Q & A with Ron Rivera

Incoming Redskins coach Ron Rivera met with the media on Jan. 2 to discuss his vision of reviving the franchise. The interview was edited for length.

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Why did you choose the Redskins over several other potential teams?

“This one, the Washington Redskins, this one’s special. This is one of the almost original teams. Started in 1932, there’s a lot of history behind this football team. In order for us to get back to where we want to be, we got to study that history, embrace that history and prepared to repeat that history. Because if we’re not, we’re doomed to repeat the most recent history and we’re not going to do that guys. We really aren’t. Everything we do is going to be about winning, okay? We’re going to do things the right way, and that’s the only way we’re going to do them. Because if it doesn’t help us, we’re not doing it. That’s just as simple as it gets.

“So why did I choose the Redskins? . . . Well, I can tell you right now, it’s not about the money. If I wanted the money, I’d still be out there trying to pit a couple teams against each other. I took this job for one simple reason, one simple reason, because [owner] Dan Snyder came to me with a very interesting perspective. For weeks he’s explored the reasons why some teams win and some teams don’t. He told me the common factor in that transitional success of teams like the Patriots, the Seahawks and the Chiefs and some of the others ones was the decision to take it and make it coach-centered approach. Not an owner-centered approach, or a team president or a general manager, but coach-centered approach.