Pete Hailey is rewatching Amazon's All Or Nothing, a behind-the-scenes look at the 2018 Panthers, to learn about Ron Rivera and other key people who are now a part of the Redskins. Here are his main takeaways about Rivera after completing the entire series.
Instead of specifically reviewing the finale of Amazon's 2018 All Or Nothing — which focused a lot on Carolina's plans for the future, since their playoff dreams had been erased — it feels more valuable to zoom out and evaluate Ron Rivera based on all eight episodes of the show instead.
So, with that in mind, here are three main takeaways about Washington's new coach that Redskins fans will care about, takeaways that stem from what the series captured.
1) Competition and accountability will be what he values most
"Moreso than anything else, when you compete, you compete to win," Rivera said in the second episode of All Or Nothing during a team meeting. "If you just want to be on the field, just tell me and I’ll let you stand on the sideline. We need guys that want to compete. That’s what gives you the chance to win."
From the premiere through episode eight, Rivera harps on competing and competition and being competitors — basically any variation of that word you can think of, he mentions. That kind of obsession should permeate throughout his new organization and click in with players like Adrian Peterson, Jonathan Allen and Landon Collins.
Accountability was another one of Rivera's cherished concepts, which was especially apparent in an episode seven speech he delivered to the defense. He preached the importance of every Panther doing their own, individual job, something that he'll continue with the Redskins.
Overall, those Rivera favorites go hand in hand. Expect him to bring them up a lot during press conferences, interviews and more, and expect his new team to do the same.
2) He puts a lot of trust in his players, both veterans and young contributors
Whether he was counting on Cam Newton to lead a game-winning drive, Graham Gano to make a monstrous field goal or DJ Moore to bounce back after fumble issues, Rivera was always backing and trusting his roster.
What was especially cool, though, is seemingly everyone received the same treatment, regardless of status, salary or experience.
When the Burgundy and Gold introduced Rivera as their next head coach in January, he stood at the podium in Ashburn and recalled that, when he accepted Dan Snyder's offer, he did so under "one condition": That the Redskins move forward with a "player-centered culture." That's what he built in the NFC South, which All Or Nothing highlighted often, and it's what he'll try to replicate now in the NFC East.
3) His intangibles may be more outstanding than his football acumen
There's no doubting Rivera's football chops. He played in the league for almost a decade and has been on the sidelines for nearly two and a half more. He clearly has a full grasp on what winning football looks like and what it takes to achieve that.
However, the 58-year-old's intangible traits actually stood out more while Amazon's cameras followed him throughout the 2018 campaign. His emotional one-on-one with Devin Funchess was the most obvious example of his revered integrity, but it was consistently apparent in plenty of other ways as well.
In the end, correcting the Redskins and making them relevant again is an objective that will take the collective effort of hundreds of people. For the foreseeable future, though, Rivera will be leading the charge. If you're a fan of the franchise who checks out All Or Nothing, you'll come away feeling really good about that fact.
Links to past reviews:
Episode 1: Rivera doesn't flinch after adversity hits
Episode 2: Rivera shows his feelings on distractions
Episode 3: Special teams truly mean something to Ron
Episode 4: Young Redskins will have a chance in 2020
Episode 5: Rivera goes off, and you'll want to see it
Episode 6: Watch this example of the coach's integrity
Episode 7: Thomas Davis shows his value