riverboat ron nickname

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‘Riverboat’ Ron Rivera has a great nickname, but he’s not the gambler you think

New Washington Redskins coach Ron Rivera has embraced the “Riverboat Ron” nickname he earned for his aggressive fourth-down decision-making with the Carolina Panthers, though he prefers to be known more as a calculated risk-taker than a gambler. “Analytical Ron” just doesn’t have the same ring to it.

Early in his coaching career, Rivera was quite the opposite, and it led to calls for his job. In Week 2 of the 2013 season, Rivera’s third year at the helm of the Panthers, Carolina led Buffalo 20-17 with less than two minutes remaining. Facing fourth and one from the Buffalo 21-yard line, Rivera opted to kick a field goal to take a six-point lead. The decision was hardly surprising; since 2011, only one other NFL coach had gone for it fewer times on fourth down than Rivera. The Bills drove 65 yards for the game-winning touchdown in the final seconds, dropping Carolina to 0-2.

After the loss, the Charlotte Observer ran an online poll asking whether then-owner Jerry Richardson should fire Rivera immediately. Eighty-three percent of the respondents said yes.

Redskins to introduce Ron Rivera as head coach

Rivera’s transformation began the following week against the Giants. In the first quarter, on fourth and one from the New York 2-yard line, the Panthers went for it. Fullback Mike Tolbert scored a touchdown en route to a 38-0 Carolina win. Three weeks later, the Panthers converted a pair of fourth downs on an early touchdown drive in a 35-10 win at Minnesota.

ESPN’s David Newton, who helped coin the “Riverboat Ron” nickname after the win over the Vikings, asked Rivera a couple of days later whether, in hindsight, he would have gone for it on fourth down against Buffalo in Week 2.

“Which is the right call?” Rivera said with a smile . “The right call turns out to be one that you win with. If you win, it’s a great call.”

Good luck with that. pic.twitter.com/XUgR7Jdj8b — Josh (@GoldAndOrSmith) December 1, 2013

The Panthers won 11 of their last 12 games and converted 10 of their 13 fourth-down opportunities to close the season, resulting in an NFC South title.

“I needed to realize that playing conservative, playing close to the vest, playing by the book — sometimes you’ve just got to throw all that away,” Rivera told the Observer in 2014 .

But is Rivera truly a gambler on the gridiron? Not exactly.

The Panthers went for it on fourth down 123 times from 2011 to 2019, giving them just the 25th-most attempts in that span. The Redskins, by comparison, went for it 140 times in that same span. The average NFL team made nearly 137 fourth-down attempts.

The Panthers, though, were a winning team under Rivera, and so we can also look solely at fourth-down decisions in the first three quarters when the score was within eight points — eliminating obvious catch-up situations. In those situations, the Panthers went for it on fourth down 36 times from 2011 to 2019. Nine teams went for it more often in similar situations.

Brewer: Ron Rivera is traditional, hard-nosed and just what the Redskins need

Carolina was, however, one of the most successful teams when it gambled, converting 78 percent of its score-neutral fourth-down opportunities. Only the Kansas City Chiefs had more success moving the chains during that nine-year window, converting 81 percent of their score-neutral fourth-down chances. Like Rivera said, “If you win, it’s a great call.”

In fact, since that 2013 campaign, Rivera has gone for it on fourth down in score-neutral situations only 23 times, a below-average rate for the years 2014 to 2019 and just a few tries fewer than his new team attempted. (The Redskins went for it 20 times in those situations; the Ravens led the NFL with 53 score-neutral fourth-down attempts).

If you make one more adjustment and isolate only those score-neutral situations in which Rivera found himself in his own territory — true riverboat territory — he went for it on fourth down only four times in nine seasons. (The Ravens led the NFL with 11 attempts in those situations, and the Cowboys were next with 10.)

It was a similar story in the playoffs: Rivera went for it only seven times in seven postseason games, and just two of those were in the first three quarters with the score within eight points. None of them were with the Panthers bogged down in their own territory. Playoff teams as a whole went for it 206 times on fourth down (all situations) over 176 playoff games from 2011 to 2018, which averages to just over one attempt per game, slightly more often than Rivera.

But the nickname persisted, and Rivera occasionally did enough to justify it. In November, for example, Rivera’s Panthers had two fourth-down conversions in a 30-20 win over the Titans, including one on fourth and four from their own 36-yard line.

“I just felt we needed a little momentum,” Rivera told reporters of his decision to go for it in a situation when most NFL coaches would punt. “Sure, we had a 10-point lead, but they’d just gone down and scored on us, and that was disappointing to me. But I just felt, sometimes you just can’t measure those things with numbers. There’s a feel in the game, and it’s just one of those things I felt we had to do something.”

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Carolina Panthers coach Ron Rivera earns ‘Riverboat Ron’ nickname

SANTA CLARA — Carolina Panthers coach Ron Rivera began being called “Riverboat Ron” this season after he showed a repeated willingness for high stakes gambles.

The 1-3 Panthers were looking at a dismal season when Rivera took his gamble. In an October game against the Minnesota Vikings, twice on the same drive Rivera had the Panthers go for it on fourth-and-1 rather than kick a field goal.

