Does anyone else feel extremely confused by the mixed messages that we’re getting from Ron Rivera and the Washington coaching staff?
In a 2020 season where the goal was never to make the playoffs and find a way to win now, the team recently made a drastic roster move where it’s clear that they’ve turned a complete 180. They benched QB Dwayne Haskins, a former first-round pick who had just 13 starts under his belt, and promoted a third-year QB who might give them a slightly better chance at winning a few games.
In a season that was supposed to promote growth in young players, and build for the future, Ron Rivera has taken a complete turn, and it has left us all scratching our heads. The Athletic‘s Mark Bullock explained it best in this Twitter thread:
Rivera has clearly shown with use of timeouts that he’s not worried about winning right now. It’s a developmental year, so give guys a chance to develop. Haskins may not develop into the guy, but if they’re going to have a developmental year, give him more than 4 games to develop
— Mark Bullock (@MarkBullockNFL) October 7, 2020
Feels like a move where they feel they can capitalise on a terrible NFC East and maybe make the playoffs, especially with 2 games vs Giants and 1 vs Cowboys coming up in the next 4 weeks. But if that’s the case, it’s a change in mindset from what Rivera has been saying all along
— Mark Bullock (@MarkBullockNFL) October 7, 2020
Rivera has been clear that this year isn’t about winning right now, but establishing a culture to win long-term. If he’s now about winning, why didn’t he use his timeouts at the end of close games earlier in the year? Mixed messages/mindsets.
— Mark Bullock (@MarkBullockNFL) October 7, 2020
If the roster move on Wednesday was a trade for a major player that significantly increased your chances of winning the NFC East, it would be understandable. However, going with Kyle Allen over Dwayne Haskins feels like bumping the QB position up from a C- to a C+. We all know what Allen is, and though he may be a bit better than Haskins, he’s proven in the past that he is not a franchise quarterback.
There was seemingly a chance that if Washington gave Haskins the year to grow and improve, he could very well turn into a solid starting QB in the NFL, and lead Washington to some real success in the future. Before the season, Rivera claimed that this was their goal, and they were all in on Haskins’ development, putting off success for a year so that they could build a winning culture and make a run in the future.
Then they pulled the plug on October 7th, and let Haskins swirl down the drain.
Why? Who knows…
