Washington Commanders head coach Ron Rivera opened training camp Tuesday looking as happy and relaxed as we’ve seen him in four years. The new ownership has everyone refreshed and excited, from fans to players to Rivera.
Rivera’s first question at his press conference was obviously about the new ownership. Rivera can already see the difference.
“I think it’s pretty exciting. I really do,” Rivera said. “You can already feel the impact. A lot of it has to do with just really the reaction from the fan base more so than anything else. I think our guys have also felt it. They felt it again because of the reaction to fan base. But what’s really kind of neat, and if you look outside, you see the setup for camp, and the guys really, they’re getting into this. It’s kind of a unique feeling. It’s exciting. I mean, I’m fired up about the opportunity as we go forward.”
The setup for camp Rivera is referring to is the bleachers at Washington’s training camp facility. It looks like a professional setup, something not often seen or heard in Ashburn. But the times, they are changing.
While Rivera discussed the excitement surrounding the new owners, one area he seemed particularly excited about was just being the coach in 2023. When Rivera signed with Washington ahead of the 2020 season, he was essentially the head of all football operations and the public face of the franchise. Rivera would often have to answer questions no coach should ever have to deal with.
Not anymore.
“I said, every time I came in and had to answer your questions that weren’t football related, what would it be like just talk football?” Rivera noted. “That’s what is exciting about it for me personally. The last few years, I honestly felt more like a manager. Trying to manage things and stuff like that. Trying to keep everybody on task and on focus in terms of the game. Obviously, the spring I thought, was really good. It really was because it was about putting the football team together, knowing that the inevitable in terms of the ownership change was happening, so that we would be ready to go when it did happen. That’s really been the focus as of late for us.”
Rivera understands he’s heading into a critical season and has a lot to prove. But he didn’t seem to mind that. For once, it’s all about football, and Rivera wouldn’t have it any other way.