Both plays succeeded — the second was a touchdown — leading to a 35-10 victory that helped turn their season around. The Panthers have won 11 of their past 12 games, and Sunday they host the 49ers in an NFC divisional game. A win, and Carolina will be a step closer to the second Super Bowl in the franchise’s 19-year history. The Panthers lost the Super Bowl to New England in the 2003 season.

As it turns out, the roots of Rivera’s gambling ways sprouted in Berkeley.

Rivera was at Cal in 1983, playing for coach Joe Kapp. The Bears had just kicked a field goal against Texas A&M in the final minute to break a 17-17 tie, but Kapp took the points off the board when the Aggies were penalized. On the next play, Cal fumbled the ball away inside the 5.

One play later, Rivera, then an All-America linebacker, tackled a Texas A&M runner in the end zone for a safety, and Cal won 19-17.

“Ron Rivera saved the day,” Kapp told this newspaper this week. “A coach’s goal is to prepare a player to succeed, and he’s really succeeded.”

Rivera, who played at Seaside High before coming to Cal, credits Kapp for much of his success. During a Wednesday conference call, Rivera said, “Joe Kapp has always been a huge influence in my life.”

“Ron was quiet,” Kapp said, “but his personality was always that of a leader. No one thought Carolina would do that much this year, but he’s got them right there.”

The Panthers are a young team, and Rivera, who interviewed nine times for NFL head-coaching jobs before landing in Carolina in 2011, has always been one to show the kids how it’s done.

Bill Cooper, who coached linebackers at Cal under Kapp, said he didn’t know Rivera would end up coaching. But Cooper did know that Rivera would work well with the younger set, no matter what he did.

“I know he had a real affinity for kids,” Cooper said. “I know because I saw how good he was baby-sitting my son. Kevin grew up idolizing everything Ron Rivera did, on the field and off. Ron was always fully aware of the whole team concept and how he was a part of it. I think he’s taken that into his role as the head coach.”

Another Rivera strength is his ability to separate what he can control from what he can’t.

A few hours after the Panthers fell to 0-2 on Sept. 15 with a one-point loss to the Buffalo Bills, the Charlotte Observer newspaper ran a poll asking fans if team owner Jerry Richardson should fire Rivera. At that point, the Panthers were 13-21 in Rivera’s two-plus seasons.

Eighty percent of the readers answering the poll supported getting rid of the former Cal star.

A month later, Riverboat Ron was born during that thrashing of the Vikings.

“We are doing the things we need to do to play winning football,” Rivera said. “We’ve been very consistent and relatively disciplined. We’ve had four fourth-quarter winning drives. That’s something we haven’t done in the past.”

They’re doing it now, getting their direction from Riverboat Ron, who’s become quite the gambler.

Follow John Hickey on Twitter at twitter.com/JHickey3 .

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Ron Rivera joins Twitter, embraces 'Riverboat' nickname

Ron rivera joined twitter on monday, embracing his "riverboat ron" nickname..

More NFL: Photos  |    Videos & GIFs |   Stories  | Training Camps  |  Johnny Manziel watch  

It's not usually news when someone joins Twitter. But it is news when a guy like Panthers coach Ron Rivera hops on the social media network and embraces a nickname he's pushed back on in the past.

Yes, America, rejoice and behold: RIVERBOAT RON LIVES.

Hey #Panthers fans, please welcome head coach Ron Rivera ( @RiverboatRonHC ) to twitter! — Carolina Panthers (@Panthers) July 21, 2014

Thus far, Rivera's just tweeted a pair of links to a "Make a Wish" feature Cam Newton 's involved in. There's no telling how active he'll actually be once he gets rolling.

But the crazy thing is he's embracing the "Riverboat Ron" nickname. Rivera previously pushed back a bit on the nickname; he's said he prefers something a little less crazy.

Good luck with that. pic.twitter.com/XUgR7Jdj8b — Josh Gold-Smith (@GoldAndOrSmith) December 1, 2013

Rivera reiterated his preference for a less wild nickname even after he analytically gambled his way into multiple Coach of the Year awards in 2013 .

Something must've changed, because it appears Rivera's on the Riverboat bandwagon now.

Look out, world.

Riverboat Ron has a one question for Bill Belichick and Tom Brady. pic.twitter.com/HFOvzKfsxQ — ryan wilson (@ryanwilson_07) November 19, 2013

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‘Riverboat Ron' nickname going viral

CHARLOTTE, N.C. — Carolina Panthers head coach Ron Rivera has a new nickname that is catching on quickly. Rivera got the nickname "Riverboat Ron" when he went for it on fourth-and-1 twice on the first series in a 35-10 victory over the Vikings on Oct. 13. ESPN.com reported that Jim Kennedy, a graphic artist from Raleigh, posted a picture online showing Rivera dressed up as a riverboat gambler wearing dark sunglasses with the "Riverboat Ron" slogan on it with Bank of America Stadium in the background. The image quickly went viral Monday after the Panthers beat the 49ers 10-9 Sunday afternoon. Rivera's daughter, Courtney, posted the photo on her Instagram page and put it out on Twitter also. The Panthers win over the 49ers extended the team's win streak to five games. Rivera has been criticized in the past for not going for it on fourth down.  Only one NFL coach has gone for it less than Rivera since 2011, ESPN.com reported . That coach was former Panthers and current Broncos coach John Fox.

