Bill O’Brien tried to recruit Rivers in college
O’Brien was with Georgia Tech from 1995-2002, mostly working under coach George O’Leary from 1995 until his midseason firing in 2001.
Even though O’Brien was a running backs coach in 1999, he remembers O’Leary’s trying to recruit this gunslinger from Decatur, Alabama.
“When he was coming out of high school, I was at Georgia Tech, we were a part of recruiting him,” O’Brien told reporters on Sept. 18, 2019. “He went to N.C. State, I coached against him, I coached against him in his last home college game at N.C. State.”
O’Brien did have a chance to coach Rivers in the 2011 Pro Bowl when O’Brien was offensive coordinator for the New England Patriots.
“I coached him in the Pro Bowl, which isn’t really coaching,” said O’Brien. “The Pro Bowl, you know how I feel about the Pro Bowl, but I got to know him at the Pro Bowl.
“Awesome guy, very smart, loves football, just a guy that loves talking about football and he’s just had a great career. It’s a big challenge for us.”
It will be a big challenge for the Texans twice a season. As long as the front office is loading up on pass rush and coverage talent in free agency and the draft, Houston should be ready to face any problems Rivers and the Colts present.