Philip Rivers and Matt Ryan have quite a bit in common, but the one that matters most to Indianapolis Colts fans is that both played QB for Indy. Each will be better remembered by the NFL as a whole by who they spent most of their careers with: Ryan with the Atlanta Falcons and Rivers with the Los Angeles Chargers.
But because each played nearly the entire length of their careers while the other played, and both played for Indianapolis at the ends of their career, they are quite aware of one another. Now, Ryan is the new President of Football for Atlanta, and Rivers is back to coaching high school football.
Of course, Rivers came out of retirement this season in hopes of helping his friend Shane Steichen salvage the Colts' season. While that didn't end up happening, it was the attempt by Rivers that will always make Indy fans remember him fondly. Ryan? He wasn't about to try to do what Rivers did.
Matt Ryan drops some hilarious shade on former Indianapolis Colts quarterback Philip Rivers
He said as much in his introductory press conference after being named president by the Falcons. The question was how much power the former quarterback would wield with the Falcons.
"I'm not trying to call plays," Ryan said. "I'm not trying to run your offense. I'm not trying to pull a Philip Rivers and come back and play."
While Ryan did throw a bit of shade at Rivers with his comment, he almost certainly meant it so good-naturedly. Wherever Rivers was when he heard Ryan's comment, he likely chuckled.
Rivers also understands that even after not playing in the NFL for five years, he came back, had three practices, and played as well as could be expected for a quarterback whose arm strength had diminished even before he retired the first time. He led a somewhat efficient Indianapolis offense, if not an explosive one.
While he didn't lead the team to a victory, he kept the Indianapolis Colts in games that few people thought would even be close. In Week 15 against the Seattle Seahawks, Rivers had the team in position to win except for a late drive by quarterback Sam Darnold and his offense.
Was he great? Not at all, but he also wasn't awful. The team likely had no better option than the 44-year-old quarterback by Week 15. One thing appears clear: Philip Rivers was a lot better for the Colts than Matt Ryan would have been, and both QBs probably know that.