I became a Redskins fan the same year Dan Snyder bought the team.
Mostly, it’s been a painful life filled with false hope. Offseasons of hopeful moves that translated to mediocrity on the field. Aside from Washington Redskins owner Dan Snyder’s poor ownership decisions, the one constant throughout the past couple decades has been unreliable quarterback play.
The 2005 NFL Draft still haunts me. Does anyone else remember Aaron Rodgers’ precipitous fall after many pegged him going No. 1 to San Francisco? Not only did Washington pass on him at No. 9, but Green Bay ended up snagging him ONE PICK before the Skins were up again at No. 24. Just one more pick! “What if” scenarios play in my brain all the time.
This draft, however, I can’t think of one thing the Redskins should have done differently. I think Dwayne Haskins has what it takes to lead the Redskins back to glory, and here are five reasons why.
Leadership
A leader needs humility and hunger. A leader needs to strive for greatness, learning all the time. Haskins showed this for two years while learning from the bench. That made him hungry. When he hit the field, he never looked back.
It only took one year for Dwayne Haskins to transform the offense at Ohio State and break school records for passing yards and touchdowns in a season. He made the players around him better and, most importantly, led his team to victories in 13 of 14 games.
"“I feel like each game I learned something new about myself, about my offense and my players around me,” Haskins said. “As the season went on, I got more experience as far as knowing situations, knowing where to go with the ball, knowing when to force passes, when to check things down, knowing when to be conservative, when to gamble. So throughout the season I just got better at playing quarterback.” – From Adam Dreyfuss of Redskins.com"
I was always impressed by how much Peyton Manning took to dissecting defenses with his coaches while the Colts’ defense was on the field. He gave me the feeling that he would figure it out and make things happen. I get the same feeling from Haskins. He learned how to be a student of the game for two years before it translated to the field. For quarterbacks, the mental game is a bigger part of being a successful player than it is chucking a football.
Haskins remains hungry and now approaches his NFL career with a massive chip on his shoulder. Fortunately for his growth, he doesn’t have to come in as the immediate savior of the franchise. He can acclimate to the new territory under Case Keenum and step in when he’s ready.
Quick Processing
We’ve heard about Haskins’ ability to quickly read defenses. This is the staple of all top quarterbacks. They need to correctly see what a defense is going to do before the snap and communicate it to the rest of the offense, or adjust accordingly. In many scouts’ opinions, Haskins did this better than anyone in college football last year.
NFL.com’s Bucky Brooks went so far as to say that Haskins has the potential to dissect defenses as well as Peyton Manning or Tom Brady! That’s high praise for a one-year college starter.
When asked in his press conference, “What do you feel like the other teams that picked ahead of the Redskins missed on you?”, Haskins answered, “I’m just looking forward to proving that when I get my chance to play.”
See the full press conference here, courtesy of Hogshaven.com.
A lot of players might have taken that opportunity to talk smack or to defend themselves. Not Haskins. He came across confident in himself, was well spoken, and responded quickly.
In other interviews, Haskins has done the same thing. He’s consistently well spoken, doesn’t come across nervous, and seems to answer questions with ease. The spotlight can be heavy, but Haskins seems to not let it get to him. He quickly processes questions and delivers solid answers.
This matters because being the quarterback taken in the first round means more than on-field performance. It means representing the franchise. It means talking with the media and maintaining a positive outlook. A lot of questions will come his way throughout his career. In his first days as a Redskin, Haskins seems more than capable of shouldering that load.
Moxie
“The league done messed up,” Haskins said, when asked to respond to his draft slide to No. 15.
As a Redskins fan, I’m thrilled with the opportunity to watch Daniel Jones and Dwayne Haskins duel twice a year. And I think time will make us all grateful to Gettleman for letting that happen. And while we’re at it, if you haven’t seen the exclusive interview with the Giants general manager justifying his decision, be sure to check it out. It may be the best few minutes of your day.
