Del Rio Fired

I don't care if it helps. That's where I'm at. It's a lost season and these guys are all gone soon.
 
If the defense miraculously improves in the last five games, that should NOT be reason to keep anybody around on the defensive side of the ball that is requiring a new contract. I wouldn't be putting much stock into what guys start showing during a meaningless stretch of the season. This unit has proven who they are time and time again. They let you down when it matters in the biggest moments of a game and we need an overhaul from coaching to personnel. Period.
 
No, I agree. But I think the defense WILL improve a bit and that will help us see more of what Bieniemy and Howell can do as an audition for the new GM and HC in 2024.

Let's face it, this defense has not really given the team a chance to win ANY games except against the quarterback poor Patriots, Falcons and Cardinals.

Howell had 3, 3 and 4 touchdown games and that wasn't enough those weeks to post a win!

The other reason we needed to change is exactly what Neophyte mentioned on another post - namely, that JDR had several players in alignments that perhaps they are not well-suited to and I really do think that Rivera can create a better use of scheme for the talent on hand.

While Forbes and Martin seem to be long-shots to be contributors of note during the stretch in 2023, we do need to evaluate St. Juste, Forrest, Butler, and a host of others to see if they can or should be retained.

I think we have our answer on guys like Cody Barton and Kendall Fuller, they need to go at the end of the season because they are just not frontline NFL performers at this point.
 
I'm just gonna say it. Why on earth would we think Ron Rivera is ready to take over defensive playcalling? Does he even know the schemes? Does he even know the language/calls?

I mean - we're talking about a guy who didn't know the playoff ramifications of a huge game last season, and we think he's been intricately involved in the operation of the defense?

The defense may get better - if only because the odds of being able to sustain the kind of suckitude we've been achieving lately are low, even bad defenses have decent days occasionally. But expecting that Ron Rivera jumping in is going to make it better because he's so damn knowledgeable and hands-on?

I am beyond skeptical.
 
He's been a defensive player and coach in the NFL for 30 years. I think he can handle the scheme, or rather it's revamp over the last 5-6 weeks of the season.

Let's be honest. Del Rio's system and use of personnel was so bad it brings to mind Tampa Bay Bucs coach response to a question by reporters on the way to 0-14:

"What do you think of the team's execution?"

"I am in favor of it".
 
Not sure why this move happens during the non-competitive portion of the schedule for this team at 4-8, opposed to earlier in the year. That being said, the move definitely has a Dustin Hopkins feel to it - let's get rid of someone for the sake of getting rid of someone when the problems run WAY deeper than just Jack Del Rio. I expect this to go about as well as Chris Blewitt.
 
Make sure you stay till the very end of the presser to catch an unscripted Rivera moment.

 
Canadian Hog said:
Not sure why this move happens during the non-competitive portion of the schedule for this team at 4-8, opposed to earlier in the year. That being said, the move definitely has a Dustin Hopkins feel to it - let's get rid of someone for the sake of getting rid of someone when the problems run WAY deeper than just Jack Del Rio. I expect this to go about as well as Chris Blewitt.
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Yep. If Rivera cleans out the defensive staff at the same time he did dispensed with Turner, there's a chance he survives beyond this year. Of course, that's assuming that whoever they'd brought in to replace Del Rio had much better results, but I have to imagine it would've at least produced an NFL average defense. An average defense in 2023 and we're probably a playoff team, or at least in the mix all the way.

Problem is, Ron seems not to feel responsible for anything that happened prior to 2023. In the presser clip I posted, at about the 4:30 mark he starts talking about his '1st year in coaching' when they struggled that year but then got things ironed out. The way he responds, you'd think he had just gotten this gig 10 months ago.
 
Bulldog said:
He's been a defensive player and coach in the NFL for 30 years. I think he can handle the scheme, or rather it's revamp over the last 5-6 weeks of the season.

Let's be honest. Del Rio's system and use of personnel was so bad it brings to mind Tampa Bay Bucs coach response to a question by reporters on the way to 0-14:

"What do you think of the team's execution?"

"I am in favor of it".
Click to expand...
I'm sure you're right about that. He apparently is intending on basically just being the DC the rest of the way and letting EB handle everything on his side of the ball.
 
It doesn't take a genius to see that coughing up a big play at least once every game is a sign of a bad D coordinator. While officially, it's Ron's call, I doubt it was in actuality. New ownership put down the hammer and he had to bow to them.
 
I was never impressed by Del Rio here in Washington. Unlike, Spagnuolo or Dan Quinn this guy came in and never established any consistency with this unit. Up and down, never reliable. Players not playing the scheme or seeing blown coverages because of mental mistakes in key situations it was never a 'smart' or 'disciplined' unit.

It seems Del Rio was running the defense with a 'country club' management style where poor performances were shrugged off with a 'we have to do better next week' and 'all we can do is look to next week' BS comments.
 
I was never impressed either. Even in the years when the team was statistically good, his defenses never held up when it mattered. His defenses got stats not stops. He couldn't force a three and out or scheme up turnovers, and when the game got hot, it seemed too often like the opponent could march right down the field to score. Too often, you knew as soon as we scored, the opponent would score on their next drive. No lead ever felt safe under Del Rio.
 
That isn't completely fair, gents.

Our midseason runs have been either partially fueled or completely fueled by JDR's defense. I seem to remember a number of times, late in games, when the defense went out and got repeated 3-and-outs over the last 3 years.

My issue with him is that his defense always starts the season slow before rounding into form, although this year that never happened. I also have an issue with how passive a scheme he plays - all read and react instead of forcing the offense to respond to what we are doing defense.
 
I don’t think that firing Del Rio will accomplish anything, unless Rivera’s dumbing down (my term) of the defense results in improved play in the back end. If it does, that will speaks volumes.
 
I think it all depends on how willing Ron is to call an aggressive game. If he decides to blitz more and bring pressure from odd places/personnel, it might make a difference.

One advantage we have this weekend is that the Dolphins have zero tape of this defense being called by Rivera so there is some mystery.

One thing about the timing of the move, the team has all of one game in the span of 24 days so Ron will have a lot of time to work with the defensive group.
 
Neophyte said:
One advantage we have this weekend is that the Dolphins have zero tape of this defense being called by Rivera so there is some mystery.
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I still think we are underestimating what Rivera is taking on. I don’t think most HCs are able to just jump in and assume playcalling duties not having done it in years and expect to have a lot of success.
 
Boone said:
I still think we are underestimating what Rivera is taking on. I don’t think most HCs are able to just jump in and assume playcalling duties not having done it in years and expect to have a lot of success.
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I don't disagree, Boone. Not at all.

While I think the mystery here is an advantage, I don't expect this defense to suddenly be explosive. We will struggle this week against a very good Dolphins offense.
 
Yeah, should have been done a long time ago. He squandered a lot of high draft pick defensive talent.

That being said, the rest of the team isn't exactly lighting up the league. Ron's days are numbered.
 
Boone said:
I still think we are underestimating what Rivera is taking on. I don’t think most HCs are able to just jump in and assume playcalling duties not having done it in years and expect to have a lot of success.
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I don't think it matters. Not gonna get much worse than giving up 45 points.
 
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