Despite enduring another difficult loss Sunday, Chargers quarterback Philip Rivers gave the strongest indication yet that he plans on playing in 2020.
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00:00Yeah, I think it's probably kind of human nature
00:05is when you're 38 and you throw some interceptions
00:08and games don't go the way you want them to,
00:12that it can just become the norm
00:16that that's just what people say.
00:17You can't make the throws you used to make,
00:19can't do this, arm strength, all that.
00:20That's just, none of that's true.
00:23I've made some throws this year that have been as good
00:25as I've made in any year of my career.
00:28Wide field, I'm not here to sell that,
00:30but so physically and what I'm able to do
00:34is just what I was able to do last year
00:36when we were rolling and having one of our best years.
00:38So, even in some of these games the last few weeks,
00:41we've had some really good plays offensively.
00:43And that doesn't mean that that's good enough
00:45for someone to want you to keep playing
00:48because you gotta maintain that consistency
00:51throughout games and do enough to win football games,
00:53which we haven't done,
00:54and I haven't done well enough this year.
00:56But am I capable of it physically and mentally?
00:59There's no question.
01:00Do you want to play football?
01:01Yes, I do, I want to play football, yep.
01:04So, sometimes when athletes get older
01:06and then they retire, what caused me to move on
01:10was I didn't enjoy preparing as much
01:12as I did when I was a student.
01:14Do you still have the appetite,
01:15or do you think you will have the appetite
01:17for that next year?
01:18Yeah, go back to you, Eric.
01:19I say, yes, I want to play football, and I do.
01:21And that's what I feel deep down as I stand right here.
01:24And I think to answer you, Tom,
01:26I still do, I think these are questions
01:28really for probably mid-January.
01:31I mean, just let the dust settle a little bit.
01:32There's so many emotions when you lose a game like that,
01:35and you want to say, yeah,
01:37where can we go find some parking lot and play again?
01:39You know what I mean?
01:40So, some of that is that, and some of it is you go,
01:43shoot, I don't want to see a football, a little bit of it.
01:47There's too many emotions at this point in the year
01:48when you're five and 10.
01:50So, I think that's probably,
01:51I can better answer that in a few weeks.
01:53But I do still feel physically capable,
01:57and I do have the desire to prepare hard,
02:00as I have all year, and to try to lead this football team.
02:04And I got one more week to do it in this season.
02:06Why do you think that first quarter was so tough?
02:09Five straight punts in such a year.
02:11I know it, we didn't have five punts last week,
02:14I don't think, in the whole game.
02:16We've gone a game or two this year
02:17where we've had less than five, so it was rough.
02:20You know, in some ways, they were a play ahead of us,
02:22maybe from the standpoint of, you know,
02:24shoot, they're trying to stop us, too.
02:26You know, so there were times where maybe they were a little,
02:28I say a play ahead of us, just meaning,
02:29you know, from a coverage standpoint or whatever,
02:32they get us.
02:33I mean, they're trying to do well, also.
02:36And then just lack of execution.
02:37I mean, we start with a false start,
02:38and then we have a penalty.
02:39I mean, we just started off rather sloppy.
02:42And so, I don't know that I can also,
02:44I don't know if I can answer that perfectly accurately,
02:47standing here trying to recall those.
02:49But just a sloppy offensive start.
02:53Yeah, I think, again, I think that's just,
02:59we've got to let the dust settle a little bit.
03:01You know, again, I'm beyond thankful
03:05for the 16 years that we've had here,
03:07and I'm thankful to hopefully, again,
03:09get one more shot in Kansas City.
03:11And then I think it's just, I think it's year to year.
03:14You know, and again, I don't know.
03:15But I can't answer that.
03:19Again, I'm pretty sure I'll just stay right here for now.
03:24Just kind of, based on what you said,
03:26it sounds like you almost,
03:27maybe it sounds like a little bit like
03:29you haven't seen your personal offensive side.
03:31You kind of are leaning towards coming back.
03:35Yeah, I think there's a lot of factors.
03:36Again, there's a personal side
03:38and a family side to mine, as well.
