'Riverboat' Ron Rivera, Carolina Panthers vivify NFC South race

[JawnyBlaze]

http://www.nfl.com/news/story/0ap2000000276464/article/riverboat-ron-rivera-carolina-panthers-vivify-nfc-south-race

 

Decent article on NFL.com about Rivera's new philosophy about 4th down.

 

Excerpts:

 

 

Ron Rivera had a decision to make, and he didn't hesitate: With the Carolina Panthers leading by four points and facing a fourth-and-1 from the Atlanta Falcons' 14-yard line with five minutes left in the first half of Sunday's game at Bank of America Stadium, the third-year coach confidently kept his offense on the field, displaying the breezy bravado for which he is well-known.

Or, to be accurate: The bravado for which he's been well-known for the past seven weeks.

Previously, for the first 34 games of his head-coaching career, Rivera was more conservative than Ronald Reagan -- only with far less success. Yet since experiencing an epiphany following a mid-September defeat in Buffalo that seemed to drive him further into Dead Coach Walking irrelevance, he has been less encumbered by convention than adult-cinema icon Ron Jeremy.

 

 

"It's funny, because you're told to 'play it by the book,' but is that truly the book?" Rivera reflected Sunday afternoon after leaving the stadium. "The book says you take the points. But hey, you've got to score touchdowns to win in this league. You can't just sit there and take field goals. Think about it: Who wrote 'The Book'? There is no book."

 

 

[Oldmanrivera]

There is not book

Brilliant line, I'm glad I kept my faith in ron.

[ed bell]

Personally, I look at the time Rivera has been HC as an investment. We haven't gotten the returns everyone wanted quickly, but if we fire him we lose it all. There are returns coming if we stick with him. I'm glad it's working.

[Kelp]

Wish we would've gone for it on 4th late in the game to make it 38-10. Classy move, but I would've loved to just shove it down their throats with a smile.

[PhillyB]

The Book of Ron.

 

it's got a nice ring to it

[jayflip]

Oh Calculated Risk Taker Ron...

[UNCrules2187]

Vivify?

 

Time to put down the thesaurus Silver.

[caatfan]

I'm glad he figured out that 4th and short is a different proposition, odds wise, with Cam behind center.

[Cary Kollins]

Reagan was successful?

[bigskypanthersguy]

Someone somehow combining Rivera and Ron Swanson as a Riverboat sort of meme would be incredible.

[Montie_0123]

He needs to learn to love the nickname because as long as he keeps going for it on 4-1 and we keep converting them the name is going to stay.

[neverlosethefeeling]

Wish we would've gone for it on 4th late in the game to make it 38-10. Classy move, but I would've loved to just shove it down their throats with a smile.

 

Hell yeah. And it was great to see DeAngelo and Tolbert among others lobbying for them to do just that.

Alge Crumpler (most will remember as a former Falcons TE) tweeted this yesterday:

 

Alge Crumpler ‏@Alge_Crumpler 22h

Up 3 TDs. Panther players arguing over not going for it on fourth down. My definition of RIVALRY. #ATLvsCAR

[Newtons2ndLaw]

[SIGCHI222]

Not quite as obscure as "slake" but "vivify" gave me pause.  Well played.