Rivera's Culture Club
Ron Rivera took the podium for the first time as head coach of the Washington Redskins on Thursday and showed everyone why he is the perfect hire for this dysfunctional organization.
Two things Rivera stressed in his introduction to Washington fans and media were accountability and culture. Oh, yes, we are talking about the culture again. Since ousted team president Bruce Allen spoke to the assembled media back in October and said the Redskins actually had a “damn good culture,” that’s not only been a national punchline, but apparently a focus for owner Daniel Snyder in his hiring of Rivera.
For those who have followed the franchise for years, specifically during Snyder’s 20-year tenure as owner, can tell you two things this organization has lacked is accountability and a positive culture. Sure, there were spurts of success like winning streaks in 2005, 2007, 2012 and 2015, but no sustained success. The Redskins would regress to the mean the following season.
About the culture, for the second time this week, Snyder has mentioned the need for a culture change. That’s no coincidence. In his press release on Monday morning announcing the dismissal of Allen, Snyder noted the culture needed reevaluated with the next regime. In Thursday’s press conference, Snyder went even harder, saying “what we (Redskins) needed was a culture change.”
When Rivera took the podium, he made it known the new culture would be centered around the players. All players would know what is expected of them.
“We want everyone focusing on what their job is,” Rivera said. “I have a saying: ‘We need 11 guys doing one thing at a time, not one guy trying to do all 11.’ Do your job, we’ll have success. I promise you that.”
Rivera mentioned discipline. The one thing he wanted every one of his players to possess was discipline. For years, the Redskins were one of the more undisciplined teams in the entire NFL. Whether it was seen on the field in the form of simple procedural penalties, or off the field, discipline was lacking.
That leads us to accountability, and Rivera made it clear that begins and ends with him.
During one sequence of his press conference, Rivera mentioned doing things the right way. He then looked to the first row where players like Adrian Peterson, Derrius Guice and Jonathan Allen sat, and gave his team its first message: “Do it the way we teach you.”
Rivera’s next line is what should get everyone excited from current players to fans, when he displayed both leadership and accountability.
“Do it the way we ask,” Rivera said. “You do it that way, the success will be yours. If you don’t, it’s gonna be yours, but it’s not gonna be right. Why? Because if you fail, it’s on you. Do it our way, do it the right way, and if we fail, it’s on me.”
For far too long, players have done it their way in Ashburn. Some were held accountable, others were not. If you had a bigger contract, chances are you received more opportunities than others whether you were performing at a high level on the field or not.
Those days are over.
Whether it is the media, fans or longtime observers, we’ve been fooled too many times by the latest Snyder reboot. Coming to the podium promising change and you are right back where you started a few years later.
This feels different.
Rivera is a man with unrivaled leadership. He believes in himself and his way. When Rivera had his exit presser in Carolina, he mentioned how when he took the job in Carolina back in 2011, interest in the Panthers was down. You would go out and no one was wearing jerseys or team gear. He was proud that he helped change that.
You can judge Rivera’s record and come away impressed. Or, like some, you can point out how he had more losing seasons than winning seasons during his tenure. But, like everything, it requires context.
Rivera inherited a mess in Charlotte. He will inherit a mess here. The mess he is inheriting here, though, is more about the remnants of the last 10 years. The fan apathy, an empty stadium, an owner with a bad reputation, etc.
On the field, Rivera is actually inheriting several talented young players on both sides of the ball that makes him believe a quick turnaround is possible.
Rivera had a great introduction to Washington on Thursday. And Redskins’ fans should be excited.
Bryan Manning has covered the NFL, MLB, NBA, college football and college basketball for almost 10 years for various outlets such as Bleacher Report, SB Nation, FanSided, USA Today SMG, and others. Bryan has covered the Washington Redskins for different outlets and currently co-hosts a podcast on the Virginia Tech Hokies for SB Nation. For his day job, Bryan works in engineering for a major communications company.
