A common refrain here is that despite Ron’s failings as a coach, people are grateful for what he did for the team’s culture. They say this without ever explaining what Ron did for the team’s culture, so I ask: what did he actually do?
The man’s first hire was a guy who was busted for peddling painkillers. Great hire, Ron. He then hired Jack Del Rio, who just so happens to be a Q-Anon crazy person, in addition to a D-coordinator who has two good seasons and two bad seasons despite the organization spending an insane amount of money and draft capital on that side of the ball.
For a man who has cultivated such a great culture–whatever that means–he sure can’t manage things for shit. There was the Went at Cleveland debacle where he didn’t know the team could be eliminated from the playoff hunt, his ludicrous rant (nearly in tears) after the Chicago game last year, his repeated draft mistakes, his deep involvement with the horrendous name change decision and roll out, and I also seem to remember a fist fight between the team’s two best defensive players a couple years ago during one of many embarassing blowouts. Don’t remember any fist fights between teammates in previous regimes.
More than anything, however, is the team’s consistency in being unprepared week in and week out, year in and year out. We now expect them to have a shitty first half of both games and seasons, only to (sort of) improve in the back half. To me, nothing is more damning about the LACK of a good culture than this fact, that nearly every week the team comes out with no enthusiasm and no energy.
I welcome a debate, but as of right now I see no reason why anyone should be “grateful” for this coach’s contributions to the team’s culture.
It’s been better, but winning culture honestly is more about the players and we don’t have many that can ball.