Washington Football Team head coach Ron Rivera may be frustrated with the way his team has played in the first five weeks, particularly his defense. However, don’t expect him to make wholesale changes.
Rivera said changing personnel or scheme “makes no sense” to him, per Sam Fortier of The Washington Post.
He also shut down the idea of him taking over play-calling duties from defensive coordinator Jack Del Rio.
Washington’s defense is ranked 27th in yards allowed, yielding 407.8 yards per game. They’re allowing the second-most points per game with 31. They’re also second-worst on stopping third down conversions. Teams are converting 56.2% of their third downs into firsts against Washington.
Rivera spent nine seasons in the NFL as a linebacker. All were with the Chicago Bears. He then worked his way into being a defensive coordinator for the Bears and San Diego Chargers for a total of six seasons before becoming head coach of the Carolina Panthers in 2011.
When a particular unit is struggling such as Washington’s defense, it’s not unusual for the head coach to take over play-calling duties on the side of the ball he is more expertise on. But, Rivera is not ready to snatch those duties from Del Rio, who has an impeccable resume as a coordinator and head coach in the NFL as well.
