Riverboat Ron Lays Down the Law!

It was his first press conference as Redskins head coach and you knew things were going to be different but you got a sense of just how different they will be with Ron Rivera.

Make no mistake about it. Ron Rivera is not here to play. He's here to win games, install a culture and do everything opposite of the way the Redskins under Bruce Allen and beyond 

Some of the best moments of Rivera's opening salvos are these: 

1. "It’s not about the money. If I wanted the money, I’d still be out there trying to pit a couple teams against each other." 

My spin: Rivera's correct. He didn't want to go on the coaching interviewing circuit and be left without a chair. Smart move. Lock yourself in to what you feel is an attractive situation that you can have control and set up. 

2. "I took this job for one simple reason, one simple reason, because [Owner] Dan Snyder came to me with a very interesting perspective. For weeks he’s explored the reasons why some teams win and some teams don’t. He told me the common factor in that transitional success of teams like the Patriots, the Seahawks and the Chiefs and some of the others ones was the decision to take it and make it coach-centered approach. Not an owner-centered approach, or a team president or a general manager but coach-centered approach. I told Mr. Snyder that I appreciated the fact that he believed the head coach matters. I told him I would be honored but under one condition, it had to be a player-centered culture, a player-centered culture, something I truly do believe in."

My spin: I love this! I have been talking all week on 106.7 The FAN and Radio.com on countless radio shows that hiring a head coach first and then hiring a general manager is the way to go in 2020. You don't need to do things the conventional way. 

Teams need to make sure the head coach and general manager are on the same page and see football the same way. 

You can do it the traditional way but I believe head coaches that pair themselves with a personnel executive do better than the old-school approach. 

Think Kyle Shanahan and John Lynch in San Francisco. Obviously, Rivera cited three tremendous examples of Bill Belichick, Pete Carroll and Andy Reid that have done it this way. 

How did the traditional way work for the Cleveland Browns? John Dorsey who had friction with Andy Reid leading to his firing in Kansas City, set up Freddie Kitchens with a bunch of bad apples and things imploded. Plus he chose the wrong guy! He should have kept Gregg Williams. No thanks!

3. "You’re not going to play for this team, you’re not going to work for this team, if you don’t have the discipline to give us everything you have. No exceptions, no excuses. It’s that simple, guys. We have to hold each other accountable, and that’s something we most certainly will do. We’ll expect the most from each other. Whether I was in Chicago or Carolina, we were at our very best when the players knew that the coaches had their backs. And this is the thing I’m going to ask from the players, do it the way we teach you, do it the way we ask. You do it that way, the success will be yours, okay? You do it that way, the success will be yours. If you don’t, the success is going to be yours but it’s not going to be right. Why? Because if you fail, it’s on you. Do it our way, do it the right way, and if we fail, it’s on me. Okay? It’ll be on me, the head coach."

My Spin: Love it. Rivera is saying - don't freelance. Do what we tell you and how we tell you  consistently and you'll get the praise while we take the blame when things go off-center. 

Way too often, with this franchise, players have been independent and have done what they wanted. Or thought they were bigger than the team. No more. 

4. “The biggest thing that’s going to happen – and I’ll say it again – is we’re going to collaborate. We’re going to get together as a group, and we’ll discuss things. If we have to continue to discuss things and it goes a little bit longer, then we’ll ask [Owner] Mr. [Dan] Snyder to help. For the most part, he’s given us the opportunity to be a group of men that work together to collaborate to do one thing and that’s be on the same page, pick the right kind of players and then put them in a position to have success.”

My Spin: Ron Rivera is telling you that their might be some times where Dan Snyder is involved in the process. If you are against this - you probably shouldn't be. There isn't an owner of a business, a CEO, a Senior Vice President, a director in America that doesn't get involved in huge decisions. 

5. “Well, nobody really knows, but I’ll tell you this, I believe in me and I’ll bet on me. We’ll see what happens, that’s all I can tell you. I will give you one thing and that is I’m going to work, I’m going to work very hard, I’m going to do the things that I believe and I’m going to stay true to who I am.”

My Spin: "I believe in me and I'll bet on me," fired me up when Rivera said why he feels this time will be different considering the Redskins past. 

I loved this quote. Bold, aggressive and worthy. He should bet on himself. I'll put my chips in on Riverboat Ron as well! 

Chris Russell is the Publisher of Maven & Sports Illustrated's Washington Redskins channel. He can be heard on 106.7 The FAN in the Washington D.C. area and world-wide on Radio.com. Chris also hosts the "Locked on Redskins" Podcast and can be read via subscription to Warpath Magazine. You can e-mail Chris at russellmania09@Gmail.com or follow him on Twitter at @Russellmania621.