Ron’s F-Words

January 3, 2020

by Jay Evans

“Happy Thanksgiving!” Hardy har-har, good one Danny! Disregarding Dan Snyder’s flat opening “joke”, whichever holiday you choose to celebrate, Redskins fans got the two belated presents they had been hoping for all year. Bruce Allen is done and a seismic organizational shift is taking place.

Ron Rivera was introduced as the new head coach last Thursday afternoon and has been tasked with changing the entire culture of the Redskins franchise. The 57-year-old with an iron chin and smoke tinted glasses becomes the 29^th head coach of the Washington Redskins and 10^th different head coach in Dan Snyder’s 20-year reign.

Rivera is a regimented, hard-nosed coach who spent the past nine seasons with the Carolina Panthers and whose tenure was ironically ended by the Redskins back in November. Hence the pathetic attempt at garnering a laugh at the opening of the press conference introducing Rivera. Pardon me, I’ll hold my applause until the end.

Dan Snyder had no sense of humor in his pursuit of the veteran coach. The owner didn’t hesitate in his advances with the two-time NFL coach of the year. Rivera admitted conversations began with Snyder within a week after being dismissed by Carolina.

Of the candidates available, the Redskins hired the best possible candidate for this “coach led” structure of an organization. Retaining Rivera’s services was vital to the remainder of the offseason.

Ron Rivera may not have been the coach off the Andy Reid coaching tree many wanted, but he is a tone setting hire for the franchise moving forward.

Eric Bieniemy has been praised for his work with Kansas City, and being the offensive coordinator for the Chiefs is an impressive internship for the likely soon to be head coach. The Chiefs are led by a strong-armed quarterback, flanked by talented field stretchers, and maintain a stable of running backs who have the talent to make Jim Zorn look proficient.

Bieniemy would have been an “offense forward” candidate to help facilitate the growth of Dwayne Haskins career, and you can squint hard enough to make out similar pieces on the Redskins roster. The fact remains that the modus operandi of any Andy Reid offense is that Andy calls the plays and the former NFL running back has no head coaching experience at any level.

Meanwhile, as long as the Chiefs remain in the playoffs, communication with Bieniemy would remain limited as it would with any other potential candidate on contending teams still in the hunt for a championship.

Waiting on the chance to possibly woo Bieniemy or Dave Toub from Kansas City, Josh McDaniels of the New England Patriots, Greg Roman of the Baltimore Ravens, or flavor of the season Robert Saleh of the San Francisco 49ers would have added more than a month to the coaching search.

McDaniels is the only one from that pack to have prior head coaching experience. After two controversial seasons in Denver, McDaniels was fired and more recently would’ve been the Colts’ head coach until he got cold feet at the altar. The Redskins avoided the look of desperation by not hesitating in their coaching search.

Now the Redskins have a head start on the rest of the league, including two teams from their own division. The lost period would’ve been detrimental to the full-scale dismantling of the offices currently undertaking in Ashburn.

The New York Giants and Cleveland Browns are scheduling interviews with the lot above and Dallas officially released Jason Garrett from his contract. The move to bring in Rivera before other hires is a strategic advantage over the remainder of the league, especially within the division.

As the coaching carousel turns, the Redskins knew they’d be competing with other vacancies, including some perceived as being more favorable situations. The Redskins couldn’t find themselves in a situation left with scraps, similar to that which precipitated the Jim Zorn era.

The risk associated with narrowing one’s sights on a particular candidate is being left standing in the coach’s game of musical chairs. The other danger is the lack of experience available at the head coaching position. If you are to believe Dan Snyder’s ‘coach-centered’ vision, then experience was a prerequisite.

The Redskins could have dipped back into the college pool, but Lincoln Riley showed no interest and the franchise is still sipping the sour lemonade left behind from the Ol’ Ball coach Steve Spurrier.

Mike McCarthy, a potential hire now supposedly the Cowboys’ new coach, completes the requirement of coaching experience, and he won Super Bowl XLV. However, the Packers struggle in the years following the Super Bowl along with the success of Matt LaFleur’s first season as head coach has left a miserable stain on McCarthy’s resume. The fact that McCarthy only had a single championship with one of the greatest quarterbacks in the NFL, Aaron Rodgers, is considered more a failure than a success.

