When coaches speak to the media for their weekly conference calls about upcoming games, they have two choices: either create bulletin board material by slighting opponents, or lavish them with praise to soften them up. Minnesota Vikings coach Mike Zimmer opted for the latter Wednesday when talking about San Diego Chargers quarterback Philip Rivers.
“He’s really tough. I really love everything about him,” Zimmer said Wednesday, via Chargers PR director Bill Johnston. “In my opinion he’s one of the best quarterbacks of all-time, just because of the way he wins, the way he competes and fights. I love the guy.”
Zimmer has faced Rivers many times over the quarterback’s decade-plus in the league. His offensive coordinator with the Vikings, Norv Turner, was also Rivers’ head coach in San Diego for several seasons, so they are quite familiar with the QB.
“Philip is a great, great challenge each time you play against him. He’s extremely smart, he’s crafty in getting them in and out of the right plays. I think he’s extremely tough in the pocket. He’s going to stand in there and take his shots. And then he’s going to get the ball out quick when he needs to as well,” Zimmer said of Rivers on SiriusXM NFL Radio.
“He is extremely accurate, he can make all of the throws, he’s a great competitor and he’s tougher than nails.”
Look, we all know that Rivers is a good quarterback. You don’t become a five-time Pro Bowler and lead the league in passing yards without being talented and smart. But calling him one of the all-time greats? That’s a stretch. If there’s a Hall of Fame for “very good” players, he would be part of it. But saying he’s an all-time great when he was never considered in the same class as Tom Brady, Aaron Rodgers, Drew Brees, Peyton Manning, and some of his other contemporaries, is going too far.
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