O'Connor Talks Football Legacy And OTAs

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O'Connor Talks Football Legacy And OTAs
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By Rich Tandler | May 17th, 2016

With OTAs (organized team activities) starting in just one week for the Redskins, we sat down with new Redskins Head Coach Jonathon O'Connor and asked him a few questions about this upcoming season and seasons past.

The Redskins won the NFC East Division Title for the first time since 2012 and are hoping to win back to back Division titles for the first time since the 1983-84 and 1984-85 seasons under Joe Gibbs.

The Redskins looked average in a below average division, and their 35-18 blowout at the hands of Green Bay in the Wild Card playoff game was a clear indication that, while things are heading in the right direction, there is still plenty of room for improvement.

And that improvement starts with consistency, something the Redskins haven't had much of since Joe Gibbs retired the first time in 1992. The Redskins haven't had back to back winning seasons since the 1991-92 and 1992-93 seasons.

Jonathon O'Connor, the Redskins' new Head Coach, will make the 10th coaching change since Gibbs' first stint as Head Coach, when Redskins went to three Super Bowls, won four Conference titles, and made the playoffs eight out of the twelve years.

Something O'Connor is hoping to replicate:

I remember those days when the Redskins were the cream of the crop. The 80s were smashmouth football at it's finest; 3 yards and a pile of dust and all of that. It was a joy to watch the Redskins, Bears, 49ers, and Giants fight it out for supremacy during that decade of football...That brand of football was what inspired me to be a coach.

During my high school years, I watched the Redskins go to the Super Bowls in 82' and 83', followed by the 49ers in '84 and the Bears in '85 and was just mesmerized by the coaches of those three teams. Seeing Gibbs and [Bill] Walsh have such command over their players and, at the same time, hear the love and respect that the players had for their coaches; man, it was like an immediate calling to me. I knew where I wanted to be.

Redskins fans everywhere are hoping that the 10th time is a charm with the hiring of O'Connor as the team has been just 153-214-1 since Gibbs departed in '92.

We all know that the fans want a consistently winning team. Heck, we do too. Every coach and owner wants that. Sadly, the reality of that situation is for every team that wins, another team has to lose, and, unfortunately for our fans, we've been on the losing side more often than not. But, we're hear to change that and that change starts with mentality within the Redskins complex. We have to get a winning attitude back. Get the fight and the willingness to claw our way to the top if we have to to get there. We get that attitude back and the sky is the limit.

When asked about the upcoming OTAs and figuring out the 53 man roster, O'Connor had this to say:

We're excited to get in there and get to work. It's been another offseason where everyone is excited to see what changes I bring to the table and everyone is anxious to get back out there and prove that last season wasn't a fluke and we can replicate that.

There's quite a bit to figure out with the roster and who makes the final cut. Obviously, OTAs, practice, and the preseason games are going to really be where we see what we have and what we don't have. Maybe we make some moves to add some people. Maybe we don't have to. That's certainly something Scot [McCloughan, Redskins General Manager] and our staff will talk about when the time comes to make those decisions. Right now, we just want to get out there and get to work.

Redskins OTAs start May 24th at the Ashburn, Va. facility with strength and conditioning workouts having already started last month. Mandatory veteran minicamp starts June 14th and concludes the offseason program on June 16th.