Barring unforeseen circumstances, Commanders owner Josh Harris plans to evaluate head coach Ron Rivera's status after the regular season, NFL Network Insider Ian Rapoport reports.
I am actually kind of surprised he has lasted this long. Rivera in Washington has probably been possibly the most unremarkable head coaching tenure I can recall in the NFL. It’s almost like you forget he even exists at times
It’s a perfect analogue to Norv Turner’s tenure in DC from 1994-2000. Unremarkable, mediocre, never atrociously bad enough to tank, but also keeping his job in part due to the instability of a drawn-out ownership change.
I’m not surprised. I think Snyder favored him because he at least got the team to the playoffs in his first season. Scandal after scandal started hitting Snyder and I think he was happy with the stability Rivera brought.
With Harris coming on board, he’s probably going to want to start making his mark on the team, and my guess is in the next few years we’re going to see big changes to the team and organization to rid itself of the Snyder poison.
So I wasn’t surprised to see him retained this long, but I’d certainly be surprised if Harris doesn’t clean house after this season.
I also don’t see much point in firing him mid-season, unless things just go completely off the rails and the locker room revolts, but keeping a steady locker room seems to be one of Rivera’s strengths.
It honestly set them back in a way. Had them drafting too late to get a QB and they had to spend 2 years in QB limbo trying Stopgaps that didn’t work and relying on Heincke who is respectable but has a too weak of an arm to bring you over the jump
How did it set them back? They were at best a 7-9 talent for the last decade. As a franchise they constantly find single talented players and then surround them with dogshit. Or have insane injury luck with those guys. RGIII, Young, Trent Williams situation, BR Jr getting shot before his season started lol, etc.
If anything he’s kept them on pace without the usual crazy bad luck, especially in a division with 2 contenders during his entire regime. Harris will bring in a reputable retread coach that will be his Doc Rivers of football. I’d be ready for more mediocrity but at least it’ll feel hopeful for a little bit.
They are no better off with Ron then they were with Jay Gruden before him, at least Gruden has made the playoffs with a winning record, it’s the same dumpster fire just a different owner
So I did a Turkey Trot today and overheard a conversation about Kirk Cousins. Guy says Cousins is like unsalted mash potatoes. You’re not mad that someone served them but you’re not excited about it either. You’ll probably eat them but won’t be thrilled about it. Rivera is that kind of guy for coaching. He’s not great. But then he has teams that don’t have a lot of talent. His teams don’t overperform their talent level but they don’t seem to ever underperform either. You never really look at his teams and say, “A team that is built this way should be way better than this.” He seems to beat the teams he should beat and loses to the teams you don’t expect him to beat and doesn’t usually get embarrassed badly, avoids controversy and no one really cares.
I already forget David Culley was the head coach of the Texans. Before the season it was the worst hire I’ve ever seen, and then he actually kind of over performed, but still sucked really bad.
I am actually kind of surprised he has lasted this long. Rivera in Washington has probably been possibly the most unremarkable head coaching tenure I can recall in the NFL. It’s almost like you forget he even exists at times
It’s a perfect analogue to Norv Turner’s tenure in DC from 1994-2000. Unremarkable, mediocre, never atrociously bad enough to tank, but also keeping his job in part due to the instability of a drawn-out ownership change.
Hey maybe that’s a step up from the embarrassment we are used to hearing about in Washington?
That’s what I was thinking. He isn’t terrible just checked out. He could be replaced with someone far worse…
And that’s all Snyder wanted when he hired him.
Snyder desperately needed someone with credibility, since his franchise had none.
Absolutely. He brought a shred of respectability to the organization. But not a whole lot more.
I’m not surprised. I think Snyder favored him because he at least got the team to the playoffs in his first season. Scandal after scandal started hitting Snyder and I think he was happy with the stability Rivera brought.
With Harris coming on board, he’s probably going to want to start making his mark on the team, and my guess is in the next few years we’re going to see big changes to the team and organization to rid itself of the Snyder poison.
So I wasn’t surprised to see him retained this long, but I’d certainly be surprised if Harris doesn’t clean house after this season.
I also don’t see much point in firing him mid-season, unless things just go completely off the rails and the locker room revolts, but keeping a steady locker room seems to be one of Rivera’s strengths.
I mean, he got them to the playoffs at 7-9 lol. I’m not sure I’d feel good about that year as an owner
It honestly set them back in a way. Had them drafting too late to get a QB and they had to spend 2 years in QB limbo trying Stopgaps that didn’t work and relying on Heincke who is respectable but has a too weak of an arm to bring you over the jump
How did it set them back? They were at best a 7-9 talent for the last decade. As a franchise they constantly find single talented players and then surround them with dogshit. Or have insane injury luck with those guys. RGIII, Young, Trent Williams situation, BR Jr getting shot before his season started lol, etc.
If anything he’s kept them on pace without the usual crazy bad luck, especially in a division with 2 contenders during his entire regime. Harris will bring in a reputable retread coach that will be his Doc Rivers of football. I’d be ready for more mediocrity but at least it’ll feel hopeful for a little bit.
Set them back because they missed out on drafting who? Mac Jones? Justin Fields? The only worthwhile qb in that draft was picked at the #1 spot
Tua? Herbert?
Dude already had an 0-2 count when he whiffed on Chase Young.
Do you think he’ll rebrand the commanders? Even with the name change it feels so Snyder
Hey he won a division title, with a losing record which funny enough is the second time it happened to him but he did
He’s a less memorable version of Jeff Fisher.
That is precisely why he lasted this long.
Quarterback
I mean Washington was a dumpster fire for a while. Rivera isn’t great but he’s a big step up from dumpster fire
They are no better off with Ron then they were with Jay Gruden before him, at least Gruden has made the playoffs with a winning record, it’s the same dumpster fire just a different owner
So I did a Turkey Trot today and overheard a conversation about Kirk Cousins. Guy says Cousins is like unsalted mash potatoes. You’re not mad that someone served them but you’re not excited about it either. You’ll probably eat them but won’t be thrilled about it. Rivera is that kind of guy for coaching. He’s not great. But then he has teams that don’t have a lot of talent. His teams don’t overperform their talent level but they don’t seem to ever underperform either. You never really look at his teams and say, “A team that is built this way should be way better than this.” He seems to beat the teams he should beat and loses to the teams you don’t expect him to beat and doesn’t usually get embarrassed badly, avoids controversy and no one really cares.
I already forget David Culley was the head coach of the Texans. Before the season it was the worst hire I’ve ever seen, and then he actually kind of over performed, but still sucked really bad.