The biggest mistake Washington Commanders owner Dan Snyder made was firing coach Marty Schottenheimer after one year. The biggest error Schottenheimer committed was not talking with the young owner to create the tension.
Twenty-one years later, Commanders coach Ron Rivera plans not to make the same mistake.
Rivera detailed his communication plan with a future new owner to The Washington Times recently. Rivera went through the Carolina Panthers’ sale in 2018 to David Tepper. Rivera bought himself a year in Carolina before getting fired midway through the 2019 season and soon arriving in Washington.
“I’ve got to be very specific and very clear cut with what our vision is going forward,” Rivera told The Washington Times’ Matthew Paras. “And it has to mesh. That’s one of the things I learned from [the Panthers change] is that not having it mesh, not having an explanation of what we’re going to do and how we’re going to do it . . . slows that process down. When that opportunity comes, when I sit down [with new ownership] and go through the explanation, I’m going to be very concise.”
Well, at least one person will know where this team is supposedly headed. Rivera still hasn’t found a quarterback three seasons in and won’t see a fifth year if Sam Howell falters this fall. Well, Howell or “backup” Jacoby Brissett as Rivera has already tempered Howell’s QB1 status.
Rivera’s plan to truly explain his vision is smart. Schottenheimer was undermined by his bull headedness not to talk to Snyder.
Schottenheimer said he’d never work for Snyder. Well, never turned out to be two weeks before taking the job. Snyder mistakenly gave Schottenheimer total control just like Rivera and the former coach turned his power into a stone wall.
Schottenheimer feared Snyder’s interference after two years belittling coach Norv Turner. So, Schottenheimer shut Snyder out of daily planning and declined the owner’s request for lunch on Fridays to discuss events. After starting 0-5, Snyder was itching to insert himself into daily operations. Schottenheimer said no and pointed to his contract to enforce Snyder’s exclusion.
At that point, Snyder decided to replace Schottenheimer but waited until the season’s end after firing Turner with three games remaining in 2000. Snyder feared no coach would take the job if two straight predecessors didn’t make the season’s end.
That Washington finished 8-3 and looked like a solid contender for coming seasons didn’t matter to Snyder. Maybe if Schottenheimer explained his plan, Snyder would have been more patient. So, each side shared blame in the parting. Succeeding coach Steve Spurrier completely dismantled Schottenheimer’s team building while going 12-20 over two seasons before quitting.
Rivera gets one chance to make a good impression and that’s winning games this fall. Otherwise, his five-year plan falls a season short as new owners listen to a new coach. But, things happen like injuries to derail a season so Rivera should at least educate his new bosses. Who knows, communication might prove worthwhile.
Follow Rick Snider on Twitter: @Snide_Remarks
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