Washington Football Team appears to have faith in Taylor Heinicke

Washington Football Team appears to have faith in Taylor Heinicke.

After postponing his final exams and nearly bringing the Washington Football Team back into the game against the Panthers, Taylor Heinicke may be entrusted to lead this team to the playoffs. Can he find success against the Eagles in Week 17?

For fans that aren’t familiar with Heinicke, the answer seems lukewarm, as many are once again hoping Alex Smith’s calf is healed enough to let him return. But, I want to present an alternative argument that shows Heinicke is very well capable of leading this team to victory.

To begin with, let’s start with a game of which player you would rather have to lead your team at quarterback:

Player A (1st career start): 9-for-23, 74 passing yards, four INTs, five sacks, one fumble lost

Player B (1st career start): 33-for-53, 274 passing yards, one TD, three INTs, two sacks

Looking at the stat lines, you might be thinking neither quarterback, but that’s not an option here. Player A is Alex Smith’s first career start with the 49ers and Player B is Taylor Heinicke’s first start with the Panthers.

Alex Smith’s game has massively progressed since his rookie year and Heinicke is more of an unknown commodity to most fans, but his teammates seem to think he has the IT-factor.

During the Panthers game, Chase Young went on the field to hype up Heinicke and said, “Keep ballin’,” to which Heinicke replied, “That’s what I do.”

Now by itself that doesn’t mean much, but that confidence in your craft is something teammates rally behind. It also doesn’t hurt that the new captain and one of the vocal leaders of the franchise is a fan.

Despite not picking up the W, Heinicke showed some touch during the Panthers game and nearly connected with Cam Sims for a long touchdown on a beautifully placed ball. In less than a full quarter, he finished 12-for-19 with 137 yards and a touchdown.

Now, many people will say that most of his success was due to him playing against a prevent defense. Others point out and say he hasn’t been able to hold down a roster spot in the NFL and didn’t even crack the starting line-up for the St. Louis BattleHawks in the XFL.

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All that is true, but so is the fact that Heinicke left college with a 35-15 record while finishing third all-time in FBS history with 16,279 yards of total offense, fourth in FBS history with 132 career touchdown passes, and throwing for the sixth-most passing yards in FBS history.

He also threw for a Division I-record 730 yards in a game his sophomore year at Old Dominion University.

He’s also not the first and won’t be the last quarterback that has been overlooked due to his small stature. Doug Flutie had very impressive college statistics and bounced around the USFL and CFL, before finding some success in the NFL.

Tony Romo is another example of a player that went to a less-heralded football school, Eastern Illinois University, was passed over on draft day, yet went on to have a productive career with the Dallas Cowboys.

Offensive Coordinator Scott Turner believes in Heinicke’s athleticism, as he was with the QB with the Vikings and Panthers previously, but thinks the QB has been overlooked due to his size.

"Well, he’s an incredibly productive player. When he got done playing [at ODU], I think he was like the sixth, he threw for the six most yards in the history of all of college football any level. Like I said before, a very smart guy, and he’s really a good athlete.He wasn’t invited to the combine, but if he would have been, I mean, I think he would have finished in like the top three in all those athletic categories, whether it’s forty yard dash, broad jump, vertical jump. I just wanted to see him go and throw the ball, kind of see how it came off his hand and he throws a nice ball.His issue is he’s six-foot, 200 pounds, you know, he’s a littler guy, and you know, you’ve seen more and more guys like that play. A lot of times it’s not necessarily your ability to play, but just avoiding hits and the durability it takes over the course of a season."

It’s clear to see that Turner has faith in Heinicke’s ability. Coach Rivera was also impressed by his competitiveness and his ability to pick things up quickly and retain the knowledge of the playbook. His familiarity with Turner’s offense is surely an advantage and has allowed for the offensive playmakers to feel comfortable with him in the game.

J.D. McKissic said that Heinicke reminds him a lot of Kyle Allen and Alex Smith in terms of his confidence in the huddle, which is a good sign moving forward if he is thrust into the starting role against the Eagles.

"He reminds me a lot of Kyle [Allen], you know, just the QBs in general, Alex [Smith]. Just to come into the huddle and be confident and to look everybody in the eyes and tell us the play and also tell us what we need to do right there. You could tell he’s been here before.I’m happy for him. I’m happy for the way he came in and played, the way he fought, and I’m excited to see how he does Sunday."

If Heinicke can play a mistake-free game and rely on the rushing attack, Washington may be able to repeat the success it had in its playoff-clinching win against the Cowboys in 2012. In that game, Robert Griffin III finished with only 100 passing yards, while Alfred Morris led the rushing attack with 200 yards and three touchdowns.

A healthy 1-2 punch of Antonio Gibson and McKissic should provide valuable for Washington.

Next. Win-and-in scenario familiar for Washington. dark

With the chance to become the first team in 263 attempts to make the playoffs after starting the season 2-7, will Heinicke be able to seal the deal for the Washington Football Team? His teammates and coaches sure seem to think so.

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