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Why is Ron Rivera called Riverboat Ron? Explaining the origin of Commanders coach’s nickname

After spending more than 25 years on an NFL sideline, Ron Rivera has made a name for himself in the coaching ranks. Over the course of his 13 years as a head coach, Rivera’s earned a nickname for himself, too.

Rivera, a two-time AP NFL Coach of the Year who recently surpassed the 100-win plateau, has become a household name in coaching thanks to his time as the lead man in Carolina and Washington. As evidenced by his resume, Rivera has done his fair share of winning during his career, but the manner in which he’s done his winning is what became the stuff of legends.

Since the 2013 NFL season, Rivera has been known as “Riverboat Ron,” a nickname that he once decried before eventually embracing it. The nickname and the philosophy that inspired it have turned around seasons, resulted in hilarious memes and very well may have saved RIvera’s coaching career.

The Sporting News looks back at the origins of Rivera’s “Riverboat Ron” nickname. 

Why is Ron Rivera called Riverboat Ron?

Rivera’s nickname is related to riverboat gambling. The gambles, or risks, Rivera has taken in fourth-down situations as a head coach are similar to that of a gambler, earning him the moniker of “Riverboat Ron.”

The nickname is situational as it is almost exclusively employed when Rivera has his team go for it on fourth down or take another calculated in-game risk. It can also work against his favor when he elects not to take a risk, like Washington’s decision to opt for overtime and not go for a two-point conversion to defeat defending NFC champion Philadelphia in Week 4 of the 2023 season.

MORE:  Ron Rivera explains why Commanders played for OT in loss vs. Eagles

How Ron Rivera got his Riverboat Ron nickname

Rivera earned the nickname during his third season as head coach of the Panthers. The nickname itself actually stems from the way Rivera responded to something he didn’t do.

After two losing seasons, Rivera was on the hot seat early in the 2013 campaign. In the second game of the season, one sequence seemingly changed everything about Rivera’s approach.

The Panthers, who had already lost their season opener, had the ball and a 20-17 lead over the Bills late in the fourth quarter of Week 2. As Carolina faced a fourth-and-1 from Buffalo’s 21-yard line, Rivera elected to play it safe by kicking a field goal to give his team a 23-17 lead with 1:38 remaining. The Bills responded with an 80-yard drive, scoring the game-winning touchdown with two seconds remaining to knock Carolina to 0-2 on the season.

Playing conservatively led to the loss and an epiphany in traffic let Rivera know that something had to change.

Fast forward to Week 6, when the Panthers visited the Vikings. Carolina was 1-3 and Rivera’s seat was hotter than it had ever been. In the first quarter, Rivera’s team went for — and converted — two fourth downs on its first scoring drive of the game. Carolina would earn a 35-10 win over Minnesota.

And thus, “Riverboat Ron” was born.

Rivera was reluctant to accept the nickname at first but as the risks continued to pay off and the wins continued to stack, he warmed up to the moniker, which took a life of its own when Rivera was hilariously photoshopped  as a riverboat gambler.

Carolina’s Week 6 win over Minnesota was the first of eight consecutive wins in a season where the team finished 12-4 and earned its first NFC South championship in five years. The team finished the season going 10 of 13 on fourth downs, including a near-perfect 8 of 9 mark on fourth-and-1.

Ten years later, it’s clear that the nickname has stuck.

Ron Rivera’s fourth down success

Since taking over as Washington’s head coach in 2020, Rivera has had his team go for it on fourth down a total of 80 times (through Week 5 of the 2023 season.) In the time span, Washington has converted on 42 fourth downs, a 52.5 percent rate.

This season , the Commanders are 3 of 4 (75.0 percent) on fourth down.

Ron Rivera’s other nicknames

Long before he was known as “Riverboat Ron,” Rivera was affectionately referred to as “Chico” while playing with the Bears.

As the story goes, Rivera, a serviceable linebacker, earned the nickname from defensive coordinator Buddy Ryan, who likened Rivera to actor Freddie Prinze’s character in “Chico and the Man.”

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Everyone said the same thing about Ron Rivera after Washington’s loss

Sep 26, 2021; Orchard Park, New York, USA; Washington Football Team head coach Ron Rivera walks on the field prior to the game against the Buffalo Bills at Highmark Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Rich Barnes-USA TODAY Sports

Everyone said the same thing about Ron Rivera after the Washington Commanders’ 34-31 overtime loss to the Philadelphia Eagles at Lincoln Financial Field on Sunday.

The Commanders were down 31-24 after an AJ Brown touchdown with 1:43 left. Washington responded by driving down the field, and Sam Howell capped it with a 10-yard touchdown pass to Jahan Dotson as time expired to make it 31-30. Washington then had an option: kick an extra point to tie the game and go to overtime, or attempt a 2-point conversion to win.

