Jackson's MLK day post and recent chatter about an African American coach winning the Super Bowl got me thinking: can Ron Rivera's Puerto Rican background have anything to do with his lack of top job offers?
Ron Rivera seems like he would be an excellent candidate for a head coaching job at any pro team. Rivera was actually the first Puerto Rican to play in the NFL. An all-american linebacker, he played in Super Bowl 20 and later became linebacker coach for the Eagles, who went to the NFC Championship game 3 times. He came back to Chicago as the first Puerto Rican defensive coordinator in NFL history. In '05 his Bears defense ranked 2nd in the league and this season, #5 in the NFL and 1st in the NFC. Obviously, the results speak for themselves. In spite of a late-season defensive fade, the Bears are going to the championship game.
Despite this impressive resume, Rivera has no head coaching offers. He is reportedly in the final 3 for the job at Pittsburgh after Cohwer quit, but the front runner is reported to be the Steeler's current offensive line coach. He reportedly was also in the running for the Atlanta and Arizona jobs, but those have been filled with people who were not Rivera. Finally, the Miami job was in the mix, but the Sun Times reports that they are hiring this week, ruling out Rivera.
For his part Rivera is playing it cool, saying all the right things, like concentrating on the Saints this weekend. Deep down, he must be waiting for the cell phone to ring and checking for missed calls. Is the NFL ready for a qualified hispanic to head an organization? DCS will keep waiting, along with Rivera...
2 comments:
unfortunately the bears success is preventing him from signing with any team. as long as the bears are in contention, he can't sign until his season is over. if they go to the big show he won't he won't have any offers to pursue.
I've heard that he doesn't interview well and may not have the best plan for what his staff would look like. It might that he just isn't head coach material.
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