Rivera’s resume includes a championship as member of the vaunted ‘85 Bears defense and a Super Bowl appearance as a coach as well, but more importantly, he held the sacred blessing.

Joe Jackson Gibbs’ word is sacrosanct to Snyder who craves the advice of his teenage idol and listened to his adopted football father who told him to go secure Rivera.

Gibbs and the trophies are hallowed grounds. For too long the franchise has relied on reliving the image of Riggo’s run, which took place nearly 37 years ago! The Redskins equivalent of Al Bundy’s three touchdown game is a tent post rallying cry. Polk High football rules, indeed, but there has to be more.

Thankfully the trophies weren’t trotted out for the introductory press conference. The Rivera Redskins are setting out to embark on a new path. They did reach into the old Redskins trope of resurrecting the past when Rivera said, “we have to study that history, embrace that history…If not we’re doomed to repeat the most recent history,” but the conference concluded with a refreshing breath.

Aside from the cringeworthy quips from Snyder and the starchy one-liners in Rivera’s prepared statement, Rivera felt the pulse of the foreign room, and answered the biggest question when he said, “so, why did I choose the Redskins?”

“It’s not about the money,” Rivera said and then made it be known that if it was for the bank account alone, then he would still be on the market. He further expressed that the team would not have “an owner’s centered approach or a team president or a [General Manager], but a coach centered approach,” Rivera articulated.

This is why Rivera might be the best of the coaching bunch. Not because he is the most innovative schemer or arrives with a sterling record, but because of his work ethic. He is hungry to achieve greatness. Rivera must have found comfort that he will have the freedom to rule unencumbered as he sees fit.

Power of this proportion has not been yielded to a head coach from Snyder since Marty Schottenheimer, who until now was the only defensive minded head coach hired by Snyder. Rivera obviously desired significant influence after his experience in Carolina where he operated with two owners and two general managers.

Selfish as he may sound, Rivera, a man from a military home, is determined to “bet on himself.” The Redskins hopefully have a general who will lead with respect from the owner on down to the field, but the coach will be the funnel through everything will pass.

It is fair to approach the new hire with skepticism. Snyder has relinquished control before, only to snatch it back ruthlessly. The organization is being stripped and Rivera is going to be busy over the ensuing months reconstructing the team’s internal structure.

Rivera’s immediate tasks will include rebuilding the coaching staff and possibly mending the fracture with star left tackle Trent Williams. Former head coach Jack del Rio was the first lieutenant to sign up. Del Rio’s experience as a formative head coach and defensive mind will be heavily influential.

A decision will need to be made on offensive coordinator Kevin O’Connell. The promising coach was promoted to the play calling position after Jay Gruden was released from his duties and has grown a strong connection with quarterback Dwayne Haskins. With one year left on O’Connell’s contract, it would appear to be a make or break year for the young play caller, but if Rivera doesn’t have the same vision it will be another hole to fill.

Already the medical department has been relieved of their duties, including longtime head trainer Larry Hess. Director of Pro Personnel Alex Santos is also on his way out as well as Vice President of Football Operations and “cap guru” Eric Schaffer, although conflicting reports have been circulated about both.

The contracts for upper management and scouting department employees typically run through the end of April and more will be known about the individual statuses in the coming months.

“While I love the storied history of the franchise, I am focused on the future and excited for the opportunity to win football games with this talented young team,” said Rivera. The ‘F’ words were heard loud and clear in Ashburn. Franchise. Focused. Future. Football.

The culture of blame has come to an end and the Redskins have moved forward. Bruce and the training department received the ‘f’ word so warranted: fired! No more scapegoats, back stabbing, or leaks.

Rivera isn’t going to rely on outside forces to correct internal change; he is going to fix the breaks himself. If the current personnel don’t fall in line, the tinted rims of Ron Rivera will offer a few choice ‘f’ words as more departures occur, and for now that is just what this organization needs. Happy New Year!