Former Washington quarterback Alex Smith “had a really hard time” watching Commanders coach Ron Rivera “drive the bus” over the current starter, Carson Wentz, amid the team’s sluggish start in an unexpectedly competitive NFC East.
Rivera was asked Monday why the Giants, Cowboys and Eagles were considered “farther ahead” in the division after undergoing rebuilds in recent years, to which the Commanders coach replied, “Quarterback.”
Although Rivera praised Wentz, who is in his first year in Washington, the lightning-rod remarks were not well-received by Smith.
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“I’m not going to lie, I had a really hard time watching that,” Smith said on ESPN’s “Monday Night Countdown.”
“When I heard it, I couldn’t believe it. I’m not here to defend Carson Wentz, he’s had a tumultuous career, up and down, but this is a defensive head coach that is absolutely driving the bus over his quarterback.”
Wentz, who landed in Washington in March via trade following one season in Indianapolis with the Colts, currently ranks fifth in yardage after throwing for 1,390 yards. The 29-year-old has also thrown 10 touchdowns against six interceptions.
In the days following the Commanders’ 21-17 loss to the Titans, however, it was reported that Wentz was limited at practice due to a shoulder injury.
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Wentz is in the second season of a four-year, $128 million ($A204m) contract. The Commanders can cut him after the 2022 season without any dead money on their salary cap.
Smith, who played for Rivera in Washington in 2020, added Monday that the blame for the Commanders’ woes “has got to be spread around.”
“This is a team sport, it is the ultimate team sport. How a head coach can stand up there in front of the media and usher one word, and it’s quarterback,” said Smith.
As for Rivera, whose 1-4 Commanders will face the 2-3 Bears this week on “Thursday Night Football,” he addressed the controversy on “The Don Geronimo Show” on Tuesday, noting that he spoke to Wentz.
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“I actually talked to Carson this morning. In fact, I talked to the whole team. I had a mea culpa moment and that I should have known better. I created a little bit of a distraction and that’s one thing that I try not to do and it’s one thing that I’m very aware of. Again, it’s one of those things that when you misstep, people can’t wait to dive onto it and jump onto it and hold onto it without an opportunity to explain yourself. So, hey, that’s on me. I should have known better,” Rivera said, per Nicki Jhabvala of The Washington Post.
This story originally appeared on the New York Post.
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