Washington Redskins: Ron Rivera In

By: Ryan Cooley

Bruce Allen is GONE

Christmas came late for many Redskins fans as Bruce Allen has been relieved of his duties. This move has been long coming for the team president who has been cancer to this once great organization. In his ten years with Washington, he only managed to reach a 62-102-1 record. He has made countless puzzling moves in his tenure with the team. From the McNabb trade to the Kirk Cousins’ contract dispute to the Trent Williams situation, Allen proved again and again that he is not qualified to be running any football operations.

The fans have been more passionate about convincing Snyder to fire Allen, than rooting for a win on Sundays. Fans met every tweet made by the Redskins twitter account with hundreds of “#Fire Bruce Allen” replies. According to Darren Hayes, the hashtag was used 55,623 times on social media in the last 365 days.

Allen’s questionable moves may not have been the worst part. His constant lying to the fans and organization made people sick. When Washington fired Gruden, Allen dared to tell fans that the culture was “actually damn good.” Trent Williams also made it clear his problem lay with Bruce Allen and not the coaching staff or even Dan Snyder.

While Washington should have shown Allen the door a long time ago, it is promising to see Snyder finally doing right.

The Ron Rivera Era Begins

The two-time coach of the year signed a five-year contract with the Redskins. In my eyes, this was the best signing they could have made. Some may say they should have hired a GM before a head coach. However, both the 49ers and Bills signed their head coaches before their GM, and they seem to be working out just fine. The important fact is for the GM and coach to have the same vision for the team. Rivera understands this sentiment, and I trust him to pick the right GM when the time comes.

In his nine years with the Panthers, Rivera had a 76-63-1 record and four playoff appearances. His best season came in 2015 when the Panthers went 15-1 and reached the Super Bowl, where they lost to the Broncos 24-10.

Inspirational Leader

Rivera is a leader of men. When asked about his hiring, Panthers DT Gerald McCoy said he would tell Washington players: “the greatest thing in their careers is about to happen.” Rivera is a coach that gets the best out of his players. Past Redskins teams have been remarkably undisciplined, but that will change under Rivera. He is a no-nonsense type of person and even benched their MVP QB, Cam Newton, for a series for not wearing a tie before a game.

The biggest business aspect this organization needs is stability, and hopefully, Rivera will provide it.

The offseason has just begun, and the Redskins have already shown they are not playing games and are serious about a culture change. I expect a lot more changes to come as the offseason continues. This organization has longed for a rebuild, and it seems they are finally getting one.