At his weekly press conference Tuesday, Washington Commanders coach Ron Rivera was asked: “Four years ago today, you were introduced as the head coach. As you look back over the four years, what are you most proud of?”
Rivera instantly responded, “What we’ve done with the culture.”
Rivera elaborated: “I think that was one of the things when somebody asked me the same question. One of the biggest things, more than anything else, is, I think, where we are. Obviously, it’s not where we want to be. But you know, that’s just the nature of this game sometimes.”
“The way the guys have played these last few weeks, they’ve been very gritty. They’ve fought. They’ve played to the end. I think that’s one of those things that’s gratifying as far as being a coach is concerned. You know, having guys that just fight. They’re rugged; they don’t back down from anybody.”
“You know, sure, we had expectations, higher expectations than where we are. But heck, there’s not much more you can do than just keep showing up and playing hard.”
In each of Rivera’s first three seasons with Washington, his team won the last game of the regular season. On Sunday against the Dallas Cowboys, in what could be his finale as Washington head coach, Rivera hopes his guys will fight hard enough that he can make it all four seasons.