Washington Redskins coach Ron Rivera made a point to hop on a video conference with media members in the D.C. area on Wednesday morning, looking to discuss the progress that the team has made so far this offseason, and what they can expect going forward. While talking to the press, Rivera touched on subjects such as the Black Lives Matter protest that is so prevalent in our society today, and how he feels about his players taking part. He also discussed the growth of a few of his players, and potential free agents that might be in view for Washington.
Here are some of his best quotes from the day.
Ron Rivera starts his press conference with reporters with a statement discussing #GeorgeFloyd's murder. He discussed the protest and how proud he was of Dwayne Haskins and Chase Young took the reins as leaders on the issue. And the creation of a townhall. #HTTR
— Rhiannon Walker (@InstantRHIplay) June 10, 2020
Ron Rivera says he was "especially proud" of Dwayne Haskins and Chase Young for their actions in the #BlackLivesMatter movement
— JP Finlay (@JPFinlayNBCS) June 10, 2020
Rivera starts with a statement on George Floyd's murder. Says he's proud of Chase Young for participating in that powerful video with other NFL players. Says organization has put together a 6-person task force to implement plans to affect change. Snyder putting 250k toward plans.
— Ben Standig (@BenStandig) June 10, 2020
Ron Rivera said after #GeorgeFloyd's murder, he had a team meeting with just players first on Zoom, and then the entire organization. He wants an actionable plan. He doesn't want to just talk about it sans action to impact the community. Dan Snyder supports this. #HTTR
— Rhiannon Walker (@InstantRHIplay) June 10, 2020
Ron Rivera said he was fortunate enough to have Eric Reid in Carolina. They signed him purely about his football prowess, but then Rivera and Reid talked after signing, and said Reid really helped his understanding of the protest. #HTTR
— Rhiannon Walker (@InstantRHIplay) June 10, 2020
Ron Rivera said he supports his players if they decide to take a knee during the National Anthem. He understands it's a protest against brutality and not about the military or patriotism.
— JP Finlay (@JPFinlayNBCS) June 10, 2020
Ron Rivera on Dwayne Haskins: "He's taken what he and I talked about to heart." Coach says he talked with Haskins last night and am "pretty excited to see him in person"
— JP Finlay (@JPFinlayNBCS) June 10, 2020
Rivera says he is “very proud” of Dwayne Haskins this off-season, especially praised him for taking part in DC protests, but also says Haskins has been good in zoom sessions and in training
— Les Carpenter (@Lescarpenter) June 10, 2020
Rivera said he can tell players are grasping all the information the coaches are giving them during virtual meetings. The key will be conditioning, which he said they will put players through once they get back. #Redskins
— Zach Selby (@ZachDSelby) June 10, 2020
Ron Rivera emphasized all the Redskins non-Black players need to be listening to what's being said. He wants those players to understand what their teammates are going through.
"For everybody to come together, I think that change can be made."
— Sam Fortier (@Sam4TR) June 10, 2020
Rivera says left tackle and left guard are wide open competitions. Same thing with tight end. Says Ryan Anderson is a player they need to "find a home for" too
— JP Finlay (@JPFinlayNBCS) June 10, 2020
Left tackle, left guard, tight end and linebackers are the group Rivera says have been the hardest to gauge without physical practices. It's hard to know where they are in their development through Zoom calls #HTTR
— Rhiannon Walker (@InstantRHIplay) June 10, 2020
"I'm really excited about the quarterback position." Ron Rivera he also mentioned they need to see where Alex Smith is. #HTTR
— Rhiannon Walker (@InstantRHIplay) June 10, 2020
Ryan Anderson is someone that Ron and JDR keep bringing up as someone they need to find a position for. While that doesn't sound promising necessarily, I think the fact they continue to mention him is a plus for him
— Pete Hailey (@PeteHaileyNBCS) June 10, 2020
Rivera offers some specific position and player challenges without practices. Mentions LT and LG battles. How to deploy Ryan Anderson. Tight and receiver (beyond mclaurin). Also mentions Guice and AP.
— Ben Standig (@BenStandig) June 10, 2020
Rivera said that he looked outside his office and saw Derrius Guice outside working on his rehab. He's looking forward to seeing where he is, as well as, Adrian Peterson "looking young as ever." #HTTR
— Rhiannon Walker (@InstantRHIplay) June 10, 2020
Rivera said he has gotten a lot more done since he’s returned to the facility. It’s given him the chance to dive into everything that needs to get finished for the rest of the offseason. #Redskins
— Zach Selby (@ZachDSelby) June 10, 2020
Ron Rivera's back in his office. Said one advantage is that when he's done with meetings, he doesn't have to help around the house. Solid line from coach pic.twitter.com/fUsiCxdMhW
— Pete Hailey (@PeteHaileyNBCS) June 10, 2020
Rivera said when everything started two weeks ago, that he didn't want to come across as insincere. He knows what it feels like as a minority, but he also doesn't know what it feels to be Black specifically. So he educated himself, and making actionable change is big to him #HTTR
— Rhiannon Walker (@InstantRHIplay) June 10, 2020
On fans who don't support players kneeling and how they're handling that, Rivera reiterated that he reread the Constitution, Bill of Rights, and the Oath of Office. And again, a player peacefully protesting is well within those enumerated rights. #HTTR
— Rhiannon Walker (@InstantRHIplay) June 10, 2020
Ron Rivera says the Redskins need to look at the young players on the roster before looking to add veterans to the roster. Specifically about Antonio Brown, Rivera said he wants to see what the Redskins have at WR first before any decisions get made.
— JP Finlay (@JPFinlayNBCS) June 10, 2020
"If you bring in a veteran player, you're going to stunt the growth of someone young." Ron Rivera says when asked about Antonio Brown possibly being brought to DC. Coaches want to see what they have at each position before bringing in some vets. That's the hard part of this #HTTR
— Rhiannon Walker (@InstantRHIplay) June 10, 2020
Ron Rivera didn't say yes or no when asked about possibly signing Antonio Brown, who recently worked out with Dwayne Haskins. Rivera emphasized he wants to evaluate his young receivers in person. He also added: "I know who Antonio Brown is, and he's a great player."
— Sam Fortier (@Sam4TR) June 10, 2020
