UKHTTR overtime blog - Jack Del Rio opinion

The buzz word in Washington since the Bruce Allen firing and Ron Rivera hiring – culture.

And for a long suffering fan base, patience is the order of the day knowing that a shift in culture, the creation of a winning culture, does not happen overnight.

Culture change starts with people, and those at the top of an organisation are key. How they conduct themselves, their leadership through example and accountability.

In this off-season of optimism that acknowledges that the Redskins are at the start of a new chapter, it was a setback to that positive vibe to witness the recent tweets and Likes history of new DC Jack Del Rio.

In a climate of understandable anger following the murder of George Floyd, even the NFL Commissioner Roger Goodell admitted huge mistakes on the part of the league in its response to the “taking a knee” peaceful protest by Colin Kaepernick back in 2016.

Many who have historically avoided acknowledgement of the problems in the United States (and many other countries world-wide including here in the UK), have thankfully not double-downed on the *respect the flag* tunnel vision mentality.

It is a time to listen and learn and this has been eloquently delivered by the official social media platforms for the franchise.

The appointment of an experienced defensive head coach in Del Rio was rightfully seen as further evidence of the positive changes required to deliver the catalyst for change in Washington on the field.

For this fan in the UK, the ill-timed social media posts from Del Rio have been the only red flag moment in an off-season that included a tone setting draft pick in Chase Young and all-round sensible first season roster building.

Ultimately, the tweets from Del Rio are unlikely to impact the organisation in a dramatically negative way. He inherits a front four from the six of Kerrigan, Sweat and Young on the outside, with Allen, Payne, and Ioannidis ready to cause chaos inside.

If, however, Del Rio fails to ignite this obvious area of strength on the roster, then fully expect that “I’m 100% for America, if you’re not you can kiss my A$$” will likely come back to bite his own “A$$”.

Final comment – UKHTTR is committed to remaining upbeat. For a more positive end to this quick read blog – Luke Del Rio, son of Jack, is the new Redskins offensive quality control coach. Aged just 25, *his* tweets show demonstrate a young man who fully understands the need for change and the awareness that waving the flag changes nothing.