Tag: Jack Del Rio

What did Jay Gruden think of Jack Del Rio’s firing?

Jay Gruden weighs in on Jack Del Rio’s firing. He isn’t wrong.

Former Washington head coach Jay Gruden is a frequent guest on several Washington-area radio shows and podcasts these days. Gruden coached Washington from 2014 through the first five games of the 2019 season, when he was fired after starting 0-5.

While some think Gruden comes on local airwaves to “hate on” the Commanders, that couldn’t be further from the truth. Gruden praises Washington and offers excellent insight into players, schemes and game situations. He also provides analysis on the rest of the NFL, too.

Gruden recently opened a Twitter — or X — account. You can see Gruden’s personality in some of his tweets. He’s never afraid to bust his own chops from his time as a coach.

On Friday, Gruden had a different response to the Washington Commanders firing defensive coordinator Jack Del Rio.

He’s right. Despite the franchise’s enormous amount of investments on that side of the ball, Washington’s defense was terrible under Del Rio in two of his four seasons.

But Gruden had one more tweet on the matter, and it was personal.

So, what was Gruden talking about?

It could be this.

Need more context?

Del Rio was fired as the Raiders head coach after the 2017 season. Why? So owner Mark Davis could bring Jay’s brother, Jon, to coach the Raiders, whom he coached from 1998-2001.

Jay Gruden likely remembered Del Rio’s comments about his brother from 2021.

As for Del Rio, he was no stranger to controversial comments himself, which earned him a fine in 2022.

Ron Rivera: Commanders ‘going to do things a little differently’

Ron Rivera said there would be some changes for the Commanders on defense.

The Washington Commanders fired defensive coordinator Jack Del Rio on Friday, one day after Washington’s 45-10 loss to the Dallas Cowboys. Head coach Ron Rivera also fired defensive backs coach Brent Vieselmeyer.

Rivera will assume Del Rio’s role as Washington’s defensive play-caller, while assistant defensive backs coach Cristian Garcia replaces Vieselmeyer for the remainder of the season.

Often, when a team fires a coach, whether a head coach or coordinator, during the season, there’s only so much you can change. After all, you’ve spent the entire year learning one scheme.

The Commanders currently rank dead last in scoring defense and aren’t far behind in total defense. Nothing they did this late in the season would significantly impact the remainder of this season.

Rivera met with the media Friday afternoon and discussed the coaching changes.

“I made a decision this morning,” Rivera began. “I relieved Jack Del Rio and Brent Vieselmeyer of their duties. We’re going to be moving forward, going to do things a little differently. It was very tough, difficult decisions because those are two really good men, good football coaches, guys that have had a lot of success in this league. And just unfortunate the situation, circumstances, but did feel that change was something that we needed to do going forward. Really to see if we can shake some things up and get some things started.”

What stood out here? Rivera saying, “They were doing to do things a little differently.”

What is something Rivera could do with five games remaining? The Commanders have struggled at every level of the defense — before and after the trades of Chase Young and Montez Sweat — but the secondary has been particularly bad.

Rivera can simplify some of the coverage concepts, as the Commanders have had opposing wide receivers running free and unchecked through the secondary for easy big plays all throughout this season.

Washington has several young players in the secondary on rookie contracts. The Commanders need these players for the future, but many have regressed this season under Del Rio and Vieselmeyer’s leadership.

Why did Rivera decide now was the right time?

“Well, more so anything else is, it’s one of those things that as you watch things happen and unfold last night, it was kind of that snowball; it just kind of started again,” Rivera said.

“It just kept going, and I was concerned and spent a lot of time last night and early this morning trying to go through this in my mind and just trying to figure out what else can be done, and it just seemed that shaking some things up made sense.”

It’s probably too little too late for this season and for Rivera, but it was absolutely the correct decision for multiple reasons.

 

Commanders’ Rivera distances himself from Del Rio, Vieselmeyer

Rivera had said repeatedly there would be no staff changes.

Ron Rivera will now be the head coach through the remainder of the 2023 season.

You see, this morning, Rivera and new owner Josh Harris dialogued, and Rivera apparently recommended that changes be made at defensive coordinator and defensive backs coach.

Consequently, Rivera did what he said he would not. He said he would not fire any of his staff. With only five games remaining, Rivera “recommended” these changes be made?

Ron Rivera actually recommended Jack Del Rio and Brent Vieselmeyer be publicly linked to the failure and be the fall guys to take the blame. With only five games remaining?

At this point, I think it wise to consider the two vantage points of Harris and Rivera. For Harris, if this is truly how it went down, then he is simply allowing his head coach to work through a season with those for whom he feels it is best for the success of the team.

On the other hand, for Rivera, he is making Del Rio and Vieselmeyer the fall guys with only five games remaining.

Coach Ron, didn’t you just tell us last week you would not be making such changes?

This raises the question, “Who actually initiated this conversation and moved that the DC and DB coach should be removed?” Did Harris inform Coach Ron that something must be done, so make a move?

