Final thirty day period, the Washington Commanders assumed their selected place on the NFL’s porcelain throne, and are henceforth identified as the Washington Commodes (they are actively playing like ass). The stench has intensified given that then. Losing to the Detroit Lions in 7 days 2 established off an avalanche. Now trapped beneath a 1-4 file and with oxygen managing out, Ron Rivera felt compelled to toss his quarterback under the team bus by blaming him for the Commanders’ woes in 2022.
On Monday, a reporter questioned Rivera what the change was in between the Commies…errr, Commodes, and the remainder of the NFC East’s 4-1 squads. With no hesitation, Rivera callously dropped a dye pack in Carson Wentz’s bag and established him up to choose the slide.
“The real truth is that this is a quarterback-driven league,” Rivera stated. “And if you appear at the groups that have been capable to sustain achievements, they’ve been in a position to construct it all around a certain quarterback.”
As gratifying as it could be to pile on to Wentz, it’s a cop-out. Rivera’s respond to was a continuation of the Carson Wentz scapegoat market. Wentz has only dressed in a Washington uniform for 5 online games and currently he’s the representation of every thing completely wrong with the corporation. In the meantime, Rivera has received fewer than 40 % of his 41 video games as coach of the Washington Soccer Workforce/Commanders.
That does not enable the front business office off scot-no cost. Considering that Rivera was hired, below are the names he has deployed as starting off quarterbacks due to the fact 2020: Ryan Fitzpatrick, Taylor Heinicke, Alex Smith, Dwyane Haskins, and Kyle Allen. The entrance place of work hired Rivera and then refused to provide him with a franchise sign caller.
The Commies drafted Chase Young around Tua Tagovailoa and Justin Herbert to placate their protection-initially head coach and haven’t shown a contingency prepare for how to deal with that emptiness given that. As a consequence, Washington has inadvertently mimicked the Panthers and Colts’ doomed reliance on end-hole veteran contractors to paper above a subpar offense as an alternative of drafting and producing a coveted rookie. Just about every time Carson Wentz drops back again you can hear the revolver chamber spinning for a round of Russian roulette.
If the quarterback place is this kind of a predicament for Rivera’s Commies, the mentor need to be permanently benching Wentz ASAP. Rookie Sam Howell will not gain quite a few video games either in 2022, but he was promising in the preseason and at minimum Washington could know what they have in him when he’s enjoying to preserve the Commanders out of C.J. Stroud and Bryce Young’s attain. In its place, they are kicking the can down the road yet again as Rivera’s self-preservation skills kick in.
He is coaching for his career and making an attempt to earn online games, not safe draft positioning. He’s oblivious to the position he performs in the Commanders’ predicament. Even Washington’s defense has been a spongy mess. Rivera was employed for his defensive knowledge. Nevertheless, with a litany of talented personnel on the defensive facet, Washington has regressed each individual yr considering the fact that Rivera’s debut season.
By means of five games, the Commies are eighth in details authorized, 29th in move defense DVOA, and are permitting 7.2 yards per go try. Offensively, the Commanders have averaged 12 factors around their final a few games. Wentz is an uncomplicated scapegoat, but he and his crippling interceptions are a symptom, not the sickness.
The Giants are winning with Daniel Jones in a zero-WR offense. The Eagles are getting creative in their use of Jalen Hurts, whom a lot of skeptically appeared at as a real QB1. The Cowboys have gained four straight with Cooper Hurry executing picturesque handoffs. Rivera striving to pinpoint who to blame was akin to seeing O.J. assure to obtain his ex-wife’s killer. The mirror is his pal.
