Post your 'end of the Rivera era' vibe...

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Snyder hired Rivera when no one else would. Most of us knew why at the time. Riveras greatest career success has been deflecting blame for his failures to anything and anyone else. And people eat it up. Some, at least. Jack Del Rio is shaking his head
 
Well, to be a bad coach you don't have to be a jerk. Ron is a nice guy just not a very good personnel executive or game strategist. His skills in motivating his charges to play week to week can definitely be questioned as well.

That 15-1 miracle season in 2015 made Rivera's career. Without that he would have been out far earlier in Carolina and would not have been a candidate for the Washington job years later.
 
you really have to wonder how much of the Rivera signing was precluded by the NFL to help navigate the transition of Snyder selling
 
The NFL wanted Snyder gone for years and when the fractional owners wanted to sell their shares and Snyder had to borrow money to pay them from the league's owners fund, the NFL knew it had Snyder by the crosshairs.

By taking on those obligations Snyder was then not going to be able to get approval for the leverage required to build a new stadium, and with none of the DMV municipalities willing to pay to build the Commanders a new stadium, Snyder was officially screwed.

That is what prompted Dan to throw up his hands and reach out feelers for a sale of the franchise.
 
I think we are all forgetting that there were a number of reasons Rivera came here.

1. The NFL was in favor of it because Ron had a rep as a standup, no-nonsense guy. This club needed that 4 years ago.

2. Ron is a minority and this club had a real image issue there. Granted, most of it spiraled around reported mistreatment of women but minority issues are minority issues. I can be argued that Wright and Donalson got their jobs for similar reasons.

3. Gibbs recommended Rivera to Snyber.

4. Snyder didn't exactly have any other candidates banging on his door for a shot at flaming out with our much-loved but highly dysfunctional franchise.
 
That’s all 100% fair. We all had hopes at the time but any serious look at Rivera’s resume would’ve cast doubts on how much we should have expected in terms of football fortunes.

It hasn’t been good. But whatever one wants to say about Rivera, he navigated some very rough waters with decency and dignity. Time now to start winning and that means it’s time to move on from this regime.
 
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Remember, Redskins fans, hope is a good thing, maybe the best of things, and no good thing ever dies. I will be hoping that this housecleaning finds you, and finds you well.
 
Whatever the future holds, no more retreads!

Let’s get some younger and hungrier people in here - folks that don’t already have a bankroll and feel comfortable but are looking at making that HERE.
 
I think there is some revisionism going on around here. The vibe when Ron was hired was that we got the hot candidate. The pundits pretty much universally loved the hire. He was the solid, universally respected, hardnosed, disciplined coach who would snap the soft Gruden laxity off this team. On the periphery some warned that Ron's record didn't match his rep, but by and large every analyst and most fans were content with this hire. Thought it was a strong one. It was ballyhooed much like so many of the other gray beards Snyder brought in.
 
Glad to see removing the ping pong tables made a big difference!😂 Plese no Belichick
 
I don't think that's 100% it either. He'd just gotten fired. I don't think any HC just let go is the 'hot candidate'. I think the more accurate way it was viewed was relative to this being a Dan Snyder property and the rumors swirling about the way he operated (like forcing his execs to pick a QB he wants over scouting objections immediately the season before the Rivera hire). In that context it was viewed as a solid hire. I think the thinking was, he was a stronger coach than Gruden and wouldn't allow some of the nonsense to go on - especially with Joe Gibbs advocating for and endorsing him.

And to be honest - that's largely been true. We did see Snyder's influence on and interference in football ops wane some with Rivera. Whether that was about Rivera or Snyder spending too much time juggling scandals, I don't know. The problem is, Rivera has been as bad making personnel and coaching judgments as Snyder was.

I also think it was different for folks who live in Carolina and watched Rivera a lot more closely over the years. He basically leveraged the athleticism of Cam Newton and pretty good defenses into some decent success and one special season.. And once Newton was no longer elite physically, he was exposed as the mediocre coach he's mostly been.

But you are right, there was some excitement about the hire, because we're fans and always want to accentuate the hopeful and minimize the negative, and because the media hated Snyder almost as much as the fanbase did, and saw Rivera as an at least temporary good guy antidote to his usual nonsense.
 
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You aren't wrong about any of that, burgold.

However, I remember there being plenty of skepticism here at BGO. Lots of respect for Ron and an admission that he would right a lot of what ailed this team, but a healthy skepticism that he could consistently win here w/o Newton where he had failed to do it consistently in Carolina with Newton.
 
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The surprise in the Ron Rivera hire is that Snyder didn't go out and hire another Jim Zorn who talked about the burgundy and maroon :rotflmao:

Rivera was a sane hire, he had run a team before and while an outlier had taken the Panthers to a Super Bowl appearance.

What got Rivera in part here was he was stale-dated.

He brought with him older coaches and executives that had been with him in Carolina and there really weren't any new ideas in the building until EB was hired in 2023, albeit under unusual circumstances.
 
Neophyte said:
You aren't wrong about any of that, burgold.

However, I remember there being plenty of skepticism here at BGO. Lots of respect for Ron and an admission that he would right a lot of what ailed this team, but a healthy skepticism that he could consistently win here w/o Newton where he had failed to do it consistently in Carolina with Newton.
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I suspect that's fair. Part of the Rivera glow may have been the super-narrative that Snyder was so awful we'd never be able to recruit any kind of respected candidate and Rivera was probably a Schotenhiemer/Shanny-level candidate.
 
Bulldog said:
The surprise in the Ron Rivera hire is that Snyder didn't go out and hire another Jim Zorn who talked about the burgundy and maroon :rotflmao:

Rivera was a sane hire, he had run a team before and while an outlier had taken the Panthers to a Super Bowl appearance.

What got Rivera in part here was he was stale-dated.

He brought with him older coaches and executives that had been with him in Carolina and there really weren't any new ideas in the building until EB was hired in 2023, albeit under unusual circumstances.
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And yeah, I think we were all frustrated that he completely reassembled (with the exception of JDR) the Panthers gang. That coaching crew wasn't nearly successful enough not to try to upgrade.
 
After today's news and what all we've been through as fans here at BGO....

 
Rivera’s parting statement…

“I want every Washington fan to know how much I appreciate your unwavering support. Through all the name changes, roster moves, non-football headlines and seasons that did not meet your expectations, you still stood by this team. We did win an NFC East title in 2020, but we fell short since then and for that, I am truly disappointed.

You are loyal, passionate fans and I only see good things ahead for you all.

Thank you to Josh Harris and his partnership group for the past five and a half months. I enjoyed working with you and I deeply appreciated the engagement and support you gave me and the team throughout the season. It was evident from the very moment we met that you are going to be a great steward for this team. You have already shown the fans your full commitment to rebuilding this franchise and renewing the unshakable bonds between this team and the entire Washington community. I am lucky to have known you and Washington is lucky to have you.

I'm going to miss the players and coaches more than I can express. Your professionalism, toughness, work ethic and dedication to the game is a credit not just to this franchise or the game itself but to each of you. You all showed up, every day, wiling to play hard for the team and that commitment will serve you well as better days are ahead. You will always have a place in my heart and my door will always be open to you.

To the coaches, thank you for your hard work and 24/7 commitment to this team. I am grateful for your dedication to your craft and your mission to make each of your players the best they can be. I want you to know that you made a meaningful, measurable difference in every game we played.”
 
I think it would’ve been nice to give Del Rio a nod there… he was with him almost all the way through. Otherwise, best of luck and more importantly much happiness in the future Coach Rivera.
 
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