Redskins studs and duds from 19-9 loss to the Vikings

Dud No. 1 – Redskins preparation of QB Dwayne Haskins

I’m not going to call Dwayne Haskins a dud after last night; I’m a bit concerned that such a designation would fuel some of the unreasonable rhetoric going around. What I will say is this: The Redskins won’t get an improved Haskins until they invest more time and attention into the rookie quarterback, or until they enact a comprehensive plan for his development.

At some point, the Redskins just need to give Haskins the top role, and let him learn from the mistakes. He’s a rookie; mistakes will happen. But it doesn’t make the rookie feel very confident when he’s yanked from the starting role after sporadic two quarter bursts, for which he had little to no preparation as a starter during the week. Spot duty yields worse results, and it establishes no continuity or comfort, due to its lack of volume. Haskins needs more continuity.

It’s worth noting: Haskins wasn’t good last night, and he hasn’t been good enough to take the starting job from Keenum in a competition. This instance was somewhat unavoidable, as Keenum suffered a concussion in the first half. But until the Redskins actually commit to Haskins and give him all the resources he needs to be successful, his play is going to be volatile in these small samples.

Haskins has thrown zero touchdowns and four interceptions on 22 passes. He needs to get better. But the Redskins can do more to help him. The key figure in that statistic is the 22 passes. That’s too small of a sample size to judge anyone, let alone a rookie quarterback, especially over two games. Haskins needs continuity, and he needs support, to catalyze his development. The Redskins can improve in both areas.