Then again, if this actually arose with Coach Ron, I am not impressed. Why? Well, over the last few weeks, his demeanor has greatly changed. He has visibly been discouraged and tired.

The reality of this team having a losing season had set in on Rivera. Thus he knows he is finished following this season.

So, if he knows he is done after this season, why single out others with only five games remaining in your tenure as coach-centric CEO of the Commanders’ football operations?

Wouldn’t it say more of Rivera if he actually kept his word and went down with the ship in five weeks, rather than dismissing Del Rio and Vieselmeyer?

A look at Ron Rivera’s track record as a defensive coordinator

We look back at how Ron Rivera fared in each of his seven seasons as an NFL defensive coordinator.

Before Ron Rivera took over as the head coach of the Carolina Panthers, he had two stints as a defensive coordinator. The former NFL linebacker was the defensive coordinator for the Chicago Bears for three seasons (2004-06) and the then-San Diego Chargers for 3.5 seasons (2007-10).

Of course, Rivera, in his fourth and, perhaps final season as the head coach of the Washington Commanders, assumed the role of interim defensive coordinator over the last five games this season after firing defensive coordinator Jack Del Rio on Friday.

Rivera’s first test as Washington’s defensive play-caller will be a difficult one. The Commanders have a few extra days off because they played on Thursday, but when Washington reports to work next week, they’ll be preparing for the high-octane Miami Dolphins.

Good luck.

In preparation for Rivera’s return to defensive coordinator, we went back in history to see how he fared during his seven seasons as a coordinator.

  • 2004: No. 12 total defense, No. 13 scoring defense
  • 2005: No. 2 total defense, No. 1 scoring defense
  • 2006: No. 5 total defense, No. 3 scoring defense
  • 2007: No. 14 total defense, No. 5 scoring defense (DC for part of the season after Chargers fired Ted Cottrell)
  • 2008: No. 25 total defense, No. 15 scoring defense
  • 2009: No. 16 total defense, No. 11 scoring defense
  • 2010: No. 1 total defense, No. 10 scoring defense

These are some good results from Rivera’s time as a coordinator. He obviously had more talent during his three seasons with the Bears. Rivera worked under Lovie Smith for those three seasons, and Chicago ran the “Tampa-2” defense.

In San Diego, the defense continually improved under Rivera.

Any of these numbers would be welcomed in Washington right now.

Commanders promote Cristian Garcia to coach DBs for the remainder of the season

Who is Cristian Garcia?

The Washington Commanders made some long-awaited changes Friday, firing defensive coordinator Jack Del Rio and defensive backs coach Brent Vieselmeyer after an ugly 45-10 loss to the Dallas Cowboys on Thanksgiving Day.

Washington’s defense is last in the NFL in scoring defense by over two points. The Commanders have allowed 30 or more points in seven of their 12 games this season.

Head coach Ron Rivera will handle Del Rio’s role as defensive play-caller for the remaining five games, but who will fill Vieselmeyer’s role as secondary coach?

Rivera announced Friday that Cristian Garcia, who was Washington’s assistant defensive backs/nickels coach, will now serve as the interim DBs coach. Veteran coach Richard Rodgers, currently the senior defensive assistant, will work with Garcia and Rivera in their new roles.

Garcia was hired by Washington in 2021 as a defensive coaching assistant. One year later, he was named as a defensive quality control assistant before being promoted to his current role earlier this year after former secondary coach Chris Harris left Washington for the Tennessee Titans. Vieselmeyer was promoted from assistant DB coach to fill Harris’ position.

“Richard Rodgers will continue as a senior advisor on the defense and continue to work in the defensive backs room with Cristian Garcia who we’re going to elevate to the position,” Rivera said.

“Richard will work with the defensive backs, but he’ll also work with me on some of the game-planning issues as well. And then everybody else will remain in their positions as we go forward and see how these things go. We’re going to work today, we’ll work tomorrow, and we’ll talk about how we’re going to do things as a defense, and we’ll go from there.”

Garcia played linebacker at the University of Florida, where he was a teammate of current Washington assistant quarterback coach Luke Del Rio. He began his coaching career as a defensive graduate assistant at UNLV in 2018, a role he held for two years.

In 2020, Garcia moved to Georgia Tech, where he again served as a grad assistant for one year before coming to Washington in 2021.

Any change Washington makes at this point in the season is unlikely to help the on-field product over the final five games. But the Commanders secondary is a mess, so perhaps a different lead voice could help several of Washington’s struggling young defensive backs.

Commanders owner Josh Harris releases statement on firing of Jack Del Rio

Josh Harris said Rivera recommended defensive staff changes.

The Washington Commanders fired defensive coordinator Jack Del Rio and secondary coach Brent Vieselmeyer on Friday, one day after giving up 45 points to the Cowboys on Thanksgiving Day.

It was the latest embarrassing defensive performance by Washington’s defense, leaving Rivera with almost no choice but to make a move.

