Jason Hatcher has only been with the Redskins a small amount of time, but he’s noticed a big difference from his days with the Cowboys.
The veteran defensive lineman wasn’t necessarily trying to rip his old team, but he effectively did, telling 105.3 The Fan in Dallas that the Redskins have a more player-friendly locker room.
“They really take care of the veteran guys,” Hatcher said, via John Keim of ESPN.com. “They give us more say-so over the team. This is our team. The head coach don’t want to be policing the team. This is our team, so when we set the foundation for this football team, the way it’s supposed to go, that’s the way it’s supposed to go, through the players and not the coaches. It’s a players’ team, so whatever we say goes, pretty much, if it’s going in the right direction.”
Oh, so perhaps he didn’t enjoy the Jason Garrett era as much as he’s digging Jay Gruden’s style?
Setting his feelings for the Cowboys aside, Hatcher’s remarks are also interesting in his current context. The Redskins could obviously use a different approach after last year’s mess, but Mike Shanahan was also veteran-friendly.
Letting older players establish the tone in the locker room is a good idea, as long as the results on the field are there. If not, you quickly get an inmates-running-the-asylum quality that few coaches can survive.