On the latest episode of Listen In With KNN on Fox Sports 1340AM, host Kelsey Nicole Nelson welcomed former Washington Football Team quarterback Mark Rypien to the show.
Speaking of his time in Washington, that’s where the Canadian-born quarterback had some of his best memories. He was a two time Super Bowl champion and the MVP of Super Bowl 26. The 1992 championship team was one of the best teams in NFL history, according to Rypien.
“I think so much of Doug (Williams) because he was a mentor to me. Joe (Theismann) was very good with me being a young quarterback. Unfortunately, you get judged by the Redskins by winning Super Bowls,” he said.
Rypien is getting used to the team no longer being called the Redskins and wanted to make sure they took the right measures in making this decision.
“My personal opinion is if it was done listening to the Native American community and leaders and understanding the heartaches that they’re going through. I think it’s very justified to change the name and start a new beginning,” he said. “To me it seems there was a little bit more business involved than it was about getting the right people to do it.”
Rypien has high hopes that the Washington Football Team can bring another Lombardi Trophy back to the nation’s capital. With no-nonsense head coach Ron Rivera, he believes the organization will do everything possible to make it happen.
“He’s going to make sure that guys aren’t cutting corners, coming late to meetings and missing their treatments. This is a guy that coaches at a high level and wants the best out of his players. (Dwayne) Haskins has shown great promise last year in the games that he played and they got a really good receiving corps,” Rypien said. “One of things that Coach Rivera and (defensive coordinator) Jack Del Rio is that they are definitely gonna hone up that defensive side. Anytime you got Alabama football players playing defense for you, it probably helps a lot.”
With the physical nature of football, the ex-quarterback recommends that kids shouldn’t play tackle football until they are at least 14 years old. He believes that they are doing a good job at eliminating contact during practices in the high school, college and pro levels.
“Protecting guys like defenseless players is a big concern for the NFL. What I see happening because of this is players going over the middle to catch passes and defensive backs knowing that they can’t come helmet-to-helmet,” Rypien said.
As a result, the NFL’s rules have been catered to offenses making it easier to score points.
“The league in general is in a great place because there’s great skill players. It’s just a different game but it’s fun to watch. They’re making it fun for the fans and the ball is in the air. They’re throwing the ball to set up the run at times because a lot of teams are now becoming very soft when it comes to defending the pass,” he said.
Rypien added that his top five young quarterbacks in the game are Patrick Mahomes, Russell Wilson, Lamar Jackson, Deshaun Watson and Carson Wentz.
