Philip Rivers says Bill Belichick ‘fussed him out’ at 2011 Pro Bowl
Los Angeles Chargers quarterback Philip Rivers admits that he doesn’t have much of a history with Patriots coach Bill Belichick. But he knows that Belichick doesn’t like to lose even the most meaningless of games.
This was brought to light during the 37-year-old’s lone hands-on experience with Belichick at the 2011 NFL Pro Bowl.
“It was a great week just being around [Belichick],” Rivers, an eight-time Pro Bowler, began. “It’s a little bit, obviously it’s all scaled back in the Pro Bowl, but just really with his offensive staff and all his coaches just talking football and stuff, just being around a staff and a coach that had the success he’s had.”
But Rivers got the complete Belichick treatment, as he chewed out his Pro Bowl squad at halftime.
“I do remember at halftime of the Pro Bowl game we were getting killed. So, me, Peyton [Manning] and [Matt] Cassel and we’re getting blown out at halftime and [Belichick] kind of called us all up and said, ‘Hey, we can tackle. I know it’s the Pro Bowl and all of that but can we tackle somebody today? Let’s just go out and make this a little bit respectable in the second half,'” Rivers recalled. “And then he looked over at us quarterbacks and we had all thrown an interception.
“Thank goodness I wasn’t the only one and he said, ‘It would help if you guys would stop throwing it to the other team.’ I got a kick out of that because I’m sitting there with Peyton Manning and Cassel and if Peyton’s not my all-time favorite, one of. I was glad I wasn’t the only one that had thrown it to the other team. I thought that was pretty good.
“I got fussed out at halftime of the Pro Bowl.”
Honestly, though, would you expect anything less out of New England’s coach?
