ESPN analyst Ryan Clark is not known for always having the best takes, and he showed yet another example of that on Friday morning when talking about quarterback Philip Rivers and the Indianapolis Colts.
The Colts made headlines earlier in the week when it was revealed they were going to sign Rivers out of retirement in the wake of losing Daniel Jones to a season-ending Achilles injury.
The move was shocking to say the least because Rivers is 44 years old and hasn't played a snap in the NFL since 2020. That said, the move is understandable.
After all, the Colts are still in contention for a playoff spot despite their recent slide, and they were faced with trying to accomplish getting to the postseason with either rookie Riley Leonard or veteran Brett Rypien as their starter.
Long story short: the Colts have nothing to lose by bringing Rivers in to see if he can be better than those two.
However, Clark doesn't see it that way.
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Instead, he thinks the Colts are "incompetent" for bringing Rivers out of retirement after such a long time away from the game. He also called Indy "irresponsible."
"I believe this is incompetent. And I also believe it is irresponsible," he said on First Take on Friday, via Awful Announcing. "This is not Michael Jordan coming back to play basketball after three years off for the Washington Wizards.
"This is a man in Phillip Rivers who was always a stationary target taking five years off to coach high school football and then coming back to play against the Seattle Seahawks, who would get after your keester if you were freaking Michael Vick," Clark concluded.
Say what you want about all the time Rivers has been retired and his age, but there is reason to believe he'll still be better than a rookie and a journeyman who has never shown even one iota of starting-caliber talent in the NFL.
He certainly wouldn't be the first 40-plus-year-old quarterback to have success.
So the move does make sense and is hardly a sign of incompetence on the Colts' part. In fact, I applaud Indy for taking the bold step to try and save its season instead of simply settling on two guys who give the team no shot.
MORE: Philip Rivers' playing status for Week 15 gets significant update from Colts reporter
When it comes to the "irresponsible" part, it's not like the Colts are forcing Rivers to come back. Clearly, he wants to and feels he's capable of being a plus for Indianapolis, or else he wouldn't do it.
If Rivers isn't worried about what could happen to him, nobody should be, either.
Yes, he will walk into a brutally tough matchup against an elite Seattle Seahawks defense if he plays in Week 15, but he is far more equipped to handle that road matchup than a rookie is.
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