Rivers knows Bill’s way
Shares funny Pro Bowl tidbit
FOXBORO — Is Philip Rivers a Hall of Fame football player?
That seems to be up for debate.
But there’s no question the guy is an elite storyteller.
On a conference call with the Patriots media yesterday, Rivers took us back to his 2011 Pro Bowl experience with Bill Belichick.
“At halftime of the Pro Bowl game, we were getting killed,” Rivers said. “It was me and Peyton (Manning) and (Matt) Cassel. We were getting blown out at halftime, and he kind of called us all up and said, ‘Hey, we can tackle? I know it’s the Pro Bowl and all that, but can we tackle somebody today? Let’s just go out and see if we can make this a little bit respectLynn, able in the second half.’ 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. … I thought that was pretty good. I got fussed out at halftime of the Pro Bowl.”
Despite the harsh halftime treatment, Rivers said he had a “great week” with Belichick.
“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 … it was cool for me to be around those guys and just talk ball,” Rivers said.
As for Belichick’s recollection of the week?
“Yeah, that was a long time ago, but he’s a smart guy, he’s a great guy, good football player, really cares and knows a lot about football,” Belichick said. “He’s an impressive guy to talk to.”
Through the years, Belichick has had Rivers’ number in head-to-head matchups. Rivers is 1-7 against the Pats, with the lone win coming in 2008.
McCourty returns
The Patriots had perfect attendance in their first practice leading up to the AFC divisional round matchup with the Chargers.
Safety Devin McCourty, who suffered a concussion in the regular-season finale, returned to the field and was a full participant.
McCourty missed both practices during the Patriots’ bye week.
Wide receiver Cordarrelle Patterson, who missed Week 17 with a knee injury, also was a full participant.
Tight end Dwayne Allen (knee) and defensive end Deatrich Wise (ankle) were limited.
For the Chargers, running back Melvin Gordon did not practice. Head coach Anthony Lynn indicated that Gordon is dealing with “sore knees.” Gordon entered the wild card round with a sprained right knee, then suffered a sprained left knee in the first quarter. He returned but finished with 40 yards on 17 carries.
“He lives to play in games like this, and I’m highly confident that he’s going to play on Sunday,” Lynn said. “There’s not a lot of backs in the league right now that are 100 percent, to be honest with you. He’s one of those guys that he’s not 100 percent, but sometimes you don’t feel like it because of the way he competes.”
Different man
Anthony Lynn and Stephon Gilmore both left Buffalo in 2017.
then the interim head coach and offensive coordinator, took the head coaching job with the Chargers.
Gilmore accepted a huge contract in free agency with the Patriots.
They’ve both excelled ever since. Lynn is a candidate for the NFL Coach of the Year, guiding the Chargers to a 12-4 record. Gilmore was named first-team All-Pro for the first time.
“I know Stephon, know him very well,” Lynn said. “I thought last year, his first year there, he was kind of making his way through from maybe being in a different organization. This year, watching the tape, he looks like a completely different man. He looks lighter to me, he’s quicker on his feet, his coverage is tight, he’s physical. He’s a top corner in this league.”
Gilmore likely will draw Keenan Allen on Sunday.