03:40I mean, I'm going to have a daughter in college next fall,
03:42too, so time's ticking.
03:45Going to have a sixth-grade son
03:47that I've got to get ready to coach him at some point
03:48here before too long, also.
03:50So there's all kind of factors.
03:52But I know I can still do it.
03:55I know I can do it at a high enough level for us to win.
03:57I have not done it well enough this year.
04:01And, you know, but I still do love to play
04:05and love to lead these guys,
04:07and I still believe in this team.
04:08It's just, it's been an array of things
04:13that have compounded to keep us from winning enough games
04:16to advance into the tournament.
04:18And, you know, it's always never fun
04:21when you get to this point of the season.
04:24Had we won this game, it still stinks
04:26because, you know, you've got one week left
04:27and then you're going home.
04:29So, at what point would you sit down with the Chargers
04:35and have a couple of weeks?
04:37Yeah, I don't know, guys.
04:38I mean, again, I think it's all, who knows, you know?
04:41I've never been in this position, obviously.
04:44From a standpoint, I've never been 38 in this position.
04:46Also, I've never been in a position
04:47where I've had my contract expiring.
04:49So, I don't know what it's like to wait around
04:51until March and pre-agency and all that stuff,
04:53you know, so as far as timeline goes.
04:55But, again, the dust will settle, and we'll figure it out.
04:59But you didn't see any of the ball
05:00and you couldn't throw anything,
05:01and that's got to be used to get the ball in front.
05:03So, at the last point of the game,
05:05you know, has that been weighing on you guys
05:08to see if you're not going to be able to play?
05:10It's not ideal. It's definitely not ideal.
05:13Again, I think it's our job as players
05:15to control what happens between the lines
05:16and do a better job between the lines.
05:19And, you know, went nine and seven
05:21and just missed it in year one here
05:23and went 12 and four last year
05:25and tried to make a little run in the postseason.
05:28This year hasn't been so good.
05:29So, it's definitely not ideal.
05:31But I do think that, you know, while we've gotten used to it,
05:34it can still, it affects every guy differently.
05:37But I don't think, I think that would be an excuse
05:39and a crutch for us to say that
05:40that's had an effect on our play.
05:44But it's certainly, again, not ideal,
05:47the best way I can say it.
05:49Just to turn up to the eighth,
05:51is it disappointing that you're given
05:52kind of the weight of the problem
05:54and you don't have to, you know,
05:55write up the guys in your position
05:58that's been with one team for as long as you have?
06:00A lot of times it's kind of a farewell kind of thing
06:02or, you know, it's just that
06:04it's kind of just an appreciation
06:06to kind of deploy them even if you might not get that.
06:09Yeah, no, I just think it's just a unique deal
06:12in the sense that there's still an unknown, you know?
06:16I thought it was pretty special what happened in New York,
06:19you know, a few weeks ago or last week with Eli.
06:21I even sent him a note to tell him
06:23how awesome I thought it was.
06:26But I think that situation was different, you know?
06:28He's almost a year removed from this moment, I guess.
06:32You know, he was coming back this year
06:34and then they kind of, you know, obviously with the draft
06:36and how that whole thing played out,
06:37and, man, did he handle it like a pro.
06:39And the whole deal, so I think different,
06:42complete different situation.
06:45And, no, because I just don't think I'm done playing.
06:48And it's really, that part of it's not on my mind right now.
06:51I think it's more the disappointment
06:53and, again, losing another game
06:54and just the way the season's gone all the way around.
07:04Yeah, I got a call.
07:06I don't know exactly what went down in that reverse
07:08where I did a poor job of blocking that reverse.
07:11I thought I was in good position, too.
07:12And it wasn't one of those deals
07:13where I felt like I could cut him.
07:14I mean, he was running straight at me.
07:17And, you know, me and Austin were just a little,
07:18I thought he was closer to me than he was.
07:20And so when he dipped underneath me,
07:21I just naturally reacted and stuck my hand out.
07:24So I don't know what it hit, helmet,
07:26jersey caught or something.
07:27But I'll be all right.
07:28That was first quarter.
07:30So we threw it pretty good after that.