Tidbits from the interview with Rivera

[jarhead]

Rivera was apart of a celebrity golf tournament in Charlotte and was interviewed by several in the local media:

 

He confirmed we were looking for some help in the secondary and other positions. He confirmed we were talking to Mikell but did not elaborate.He said he felt Short was the best rushing DT in the draft and Star was everything and more they envisioned pre draft and should improve Lukes game.

Said our LB corp was the best he has seen including the Bears when he played. He felt like the young cbs have improved.

 

On offense he was ask about the read option and the failure at play calling. He pretty much took the blame and said we would more than likely not lead with the lead option but still use it.

 

When ask about Cam he stated Cam has continued to mature and took the blame for putting too much on Cam last year.He said that our team never gave up last year and is says they have worked hard this preseason There was more but that is what stood out to me.

[P.I.A]

I just hope he steps up. People talk about cam stepping up, but the coach controls both sides. If he does, watchout. Panthers are coming. 

[jarhead]

I just hope he steps up. People talk about cam stepping up, but the coach controls both sides. If he does, watchout. Panthers are coming. 

 

To me Cam is the X factor on offense this year. Rivera tried to take the blame for Cams slump and I partially concur but Cam needs to work on his foot work and some of his decision making. No doubt Cam has an arm he just needs to improve the accuracy in the short and intermediate passes. We really need to score between 26 and 30 points per game to be a contender.

[L-TownCat]

I would love to see coach's "light" come on.  We really need this guy to be good at what he does.  

[P.I.A]

To me Cam is the X factor on offense this year. Rivera tried to take the blame for Cams slump and I partially concur but Cam needs to work on his foot work and some of his decision making. No doubt Cam has an arm he just needs to improve the accuracy in the short and intermediate passes. We really need to score between 26 and 30 points per game to be a contender.

I just have this feeling that Cam will "click" this year. Once we have a QB that can move and not a triple option threat that is very inaccurate, this offense will score those points that you desire. I feel like Cam will be accurate, Stewart and Williams will get the carries they need, And hixon will be a legitimate threat along side Steve. Our team is going to suprise people. 

[carp24000]

Mother of god....it needs to be opening day ASAP.  I cannot wait for the Seahawks game. 

[jarhead]

Here is a link to one of the interviews from 610 the fan.

 http://charlotte.cbslocal.com/2013/07/11/very-candid-rivera-interview/

 

[rayzor]

he should be taking the blame...it's his team. it's his fault that they allowed chud to change so much at the beginning of the year and it's his fault that they waited so long to change.

 

knowing and admitting your mistakes as a leader/manager is great. making better decisions isn't an automatic, tho. i still have to see better management skills before i believe he has improved.

 

i am glad they aren't settling with the DBs they have and i like hearing about that LB corps. i like hearing about star and short. they better be good.

[Pejorative Miscreant]

he should be taking the blame...it's his team. it's his fault that they allowed chud to change so much at the beginning of the year and it's his fault that they waited so long to change.

 

knowing and admitting your mistakes as a leader/manager is great. making better decisions isn't an automatic, tho. i still have to see better management skills before i believe he has improved.

 

i am glad they aren't settling with the DBs they have and i like hearing about that LB corps. i like hearing about star and short. they better be good.

 

 

To his credit I don't think Rivera ever tried to find a scapegoat or place blame anywhere else but on his own shoulders.  This year everyone else will do the same.

 

I am exaggerating for clarity here but I think a lot of this has to do with a primarily defensive coordinator/position coach coming into a HC position and getting a QB phenom and Chud who had a somewhat complicated offense.  Perhaps there were some "deer in the headlight" moments coupled with "mushroom communication" (keep him in the dark and feed him a lot of poo) from the offense. 

 

This year everything is on him.  Chud is gone and there was an internal hire.  He has two years under his belt to absorb what he needs to do to make the correct decisions.

 

I dont have a lot of complaints on defense.  He has tried to upgrade and given what he had to work with in terms of draft picks/value and salary cap, the team has done a good job.  Secondary played good down the stretch despite everything being band-aided together. 

 

All that said, the defense is not a problem and should continue to flourish.  Rivera's fate ultimately lies with the efficiency of the offense and how much they improve. 

[TheRumGone]

I really like Rivera as a person and I think he can be a excellent head coach. I remember when Greg was traded here and it was one of his first interviews with the team. He talked about how all the Bears players raved about how good of a coach Rivera is. I just hope he has finally puts it all together (plays to win, makes in-game decisions that puts us in the best situations to win, and manages the other coaches well) because this team has been a clusterfug the past two seasons.

[csx]

he should be taking the blame...it's his team. it's his fault that they allowed chud to change so much at the beginning of the year and it's his fault that they waited so long to change.

 

To some extent yes, it's all on him. However when it's believed you have some stud offensive coordinator you don't tell them what to do with their offense early in a season. Not when you are a defensive coach.In hindsight sure, but at the time that just doesn't seem like a realistic thing to happen.

[Pantherman]

To me Cam is the X factor on offense this year. Rivera tried to take the blame for Cams slump and I partially concur but Cam needs to work on his foot work and some of his decision making. No doubt Cam has an arm he just needs to improve the accuracy in the short and intermediate passes. We really need to score between 26 and 30 points per game to be a contender.

 

Why 26-20 points per game? If our front 7 plays well this year. We only need to score maybe 14-17 a game. Maybe  26-30 in certain games. But it will all come down how our D plays this year.

[lovelett]

Why 26-20 points per game? If our front 7 plays well this year. We only need to score maybe 14-17 a game. Maybe  26-30 in certain games. But it will all come down how our D plays this year.

 

There are quite a few games on our schedule that if we scored 17 points would be us getting blown out.  No matter our defence I do not see that beating the Saints, Giants, Pats, 49ers or Falcons.

[rayzor]

Why 26-20 points per game? If our front 7 plays well this year. We only need to score maybe 14-17 a game. Maybe  26-30 in certain games. But it will all come down how our D plays this year.

 

we should never EVER believe that. not in this era, regardless of how confident we are in the defense.

 

to be consistently competive, you HAVE to put a ton of points on the board. we have to be able to do it week in and week out and this team has to be expecting to be in a shoot out every week.

 

we have to be putting 25+ points on the board every week. we can't get by with less. that has to be the mindset.

 

screw winning games with defense. outscore the other team. put up more points than the other team is capable of putting up if they figure out your defense, which is going to happen.