3/17/2024 0 Comments Instagram symbol white![]() ![]() Rivera took over as the team’s new DC where he stayed through the 2010 season. San Diego made it to the AFC Championship game where they lost to the then 18-0 New England Patriots.ĭespite their immediate success, the Chargers defense struggled the following year and it led to the firing of defensive coordinator Ted Cottrell. It was the first time in team history that the Chargers led the league in those categories. ![]() In Rivera’s first year with the Chargers, the defense finished top five in points allowed and led the league in takeaways and defensive passer rating. This time it was Norv Turner who was once the offensive mastermind behind the Cowboys Super Bowl-winning teams in the ‘90s. THE SAN DIEGO DEMOTIONĪfter interviewing for the open Cowboys head coach job in 2007 (which went to Wade Phillips), Rivera ultimately came up empty and took the linebackers coach job in San Diego where he again joined the staff of another new head coach hire. They didn’t see the playoffs again until Rod Marinelli showed up in 2010 and fixed the defense. Rivera was out in Chicago and the Bears' defense went back to being bad. Oddly, the Bears and Rivera divorced the following season when they couldn’t agree on a new deal. Rivera’s Bears also led the league in takeaways during their Super Bowl season. The Bears' defense was fantastic in those two seasons as they were top five in both points allowed and yards given up during that time. Similar to Philly, the first year was rocky as the Bears finished 5-11, but they then made the playoffs in each of the next two seasons including reaching the Super Bowl in 2006. Rivera returned to Chicago where he was promoted to defensive coordinator after joining another new head coach, Lovie Smith. Here is how the Eagles finished during Rivera’s five years with the team and their points allowed rankings. Reid’s first year only produced a 5-11 season, but they quickly turned things around thanks to their defense. Starting with defensive coordinator Jim Johnson, the Eagles also had several other strong defensive coaches including John Harbaugh, Leslie Fraizer, Steve Spagnola, and Ron Rivera as their linebacker coach. When Andy Reid first became a head coach in this league, he took over a three-win Eagles team in 1999 and assembled an excellent defensive staff. The Bears finished 4-12 in each of Rivera’s two seasons with the Bears which resulted in the end of the Wannstedt era in Chicago as his first post-Dallas coaching stint had come to an end. He worked under then-head coach Dave Wannstedt who Cowboys fans might remember as the mastermind of their Super Bowl-winning defense back in the early ‘90s. ![]() So, it shouldn’t be that surprising that he started his NFL coaching career with his old team as he was the defensive quality control coach for the Bears back in 1997. He didn't make it to the Super Bowl in 1991 though as the Cowboys beat the Bears in the playoffs, but he did make a nice play on special teams. Ron Rivera has been to a Super Bowl as a player, as a defensive coordinator, and as a head coach. If you’re like me, you might have a hard time remembering anything he did on the field, but we were able to find this one little playoff nugget that might jog your memory. He was a part of Mike Ditka’s dominant Super Bowl championship team in 1985. Rivera played nine seasons in the NFL as a linebacker for the Chicago Bears. Today, we’re going to run through that journey and get a good idea of what Rivera has done over the last 40 years. But when we look back on Rivera’s journey as a coach, there are quite a few examples of success almost everywhere he’s been. It’s always hard to get excited about a retread whose most recent job history leaves something to be desired. Some love the experience, others want a fresh young mind. Quinn has been able to recapture success and parlay it into a new chance as a head coach, but what’s in store for Rivera?įeelings are mixed when it comes to the idea of making Rivera the Cowboys' new defensive coordinator. Both have also seen their head coaching careers fade to where they had to step back down to a defensive coordinator job. Both have had success as a defensive coordinator reaching the Super Bowl, and both have had success as a head coach, also reaching the Super Bowl. It would be quite the switcheroo for the never-ending fluctuation from head coaching to coordinator shuffle that lives continuously throughout the NFL. One candidate is the former Washington head coach, Ron Rivera, who the Cowboys plan to interview for the job. With Dan Quinn taking the head coach job in Washington, the Dallas Cowboys are now in search of a new defensive coordinator. ![]()
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