For decades, the Redskins have had quarterbacks like Jeff George, Patrick Ramsey, Jason Campbell and SO MANY others that just gave you the feeling they were going to lose. Anyone remember the year we trotted out Rex Grossman and John Beck? Ugh…
There are some quarterbacks that have the attitude to win. They just make you believe everything’s going to be okay! They stay positive and to cause others to believe in their team and in themselves. Haskins has that. It’s the stuff that transforms the mind from a loser mentality to one of a winner. He’ll make his teammates believe that they’re going to win.
Running Backs
The Redskins may quietly have the strongest stable of running backs in the league.
Adrian Peterson ran for over 1,000 yards last year, and will be the perfect mentor for Derrius Guice, who has a very similar running style. Peterson’s catching passes, running past and over people, and making everyone think he’s 25 again!
Derrius Guice was the No. 2 ranked running back on many draft boards last year. Thank the football gods that some false reports came out somewhere about his character, which caused him to slip down to the Redskins in the second round. He has the makings of a top running back and is the kind of downhill runner who can put the team on his back and run like hell. He runs angry and that energy makes its way to his teammates.
Beyond these top two, Washington also boasts one of the top third down backs in the league in Chris Thompson. The trouble with Thompson has always been staying healthy. But if he can, he provides the third down catching abilities and boosters to take any short pass to the house.
The X-factor here is Bryce Love, who may have gone in the first round if he elected to go pro last year. Instead, he decided to stay on for his senior year, was hobbled by an ailing ankle and eventually tore his ACL in the final game of the season. His team also went south, which helped to cause his draft stock to plummet. Love could take over if Thompson leaves next season (final year of his contract) or provide insurance for Guice. Here’s a great article about why Bryce Love would be the steal of the draft, written by Pro Football Focus’ Mike Renner.
Along with the power behind the offensive line, this running back group has the potential to be the best group on any team in the NFL. If last year’s game planning is any indication, Haskins may not have to throw it a whole lot. He can hand it off a bunch and throw it a little while he gets up to speed.
I would compare this strategy to how the Steelers deployed Ben Roethlisberger during his rookie and sophomore seasons. In his first year, he threw just 295 passes for 2,621 yards on his way to Rookie of the Year honors. In his second year, he threw the ball even less! That year, he threw 268 passes for 2,385 yards, and became the youngest quarterback ever to win a Super Bowl. They accomplished this behind a strong running game and a stout defense.
Side note: Haskins’ play reminds me a lot of Roethlisberger. They’re both big QBs (6-foot-3, 231 and 6-foot-5, 241, respectively) with just enough mobility to manipulate the pocket, but they probably aren’t going to blow by anyone either.
Jay Gruden
As a Redskins fan, I feel super grateful to have Jay Gruden. As a person, I feel bad for Jay Gruden. RGIII drama, Kirk Cousins drama, Alex Smith blah-ness. I can’t imagine any other way this team would be consistently competitive and have any semblance of stability. It seems like we’ve jerked him around a good deal, and haven’t given him the tools to be successful. Until this year, that is. I just hope the Redskins brass has enough patience to wait another year beyond this season, to let the Haskins-Gruden relationship and process play out.
Jay Gruden has demonstrated consistent excellence when it comes to developing quarterbacks, and adjusting the team’s identity to give itself the best chance to win. If anyone can develop Haskins, it’s Gruden.
The challenge for him will be balancing the development of both Haskins and first time offensive coordinator Kevin O’Connell. I’m interested to see how hands-on Matt Cavanaugh is in all of this as the “Senior Offensive Assistant”. Then there’s quarterbacks coach Tim Rattay, who will of course be the most hands-on. It’s interesting that each of these coaches have experience playing the position.
I should add in here that Haskins has the leadership, but needs time to mature. He has the ability to quickly process what’s coming at him, but he hasn’t done that at an NFL level yet. He has the attitude, and needs to let that fuel him past the criticism that’s sure to fly his way. He has a great set of running backs behind him, but he needs to let them carry the load while he acclimates to the professional game. And he has the coach to put these pieces together, but the front office needs to be patient enough to let Gruden work his process.
Otherwise, they could kill Haskins’ potential, sink the franchise to depths unseen (yes, that’s hard to imagine) and lose what little fans remain.