A day after causing a stir with his comments about quarterbacks, Washington Commanders coach Ron Rivera reached out to his team and spoke with Carson Wentz to clarify his intention.
“I basically told them I said some things that were misconstrued,” Rivera said Tuesday. “I didn’t present it properly and that’s on me. So I took charge, told the guys I should know better, and, s—, I was having a bad day.
He added: “I’ve been doing this for quite some time, and lest I be able to finish my thought completely, I screwed it up. And so I just told the guys that was it [on] me, and it will not happen again.”
Rivera said he apologized to his players over concerns the comments had become a distraction.
When asked by a reporter Monday why the commanders were struggling while the other teams in the NFC East were thriving, Rivera replied succinctly, “Quarterback.”
He has been asked for clarification multiple times, adding that the New York Giants, Dallas Cowboys and Philadelphia Eagles have quarterbacks that have been with their teams for quite some time.
“It’s like starting a new job,” Rivera said. “The job was already there. … You come in and you’re the new guy. You all have to learn, don’t you? You have to learn to work with everyone, you have to learn to do your work with everyone.”
The NFC East wins, but not the Commanders. Ron Rivera says it’s the QBs.
Rivera’s comments went viral Monday night, in part because only part of his response was shared. NFL players past and present, fans and members of the media chimed in, criticizing the coach for essentially blaming his quarterback for the team’s troubles.
Many of these clips omitted his responses to follow-up questions, in which he tried to get his point across, saying the commanders “voted.” [Wentz] because we believe in him.”
Former Washington quarterback Alex Smith, now an analyst at ESPN, said on the channel’s Monday Night Countdown, “When I heard it, I couldn’t believe it. … This is a defensive head coach driving the bus absolutely over his quarterback.”
Robert Griffin III, another former Washington quarterback, chimed in on Twitter: “You NEVER do that to your quarterback. The difference between Washington and the rest of the division is the coaching. Daniel Jones has a head coach for the first time and they look their best in YEARS. The Cowboys went undefeated with their BACK UP QB. Coaching is important.”
Still, some Commanders players Tuesday said their initial reaction wasn’t nearly as strong.
“When I saw the video, I knew what he meant,” said quarterback Taylor Heinicke. “So it was nice that he stood in front of the team and told everyone what he thought. I think everyone assumed that’s what he meant, but it was nice of him to clarify.”
Running back Antonio Gibson added: “He apologized to the team for that and said he shouldn’t have made that mistake but it happens. … You just have to be careful about what you say and how you approach it.”
Wentz said he wasn’t even aware of Rivera’s comments and the reaction they provoked until Commanders director of football communications Sean DeBarbieri informed him.
“The coach has addressed it, handled it, and there’s nothing … that I’m overly concerned about,” Wentz said Tuesday. “Coach is a very straight forward guy and he brought it up in the team briefing which I thought was really cool.”
Wentz seemed to agree with Rivera’s belief that even a seasoned quarterback takes time to adjust to a new system and new playmakers, but declined to blame injuries, particularly on the offensive line. The commanders are on their third center, Nick Martin, and last week they changed their starters to right guard and right tackle.
“There’s always a million reasons and you can make excuses, and for us there aren’t any,” Wentz said. “We have to execute. We need to deliver and I need to do better to make sure everyone is on the same page with communication.”
The Commanders spiral could soon bring about a change. No, not with QB.
After the Commanders’ loss to Tennessee on Sunday, Wentz walked away with several issues that have yet to be addressed. Left tackle Charles Leno agreed with the assessment, saying the commanders appear to be taking “two steps forward and five steps back,” hampering their ability to be consistent and score points.
But Washington has limited time to fix the problems and recover physically before taking on the Chicago Bears on the road Thursday night. The team added Wentz to the injury report this week because of pain in his throwing shoulder, but Rivera said Wentz did all his reps in the team’s non-padded practice, and Wentz added that he “feels good.”
“It’s just a little faster this week,” Wentz said. “It’s very tough, very challenging, but it’s also prime time and the guys are dying to play and hopefully put in a good performance.”
Injuries elsewhere — including rookie wide receiver Jahan Dotson (hamstring) and starting tight end Logan Thomas (calf), both of whom did not participate in Tuesday’s walk-through — could keep the commanders in check.
But at 1-4, the players have said they sense the urgency of their fans and are eager to get on track.
“I spoke to Carson today; We had a four-game losing streak last year and came back with a four-game win streak,” said Heinicke. “And I feel like we have a better squad this year so there’s no reason why we can’t do it again this year. It’s still early, so there’s still time.”
A win against Chicago (2-3) could be the start of the Commanders turnaround, the confidence booster the team needs.
A loss, however, could lead to much more significant changes in Washington.
“It’s all or nothing now,” said Jonathan Allen, defensive tackle. “It’s a must-win for us.”
Arizona Cardinals wide receiver Marquise Brown has been a target machine for fantasy players this season. (AP Photo/Ross D. Franklin)
