Voth reviews Rivera

[Mr. Scot]

Full Article: Ron Rivera’s 10 Most Intriguing Comments

 

1. “No, there’s no staff changes.”

Some could see it as a fault, but Rivera is extremely loyal to his coaches and players. General manager Dave Gettleman said Rivera makes the final call on his coaching staff, so unless something pops up as he further evaluates this past season, don’t expect any changes on the staff.

 

2. “Those are five key contributors to special teams in the first couple of weeks. What do they all have in common? After Week 6, all five were out.”

While defending the lackluster results of the special teams units, Rivera brought up early-season injuries to fullback Mike Tolbert, running back Fozzy Whittaker, tight end Richie Brockel, linebacker Chase Blackburn, and cornerback Bené Benwikere. It’s a fair point, but three of those guys eventually returned, and special teams weren’t much better late in the season.

 

 

3. “I’ve got to be willing to accept that as a coach and the position coach has got to understand that.”

Rivera and special teams coordinator Richard Rodgers may start using a new philosophy to improve the unit. Example: Instead of having someone like Blackburn play both linebacker and on special teams, he would be solely a special teams ‘ace.’ The Panthers have previously used guys like Jordan Senn and Jason Williams in that role, but Rivera and Rodgers may have to figure out how to balance four or five such aces.

 

6. “Consistency. Consistency. That’s the biggest thing more than anything else. That’s the biggest word as far as he’s concerned in my eyes, … Whether it’s his footwork or being consistent with his throws, putting it on the right side where it needs to be, putting it away from the defender, putting it right in the guy’s chest. Those are the things he’s got to continue to develop and get better at.”

Not surprisingly, no clear answers were given regarding Cam Newton’s future contract situation, but it’s clear what the Panthers feel he’s still lacking.

 

7. “You guys know how I feel about him.”

If it were up to Rivera, Greg Hardy would be back next year. Unfortunately for Rivera, it’s not up to him.

 

9. “Even though we did take a step back initially, we went ahead and took a step and a half [forward]. We took another step in the playoffs. We won a playoff game and got into the divisional round. Now we’ve got take another step. And hopefully it’s a big step.”

You could point out the Panthers slid into the playoffs because they were in a terrible division, they had an easy late-season schedule, and they won a postseason game against a third-string quarterback. But however it happened, making the playoffs was better than not, and doing it while fixing the cap was a nice bonus.

 

10. “I think we can take a big step and put ourselves in position to win the Super Bowl. The reason why? I think we’re close.”

Saturday’s loss in Seattle showed the Panthers aren’t that close to winning a Super Bowl. But they aren’t that far off, either.

 

 

[Jesse]

We're closer to a Superbowl than we have been in 10 years. I'm excited for what Gettleman can do this FA and draft.

[WUnderhill]

I'm sick of the injury excuse. If you think about it, it's actually more of an indictment on the coaching. Every team in the NFL has injuries, good coaching mitigates the impact.

 

Figure it out Rivera.

[Paa Langfart]

Full Article: Ron Rivera’s 10 Most Intriguing Comments

 

 

Am I the only one who listened to Riveras presser who thought Rivera sounded very defensive ?

[Mr. Scot]

Am I the only one who listened to Riveras presser who thought Rivera sounded very defensive ?

 

Actually, I'd say you're one of many.

 

[PanthersBigD]

I think we are pretty close to a Super Bowl. We've got a great, young core, we're finally getting out of cap hell, we're in a division that's a complete mess(something the Pats benefit from EVERY YEAR). We're only a couple of pieces away from being a solid contender for years.

[PhillyB]

i wish someone had asked him about his perpetual inability to manage a game clock effectively 

[Montsta]

So is he implying that we have the only players in the NFL that can't excel on special teams unless they are committed solely to special teams? Because every other team in the NFL makes solid special teams plays with guys that are positional backups on offense or defense.

If they can't be a backup LB and play decent on special teams then there is a term for that. It's called shitty coaching.

[AceMan]

In his book, "Quiet Strength", in Tampa Bay, Tony Dungy regretted firing Mike Shula and (From what I took) thought it weakened staff unity...I wonder if Rivera feels the same even though I believe he will suffer the same fate as Dungy..

[WUnderhill]

In his book, "Quiet Strength", in Tampa Bay, Tony Dungy regretted firing Mike Shula and (From what I took) thought it weakened staff unity...I wonder if Rivera feels the same even though I believe he will suffer the same fate as Dungy..

 

Tony Dungy is overrated. I hope Rivera isn't taking cues from him.