Ron Rivera Commanders HC – Syndication Server

Two consecutive Commanders wins changes things

What a difference two weeks make.

Just two weeks ago, the Commanders were 1-4, Twitter was flooded with calls for Ron Rivera to be fired, for Carson Wentz to be benched, for Brian Robinson to be playing more than Antonio Gibson.

Was even reading how the defense was still not getting it done, giving up too many big plays and the secondary in particular was committing too many penalties and out of position, Jamin Davis was a bust according to many and Jack Del Rio had to go along with Ron Rivera.

It was such an emotional loss for fans, such a letdown after Carson Wentz had driven the team down the field to the two yard-line only to not complete one of his three pass attempts, resulting in the Commanders falling to the Titans 21-17.

Being 1-4, some began tweeting and writing about the 2023 Commanders draft and who they would take with the fifth overall selection. One Commanders fan site writer boldly had Washington using that fifth overall selection, taking 6-foot-3, 232-pound Kentucky quarterback Will Levis.

Well, two weeks later and the internet chatter for the firing of Ron Rivera and Jack Del Rio has drastically fallen off (until the next loss, of course). Carson Wentz broke a finger on his passing hand, required surgery and is now on IR for at least four weeks.

Taylor Heinicke was absolutely horrible in his first quarter and into the second quarter of his first start. Yet, he turned himself around, making much better throws. Washington came from behind by 11 points to defeat Green Bay. Brian Robinson is getting plenty of carries, but it might be Antonio Gibson who is actually running with the most conviction, looking quite able to take on more of the load.

Fans are now praising Jamin Davis as having arrived. Indeed, he has played better, making nice plays. And the Commanders having won two consecutive games have moved from the fifth overall draft position to 11th following the win over the Bears and to 14th after defeating the Packers.

Even more, Jim Irsay became the first owner to speak out that the NFL has the authority to vote out Daniel Snyder and there is merit to consider it.

If Heinicke continues to play even moderately well, Commanders coaches and management could choose to continue to play him instead of Wentz, permitting Washington to keep their second-round choice in next year’s draft.

Wonder how much will change over the next two weeks?

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Commanders release Troy Apke

Commanders release Troy Apke from practice squad, officially ending his time in Washington.

2018 fourth-round draft choice and NFL Combine phenomenon Troy Apke, was released by the Commanders Wednesday.

Apke who actually was not overly productive at Penn State turned heads at the 2018 Combine when he ran a 4.34 40. Hall of Famer and former NFL corner back Deion Sanders audibly marveled at the speed of Apke.

What also caused the stock of Apke to suddenly rise was the fact he brought size with his speed, standing 6-foot-2 and weighing 198 pounds. Apke then went out and recorded a 41-inch vertical, 4.03 Shuttle, 6.56 3 Cone and 131-inch broad jump.

The then-Redskins brass could not resist, selecting Apke in the fourth round, No. 109 overall. Apke immediately showed promise on special teams because of his athleticism, but injury reduced him to only 2 games and 22 special team snaps his rookie season.

In 2019, Apke shined on special teams in kickoff and punt coverage. Yet he was only able to break into 20 percent of the defensive snaps.

With the Ron Rivera era launching in 2020, Apke became a starter at free safety. But after seven games, the former Nittany Lion lost his starting job and was again reduced to special teams for the remainder of the season and all of 2021.

Released on August 16 during the 2022 preseason, he went unsigned by any other NFL franchise until Washington signed him to their practice squad on Sept. 1.

Kevin Sheehan raises questions about Ron Rivera’s results

Kevin Sheehan pointed out some ugly numbers for the Commanders over the last three years and reveals what he wants to hear from Ron Rivera.

Kevin Sheehan presented one of his better monologues kicking off his Monday podcast episode.

Sheehan declared the Commanders had been “outclassed, outcoached, outed in every possible way they could be” by the Eagles in Week 3.

“The first half of the last two games they have been totally exposed, totally humiliated.” He then reminded his listeners he is aware it is early, and 14 games remain to be played.

Sheehan’s presentation was centered around the fact this is now year three of Ron Rivera’s coach-centric era where he has his own staff, and he is in control of player personnel, not a general manager.

He revealed Sunday was the 7th time in 36 games Rivera’s Washington team was trailing by 20 points or more at halftime. Think about that. Then he added it was the 10th time in 36 games Rivera’s team trailed by 20 points at any time during the game.

Here are some excerpts of actual quotes as well Sheehan offered.

