Throughout his career, Washington Redskins’ Ron Rivera has been described as a player’s coach — one that will make a speech so invigorating in the locker room that his group of guys would be willing to run through a brick wall seconds after hearing it.
The players in Washington got a chance to see that recently, as Rivera held his first official team meeting via video-conference in the past week, meeting with well over 100 people together online. Many of the reports from players say that the meeting was ‘intense,’ and some describe that ‘run through a wall’ type of feeling that they experienced afterward.
“I think I ran downstairs and I might’ve tackled my son Beau at two years old,” said Pro Bowl punter Tress Way, via NBC Sports Washington. “It was like six or seven minutes and it was just intense.”
Much of the speech from Rivera was reportedly setting a baseline for the culture that is being set. Players were told their role in a clear and concise manner, and a plan was laid out for the future. According to NBC Sports Washington, Rivera “never became too loud as he addressed multiple levels of the organization. What he lacked in volume, however, he made up for with his message and the conviction he delivered it with, stressing to those in the conference that the Redskins would control their attitude, preparation, and effort as long as he was leading the franchise.”
It may not result in double-digit wins, or a playoff berth in Year 1, but the mindset that Rivera is bringing to the table will definitely pay dividends over the years to come.
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