Rivera chose to kick the extra point, which tied the game and sent it to OT. Washington went 3-and-out in OT and punted, while Philly moved into field goal range and won on Jake Elliott’s 54-yard kick.

Fans everywhere were saying the same thing: why didn’t Rivera go for 2? Moreover, people were wondering what happened to “Riverboat Ron”?

Rivera earned the nickname “Riverboat Ron” by making bold gambles when he was the Carolina Panthers, such as going for it in short-yardage situations, or attempting 2-point conversions. This was the exact type of situation where “Riverboat Ron” would have gone for two. Yet Rivera chose to go to overtime against the defending NFC champions, leaving everyone befuddled.

The Commanders going on to lose the game further cemented what a miscalculation that was by Rivera.

Hard to believe the man formerly known as Riverboat Ron didn't go for the win at the end of regulation. — Art Stapleton (@art_stapleton) October 1, 2023

Maybe I just expect too much because people call him Riverboat Ron but I need you to go for two there. When you aren't the better team and you're 72 inches from a win, I need you to take your chances of getting that over a coin toss, a stop, another long TD drive. — Grant Paulsen (@granthpaulsen) October 1, 2023

There was even talk that Rivera no longer deserved the “Riverboat” nickname after that choice.

Ron Rivera got the final TD as time ran out and kicked the extra point to tie. Didn’t go for 2 and the win. Loses on OT. Officially retiring “Riverboat Ron” nickname. pic.twitter.com/YsW0zvhxJC — Armando Salguero (@ArmandoSalguero) October 1, 2023

Washington is now 2-2 this season, while Philly is 4-0.

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'Riverboat Ron' trademark coming?

CHARLOTTE, N.C. -- The "Riverboat Ron" nickname has become so popular that Carolina Panthers coach Ron Rivera and his wife are looking for ways to use it to raise money for local charities.

They may even have it trademarked.

"It's unbelievable,'' Rivera said. "This thing has taken on a mind of its own. It's kind of gone all over the place, and it's one of those things that the moniker is what it is as far as trying to describe some of the decisions I've made.

"I kind of look at what I've done as just calculating it. But I will say this: My wife and I are going to try to figure out a way to use it to help benefit some of these charities out here that we work with. We've got to just keep rolling with it, I guess."

Rivera was statistically one of the most conservative coaches in the NFL when it came to gambling on fourth down the past two seasons. He was criticized publicly for opting to kick a field goal that extended the Panthers' lead to six instead of going for it on fourth-and-1 at the Buffalo 21 with 1:42 remaining in the teams' Week 2 game. The Bills won 24-23, driving 80 yards to score a touchdown with two seconds left.

Since then, Rivera has been successful on 9 of 11 fourth-down plays. The Panthers (9-3) are 8-for-8 on fourth down during their league-best eight-game winning streak that has set up a Sunday night road game against the New Orleans Saints (9-3) for the NFC South lead. Rivera was dubbed "Riverboat Ron'' after showing the instincts of a gambler when he successfully went for it on fourth-and-1 twice on Carolina's first possession in a 35-10 victory at Minnesota on Oct. 13.

The nickname took on a new life after a Nov. 10 win at San Francisco. Jim Kennedy, a graphic artist from Raleigh, N.C., posted online a picture of Rivera as a riverboat gambler.

The picture showed him wearing dark sunglasses, a black Panthers cowboy hat and a blue Panthers jacket with a black vest and tie. In one hand he is holding a cigar; in the other are playing cards. In the background is a picture of Bank of America Stadium and the words "Riverboat Ron."

Kennedy initially posted it to a Panthers fan page. Rivera's daughter, Courtney, then posted it on Instagram and later turned it into a Twitter post.

She wrote: "I honestly could not resist. apparently this is a thing now. panther fans have given dad a new nickname and have even made photo edits! #isthisreallife #riverboatron #panthers #omg #peoplegottoomuchtime.''

Rivera didn't care for the nickname initially but embraces it now.

Asked whether he might trademark the name in his effort to use it for charity, Rivera smiled and said, "That's not a bad idea.''

"It's been good,'' he added. "It's kind of taken a life of its own, so if we can use it to do something good, we certainly will.''

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The evolution of ”Riverboat Ron” Rivera:…

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The evolution of ”Riverboat Ron” Rivera: Friends say it wasn”t always that way

SEASIDE — Before Carolina coach Ron Rivera was “Riverboat Ron” he was a by-the-book player and coach.

The change three years ago surprised family and friends on the Monterey Peninsula where Rivera grew up. They recall a man with a strong military upbringing who didn”t take unnecessary risks on the field.

” ”Riverboat Ron?” I just don”t see that,” said Dave Miller, one of Rivera”s coaches at Seaside High in the 1970s. “He”s old school. It”s so rare to see him get upset.”

It seemed playing it safe would spell Rivera”s doom in 2013 after consecutive losing years in Carolina. The unemployment line was beckoning in the season”s third week after the Panthers (0-2) kicked a field goal on a fourth-and-one play that allowed the Buffalo Bills to rally for a last-second victory.

