Longtime NFL quarterback Philip Rivers sees one big difference in himself and his oldest son, Gunner.

“He’s a little more even keeled, which will bode well for him,” the notoriously animated Rivers said last week.

Gunner is expected to start at quarterback as a freshman for his dad’s third St. Michael Catholic football team this fall. The elder Rivers said patience is a key for both at this point.

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“He’s getting better. He’s a freshman,” Philip said. “We all have to remind ourselves every day that he’s in the ninth grade, but he’s doing some good things. This (7-on-7 football) has been good for him — just getting reps and seeing a bunch of different stuff. You get more comfortable with every rep and every call you hear and make.”

Events like the Jubilee 7-on-7 in Daphne last week weren’t an option when Rivers was slinging the football for his dad Steve at Athens High School in the late 1990s.

“Oh, I wish we would have had 7-on-7 back then,” he said. “It would have been a blast. I don’t mean to take a shot at my dad, but I’m not sure if we had enough formations to play 7-on-7. There aren’t too many teams in the ‘I’ out here.”

Still, Rivers said it’s easy to tell the difference in his son’s passing ability and his at the same age.

“I think we see the game a lot alike. We love it,” Rivers said. “He’s a way better passer than I was at that age. He’s had 150 7-on-7 reps. I had zero. Going into the ninth grade, I was playing tight end, so he’s further ahead as a passer already.”

The relationship Philip Rivers had with his dad at Athens was one of the big reasons he always planned to go into coaching after his NFL career ended. He’s hoping to foster that same type bond with Gunner.

“I hope to have the same experience I had with my dad. I hope he has that or feels that,” Rivers said. “It’s been a lot of fun so far. Right now, you just enjoy the heck out of it each day, each rep, every practice. Don’t look too far ahead.”

Philip Rivers already has put St. Michael on the map. He’s 11-8 in two years at the school and has won seven region games. In the four years prior to Rivers’ arrival, the Cardinals were a combined 5-25 overall and 0-18 in region play. The school also broke ground on a new on-campus stadium this summer.

The coach clearly is proud of where his program is but also is having to practice patience.

“I think we continue to get better. I think the foundation and the culture is where it needs to be now,” he said. “You can see it with the upper classes. We are excited to get the field and the lights out there. That’s big, having that on campus.

“I grow a little impatient. We’ve won seven region games after losing our first 18. You have to build on those positives. My dad reminds me all the time, ‘Hey, it doesn’t happen overnight. Just keep working.’ I’m still learning the ropes, but we are headed in the right direction. Our young guys are really solid. We will have three or four freshmen on the field this year, but they are good freshmen.”

Those freshmen will face a tough schedule that opens with a jamboree game at Class 6A Spanish Fort on Aug. 17 followed by the regular-season opener at Class 5A Gulf Shores on Aug. 24.

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