Washington Football Team: Five biggest studs from the 2020 season
1. HC Ron Rivera
There’s no doubt that Ron Rivera has been the biggest stud of the season for the Washington Football Team. When he arrived in Washington just barely over a year ago, he was faced with the tall task of changing a toxic culture and turning around a once-proud franchise facing a rebuild.
His first year trying that was a sparkling success. Rivera took the team from a 3-13 record to a 7-9 record and to an NFC East title. Yes, it was a weak year for the division, but Washington easily could’ve punted on the season for numerous reasons.
The team started the year 2-7. There were numerous scandals surrounding the team throughout the calendar year, including their name change, Derrius Guice’s release amid sexual assault allegations, and sexual harassment allegations within the organization. Meanwhile, Rivera also had to navigate a global pandemic as well as his own cancer treatment, but he didn’t let anything get in the way of his culture being built.
Rivera seized control of this team. The locker room seems to be in good hands. He has preached accountability, preparation, and effort and that has paid off for the team. Young leaders like Chase Young and Jonathan Allen have emerged while dead-weight like Dwayne Haskins has been cut.
The veterans that the team signed this offseason including J.D. McKissic, Logan Thomas, Ronald Darby, and even Thomas Davis have filled roles with the team (the former three being great on-the-field players while Davis has assisted in the rollout of a new culture).
Considering the holes that this roster had in 2020, it’s amazing that the team got to the playoffs and is this far ahead of schedule. For many, a 6-10 record was presumed to be the ceiling of this team, but Rivera pushed even higher than that.
Beyond the record though, the most important thing to come out of the season is that the Washington Football Team is no longer one of the laughingstocks of the NFL. They are starting to turn things around. That is largely thanks to the installation of Rivera as head coach.
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Because of Rivera, the future is bright. It’s exciting to imagine where he can take this team in 2021 and beyond.