“I was thinking conservatively and I”ll never do that again,” Rivera later told brother Steven Rivera. “I go by instinct now.”

The bleak outcome of the Bills” game still was on Rivera”s mind two nights later when commuting home from the team facility. He was so consumed with the defeat that Rivera drove through a red light and narrowly avoided getting sideswiped.

A new side of Rivera”s coaching personality appeared in the Panthers” game that weekend against the New York Giants.

In the first quarter of a scoreless tie, Carolina went for it on fourth down from the Giants” 2-yard line. The Panthers scored en route to a 38-0 victory.

Rivera”s team gambled 11 more times on fourth-down plays after that. Carolina converted eight times as Rivera ended the season as Associated Press” coach of the year. His go-for-it style earned the Riverboat nickname that Rivera initially protested. But now he”s game with a Twitter handle of @RiverboatRonHC.

The Seaside Spartans of the 1970s graced their linebacker/quarterback with other nicknames: “Double R” for his initials or “Rolls Royce.”

Why the car reference?

“Because he was so good and we were like Toyota Corollas,” high school teammate Pat Price said.

Follow Elliott Alond on Twitter at twitter.com/elliottalmond .

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Ron Rivera’s Commanders tenure: Winning the news conference, losing where it counts

The end came when Ron Rivera ran out of stories.

There was always a motivational speaker quality to the coach’s delivery, a reflection of a football lifer raised in a military household. Four years ago, Rivera arrived as the centerpiece of former owner Dan Snyder’s coach-centric structure. And in those days, Rivera had a pattern of go-to sayings that he trotted out regularly.

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“Don’t draw me a map unless you’ve been there,” expressed the value of experience. “Figures lie and liars figure” became a staple whenever a statistical pro or con was mentioned. Rivera used “be where your feet are” when he felt players were more concerned about the past or future.

There were tales of meeting John Madden , and how the legendary coach and broadcaster’s advice about trusting one’s instincts led to the Carolina Panthers’ 12-4 record in Rivera’s third season as head coach. This surge birthed the “Riverboat Ron” nickname. Rivera often shared with the media whenever he received guidance from Washington’s heralded coaching hero, Joe Gibbs. There were also football narratives repeated on a loop. Anyone playing a drinking game when Rivera mentioned the “Buffalo Nickel” defensive hybrid role or “position flex” wouldn’t know a sober moment in those seasons.

Those colorful remarks, along with the former linebacker’s credentials — including a 2015 Super Bowl appearance — intrigued his new audience. They allowed Rivera to fend off the doubters who were aware of his overall uneven era with Carolina . Washington ’s surprising 2020 NFC East title, despite a 7-9 record, added more credibility.

But over four seasons — none ending with a winning record — the power of those charming aphorisms began to fade. Rivera’s qualities off the field made him a rootable figure for a franchise that was often dragged through the mud under Snyder . But as the losses piled up, they weren’t enough to mask Rivera’s on-the-field failures, particularly for a disillusioned fan base that experienced one mess after another.

Ron Rivera, Jason Wright reflect on Dan Snyder’s tenure and lessons learned

The Commanders blew a potential playoff spot in 2022 with a 0-3-1 stretch in the final weeks. The trade for the season’s special guest star, polarizing quarterback Carson Wentz , flopped. Though armed with a five-year contract, it became apparent that Rivera would not see that fifth year without significant improvement. New owners were coming. Six days after that season concluded, reports surfaced. Sam Howell , a 2022 fifth-round pick whose promising but lone career start concluded with 11 completions in the semi-meaningless Week 18 win over the Dallas Cowboys , would enter the offseason program as QB1.

The diversion worked. Local conversations veered forward. Howell’s big arm and Brett Favre-like aggressiveness gave fans hope and Rivera justification for persistent mentions of, “I think we have found a young quarterback.” However, he often praised Howell as a shield to questions about the team’s struggles.

The 2023 season crashed when Howell tossed three interceptions in the Commanders’ 31-19 home loss to the New York Giants in Week 11. They lost the next two games to Dallas and Miami by a combined score of 90-25.

Rivera entered the postgame news conference without his usual armor following the loss to the Giants. The worn-down coach responded to reporters’ questions about the team’s standing without acting or spinning. There were no more stories to tell.

“No matter what my answer is,” Rivera said, “it’s going to come out, and people are going to say it’s an excuse.”

By Sunday’s 38-10 loss to the Cowboys in the season finale, the coach with a penchant for putting his foot in his mouth maintained a stoic vibe even with the inevitable lurking .

Managing partner Josh Harris fired Rivera on Monday after the Commanders finished 4-13.

The challenge of the coach-centric job, where all outcomes require Rivera’s stamp of approval, is navigating two opposing directions simultaneously. The coach thinks of the moment. The general manager takes a long view. The rub over four seasons, according to numerous team and league sources, and why he stopped pitching the audience was because Rivera focused on a third element that no longer mattered: the narrative.