“Games like Sunday, where the game went badly and badly quickly are not unusual with this group.”

“We do not need to hear nor should you (Rivera) speak of the players needing to adhere to the scheme, that the schemes are fine and the players need to do their jobs. That every play ten guys are doing their job, and one guy isn’t. You cannot say that this week.”

“This is the week we should hear Ron Rivera say, ‘This is on me. I am the head coach. I am also in a coach-centric environment, the final decision maker on players.'”

“Well, the buck stops now with Ron Rivera. No more, the players need to be more mature, and they need to do what they’ve been told to do… I believe he will step up in true Harry Truman defiance, ‘the buck stops here.”

“He (Rivera) has been a stand-up guy his entire career. I am not looking for alarm. I’m not looking for a mea culpa. But he is smart enough to know after two weeks like the last two; he can’t put this on the players this week.”

“I still have a belief in Ron Rivera as a competent NFL coach. I know that may sound crazy right now, but look, he has a track record of figuring these things out. His track record is starting slowly and figuring it out, finishing strong. He has done that with his first two teams here. 1-5 (2020) finishing 7-9 and 2-6 (2021) finishing 7-10.”

“He came into one of the most dysfunctional organizations in all of sports. Things got even worse from the moment he arrived: the name being lost, the workplace issues, his cancer, inheriting a 3-13 team, without any semblance of class.”

“The grace period that you have had for the first two years is over. It’s time to start winning more on the field and being less embarrassing off of it. Do that, and you will be pleasantly surprised by our reaction. But don’t play us and ask us to jump on board prematurely.”

“I will tell you this, if what you get moving forward, is what you have gotten the last two games? Three to four wins this year, max. And then we are into a whole different conversation about what is next in 2023.”

“But, it is only three weeks…”

Again, you can find Sheehan’s Monday episode titled “Embarrassed by The Eagles” here.

Ron Rivera is asked about coaching with your family

Ron Rivera talks about coaching with your family members.

On Friday, Commanders head coach Ron Rivera was asked about something that can be a very sticky issue.

Some were probably surprised to hear the question, but longtime ESPN Washington Insider John Keim has earned the right to inquire regarding some of the issues that can be difficult to discuss.

Rivera and defensive coordinator Jack Del Rio both have family that are employees on the football staff. When family members are hired, “sometimes” events transpire bringing the charge of nepotism. As many are aware in their own workplace environments, nepotism can be quite disruptive to the morale in an organization.

Rivera’s nephew, Vincent Rivera enters his sixth NFL season and second as Washington’s defensive quality control/assistant linebackers coach in 2022. Del Rio’s son, Luke Del Rio is entering his third season coaching in the NFL, his third as Washington’s offensive quality control coach and his first as the assistant quarterbacks coach in 2022.

Keim inquired, “You have a relative on the coaching staff. What are the benefits of coaching with family?”

“Yeah, there is. I mean, it’s that familiarity. It’s funny because if somebody’s gonna tell me something I need to hear, it’s him. He’s not gonna shy away from it. And I could say the same thing for a couple of coaches that have been with me for a long, long time. [Assistant Defensive Backs Coach] Richard Rodgers, [Offensive Line Coach] John Matsko, they’re gonna tell me what I need to know and what I need to hear. They’re not gonna candycoat or sugarcoat anything. They’re just gonna tell me, ‘Hey, this, that, and the other thing.’ That’s just the way it needs to be and that’s the way it should be. All my coaches should be able to do that. But when you have a relative on it, yeah, he’s my nephew, and he’s a young guy that started from the bottom and is gonna work his way up, and hopefully he’ll get the opportunities that I’ve had.”

Keim followed up, “There are some teams that may have a rule against having somebody in your family on staff. Obviously, you don’t have a problem with it. What do you think about teams that don’t? And why do you like or favor that?”

“Well, it’s not necessarily that I like it; it’s just that there’s the opportunity. If I’d been told I couldn’t hire a relative, I wouldn’t have hired a relative. You know what I’m saying? But again, he’s starting at the bottom, and from that point, wherever he goes, he goes. I made it very clear cut that if anybody’s gonna have to do it the right way he is, just because of his last name. And I’ve been very clear with him and his parents. I told my brother, I said, just tell him don’t do anything that’s gonna make me fire him.”

I don’t think Keim was suggesting nepotism has been or is a current problem for the football staff. It being the third year, this has been the case; perhaps it was an appropriate and perceptive question for Keim to raise.

Rivera seemed to handle the question well, and even applied it directly to his own individual family situation.