Colts QB Philip Rivers already knows ’80-to-85 percent’ of the offense

The Indianapolis Colts underwent a significant change at the quarterback position in the offseason. They went out and signed Philip Rivers to a one-year deal.

One of the well publicized advantages the Colts have when it comes to the Rivers acquisition is an established sense of familiarity. Rivers played for both head coach Frank Reich and offensive coordinator Nick Sirianni during their stints with the Chargers.

When discussing the addition of Rivers to local reporters, Reich expressed that the veteran quarterback already knows ’80 to 85 percent of the offense.’

As one might expect, the exact terminology for some elements to Reich’s offense with the Colts has changed. However, the overall scheme is something Rivers is already familiar with and that should help in a unique year with COVID-19 potentially impacting offseason preparation.

Rivers is coming off a season that featured some red flags. For starters, he threw for 20 interceptions, which was second to none other than Jameis Winston. It also didn’t help that he posted his lowest single-season touchdown figure (23) since the 2007 season.

While there were some negative elements to Philip Rivers’ performance in 2019, there were still some positives. Despite the issues, he completed 390 of his 591 pass attempts (66.0% completion rate) for 4,615 yards.

One of the main areas that negatively impacted Rivers during his final season with the Chargers was that he played behind a terrible offensive line. The Colts have an elite unit that will give him a consistently cleaner pocket to operate.

If the Colts do end up receiving production from Philip Rivers that more closely resembles his 2018 campaign, then they could be a legitimate threat in the AFC. He was in the MVP conversation to an extent during that year and for good reason.

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