Commanders fire Rivera, hire ex-Warriors, Vikings GMs to advise searches

The public-facing image of Rivera receives rave reviews. Former players often commend the man who coached them, including those cleaning out their lockers in Ashburn on Monday. When Carolina fired Rivera with four games remaining in the 2019 season, fan reaction made it feel like the community lost one of its own.

The concentration on Rivera’s humanity and the positives of his coaching perception helped conceal the negatives of his stats. Including nine years with the Panthers, Rivera’s teams finished with a winning record in three of 13 seasons, the last in 2017. The 2023 slide dropped his Washington record to 26-40-1, and his career mark below .500 at 102-103.

Several members of the Washington and Carolina organizations with access behind the curtain found a flawed football voice whose proclivity for worrying about his and his team’s portrayal hampered progress, and it became more problematic when he was given additional power in Washington.

The Athletic spoke with more than a dozen sources for their assessment of Rivera’s four seasons, providing anonymity in exchange for candid commentary. Several didn’t hesitate to cite the narrative angle.

“Ron is consistently concerned with winning the press conference,” one team source close to the situation said. “Whether signing a free agent or trading for Carson Wentz, he went for instant gratification rather than build for the future.”

This approach led to torrid mixed messaging for the staff and public. Rivera called for quarterback competitions before at least three offseasons, only to never have one in earnest. He would sell the notion of patiently building the roster to prep for a quarterback acquisition, particularly when Washington faced scant options, yet offered significant trade packages for Matthew Stafford and Russell Wilson . Rivera addressed the notion of an aggressive pursuit with, “ Why not do it? ”

In one offseason, Rivera said he’d be fine with starting a rookie quarterback after previously stating , “Unless the guy is taken in the first three, four or five picks, to expect him to come in and be the starter right away is so unfair.”

Howell wasn’t a rookie based on service time, but pushing him as the QB1 front-runner in January of last year put unnecessary pressure on the then-22-year-old.

“You don’t need to say stuff like that,” a person familiar with the situation said. “Just play the season, and if you really feel that way, just be happy you have that guy in the building. You don’t need to announce it to the world.”

In August, Rivera told Sports Illustrated he had an epiphany following Howell’s Week 18 start during a car ride home with his wife, Stephanie. Howell hadn’t been the first choice to start the finale until quarterback Taylor Heinicke and others convinced the man in charge to go that way.

“I kept saying, ‘F—, if I would have known this, I would have played him sooner,'” Rivera said. “After that game, everything told me, this kid, give him the opportunity and see what he does with it.”

Snyder tightened the budget ahead of the expected sale, but Rivera’s proclamation boxed Washington into a corner regardless of how the transaction market unfolded.

Rivera’s tenure included a string of half-measure actions like trading for a quarterback (Wentz) who turtles when under pressure and signing two over-the-hill guards from his Carolina days ( Andrew Norwell and Trai Turner ) as starters. Pass protection issues unsurprisingly followed. Wentz was sacked nine times in a Week 3 loss to the Philadelphia Eagles in 2022.

Personnel misses stacked up. Chase Young ’s rookie year Pro Bowl selection was the lone nod among Washington’s 34 draft picks and all of its free-agent signings. Young, the No. 2 pick in 2020, was traded this season for a compensatory third-rounder following an injury-ravaged and underwhelming four years. The team’s most significant swing in free agency, the 2021 signing of cornerback William Jackson , will go down as one of the franchise’s biggest misses.

Among his more infamous gaffes, Rivera’s one-word answer “quarterback” came when asked during the 2022 season why Washington lagged behind its NFC East rivals. Historically, sure, along with Snyder. But at that moment, the Cowboys were thriving without an injured Dak Prescott , and the inconsistent Daniel Jones was starting for the Giants.

Rivera, criticized in his career for the lack of analytics in his decision-making, chose to have the offense go for a two-point conversion in the fourth quarter of a 2022 loss at Detroit with Washington trailing by eight. Rather than explain the choice cleanly, he took a jab at his skeptics postgame.

“Listen to math,” Rivera said. “You guys should appreciate the analytics of it.”

The former defensive coordinator often flashed his sincere football and coaching acumen during conversations on the side. That version would be attractive should his future include TV analyst work. As an on-the-record coach and with cameras rolling, he often benched that version for sales mode.

“Nice guy,” a former Washington staffer said, “but it was clear he (made choices) based on, ‘What’s the narrative out there, and how can I change it?'”

The call from a player’s agent started with an unexpected question.

“Who do I contact over there?” he asked the Commanders’ reporter. This wasn’t the longtime representative’s first attempt to connect with a front-office member for business purposes. Over the years, he had multiple clients on the roster, including a notable contributor this season. However, several previous calls resulted in delays and confusion.

“It’s odd,” the agent continued. “The current structure truly lacks a real leader. It’s hard to tell who is pulling the strings and who is answering to whom.”

Team sources corroborated the confusion.

“One day, (Rivera) would have one perspective on who should be doing what and then shift that,” a prominent team source said. “Vacillate back and forth. We constantly changed plans in part because Ron often chased narratives.”

