Peyton Manning's decision to sign with the Denver Broncos couldn't be considered good news for the rest of the teams in the AFC West, but one prominent division star welcomes a new rival.
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"I was probably one of the few people that was crazy enough to say it, but I was hoping he was going to Denver," San Diego Chargers quarterback Philip Rivers said Wednesday on NFL Network. "And I say that with all respect. Certainly going to make it even tougher, you look at Indianapolis when he was there, they went like 10 straight years winning 10 games or more, so we certainly can't expect that 8-8 will get us in."
This is in line with Rivers' general attitude on the football field. He runs his mouth and plays with a ton of confidence. That he'd relish the chance to beat Manning twice a year is no surprise.
"I always believe, why wouldn't you want to play the best?" he added. "And to get two times to play the best, I got my hands full, we got our hands full with the Bronco defense. To me, any time you're playing a Peyton Manning-led football team, there's a challenge -- but that's what you dream about growing up as a kid."
And then there's this: Rivers' Chargers beat Manning's Colts in four of their five meetings, including twice in the postseason. No wonder Rivers sounds like he's belting Journey's "Open Arms" at ol' No. 18.
