Commanders Coach Ron Rivera 'Talks Too Much', Says Former RB
It's six months until the start of football season, but Washington Commanders head coach Ron Rivera has already named his starting quarterback ... for now.
Rivera has been vocal about the fact that second-year pro Sam Howell is in the lead to be the team's Week 1 starting quarterback. But is it a smart strategy to show the whole NFL community that card so early on in the offseason before even free agency has begun?
Former NFL running back Brian Mitchell, who played for Washington throughout the 1990s and won a ring in Super Bowl XXVI, criticized Rivera's bluntness on the subject in a radio interview earlier this week.
“Why do we have to say who the starter is today?," Mitchell asked on 106.7 The Fan. “I made the comment last year, and I am going to make it again. Sometimes, Coach just talks too much. If he says less, then he doesn’t have all of these questions coming at him.”
Rivera has always been very transparent in his process. As the leader of a team for over a decade, Rivera has more experience than most within the 32-member head coach fraternity. But Mitchell does bring up a good point. No other team with quarterback drama is making that much of a commitment to someone who's never been in the hot seat as QB1 before.
Rivera's strategy could be beneficial towards Howell and give him confidence as he treks through the offseason, but a lot can change between now and September.
The Commanders could sign a veteran that can win the starting job, draft another rookie, trade for someone like Lamar Jackson, or stick with Howell.
Either way, words are just words. The actions will speak louder when Rivera is ultimately ready to make a decision.
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