Takeaways from Ron Rivera Introductory Press Conference
January 3, 2020
Ron Rivera was introduced as the Redskins new head coach Thursday afternoon in Ashburn, Virginia. His presence in the media room was felt by plenty of former and current Redskins’ along with a vast amount of media members. He spoke on a lot, but what are the key takeaways from Rivera’s introductory press conference?
Rivera is not motivated by money. Ron stated that if his decision was centered around money, he would have attempted to create leverage and pit teams against one another. There is something to be said about an individual who is not motivated by money because it shows that what drives them is much more significant. Rivera alluded to just that, stating that he is ultimately responsible for getting the most out of his players. Rivera believes that coaching and mentoring is key for the players of an organization, which would also benefit the communities in which the players belong to.
Rivera says that holding each other accountable will bring out the best in all of his players and staff. More importantly, he said that in his previous stops, his teams were at their best when his players knew coaches had their back, which points to the coach-centered approach Dan wanted to focus on in this hiring search. As the Redskins begin their transition to focusing on coaching styles, Rivera became the right guy for the job, because he is given the range to incorporate the player-centered culture Ron believes in.
Under Rivera, the decision-making aspect of this new relationship is all about collaboration. He wants to work directly with the head of player personnel in Washington, with Dan being a part of the final decision when necessary. It is not to say that Dan will be involved in every decision when it comes to football operations; however, if there will be instances that Ron and the head of player personnel do not see eye-to-eye on a given situation, Dan’s input will probably be the most significant. This structure creates the transparency that the team has been lacking for quite some time now, and there are only a few parties involved in the decision-making for Rivera’s roster.
Rivera also mentioned that veteran leadership is vital to him, although he believes in teaching and developing from a coaching standpoint, his players will need some guidance from those playing alongside them. These will be players such as Adrian Peterson, Jonathan Allen, Landon Collins, Quinton Dunbar, Alex Smith, and a few others. Reminder: this is a very young team; most of the veterans on this roster are no older than 30-years old. Nonetheless, Rivera feels that the team has players in leadership roles that can help Washington become contenders. Will this result in immediate wins on Sundays? No, but the value he puts in veterans is essential to any team.
Dwayne Haskins has the tools to become a franchise leader in Rivera’s eyes; however, he must continue to put the work in to prove Rivera correct. Back in Carolina, Ron and the Panthers organization had developed a plan for the former number one overall pick Cam Newton, and Redskins fans should expect similar in Washington as Ron continues to develop his plan for Haskins. He did not directly commit to Dwayne in his presser as the future of the franchise; however, Ron plans to give Haskins opportunities throughout the off-season to step up from both a playing and leadership standpoint. More importantly, Dwayne would have to be a guy that is willing to be that leads the team would require him to be. Rivera stated multiple times that this offseason would be significant for Dwayne, so pay attention to how he develops heading into his second NFL training camp.
Ron has a desire to see everyone on the roster involved in the team’s offseason programs. Ron believes that for the necessary changes to happen for this team and its personnel, it must start with commitment. Neither Rivera or Snyder, as Ron would put it, has the patience for a five-year rebuilding process, he chose this destination because he felt the pieces were in place right now to become contenders pretty quickly. Does it mean year one? Not necessarily, however, it is not out of the question that you may very well see a quick turnaround for Washington.