getting closer and closer to the big game. And one of
the biggest guests of the way to time NFL coach of the year,
head coach to the Washington commanders. And
I was just told the recipient of the 12th
USAA and FL salute to service award. You're the winner
Ron Rivera. There you go. Not thank you guys. It's
it's an honor as far as I'm concerned because of the fact
that my father served 32 years, United States military and
really my background, as a kid growing up, all over United.
It's all over the world for the most part. You know, being on
in Fort Meade, Maryland Fort Lewis, Washington Fort Ord
California.
You know, going to Fort Gulick. Panama going to Heidelberg
Germany, you know, my education was through the military of
the world. So
very grateful, very honored and really do appreciate USA.
How much does you know we talked about it a lot would
like footballs got a military aspect of it, you know? Yeah.
I mean how much is that carry over to you and your experience
it carries over a lot to me because I've had several
Terry personal come out and speak to us. You know, I've had
lieutenant. Colonel's, I've had three star Admirals four-star
out,
generals come speak to our guys, I've had First
Sergeant's, who were double amputees, who lost both legs
and Afghanistan. Come speak to our guys,
and the biggest thing I've taken from those guys, it's
about culture building the right type of culture
and that is something I think that has helped us as we've
gone through it. You know, whether I'd be in Carolina are
now in Washington with the Commander's. How is that helped
you as well? Because I think you've done a great
great job of sealing off as best. You can all the other
stuff going on in the organization because it
trickles through the players they've talked about it. Yes.
How do you use that experience to get them to forget about it,
set it aside and focus on
the job as it stands for right now. Because that's really what
I learned from from these guys. It's about the job at hand,
the task at hand, you've got to be able to focus in on and make
sure you understand what's important. And what's
interesting, I don't ever want to downplay
the things that happen,
but for us, we can impact it.
Can't change it. What we can do is focus on where we are right
here and now. And that's the thing, I think credit to our
players amenable carpet compartmentalize things. And,
you know, for three hours of game just put it aside for time
to go into practice, being, that practice,
being in meetings, being with your teammates.
Those were the things that we preach to our guys, try to get
them to stay focused. So we try to keep things separate, right?
You guys always seem focused and ready to go. You know, you
had a
few wrinkles with like their quarterback situation. This you
I'm always He's intrigued by this coach. I don't know if
I've ever really asked a head coach this, but when you're
thinking about, you know, heinicke, Carson Wentz, all
that,
you know, how stressful is, are those decisions that had coach?
Are you literally like, eating dinner? Do you have, did you
flip flop? A few times, just kind of take us inside your
brain there.
Well, you know, as we were going through this and really
thinking about what we wanted to do with the offense, you
know, get the ball out. Get it going vertically. Get into
the hands of our Playmakers and, you know, and
we felt we had a guy in Carson.
Go vertical, right?
When we lost Carson.
After the Chicago game when we went to Taylor. Now, it was
about getting to these guys hands as quickly as possible
and then relying on the running game as well to take some of
the pressure off a Taylor right instead of forcing him to
to make place and then you're right you know as we got later
into the season and started thinking you know once a good
time to
do that, make that move. That's always something you're always
thinking about. Yeah yeah. And is it like it's always it's
like a pit in your stomach and then Finally you just have
a Moment of clarity where you go, okay? I'm going to make this
move. Yes. You know and
that was really what came Downton and trying to decide
and giving Sam how the last shot in terms of starting and
playing against Dallas was going through that for a couple
of days trying to decide a couple times. I thought well,
you
don't go back to Taylor and then thought well, you know,
after talking to some folks decision, you know, and helping
me with my decision, going finally, going with Sam and
giving him that opportunity to play against Dallas in
the closer right now. Decisions need to be made
moving forward. How much of Sam Hal's
It's in that final regular season game. Helps you decide
on what the path that the position is for 23. Well, you
know, to answer that. Mike, the biggest thing we decided he
will start off as qb1. He will most certainly get the first
opportunity. We go
into OTAs and minicamp. You know, he'll be qb1 he'll fight
for that position, will give them every opportunity to earn
it and we'll see what happens once we get into training camp
and through it. And just so I understand what that means
because we've got I
think an unprecedented quarterback musical chairs
coming in free agency. Or not in that this year, another out
of it. No, I think the biggest thing is, you know, is, is we
have to find a guy to come and it's going to compete,
you know, but in terms of finding guy that you're going
to, it's going to,
you're going to have to spend a lot of capital on. No, we're
not looking for a guy. We got spent a lot of capital on.
