Ron Rivera made some waves yesterday with some comments made about new offensive coordinator Eric Bienemy. The Commanders’ head coach revealed that players had come to him complaining about the intensity of practice. It was a very strange comment and Rivera took a lot of heat for basically throwing his colleague under the bus. In an interview today, Rivera expressed regret for the comments.
Ron Rivera Regrets Comments About Eric Bienemy
Rivera said that he talked to Bienemy about it and that he should’ve been more careful.
“I basically told him I put my foot in my mouth. I think what I said wasn’t as clear as it needed to be. I think the understanding of it is just the fact that I think everybody’s making, in my opinion, a little bit more than needs to be made of this. Because again, the results are what you’re looking for on the field, and so far, the last couple days have been outstanding.
I think Eric has done a great job of communicating his message now that guys have opened up, talked with him, he’s opened up to them. It’s been a great bit of growth the last couple of days that guys are starting to have the a-ha moments.”
The team seems to be using this as a growth opportunity to increase communication between the coaching staff and its players.
/cdn.vox-cdn.com/uploads/chorus_image/image/72525011/usa_today_21100764.0.jpg "Ron Rivera Regrets Comments Made About Intensity Of Eric Bienemy 2")
A Strange Situation
From the start it was a very weird situation. Many questioned why Rivera would reveal this to reporters. Many criticized the players many of whom have never won anything while Bienemy has a couple of Super Bowl rings on his fingers. The hope is that the team can grow from this bump in the road and have a good season. There is a lot of promise around the team with Sam Howell, Brian Robinson Jr., and Terry McLaurin leading the offense. If Howell is a hit, the Commanders could surprise some people in the NFC.
Ron Rivera will most likely be way more careful when talking about Eric Bienemy in the future. The hope is that this is an open and shut situation and the team can move on to the season.
