Washington Commanders coach Ron Rivera has become former NFL coach Jeff Fisher. And, that's not a bad thing.
Both men are widely respected. Both are good people. And both have taken teams to Super Bowls with Rivera having a slightly better win-loss average. But, each has been a .500 coach overall.
Their paths first intersected in 1984 when Rivera joined the Chicago Bears as a linebacker. Fisher arrived three years earlier as a defensive back. The two spent two seasons together, including 1985 when the Bears won the Super Bowl and were considered among the top NFL defenses ever.
Fisher became defensive coordinator with Philadelphia, St. Louis and Houston while Rivera ran defenses in Chicago and San Diego. Both then had unusually long tenures in their first head coaching stops. Fisher led Houston that later became the Tennessee Titans from 1994 to 2010 while Rivera spent 2011-19 with Carolina. Fisher's second stop was 2012-16 with the St. Louis Rams that became the Los Angeles Rams while Rivera joined Washington in 2020. Fisher is now the coach/general manager of the Michigan Panthers of the USFL.
Fisher was 180-179-1 overall while Rivera is 94-88-1. Fisher's Titans lost Super Bowl XXXIV to St. Louis while Rivera's 15-1 Panthers fell to Denver in Super Bowl 50.
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So, it has been a common and parallel path for the two. Many might wince at the comparison because neither ever threatened to join the Lombardis, Hallas and Belichicks among the coaching immortals.
But, each proved a stabilizing influence with rocky franchises. Fisher twice oversaw a team's relocation, including the Titans' one season in Memphis between Houston and Nashville. Rivera has tempered persistent controversies around the Redskins/Football Team/Commanders that seem on the brink of another media storm via Congress' investigation of owner Dan Snyder.
The value of both coaches extends off the field as much as modest success on the field and can't be underestimated. Many coaches would have run from the off-field drama that regularly smothers Washington. Rivera hasn't cracked yet, though the current three-game losing streak seems to have raised his frustration levels.
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Resilience has Rivera still looking a season or two ahead of the current one when many detractors think this will be his last. That thought never crosses Rivera's mind. He's thinking of when the team can truly compete with better players. Never mind Rivera built the current roster. Looking ahead of what matters more.
"It's about keep coming to work every day, keep working, working to get better," he said. "There's a lot of good things that are out there if we continue to work, continue to do the things that we're supposed to and just continue to get better and grow as a football team."
Fisher seems in football's backwater by running a USFL franchise that history says will be short lived. But, he's building a team and looking forward. Same for Rivera.
Who knows, maybe they'll cross paths again.
Rick Snider has covered Washington sports since 1978. Follow him on Twitter: @Snide_Remarks.
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