Alex Smith had some pointed words for his former head coach Ron Rivera on Monday night.
Smith, who played for Rivera in Washington during his final NFL season in 2020, took exception to the Commanders’ coach putting most of the blame on quarterback Carson Wentz for the team’s early struggles this season.
On ESPN’s NFL Countdown, Smith said he felt like Rivera left Wentz out to dry.
“I had a really hard time watching that,” Smith said, via Pro Football Talk. “When I heard it, I couldn’t believe it. I’m not here to defend Carson Wentz. He’s had a tumultuous career and ups and downs. But this is a defensive head coach that’s absolutely driving the bus over his quarterback.”
Smith went on to mention other aspects of the Commanders team that have been subpar, including the defense and running game.
“The blame has got to be spread around,” Smith said. “This is a team sport. It is the ultimate team sport. How can a head coach stand up there in front of the media and utter one word, and it’s ‘quarterback’?”
Wentz threw for seven touchdowns in Washington’s first two games, but has thrown just three, along with three interceptions, over the last three weeks.
Despite singling out quarterback as a major reason why the Commanders have been losing, Rivera also said he doesn’t regret making the trade for Wentz during the offseason.
“I’ve got no regrets about our quarterback,” Rivera said. “I think our quarterback has done some good things. There’s been a couple games that he’s struggled, but the way he performed [Sunday] it just shows you what he’s capable of. We chose him because we believe in him. We chose him because we looked at what we felt were things that pointed toward him.”