After Rivera released a short statement thanking Del Rio and Vieselmeyer for their contributions, owner Josh Harris also released a statement saying he spoke with Rivera on Friday morning, and the coach informed him he felt it was in the best interest of the team to make changes to the defensive staff.

We can speculate about Harris forcing Rivera’s hand, but does it matter? Del Rio and Vieselmeyer had to go. The Commanders had poured many resources into the defense, and it was the worst unit in the NFL. A significant part of the defensive struggles occurred in the secondary. Despite returning virtually everyone and adding a first and second-round pick to the mix, the secondary regressed badly under Vieselmeyer in 2023.

Social media reacts to Commanders firing Jack Del Rio

Social media reacts to Del Rio and Vieselmeyer’s firings.

The Washington Commanders finally made a move on Friday, firing defensive coordinator Jack Del Rio and secondary coach Brent Vieselmeyer after losing 45-10 to the Dallas Cowboys on Thanksgiving Day.

This wasn’t about one game. Washington’s defense, which was supposed to be a team strength in 2023, is an unmitigated disaster. The Commanders have allowed 30 or more points in seven of the 12 games they’ve played this season and are last in the NFL in scoring defense by almost 2.5 points.

In every game, the Commanders have opposing wide receivers roaming free in the secondary, with defenders nowhere close. Washington allows multiple big plays per game and has struggled to apply pressure on opposing quarterbacks.

We took to X — formerly Twitter — to see what the fans and media were saying.

 

Commanders fans ecstatic that Washington finally fired DC Jack Del Rio but they still want more

Commanders fans were thrilled by the move.

After two consecutive disappointing weeks for the Washington Commanders, something had to change. It was clear.

It looks like ownership decided that something was going to be the defense. After a 45-10 drubbing by the Cowboys, the Commanders let go of defensive coordinator Jack Del Rio, per NFL Network’s Ian Rapoport.

It makes sense. The defense hasn’t been good all season long. It’s one of the worst as far as total yards allowed per game by opponents. On top of that, the team just had two consecutive embarrassing losses to the Giants’ backups and the Cowboys — Washington’s biggest rival. It was time for a change.

Fans were excited. But they’re still looking for more change from ownership. Ron Rivera better be careful out there.

Commanders fire DC Jack Del Rio, DBs coach Brent Vieselmeyer

Commanders fire Jack Del Rio and Brent Vieselmeyer.

The Washington Commanders fired defensive coordinator Jack Del Rio and secondary coach Brent Vieselmeyer, according to a statement released by head coach Ron Rivera.

The Commanders are coming off an embarrassing 45-10 blowout loss to the Dallas Cowboys on Thanksgiving Day. Out of 12 games this season, Washington’s defense allowed 30 or more points eight times. The defense was supposed to be a team strength in 2023, coming off a top-10 season in 2022. In some metrics, the Commanders were in the top five.

Del Rio, a former NFL linebacker and two-time head coach, came to Washington with Rivera in 2020. In two of his four seasons, the Commanders had a top-10 defense and struggled in the other two seasons.

Vieselmeyer also landed in Washington in 2023 as the assistant defensive backs and nickel coach. He was promoted to defensive backs coach in February when Chris Harris took another job with the Titans.

Vieselmeyer’s only NFL experience came with the Raiders from 2015-17, when Del Rio was the head coach. Since Del Rio was let go from the Raiders, Vieselmeyer was an analyst at Kansas for one season and was the head coach at Santa Margarita High School in California in 2019.

Washington’s secondary has regressed this season under Vieselmeyer despite adding a first-round pick (Emmanuel Forbes) and a second-round pick (Quan Martin) to the roster.

Washington Commanders had no choice but to fire defensive coordinator Jack Del Rio

The Washington Commanders have mercifully fired defensive coordinator Jack Del Rio after a host of horrible pass defense moments.

It’s never nice to root for a coach’s firing, but based on the tape and the metrics, the Washington Commanders had to do something about their pass defense. They did just that on Friday, sending defensive coordinator Jack Del Rio packing.

This less than 24 hours after Dak Prescott and the Dallas Cowboys blew up Del Rio’s defense — in Prescott’s case, and in a 45-10 Dallas win, that meant 22 completions in 32 attempts for 331 yards, four touchdowns, no interceptions, and a passer rating of 142.1.

That’s been par for the course for the Commanders this season — through Week 11, they’d allowed a league-high 24 passing touchdowns to just six interceptions, and a league-high opponent passer rating of 101.0.

Washington’s defense came into Thanksgiving ranked 30th in DVOA, and dead last in the league against the pass. Tape study has shown SEVERAL examples of the issues with Del Rio’s defenses in recent times.

The absolute nadir of Del Rio’s defense may have been in Week 11, when Washington sacked New York Giants quarterback Tommy DeVito nine times… and still allowed the undrafted rookie to go off against more bad coverage.

Commanders sack Giants QB Tommy DeVito nine times… and lose by 12 points

After a 2-0 start to the season, head coach Ron Rivera’s team now stands at 4-8, and Rivera might be next on the block.