The Redskins Blog

Hilliard Teaching, Learning On The Job

In his first address to the media since joining the club, Redskins wide receivers coach Ike Hilliard admitted that he isn’t necessarily a finished product on the sidelines.

Being only three years removed from his playing days might make this statement obvious, but it’s also unusual to hear in a league dominated by ego over insecurity.

What attracted him to the Redskins job is the fact that he’ll have a chance to work in a situation where he’ll be able to learn on the job, while sharing his expertise.  Check out the interview below:

From all reports on Hilliard, it seems like he has the proper mindset to develop and nurture the receiver corps in Washington.  As a player, he was productive but never the primary target in an offense, so he lacks the diva mentality.

Head coach Mike Shanahan described his admiration for Hilliard earlier this week, saying that he had had an eye on him for a while:

“Well, I’ve known him for a while and I’ve always liked the ways he’s handled himself.  I was hoping we were gonna get a chance to talk to him–he was in Miami the last two years.  He had a contract for this year, but with the coaching change, they let us talk to him, we tried to take advantage of it, and we signed him.”

If Hilliard can communicate his focus on fundamentals to the younger players in Washington, the Redskins have a chance to turn their talented potential into disciplined production.