Washington head coach Ron Rivera understands strong leadership. The two-time NFL coach of the year took over a massive rebuilding job with the WFT in 2020 and had the team in the playoffs by the end of the season.
A big reason for Washington’s success in 2020 was Rivera’s steadying hand as he slowly taught the team how to win.
It also helps to have great players—especially great players with intrinsic leadership qualities. In 2020, Washington featured a pair of first-round picks who also happened to be strong leaders in Jonathan Allen and Chase Young.
Allen, who is in line for a lucrative long-term extension, is entering his fifth season while Young is entering his second season.
In a recent appearance on “The Cris Collinsworth Podcast featuring Richard Sherman,” head coach Ron Rivera spoke about the state of his team, including what makes Young special, beyond his ability on the field.
Rivera was effusive in his praise of Young:
He does things the way you’re supposed to. He does things the way a leader does. When he practices, he tried to be first at everything. When he’s in the workouts, he tries to be first with the workouts. Then, when we’re in the game he’s constantly going with energy on the field, comes to the sidelines, they go through the corrections, and then as soon as they’re done, he’s back over by the coaches, cheering on the offense, cheering on the special teams. And when somebody makes a play he’s one of the first guys to greet them. It doesn’t whether it’s a defensive guy, an offensive guy, or special teams, he’s always doing those things. And so when one of your better players does those types of things, it doesn’t who they are, everybody starts to react. He’s got an infectious personality, to its very positive. It doesn’t matter the score, he always believes we have a chance and that gets down to his teammates.
Washington knew what it was getting in Young and he more than delivered on that promise as a rookie. The presence of younger players like Young, Allen, Terry McLaurin and Daron Payne are a big reason why the Football Team has an outstanding opportunity to repeat as NFC East champions for the first time since the 1980s.
https://youtu.be/BBv_6tomYtU