Washington Redskins coach Ron Rivera has filled out multiple positions on his coaching staff with names he’s familiar with during his days with the Carolina Panthers.
A coach going with familiar links and members of the coaching tree isn’t anything too new or surprising. But the moves created a few rumblings from fans who pointed out the Panthers didn’t do so hot over the last few seasons.
Rivera has responded, as noted by Redskins.com’s Kyle Stackpole:
“Those are guys who know how I want it done. That’s the most important thing. They know how we need to do it to give ourselves a chance. I know the last two weren’t the years that we wanted, but there [were] reasons that we couldn’t control in terms of the injuries. But again, they understand what I want more so than anything else.”
Fair enough — Rivera wants to mold his vision for the Redskins roster and culture as soon as possible, which means getting people in place who know what that is. That, as opposed to training up the entire staff and front office at the same time.
It’s a tough idea to argue against until some results happen on the field. Rivera even admits things went awry over his last few seasons in Carolina, but if the hiccups there were learning lessons, the Redskins might be better off for it.
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