Four years ago, my aunt in Charlotte called. She heard Ron Rivera was coming to Washington.
“People here love Ron,” she said. “He just didn’t win enough games.”
First, I didn’t know my aunt even watched football. Second, I feel the same way four years later.
The Washington Commanders moved on from Rivera Monday, following three years of malaise and one amazing collapse that saw them finish 4-13 on Sunday. Rivera always professed a five-year plan, but the team is worse than when he arrived.
Poor drafts and mediocre free agency moves doomed Rivera.
The GM in him as a “coach-centric” ruler doomed the coach in him. Rivera recently said he only began to coach five weeks ago after firing defensive coordinator Jack Del Rio. Beforehand, he was a “manager.” Well, that’s one way to look at it, but Rivera was eyes wide-open when coming to Washington.
But, Rivera was truly “winning off the field,” as former team president Bruce Allen loved to say. Rivera stabilized a franchise engulfed in owner Dan Snyder’s sins and scandal. Rivera was the adult in a room run by madmen.
Rivera wasn’t successful, but until this season wasn’t awful. Just mediocre, and that gets old after a while. This season’s collapse left nowhere to hide.
This was different than the Green Mile walks by predecessors Jim Zorn, Jay Gruden, and Mike Shanahan, though. People like Rivera. They know he’s a decent man, and for that deserves respect. That’s why owner Josh Harris let Rivera finish the season despite eight straight losses rather than fire him last month. Rivera is respected league-wide and coaching candidates would have noticed a bum’s rush out the door. Think anyone wants to work for Carolina owner David Tepper? Only the desperate and foolish. Washington has had enough of those candidates after two decades.
Already, national reports say Harris is interested in New England coach Bill Belichick. First, it’s not happening. Second, it’s still not happening. But if Harris treated Rivera poorly there’s no way Belichick would even take a call. The NFL is a small world.
Harris can’t go “coach-centric” with Belichick anyway. The Burgundy Revolution would rise once more and Harris would be on the dog list among fans. Harris literally can’t afford it after paying $6.05 billion for the team while courting politicians for a new stadium handout. Snyder was only forced out because he couldn’t get a stadium deal and was costing fellow NFL owners money.
The Commanders need to rebuild a fan base and that means hiring a general manager who picks the coach that drafts the quarterback. It might not work, but it’s the right formula.
As for Rivera, retirement might look good after four exhausting years. He turned 62 on Sunday, meaning Social Security checks can come once Harris’ severance pay clears. Or, maybe Rivera moves on as a defensive coordinator elsewhere.
Either way, I’d shake his hand on the way out. Winning off the field counts for something in the real world.
