ENGLEWOOD, Colo.—Philip Rivers swears his jawing is just in jest.
The San Diego Chargers quarterback doesn’t mean anything mean-spirited by his smack talking. He simply can’t help his mouth.
“All in fun,” he said Wednesday. “Nothing I can’t go home and tell your mom about or your wife about, that you’d really be ashamed of.”
Rivers had an animated exchange with Jay Cutler last December, shouting at the Broncos quarterback after Cutler threw an incomplete pass on fourth down toward the end of the Chargers’ 23-3 win.
So, what kind of reception does Rivers expect Sunday in Denver?
“I imagine it will be real pleasant,” he cracked.
Pleasantly icy.
“You always expect it to be hostile and it always is going to (be in) Denver,” Rivers said. “I’m sure it’ll be a little more revved up for this one.”
Cutler has no beef with Rivers, downplaying any animosity that may exist between the two.
“He doesn’t play defense. I’m not worried about him,” Cutler said.
Rivers can’t help gabbing. He loves to talk, even jabbering with Indianapolis fans shortly after the Chargers eliminated the Colts in a playoff game last season.
“I see it as I play the game with a lot of emotion,” Rivers said. “If you follow me around for every game at N.C. State and every game in high school and every game I ever played in the backyard, if you filmed every practice out here, we have a lot of fun. There’s no profanity or anything derogatory that’s just demeaning of an individual that’s being said out there. It’s all in fun.”
Some of the Broncos players were upset by Rivers’ antics at the time.
But that has quieted down, in part due to the fact the Chargers have outscored Denver 64-6 in the last two meetings.
The Broncos aren’t in a position to do too much talking.
“To the victor the spoils—something like that,” receiver Brandon Stokley said. “They beat us up twice last year so they can talk all they want. Until we get the edge on them, it’s hard to say anything.”
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WILSON RETIRES@: Former Broncos linebacker Al Wilson, sidelined with a neck injury since the end of the 2006 season, retired Wednesday.
The five-time Pro Bowler played his entire career with Denver, which drafted him out of Tennessee with the 31st overall pick in 1999.
Wilson was the undisputed leader in the locker room, even speaking at the funerals for cornerback Darrent Williams and running Damien Nash, who both died in 2007 at age 24.
The 31-year-old Wilson finished his career with 21 1/2 career sacks and five interceptions.
“He meant so much to this organization,” Broncos coach Mike Shanahan said. “I really enjoyed all the years he spent with us—hate to see him go. He gave it everything he had every day.”
Wilson hurt his neck running into a teammate on a tackle against Seattle on Dec. 3, 2006. He had to be carted off the field, the crowd giving him an ovation and chanting his name.
He was released after the season.
“He was a great player and a great friend,” linebacker D.J. Williams said. “Al loved the game. Not only that, he loved his teammates.”
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NALEN’S RETURN@: Shanahan said Tom Nalen’s left knee “held up well” as he returned to practice on a limited basis Wednesday.
Nalen has been out since early in training camp.
“He did pretty good, just working his way back into it,” Shanahan said after practice.
Casey Wiegmann started in Nalen’s place against Oakland. Wiegmann now has a 112-game start streak in the regular season, the longest active string among centers.
Shanahan said he’s not sure when Nalen will be ready for a game.
“Its going to take a while for him to get back into football shape,” Shanahan said.
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FIRST DOWNS@: RB Andre Hall was excused from practice Wednesday to deal with his mother’s death, which he learned of hours before Monday night’s game with Oakland. Shanahan said Hall will be back at practice Thursday. … Jay Cutler was credited with another yard passing Wednesday, giving him his third career 300-yard game. The Broncos were also credited with another team sack, giving them three for the game. … LB Louis Green (hamstring) did not practice Wednesday. … Asked if the Broncos could be called contenders after beating Oakland, Shanahan smiled and said, “You can call us whatever you want,” he said.
