Washington Commanders Coach Ron Rivera tweaked the team’s regular practice schedule to give his squad Thanksgiving off. Usually, the players rest Tuesday and work Wednesday through “Fast Friday,” but this week, Rivera held a walk-through Tuesday, practiced Wednesday and Friday and slid the rest day to the holiday.
As the Commanders surge, Ron Rivera gives thanks with a holiday break
Washington (6-5) is preparing to host the Atlanta Falcons (5-6) on Sunday in a game that could impact the fringes of the NFC playoff picture. The Commanders and Falcons rank eighth and ninth, respectively, in the NFC, and are within reach of the postseason spots held by Seattle (6-4) and the New York Giants (7-4). But considering his team’s performance over the last six weeks — 5-1, with two tense, nationally televised wins among them — Rivera broached the idea of adjusting the schedule, and key players and coaches endorsed it.
“This is a group of guys that are working hard, doing things the right way and coming off of a stretch where you play a Monday night [at Philadelphia] and then travel two-thirds across the country [to Houston],” he said. “A little something like [the day off for Thanksgiving], they deserved it, and they earned it. … I’ve done it previously as a job-well-done type of thing for the guys, and they really responded very well. That’s what I’m anticipating here.”
Several players said this was the first time they could remember having Thanksgiving off since they were teenagers. In high school, many were involved in regional or state playoff pushes, and in college, most were gearing up for big rivalry matchups. Right guard Trai Turner, who played for Rivera in Carolina from 2014 to 2019, said Rivera usually treated the holiday like most of the NFL, which was to hold earlier or shorter practices to get players home in time for dinner with family.
But this year, considering the circumstances, Rivera decided to take it a step further.
“When you’re doing good things, good things happen to you,” right tackle Sam Cosmi quipped.
In the last six weeks, as the Commanders have revitalized their season, the mood in the locker room has become noticeably lighter. Players seem more confident, laughing more or smiling easier. On Monday, Rivera held one of the most upbeat news conferences of his tenure, in which he was not only excited about the team coming together and playing well but also its leadership. After the last two wins, wide receiver Terry McLaurin and defensive tackle Jonathan Allen, had given a speech parroting Rivera’s message: We are playing well; we need to play better.
“I’m excited about our potential,” Rivera said Monday. “When your guys respond the way that you hope that they would and come out and play the way they did and then sit there and say, ‘We could have been better,’ that means a lot. It means that these young men are coming together. They are believing in each other.”
The good vibes can be seen even in small ways. The tight ends thanked quarterback Taylor Heinicke on social media for making them the latest in his spree of buying Air Jordan sneakers. Quarterback Carson Wentz hosted a large group of his teammates for Thanksgiving dinner. Earlier this week, the Commanders posted a sign on the players walk to practice: Which Thanksgiving dish has got to go?
“Stuffing,” defensive end Chase Young said in a video posted to the team website. Allen initially considered turkey but settled on candied yams. Many players said cranberry sauce or green bean casserole, and defensive end Casey Toohill claimed that turkey, while “terrible,” benefits from the “propaganda” of Thanksgiving.
“I don’t have that problem,” defensive end Shaka Toney said. “My mama’s a good cook.”
Despite Rivera’s shuffling, some players and coaches still dropped by the facility. Rookie tight end Cole Turner said he came in partly to lift and partly because it’s where he gets breakfast every morning.
“I’m not really a big cooker,” he said.
Offensive coordinator Scott Turner said he came through early, but by the afternoon he was at home, grilling a bird on his Traeger. He spent the day with his family, including his father Norv, the former Washington coach. Scott said they paused the Buffalo Bills-Detroit Lions game before the last drive to eat at the table, but the result — Buffalo winning, 28-25, on a last-second field goal — was spoiled by a push alert to his phone.
“You don’t really get days like that during the season,” Turner said. “[It was really good to be] able to spend time with my family … and enjoy the holiday like a regular person.”
Turner, the tight end from Clackamas, Ore., a suburb of Portland, didn’t have family in town, so he had dinner at his position coach Juan Castillo’s house. Turner ate ham, mac-n-cheese and sweet potatoes and arrived back at the facility the next morning feeling energized.
“[The day off Thursday] makes the week feel a lot longer, kind of breaks it up,” he said. “It’s kind of nice because you feel a little bit more fresh [sic].”
On Friday morning, Rivera said he arrived early and found some players working out or receiving their usual medical treatment. He liked what he saw on the practice field later and took it as a sign of commitment and maturity — that he could trust his guys to do what they needed to do to take care of themselves.
“I thought today’s practice was good,” Rivera said Friday. “They were up-tempo; it was very efficient. They picked up pretty much where they had left off on Wednesday’s practice. So, I feel pretty confident about these guys and their preparation.”
Source: WP
