Snyder must get out of way of Rivera
Daniel Snyder got his guy, as always.
The Redskins’ owner has a track record of sealing the deal once he locks in on a desired target. By Wednesday, he had finalized a deal to hire Ron Rivera, one of the top veteran coaching candidates on the market.
That was the easy part. Now comes the hard part.
Details on the new power structure at Redskins Park or Rivera’s coaching staff weren’t immediately available and could take time to complete.
But with Rivera in place, Snyder, who has witnessed only six winning seasons and just five playoff appearances since he purchased the team in 1999, must now return to the background in order for the organization to succeed. Snyder must withhold input and let Rivera execute this mission.
For the last six years, Snyder largely sat back and let Bruce Allen run the franchise into the ground. His fault
was believing Allen, who had no successful résumé as a top decision maker, knew what he was doing.
Now, Snyder must let Rivera – a proven, winning football coach and leader – do what he is hired to do: rescue Washington from years of futility and rebuild the Redskins into a consistent playoff team, something they haven’t experienced in nearly 30 years.
Rivera knows a thing or two about reclamation projects. When he took the Panthers’ head coaching position in 2011, the team he inherited was coming off of a 2-14 season and had made the playoffs once in five years.
There’s far more damage to undo in Washington, but the same approach will work if Rivera is given a chance.
Former players praise Rivera because of the way he carries himself and the respect he commands and the trust that he cultivates. He stresses character and accountability. He demands hard work and consistency, and that goes beyond lip service.
This is exactly the kind of culture Washington’s players need.
Trust isn’t something that Redskins players have often had – not always in each other, not entirely in their coaches and not in upper management.
There’s always a power struggle at play, and questions abound about who’s really in charge. It’s hard for a franchise to move toward a common goal when those within can’t even get on the same page.
The Redskins’ position groups haven’t even worked with the same level of commitment. Part of the problem under Jay Gruden, who was fired in October after a 0-5 start, was the fact that things were too lax. Some players thought so little of Gruden and his assistants that they publicly called them out for the slack hand with which they ruled.
Interim coach Bill Callahan tried to correct some of this by directing more demanding practices. But it takes more than a couple of months to change a culture. Snyder has been accused of complacency in recent years. But this week, he wisely recognized that a complete reset was needed.
Another stumbling block for Washington has involved talent acquisition and implementation.
The coaching staff and Allen weren’t always on the same page regarding which players to sign, cut or keep. At times, Snyder’s and Allen’s infatuation with certain players meant talent didn’t always align with the vision of the coaches. As a result, skilled players floundered as ill-fitting pieces of the Redskins’ puzzle.
Rivera appears to be in line to have final say over his roster, something that no Snyder-hired coach outside of Joe Gibbs has had. It’s unclear if Rivera will bring in a general manager or work with the existing members of Washington’s front office, including vice president of football operations Eric Schaffer and vice president of player personnel Doug Williams, who are both well-respected around the NFL. But either way, the only way for this restoration project to succeed is for Rivera to convey his vision clearly and for his talent evaluators to operate accordingly.
When players understand the chain of command, it’s easier for them to respect authority and buy into the mission statement.
Rivera inherits a young roster that boasts talent at many key positions. However, those players remain in need of development and refinement. They still must learn what standards they must adhere to. And they require coaches who can identify their strengths and help them reach their highest potentials.
That’s another problem the Redskins have encountered. Drafting talent is not a problem. The Redskins and their fans have seen early- to mid- and late-round picks flash over the years. But many times, those same players struggle to capitalize on their ability. Washington’s decision makers or coaches frequently have written off those players only to see them go elsewhere and flourish.
Rivera and his staff must end this trend. Around the NFL, winning franchises excel at building their roster with homegrown talent. Sure, a free agent signing might put a team over the top. But the core of that team is built through draft picks the coaching staff grooms into mainstays.
Former players credit Rivera for knowing how to get the most out of his roster, and that’s certainly necessary for this Redskins group, which Snyder hopes can be built around 2019 firstround quarterback Dwayne Haskins.
Part of the appeal of Rivera was the discipline he is known for instilling within a locker room.
It’s important, then, for Snyder to let Rivera do just that. Far too often, he has found it hard to avoid undermining his coaches by developing friendships with his players.
But if Snyder truly wants his team to finally return to glory – if he sincerely wants the long-running bouts with dysfunction to cease and for Washington to no longer rank among the laughingstocks of the league – he must keep his distance and let Rivera fully lead.