Teams opt not to wait for Rivera
He'll have to wait longer for a shot at the latter.
The Bears defensive coordinator was shut out by the four teams who interviewed him during the Bears' bye week at the beginning of the postseason. Arizona, Atlanta, Miami and Pittsburgh all have filled their vacancies. Rivera was one of three finalists for the Steelers job, and he has had a total of six interviews in the last 13 months.
It's a situation in which the Bears' success has worked against him. No team wants to be the last to hire a staff, and that's what would have happened had the Steelers or another team waited to offer him a job. It's the way the NFL works, although when Charlie Weis opted to leave New England for Notre Dame after the 2004 season, he was able to help the Patriots to a victory in Super Bowl XXXIX while hiring Irish assistants and hitting the recruiting path.
''Honestly, the only thing that is really disappointing is the way it's done,'' Rivera said. ''You make a couple final lists, they tell you they'll get back to you, and obviously they want to talk to you again, but the longer we go, the tougher it is for them to sit back and be patient.''
He believes the interview setup also is an obstacle. It's an advantage, Rivera figures, to meet on the turf of the team looking to make the hire.
''I can anticipate the questions,'' he said. ''The only problem is, to me, it is different when you interview at a hotel as opposed to interviewing at their place. Now you go to their place and they see how comfortable you are at their place, they see how the other people around at their place feel about you, and you can interact with the other people, and then you get to do the media thing in front of their media. That's the tough part.''
Patriots defensive coordinator Romeo Crennel was the bridesmaid and never the bride for many years before landing the Cleveland Browns coaching job, also after Super Bowl XXXIX. After this Super Bowl, Rivera will look for a contract to remain with the Bears. He's not concerned that he has been brought in as a minority -- his parents were born in Puerto Rico -- to comply with the Rooney Rule.
''Not really,'' he said, ''because I am not the only minority that has been interviewing.''
EXTRA POINTS: Wide receiver Mark Bradley (sprained right ankle) remained sidelined during practice Friday at the Walter Payton Center.
• • Wide receiver Bernard Berrian on the opportunity that is the Super Bowl: ''You either show up and play, get exposed, or you show up and play and get exposure. It's one of the two. You know what I'm saying?''
• • The Bears are off today before leaving Sunday morning for Miami.