I recently sat down with John Riggins, Washington Redskins Hall of Famer turned D.C. talk radio host. Here’s what he had to say.
Wes McElroy: New York Yankees pitcher Roger Clemens has once again been given special considerations: He can leave the team on days he does not pitch. How would “special considerations” have gone over in your Redskins locker rooms?
John Riggins: You’ve got to remember and you’ve got to appreciate that sports has evolved so much in the last 20-30 years, and I am sure the 30 years before I came in the NFL. This is the evolution of the sport and I’m not exactly sure, but I think the old mindset would be: “Who in the hell does this guy think he is?”
 Former Redskins running back John Riggins says no GM is a mistake for Washington. |
The Redskins have a Hall of Fame head coach and an owner who are willing to spend, but is the missing piece a true football-minded general manager?
Yeah, that’s been my contention all along. I thought the Redskins should have really given that some serious consideration, but to a certain extent, when you pony up that kind of money, you‘ve got to figure at some point you’re going to catch on. Jerry Jones is somebody who came into it but he had a little bit of a football background having played football at Arkansas. He kind of understands a little bit of it and is the general manager of the Dallas Cowboys. I’m not saying Dan Snyder can’t become that. He hasn’t caught on to it as quickly as one would hope. I don’t think there ever was any intention of actually seriously considering getting a GM, and I think that’s a mistake for the Redskins right now.
How different is Coach Gibbs the second go around?
I can’t really speak directly because I’ve had very little contact with Joe since he’s been back. I haven’t been in the locker room and I haven’t been in the meeting room, and the game itself, you know since I’ve last played it, has changed considerably. But from what I’ve seen, I think it’s been a difficult transition for Coach Gibbs, and nobody said it was going to be easy, but when you come in and got three Lombardis on your resumé, you kind of assume: “Let’s go! We’re going to turn this around.” When you look at the second year back and the playoffs, I’m starting to think that was a little bit more flukeish, but then again, you have to look at the league overall, there are a lot of teams that make the playoffs that are there one year and gone the next. Is there any consistency with the Redskins? Right now, you have to say no. After three years there is no consistency.
Many former players have criticized the benefits and treatments for NFL veterans. Former player and union leader Gene Upshaw is a bull’s eye of that criticism. Is Upshaw the right man for the job?
I think Gene Upshaw does a good job, but Gene needs to change his focus a little bit, and I think he has to remember some of the guys that he was down in the trenches with and, as the popular saying goes, “show them a little love.”
Wes McElroy hosts “The Final Round” on ESPN 840 am. M-F. 4pm-6pm.