The Washington Commanders have been a big mess for years. Top to bottom and starting with Dan Snyder, the team has failed to win on the field and has established a negative, toxic workplace off of it.
Ron Rivera entered the season in the hot seat, and his team hasn’t done much to help his case through the first weeks of the season. The frustration was evident, and he seemingly blamed Carson Wentz for their shortcomings in the NFC East.
That’s why, following their narrow road win over the Chicago Bears, the coach tipped his hat off to his players for dealing with so much pressure. He also clarified that his comments weren’t a shot at Wentz, but at the organization’s failure to build around a QB.
NFL News: Ron Rivera Dismisses The Rumors About His Feud With Carson Wentz
“What’s important is these guys, OK. For the last couple of weeks, honestly — I’m going to speak my mind for a second,” Rivera said. “Honestly, it’s been hard. It really has. You lose four games in a row, and everybody wants to get you — get on you. And they’ve played their asses off. They have.”
“Everybody keeps (saying) I didn’t want anything to do with Carson. Well, bulls—,” Rivera said. “I’m the f—ing guy that pulled out the sheets of paper, that looked at the analytics that watched the tape in the fricking — when we were at Indianapolis (for the NFL combine last spring). OK? And that pisses me off because the young man doesn’t deserve to have that all the time.”
Wentz Says Playing For Rivera Is Special
Moreover, it seems like Wentz didn’t take things personally, either. If anything, he had plenty of praise for coach Rivera, stating that it’s special to play for him and that he knows he won’t sugarcoat things:
“Coach Rivera, he’s awesome,” Wentz said. “I have a ton of respect for him playing in this league from afar, but getting to play for him is even better. It’s definitely special. . … He’s going to speak his mind. And he’s going to be very direct and to the point. And in this business, that means a lot. And I think guys love that about him.”
Rivera’s comments on Wentz weren’t that far-fetched, though. He’s been mostly bad this season, which is nothing new. However, it’s not like the rest of the offense, their defense, their special teams, or even their playcalling have been any better.