If anyone understands great linebackers, it is Ron Rivera.
In San Diego, he is working with Shawne Merriman, who clearly is the best outside linebacker in the game. In Chicago, he worked with Brian Urlacher, who clearly is the best middle linebacker in the game.
Rivera also has worked with Pro Bowlers in Lance Briggs, Jeremiah Trotter, Mike Singletary, Otis Wilson and Wilber Marshall.
In Merriman, Rivera has seen elements of some of the other great linebackers he has worked with.
“Merriman and Urlacher are physically the same,” Rivera said. “They are both big, physically gifted guys. Shawne has a temperament like Otis. They’re both flashy and flamboyant, and they really want to be good.
“And in terms of work ethic, he reminds me of Mike Singletary. Practice is done, he’s running gassers, he grabs our strength coach and goes right to the weight room.
“His study habits are pretty darned good too. He asks a lot of good questions, spends a lot of time with myself and [outside linebackers coach] John Pagano.”
It may not be easy to try to improve a player who had 17 sacks in 12 games last season, but Rivera has tried by stressing pre-snap reads and understanding the concepts of the defense and opposing offenses.
Merriman says he has asked Rivera about the other greats he has been around.
“He told me the [2006] Bears were real good at working as a team without having someone to push them,” Merriman said. “That’s what we have here.”
