Of the group of second-year quarterbacks getting set to kick off the 2020 season, there was arguably no person who had more questions about his abilities, or more doubters already writing him off than Dwayne Haskins. After a tough rookie season where just about everything went wrong, we saw the young D.C. player take matters into his own hands and set out this offseason to get better.
According to a recent post from The Washington Post’s Nicki Jhabvala, Haskins wrote out a checklist of things he wanted to accomplish this offseason, and he was thorough in completing it. Lose weight, check. Organize throwing sessions with teammates and other big-time receivers in the NFL, check. Travel across the country and meet with top QB’s in the league, seeking their advice and working to learn from them, check.
After all of the work this summer, we saw it culminate in a season-opening win last week for the team, and while Haskins’ stat-line may not have been the reason for the victory, his leadership absolute deserves credit.
Jhabvala spoke to Haskins’ college coach, Urban Meyer, who has been watching his former QB throughout the summer and taking notes on his progress. His takeaway?
“He’s a grown a– man,” Meyer said. “I talked to him for a while, and I’ve seen videos of training; his body’s changed, and he even told me, he says, ‘I’m done playing around.’ ”
Maybe that was the gist of Haskins’ half-time speech that riled up his team enough to lead them on a 17-0 comeback charge, finishing the game with 27-unanswered points and beating the division rival Philadelphia Eagles in upset fashion. Maybe his teammates already knew Haskins’ mindset going into the second half, and they just needed to be reminded.
Whatever the case, it’s clear that the second-year QB in Washington is on a mission, and it’s starting to look like his end-goal is tangible.
