Washington Football Team head coach Ron Rivera met with the media after Saturday’s final practice in Richmond. Rivera began his presser by answering a question about right guard Brandon Scherff and reserve offensive tackle David Sharpe, who were not on the practice field.
He wasn’t too happy in announcing that Scherff and Sharpe were placed in “the protocol,” meaning the reserve/COVID-19 list. Washington now has six players on the list.
Rivera noted how players going into the COVID protocols impacted the coaching staff and their ability to properly evaluate the players.
Ron Rivera said players going into covid protocols makes it more difficult for coaches to evaluate players. There are domino effects — Brandon Scherff gets pulled from practice, Wes Schweitzer goes to RG, etc. — and this is the first show of competitive disadvantage.
— Sam Fortier (@Sam4TR) July 31, 2021
Rivera did feel a bit more optimistic because multiple players were scheduled to get vaccinated on Sunday. However, some players were “dug in” about not getting the vaccine.
Rivera said some players asked them to set up appointments for vaccinations on Sunday… He said he's talked to players about the issue; said some players are "dug in so hard so much, they're not gonna back down."
— John Keim (@john_keim) July 31, 2021
Another potential area of concern could be backup quarterback Kyle Allen. Allen, who dislocated his ankle last season, went down on Saturday. Rivera said Allen “tweaked his ankle.”
Rivera on the QB2 battle. "Kyle (Allen) is starting to come on and get back into the mix." Added that Allen tweaked his ankle today.
— Ben Standig (@BenStandig) July 31, 2021
Rivera continues to praise safety Landon Collins.
Landon was balling out today with two picks. Rivera said he has more understanding of the defensive concepts. Praised the work Collins did in the off-season working with Harris behind the play to get mental reps
— Zach Selby (@ZachSelbyWFT) July 31, 2021
Saturday was Washington’s final day in Richmond, but Rivera was extremely pleased with the city.
Ron Rivera on holding camp in Richmond: "I like what we had out here. I thought the fields were wonderful and well-prepared. … We'll sit down and we'll discuss it, but I did like the fields. I really did. I thought this was a very worth-while facility for us."
— Nicki Jhabvala (@NickiJhabvala) July 31, 2021
Washington now returns to Ashburn for the remainder of training camp.