Ron Rivera: You can see confidence spreading from Carson Wentz to everybody else

Washington Commanders Off-Season Workout
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Since the Commanders acquired Carson Wentz from the Colts, the reviews of the quarterback have been positive.

That trend continued on Thursday when head coach Ron Rivera was asked about what he’s seen from Wentz throughout the offseason program when the team wrapped up its mandatory minicamp.

“I think probably the biggest thing watching Carson is how he got acclimated to us,” Rivera said in his press conference. “How he got more and more comfortable being around our guys, getting to know some of our guys, developing some rapport with some of our receivers, picking up our offensive scheme for the most part.

“Sometimes you really see the confidence in the things that he does very well and you can see that confidence spreading to everybody else around him. So that was probably the biggest thing, really, to me, was watching how he kind of fit in and was getting acclimated.”

At this point in the offseason, there’s little reason for pessimism, so the positive vibes surrounding Washington’s new quarterback make sense. But the Commanders will need to have the best of Wentz to compete in the NFC East in 2022.

33 responses to “Ron Rivera: You can see confidence spreading from Carson Wentz to everybody else

  1. Is this ‘confidence’ spreading to Jack Del Rio?
    I support JDR’s right to say whatever he wants, especially since it seems that NFL players can do this all the time without any consequences whatsoever.
    One rule for thee, no rules for me – that’s the way the NFLPA and players see it.

  2. Watching his backup Nick Foles take the Philadelphia Eagles to and win the Super Bowl(and subsequent SB MVP) completely broke Carson Wentz. Hasn’t been the same QB since.

  3. It’s popular for every fan and talking head to take shots at Wentz right now. It’s easy and there are no consequences. You don’t look stupid by doing it right now because the Colts keep pounding him with insults and make him the scapegoat for last year. But if he comes back to what he was or even close to 2017, not one will acknowledge their lack of civility or ability to see that everything’s about the opportunity. Kurt Warner went through something similar between the Rams and Cardinals where he was laughed out of NY and called a clown. But he went back to the SB and would have won if Pendergast hadn’t kept blitzing Pittsburgh at the end of the game!

  4. Like showers in April, flowers in May, fireworks on July 4, the goodwill Wentz spreads around the locker room from June thru August is a seasonal rite, no matter what color his uniform.

    It has tended to mean very little in crunch time.

  5. Wentz is always confident in pre-season….. come November he will be a nervous wreck

  6. Yeah, you commodores have a lot of stuff spreading all over down there !!
    From head coach and owner all the way down to the WB.

  7. Yeah Ron…….the Commanders are winning the off-season.

    True confidence in the NFL comes from one thing only…WINNING during the regular season. Before the seasonstarts, every team thinks they will win the Super Bowl

  8. Wentz….
    Great guy.
    Pedestrian QB that makes stupid throws in crunch time that kills the team.
    He will be looking for another team in February 2023.

  9. Wentz will get crushed week 2 in Detroit. This QB situation is just a dust up.

  10. The confidence has spread to me as well. I am confident that the commies will finish the season somewhere between 5-12 and 9-8, and that they will set a new all-time low home game attendance record, and that there will be fan injuries at FedEx Field as the stadium continues to crumble.

  11. That confidence may wane when he is watching from the sidelines by Game 3 for trying to make a play and getting injured throwing a costly pick.

  12. “But if he comes back to what he was or even close in 2017”

    5 years ago ???

  13. I want for once to hear Wentz and his team to say NOTHING in June , July, August and let their PLAY speak for them in Sept, Oct, Nov . Dec and Jan.

  14. Wait for the first laughable pick 6 or when he completely fails to show up for a must win game and the confidence will all disappear like magic. He’ll also find the time to get hurt in there, as well.

  15. What confidence does Wentz have to convey? That he was won 4 more games than he has lost?
    That he’ll get injured during the season? I’m growing tired of teams gushing about this guy. There is no proof that this guy can change a game.

  16. I used to be a huge fan of Rivera. But with last year’s paranoiac demands for medical procedures, the overpayment in trade for Wentz, and the panicky reaction to the Del Rio thing— he’s over.

  17. I knew Wentz would fizzle out years ago when I heard he muzzles his family not to ask him about football. I know it’s small but that is what I thought.

  18. The negative comments on him were about being aloof, not being a good teammate. Maybe Riverboat Ron drove home his need to be “one of the guys”. If they can get him to stay bought in, maybe that guy who was nearly the MVP can come back. The Commandos’ need a qb, haven’t had a top shelf QB since Joe Gibb’s was the coach. Rivera’s clock is ticking, and the owners under siege. Winning is the ultimate deodorant, everything smells better when you win. In the most overhyped division in pro sports, mediocre has won it before and can win it again.

  19. Confidence, hope or relief? Kinda the same until it converts to wins or losses

  20. Coach Ron has had 3 winning seasons as a head coach in the NFL…..
    Let that sink in.

  21. People want to see him crash and burn. I just hope he learns to read pass coverage some day soon.

  22. This is what Ron Rivera has been reduced to. Fining his coaches and playing make-believe about his QB.

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