Rodgers and Joe Flacco, also in their forties, still playing NFL ball. That’s nuts. But for an athlete to take five years off and then return? It is almost unbelievable.
I am not even 30 yet, and I can feel that my body is no longer as limber, my joints no longer as sturdy, my leg muscles no longer the piston engines that could crank my sprint into fifth gear. During the last company football game I played in, I felt age creeping up. Every play, I had to assess the risk and determine whether it was worth making a quick cut or lunging for a tackle. Am I going to rip my hammy? Should I kiss my ACL goodbye?
Granted, these individuals are top-tier athletes who train regularly and maintain healthy diets. I exercise and eat, ah, pretty healthy, for the most part. But still … 44 years old and you have the energy and wherewithal to play on an NFL practice squad?
Rivers isn’t only an impressive dude because he has the grit to keep playing in such a physically demanding league. He is also a devout Christian and a great family man. Rivers and his wife, Tiffany, were junior high sweethearts. Now, they have ten children, a number unheard of in today’s world.
And he grew up with a love – no, an obsession – for the game. His father was a high school football coach in Alabama, and a young Rivers helped out as a ball boy. As the chain gang measured yardage, he’d weasel his way into the officials’ huddle to determine precisely how much was left for a first down, and then signal to the sidelines. He wasn’t always the fastest, but he made up for it with raw determination, a hunger to learn.
In his first press conference since re-signing, Rivers was honest and humble. He also touched on the feeling all of us have, at one point or another, in life. An opportunity presents itself, and though it might be risky, the only way you will truly find out if it’s worthwhile is by giving it a shot.
“I wasn’t hanging onto any hope of playing again. I kind of thought that ship had sailed,” Rivers said. “But something about it excited me. It’s one of those deals where a door opens, and you either walk through it and find out if you can do it, or run from it. I know there’s risk involved, but the only way to find out is going for it.”
I hope he can work his way into a start and lead the Colts to a playoff berth. Not only is he a great athlete, but he is also a great dude and role model, on and off the field.
He Has A Point: No Risks, No Grandeur
This week’s He Has A Point goes to philosopher and mathematician Nassim Taleb for an old quote of his, recently re-posted on X, about taking risks in life. It dovetails nicely with our piece on Philip Rivers.
“If you take risks and face your fate with dignity, there is nothing you can do that makes you small; if you don’t take risks, there is nothing you can do that makes you grand, nothing.”
Whatever happens with Rivers this season, he is taking an admirable risk. If the outcome is bad – if he gets a start but plays terribly, or he seriously injures himself even just practicing – knowing him, he will face the music with dignity. If it’s good, he will be even more grand.
However, if he had never returned to football, we wouldn’t be talking about him right now.
Taleb, as is always the case, has a point.
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