We're looking for a guy who's going to come in and compete
first, and form. So, exact opposite of last year, when you
guys
called every team, literally which the smart, let's find out
who's available, that's not your business this year at Sam,
how with a veteran backup, which you will bring, you find
that it out once the
the Stops in the starter sponsor off. We want to find
the right situation. A guy that can come in and be that
supporting guy, that can really help him grow and become
the guy
that gives you an opportunity to win football games.
All right, let's get to some fun stuff here. All right?
Because you're a defensive guy, you played defensive football
in the NFL. You were on the 85 Bears. You've been a great
defensive coordinator. You're a defensive minded head coach as
the rules of the quarterback hits right now. Driving you
crazy? Because it's driving me crazy. We call it
nothing. The Acer instead of roughing the passer. How are
you?
I mean that I'm to me it's chopping a leg out of them
Demons of coaches and the intimidation Factor. Yes. And
that's one of the things that, you know, that that's really
kind of come throughout the entire game as we've tried to
try and do the
right thing, find the right ways to make it safer for everybody.
But we also have to understand at some point the guys going to
take a hit it's going to take a big hit and no fault of
the defensive player, so we just have to find that balance that
says
what? That guy did is is football. Oh what that guy.
It was beyond football, right? Like I get the full body weight
and I'm talking about the full pick. The guy got you dump it,
right? But when you're just running a
line stunt, let's say you win, you're completely free in
the next thing, you know, you're just hitting the guy, you're
hitting the guy, we have to, we have to be able to find out
what that balance is because this is an entertaining game
and if the game is played the right way. Yeah.
And and we've taken all the safeguards
okay? And those things happen that are part of football,
right? Yeah. Then let's do this. Let's do that. So you
feel like we've gone a little too far here. I think we Have
I think we have we have to find what that, what that right?
Fine, Indian yes, right? Yeah. Well I'm part of the problem
too. Is the rule says expressly when in doubt
throw the flag. Yeah, so if there's any doubt, they throw
the flag and I think that's one of the things that need to be
ironed out. Well, I do we rely on
doubt being resolved in favor of saying, okay. I don't I'm
not sure what I saw, so it's roughing the past and I think
that that's where we have to be careful because
if it looks like it.
Okay. But it doesn't smell like it, maybe it's not. Yeah, right.
You have to really find and maybe who knows? Maybe it's
using technology, maybe being able to go back and saying, you
know what, I have to challenge that that has to be. I may be
a tool that we may have to go. To one has been
talk that that's going to be on the table. It sounds like
something you'd support. I would, I would most certainly
like us to find the right solution to that and use
the technology to help us. I mean, we had a game this year
a couple games. Yeah. That was. Yeah, that yeah. Oh yeah. Next
question because there's certain things you can't say
publicly after a game like that and
you did a good job of restraining yourself.
What what happens behind the scenes generally when you feel
like you've been
on the wrong end of a bad call? What are you doing? I'll do is
I'll reach out to the league and, you know, and I know
the people I should call. So I called the folks and I talked
to him and say, look, you know, this is something we have to be
smart about. We be careful about because
you know with everything that's going on and now getting, you
know betting's there,
we've got to get this right. We've got to be careful because
the Integrity is the most important thing and that's
something we have to be, well, aware of. So we've got to find
a solution to make Make sure we're getting it, right. How do
you feel about full time officials? I'm sorry. I think
I'd love to have felt. I really would just so
these guys can constantly work their craft constantly be
focused in on what their job is and what they do in terms of,
you know, this game because
it is really one of those things that, you know, that that
Their decisions impact careers,
they impact winning a little. Yeah
no doubt about a lot of people at stake there with those
decisions. All right. Last one just because you're one of
the three teams to beat the Eagles. Okay? Give us a little bit of
a clue on what it takes to beat this team. Or are we were one
of the,
we're the one team that beat the Eagles with the same
quarterback. Oh, baby. I like it knowing again, I got
tremendous respect for who Philadelphia's, I really do.
And one of the things that we felt we had to do is be able to
control the ball, right? Way to control. The clock if Jalen
hurts is not on the field,
okay? It's hard for them to score now their defense could
score because they've got tremendous football players.
But
that was the thinking. So
we ran about 49 times against a nominal, I know. And that was
able to really kind of keep the game third and four statues. So
if you can get yourself in that type of situation, where this
quick throws, it, get the ball
out of the quarterbacks hands and guys, going forward, right?
And keeping the clock going that maybe, you know, something
that could be very beneficial, right coach? It's Great seeing
you. Congratulations 12th annual salute to service award
winner. It is Ron Rivera usal Coach of the Year.
Commanders head coach all the best in 2023 we look forward to
talking to you.
hit, subscribe for the latest news and Analysis from pro
football talk.