Washington was coming off a three-win 2019 season when Rivera, fired by Carolina only weeks earlier, became the head coach. Snyder also offered him the final say on personnel moves despite his lack of experience handling both roles. Accordingly, league sources found irony in Rivera’s “don’t draw me a map” saying.

“That was a lot,” Rivera said last week about the dual roles and other responsibilities with Washington, “a lot more than I had anticipated there.”

That’s one of the great understatements. Turning around a three-win team is challenging enough, but Rivera also walked into the organizational stench created primarily by Snyder’s actions. No claim was further from the truth when former team president Bruce Allen said of the organization in 2019, “The culture is damn good.” Accusations of harassment against Snyder and others in the organization became national news in the summer of 2020.

Soon after, Rivera received a skin cancer diagnosis that required draining treatments. Through the recovery and extra responsibilities, as Snyder fixated on legal matters, Rivera never missed a game with Washington. He also kept the players motivated and shielded from the outside distractions.

When punter Tress Way ’s late father was hospitalized with COVID-19 in 2020, Rivera checked on him with daily texts and calls.

“You see how hard they play for him,” a high-ranking team source said. “I’ve been places where that’s not always the case.”

Ron Rivera is still the Washington Football Team architect

The 2020 grind had Rivera leaning more on his staff the following year with very mixed results. He hired former Panthers general manager Marty Hurney in 2021 for the same role in Washington. The news became a rollout bungle . Ex-Detroit Lions and San Francisco 49ers executive Martin Mayhew was named general manager soon after, with Hurney immediately shifting to a vague senior advisory role.

After a confusing start, they settled on Hurney as the front-office lead, with Mayhew focusing on operations, according to team and league sources. The process still ran through Rivera.

“Just from dealing with them, it was obvious that Martin was not calling the shots,” a league source said, “so now it’s just a matter of if it’s Marty or Ron (making decisions).”

Most personnel moves fell flat. Of the seven players who garnered Pro Bowl honors under Rivera, six were inherited by the new staff, including defensive tackles Jonathan Allen and Daron Payne and wide receiver Terry McLaurin . Four years later, those three remain the best players on the roster.

Solving Washington’s quarterback problem has proven more challenging than landing a spacecraft on Mars. Since 1993, 35 passers have started regular-season games.

Rivera’s Carolina stint began with using the No. 1 pick in the 2011 NFL Draft on future MVP Cam Newton . With Washington, he started eight quarterbacks, all middling, unproven or backup types at best, including six in his first two seasons. Eyeing Wilson in 2022 went nowhere, and the free-agent pool offered no clear upgrade. Weakness in the draft class eventually bore out when only one quarterback went in the first 73 picks.

According to a team source, Hurney favored pairing cost-effective free agent Mitch Trubisky with a drafted quarterback. Acquiring the 49ers’ Jimmy Garoppolo was another consideration. One quarterback, Wentz, was definitively available after wearing out his welcome in Indianapolis after just one year. The Colts were eager to part with the quarterback despite trading a first-round pick for him just an offseason earlier.

Rivera acknowledged that two years of quarterback uncertainty was “very tiring.” No poker face existed upon speaking with media members during that year’s NFL combine. “We’re trying to let people know, ‘Hey, we’re interested in finding a significant QB.'”

The coach said he sought guidance from Gibbs and brought a list of quarterback targets for a meeting at the three-time Super Bowl champion’s North Carolina home. One takeaway shared after acquiring the 6-foot-5 Wentz was Gibbs favored tall quarterbacks. That’s not Wilson, but the Commanders offered multiple first-round picks for the 5-foot-11 nine-time Pro Bowler.

Rivera mentioned that a desire for the Wentz trade involved a “sense of urgency,” which became more apparent over time. Following a recent ESPN report , team sources confirmed to The Athletic last week that Snyder re-engaged in football matters after Washington fell short of the playoffs in 2021. Wanting a big-name acquisition, Snyder objected to a Trubisky signing. Per a team source, he was also “agnostic” about who that quarterback should be.

Washington initially offered Indianapolis fourth- and sixth-round picks for Wentz, according to The Athletic ’s former Colts insider, Zak Keefer . One day after Seattle shipped Wilson to Denver, Washington traded Day 2 selections in 2022 and 2023 to the Colts, dropped five spots in that year’s second round and absorbed Wentz’s entire contract — including a $28.3 million cap hit for 2022.

Whatever Snyder’s influence was on the trade’s terms, acquiring the 2017 MVP runner-up was Rivera’s choice. This was despite the Eagles and Colts urgently seeking a divorce in consecutive years over concerns about his decreased athleticism and locker room cohesion. According to team and league sources close to the situation, offensive coordinator Scott Turner and others in the organization opposed acquiring Wentz.

Rivera remained defiant in the face of criticism.

“You have questions,” Rivera, addressing unnamed doubters about the quarterback, told The Athletic following Wentz’s introduction. “I don’t.”

Why Ron Rivera made Carson Wentz a Commander, and his message for doubters

Washington acknowledged defeat by releasing Wentz following the 2022 season. Though able to avoid further salary-cap damage, the Commanders paid quite a price. They also sought to limit the PR fallout by announcing Howell as QB1.

