Washington Football Team: 3 quotes that prove Taylor Heinicke was built for this

The Washington Football Team was put in a precarious position when Ryan Fitzpatrick was injured in the second quarter of Week 1.

It was ultimately revealed that Fitzpatrick suffered a hip subluxation. The well-traveled QB opted for rehab over surgery — a strong indicator he wants to return as soon as possible — and will spend the next 6-8 weeks on injured reserve.

Little did we know, however, that Taylor Heinicke would step in and perform better than fans wildest expectations. That isn’t a knock on Heinicke. His performance against the Buccaneers in last year’s playoffs was heroic. We just wanted more than a one-game sample size to really buy into the hype

Well, if the last six-plus quarters are any indication, we were dead wrong to second-guess Heinicke and these quotes following last Thursday’s thrilling division win over the Giants prove he was meant to be here.

3 quotes that prove Taylor Heinicke is THAT guy

3. Terry McLaurin vote of confidence

It’s clear that Heinicke trusts Terry McLaurin more than any of his other pass-catching options right now.

That figures to change as he gets more comfortable with the playbook, but the rapport between Heinicke and McLaurin is undeniable, as Scary Terry finished with a career-high 11 catches for 107 yards and a touchdown vs the Giants.

Who better to hear from in terms of Heinicke’s leadership and overall command of the huddle than his go-to receiver? During his postgame presser, McLaurin lauded Heinicke’s poise, saying the 28-year-old QB “does a really good job of speaking loud and clear and putting us (the team) in a great situation to be successful.”

Check out the full quote.

Talk about a vote of confidence, folks.

This might not seem like a big deal to some, but the fact Heinicke has the offense on the same page coming out of the huddle is SO important. It’s also rare for an inexperienced quarterback — Heinicke now has just three NFL starts under his belt —  to be so adept calling out blitzes and coverages.

For Heinicke, it seems to come naturally and that proves he belongs.

2. Ron Rivera believes

A relationship between a head coach and quarterback is imperative in today’s NFL.

Look no further than Sunday night’s game between the Chiefs and Ravens when John Harbaugh asked Lamar Jackson if they should go for a fourth-and-short in their own territory to ice the game. Jackson didn’t even make it to the sidelines before the offense ran back on the field and pulled off the upset on a QB draw.

While Heinicke and Ron Rivera don’t flaunt that kind of chemistry (yet), it speaks volumes that Rivera advocated for Washington to sign Heinicke.

Rivera is the type of coach who embraces the tough love philosophy. He’ll praise his players, but they have to earn it. After Heinicke’s big-time performance on Thursday, well, Rivera couldn’t help but speak glowingly about his QB.

In fact, Rivera had a hunch that Heinicke would put the game on ice after what he threw what looked to be a game-deciding interception.

"“That’s exactly how he played, it was very gutty,” Rivera added. “The thing that was real impressive about him was the way he bounced back after the turnover. Prior to that, he went down and, in what, three plays, he scored a touchdown and turned around, and we were trying to kill the clock, and he made a bad read, made a bad decision.” “He has a little swagger to him, and his teammates feed off of him. When you watch the way those guys do feed off of him, it is pretty impressive."

Bouncing back in the face of adversity is one thing, but for Rivera to have the utmost confidence in Heinicke to lead a game-winning drive after he just threw a potential confidence-shattering INT proves nothing fazes him.

Those are must-have intangibles for franchise QB, and we’re having serious trouble finding a box that Heinicke doesn’t check in that regard.

1. JD McKissic compares Heinicke to…

At the end of the day, Heinicke engineered two scoring drives in the final five minutes against the Giants. In doing so, he registered the first game-winning drive of his career. Not bad for a guy who has just three starts in the NFL.

The touchdown pass to Ricky Seals-Jones in the back corner of the endzone was one of the highlights of the Week 2 slate. For the sake of time, though, let’s focus on Heinicke’s second do-or-die drive of the final quarter.

Rivera already touched on Heinicke’s character and overall poise after his interception. However, JD McKissic was so starstruck by the Old Dominion product’s composure that it reminded him of his days with the Seahawks.

While speaking to reporters after the pulse-pounding win, McKissic likened Heinicke’s composure to that of Russell Wilson. YUP.

"“He reminded me of Russell Wilson,” said McKissic. “He was calm; he wanted to make a play. He wanted to do anything it took. The only thing on his mind was winning. He’s got that ‘umph.’ He’s a lovable guy. We know he could do everything. He can pass, he can sit in the pocket, he also can run. He just wants to win. He loves the game.”"

Nothing to see here, folks. Just McKissic comparing Heinicke to one of the most clutch quarterbacks of the last decade. For context, Wilson has authored 24 fourth quarter comebacks and 31 game-winning drives in his career.

Sorry, haters, but Heinicke is THAT guy, and nothing proves it more than these three eye-opening quotes.

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