Dallas Cowboys vs. Commanders: Could Coach Ron Rivera Be Fired with Thanksgiving Loss?
ARLINGTON - It would have been wildly inconvenient for the new owner of the Washington Commanders, Josh Harris, to fire head coach Ron Rivera after last week's awful loss to the New York Giants; the time crunch from that Sunday to this Thursday created nothing but disadvantages in doing that, with today's kickoff against the Dallas Cowboys right around the corner.
And now it seems that Harris has decided there is nothing to be gained ... even if the Commanders are once again embarrassed - this time by a 7-3 Dallas team favored by 11 points.
Rivera is not expected to be fired during this season, according to NFL Network's Ian Rapoport.
Instead, Rapoport reports that Harris wants to wait until the end of the to evaluate Rivera's status.
This comes in opposition to the many critics of the Washington franchise who are calling for the immediate dismissal of Rivera, who has his Commanders at a disappointing 4-7 this season. That group includes, not surprisingly, the stir-it-up folks at ProFootballTalk.com, who via Mike Florio write ...
"If the decision has been made, there's no reason to not implement it. Especially since it would give offensive coordinator Eric Bieniemy a chance to work as a head coach, enhancing his chance of getting the permanent job in Washington or landing a head-coaching job elsewhere."
PFT has a habit of believing it is in charge of telling owners, GMs, coaches and players what they should and should not do ... and here, as is too often the case, PFT is overstepping its authority.
This is Harris first full season since buying the franchise from the scandal-plagued Dan Snyder; the Harris group has every right to be patient and to continue its evaluation of Rivera, his entire roster, and his entire staff - and yes, that includes Bieniemy, for whom Harris should not give any care to the offensive coordinator "landing a head-coaching job elsewhere.''
We have our opinion on Rivera, and all of the things he's done for the last few years in trying to lessen the embarrassment that was Snyder's franchise; an eventual change seems obvious ... and yes, Rivera admitted that the loss last week was "a low point for sure,'' knowing full-well this week at the Cowboys might take him even lower.
But our opinions aside: Josh Harris paid $6 billion for the right to make the decision, and to make it on his clock, not based on any timetable created by the media or fans.