Rivera aggressively supported the Wentz trade following an ugly Week 6 road win in Chicago in which the quarterback finished the game despite suffering a fractured finger. Before the game came a newsy ESPN report on Snyder’s ownership, which included a note that Snyder pushed the Wentz trade on Rivera.

“Everybody keeps (saying) I didn’t want anything to do with Carson. Well, bulls—,” Rivera said . “I’m the f—ing guy that pulled out the sheets of paper, that looked at the analytics, that watched the tape.”

Even in real time, defending the Wentz trade wasn’t a hill to die on. It was a story to tell.

(Top photo: Scott Taetsch / Getty Images)

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Ben Standig is a senior NFL writer focused on the Washington Commanders for The Athletic. The native Washingtonian also hosts the "Standig Room Only" podcast. Ben has covered D.C. area sports since 2005 and is a three-time winner of The Huddle Report's annual NFL mock draft contest. Follow Ben on Twitter @ benstandig

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Social media reacts to ron rivera not going for 2-point conversion vs. eagles, share this article.

Should Washington Commanders head coach Ron Rivera have attempted a two-point conversion at the end of regulation in Sunday’s overtime loss to the Philadelphia Eagles?

Quarterback Sam Howell just led the Commanders on a 10-play, 64-yard drive in the final 1:43 of regulation to make it a 31-30 game. Rivera had a decision to make: Kick the extra point and send the game into overtime, or go for the two-point conversion.

Rivera chose overtime, later explaining he thought his team was “gassed .” Twitter — or X — sounded off, with many believing Rivera should have gone for the win.

Here are some of those reactions.

Jimmy Kempski

It’s crazy that Ron Rivera didn’t go for 2. — Jimmy Kempski (@JimmyKempski) October 1, 2023

Grant Paulsen

I hope they go on a drive and win and they are 3-1 and we forget all about it. Shocked Rivera didn't go for 2. His nickname is Riverboat Ron. You're 2-1, on road, heavy underdogs and two yards from a win. I cannot wrap my head around going for a game-tying extra point there. — Grant Paulsen (@granthpaulsen) October 1, 2023

Armando Salguero

Ron Rivera got the final TD as time ran out and kicked the extra point to tie. Didn’t go for 2 and the win. Loses on OT. Officially retiring “Riverboat Ron” nickname. pic.twitter.com/YsW0zvhxJC — Armando Salguero (@ArmandoSalguero) October 1, 2023

Your 4-0 Eagles!! #FlyEaglesFly (Rivera is a loser for not going for 2) pic.twitter.com/mB0lfLvkKm — Hunter Brody (@Brodes81) October 1, 2023

Barstool Nate

This is the worst excuse I have ever heard from a coach. Rivera has entered into a new form of clueless. I am positive the guys could have found the energy to run one more play from the 2 yard line. Christ. https://t.co/cDnX1K5yoH — Eric Nathan (@BarstoolNate) October 1, 2023

Claudia Bellofatto

That 2-point conversion looking back at Ron Rivera like pic.twitter.com/FqxXOxfX7N — Claudia Bellofatto (@CBellofattoTV) October 1, 2023

Various reactions

Ron Rivera is what’s holding the commanders back. Punting on 4th and short in OT and not going for 2 at the end are decisions that losing coaches make https://t.co/CkhjM9Higs — Hudson (@hmeyer_21) October 1, 2023

That's what Rivera gets for not going for 2 after the TD honestly — Kareem (@Kareem_is_it) October 1, 2023

Imagine not going for 2 lmfao now I gotta watch a ron Rivera presser fml — Stuckey (@Stuckey2) October 1, 2023

If I was Ron Rivera I woulda said fuck it and went for 2 and tried to shock the world being 3-1 first place NFC East instead he’s 2-2 and 2 back of the Eagles — NBA Slime (@TerryFranconia) October 1, 2023

"I'm going up against a better opponent, do I want my fate decided on one play, or many?" (The answer should be one. Poor decision by Ron Rivera. Go for 2 there.) — Lee Sharpe (@LeeSharpeNFL) October 1, 2023

Kevin Sheehan

I was ok not going for 2. A) I didn't think #Commanders were the lesser team today, so I didn't feel like it was necessary to take shot on 1 play. B) Thought Philly was easier to attack w/space. I didn't feel good about condensed field. Thought their OT chances were decent. — Kevin Sheehan (@kevinsheehanDC) October 1, 2023

Fan reactions

He needs to change his name from Riverboat Ron to Kayak Ron — ALWZSNNY (@alwzsnny) October 1, 2023

C'mon Craig. I'm 39 and fat and I would still be ready for one last play in that situation. Ron needs to use his fucking timeouts appropriately. Stick to your process. Riverboat Ron needs to go for two. Now he's just a fraud imo. https://t.co/JnCICVGd1N — Bucket (@Bucket_WFTFan) October 1, 2023

Ron is off the riverboat. — Rich Eisen (@richeisen) October 1, 2023

Ross Tucker

What happened to Riverboat Ron? — Ross Tucker (@RossTuckerNFL) October 1, 2023

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