Ron Rivera Thread

We're starting to learn a few things about Ron. #1 Not a good clock manager, likes to leave timeouts in his pocket. #2 Not a great communicator with the media, he's all over the place at times. To be fair on this one I'm not sure how much of that is due to him being ill, very well could explain a lot. Anyone who knows someone that goes through chemo knows that chemo brain or chemo fog is a very real thing.

We're starting to learn a few things about Ron. #1 Not a good clock manager, likes to leave timeouts in his pocket. #2 Not a great communicator with the media, he's all over the place at times. To be fair on this one I'm not sure how much of that is due to him being ill, very well could explain a lot. Anyone who knows someone that goes through chemo knows that chemo brain or chemo fog is a very real thing.

The clock stuff was really odd since he preached "We are in this thing" the media stuff is what it is, he does the normal coach talk "We just have to get better" says it every week but the Alex Smith thing was really odd, he let him finish the game when Allen was cleared to come back in at HT... Then starts Allen this week

Rivera didn’t want to put Kyle Allen back in after he was cleared because he didn’t want Allen to take another shot.
— JP Finlay (@JPFinlayNBCS) October 11, 2020

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I can understand Ron not wanting to send Kyle Allen back in with an arm injury to protect him, even if he was cleared to go back.

I think the head scratch is that in doing so, youre not "protecting" Alex Smith. I guess the thinking is, the second Alex Smith takes a live snap his prior injury is in the past. Kyle Allen had an injury in the present. If he didnt think it was safe to send Alex Smith back out in the second half .. then he shouldnt/wouldnt have made Alex the active #2 on Sunday and wouldnt send Alex Smith out in the first half.

Alex Smith needs to play with no memory of his prior injury. If Alex and medical staff say he is a full go, Ron is going to treat him as if he is a full go.

We're starting to learn a few things about Ron. #1 Not a good clock manager, likes to leave timeouts in his pocket. #2 Not a great communicator with the media, he's all over the place at times. To be fair on this one I'm not sure how much of that is due to him being ill, very well could explain a lot. Anyone who knows someone that goes through chemo knows that chemo brain or chemo fog is a very real thing.

Rick Snyder was on the Sports Junkies talking about how RR might not be used to the aggressive/hostile media in DC and that's why he seems all over the place. I think there is some credence to that argument.

Rick Snyder was on the Sports Junkies talking about how RR might not be used to the aggressive/hostile media in DC and that's why he seems all over the place. I think there is some credence to that argument.

Yeah maybe, but he also played in Chicago. He should know how to handle the media.

Perspective maybe? No coach coming in here, after BA's reign in particular, was going to turn the team around in one offseason. My expectation was it would be as bad as last year (or worse) before it got better. And it is.

In Ron's defence, he may well have sat there after Haskins half time speech and the 2nd half of the Eagles game and said to himself "Well Dwayne might not be so bad after all. Lets give him a couple more games and see if he can translate that half time and 2nd half into something sustainable." Well no he couldn't, its almost like Haskins said "that's my contribution for this year, its up to everyone else to step up now.". So Ron's left thinking that he has to rebuild from the ground up, but after 4 weeks the East is wide open so why not a least show the semblance of effort to succeed. If it all goes to pot, he's no worse off than the start of the season when there were no expectations.

We're not gong to be able to say if RR is a success this year. Year 2 tells us if his rebuilding plan is headed in the right direction (right players, right culture on training field and in games etc.) then year 3 if the results start to show.

I will say he needs to get a GM in place soon though. Can't help thinking trying to juggle everything AND cancer is too much for him.

https://fivethirtyeight.com/features/nfl-teams-are-hiring-and-firing-coaches-more-quickly-the-results-are-not-great/

We're starting to learn a few things about Ron. #1 Not a good clock manager, likes to leave timeouts in his pocket. #2 Not a great communicator with the media, he's all over the place at times. To be fair on this one I'm not sure how much of that is due to him being ill, very well could explain a lot. Anyone who knows someone that goes through chemo knows that chemo brain or chemo fog is a very real thing.

Exactly! I have been saying it on here guy needs to take a knee and let Jack D handle this until RR is better and cancer free.

Imagine trying to be a NFL HC with the worst hangover you ever had 1000x stronger, its impossible.

RR take a knee get health and come back when you are ready, this dumpster fire is going burn for awhile with or without you.

Rivera didn’t want to put Kyle Allen back in after he was cleared because he didn’t want Allen to take another shot.
— JP Finlay (@JPFinlayNBCS) October 11, 2020

---------------

I can understand Ron not wanting to send Kyle Allen back in with an arm injury to protect him, even if he was cleared to go back.

I think the head scratch is that in doing so, youre not "protecting" Alex Smith. I guess the thinking is, the second Alex Smith takes a live snap his prior injury is in the past. Kyle Allen had an injury in the present. If he didnt think it was safe to send Alex Smith back out in the second half .. then he shouldnt/wouldnt have made Alex the active #2 on Sunday and wouldnt send Alex Smith out in the first half.

Alex Smith needs to play with no memory of his prior injury. If Alex and medical staff say he is a full go, Ron is going to treat him as if he is a full go.

This. Smith has to be mentally strong enough, not just to get through all that healing, but also to go out in front of a DL that don't care if he's on the comeback or not and want to tear him a new one (within the confines of the rules of course). Didn't matter if it was Aaron Donald or some other guy riding his back, he was going to get pressured, hit and sacked if he played anything more than a symbolic snap again, especially behind this OL. If he wasn't up to it, he should have retired, no matter how romantic the idea of a comeback is.

Well he was up to it, but only physically. I'm not sure he was mentally ready, and the question now is will he ever be. But RR had to put him in to test where he is, if only to show him he should retire (which I think he will do at the end of this season).

Yeah maybe, but he also played in Chicago. He should know how to handle the media.

HC and a player are two totally different things media-wise but I agree that he should be better with the media.

I suspect he's used to the media being more of a cheerleader than a critic.

This. Smith has to be mentally strong enough, not just to get through all that healing, but also to go out in front of a DL that don't care if he's on the comeback or not and want to tear him a new one (within the confines of the rules of course). Didn't matter if it was Aaron Donald or some other guy riding his back, he was going to get pressured, hit and sacked if he played anything more than a symbolic snap again, especially behind this OL. If he wasn't up to it, he should have retired, no matter how romantic the idea of a comeback is.

Well he was up to it, but only physically. I'm not sure he was mentally ready, and the question now is will he ever be. But RR had to put him in to test where he is, if only to show him he should retire (which I think he will do at the end of this season).

That's a great post, but i don't get a "retirement" vibe when i think about Alex coming into the game. He didn't retire despite everything he went through, even though that would have been infinitely easier. Like he said in his documentary, he wanted to know if he could make it back on the field again in an actual game. He didn't want to wonder about it the rest of his life, he wanted to know if he could do it again.

He survived one of the most, if not the most terrifying defensive players in the NFL, Aaron Donald who has absolutely been a buzzsaw this year, tearing through 2 and sometimes 3 players to attack his prey. The Rams pass rush was nightmarish, and Alex Smith took a terrible beating in his first game back. BUT - he survived it with no injury. In his mind at least, he has to feel / know that he is capable of surviving an NFL game. And when he basically carried Aaron Donald on his back for a few steps, I think he knew he was up to the task of being back in the NFL.

It is totally understandable that he looked rusty playing in his first game in almost 700 days. I am almost sure that with more reps in practice now, and further working with the 1st team offense, he will get his mojo back. He is 36, not young, but not a dinosaur. He should have several good years left in the NFL if he doesn't suffer anymore injuries.