Category: 2019 NFL Regular Season

Trent Williams says he will ‘never be a Redskin again’ after being placed on NFI

It was understood that Williams would never play in Washington again, but his placing on the NFI was the nail in the coffin.

According to Trent Williams, the current, yet also former left tackle for the Washington Redskins, owner Dan Snyder had a problem with the seven-time Pro Bowler speaking out about his recent dust-up with the Redskins.

It was this event that led the Redskins to place Williams on the NFI list, assuring that he would not get paid for the remainder of the season.

In an interview with The Athletic — one in which Williams’ said that he will “never be a Redskin again” — the long-time veteran said that despite the strong relationship that is still in place between himself and the team owner, it did not go over well that he pulled back the curtain and told his side of the story, detailing the events that have taken place over the last six years, all of which led up to Williams holding out from the team for months on end.

“Obviously, me speaking out about it, (Snyder) wasn’t too happy about it,” Williams said, via The Athletic. “Obviously, no matter what I said or how I felt about him, just speaking out against the organization and kind of putting people on notice about how things are going around there. I don’t think he was particularly happy with that, which led to them putting me on the NFI list prematurely and choosing not to pay me.”

Whether or not a solid relationship remains between the two, it is growing increasingly clear that Williams will no longer be a Redskin after this season, so there isn’t much need for good blood anymore.

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Montae Nicholson questionable to play due to connection to death investigation

Nicholson is cooperative with investigators who are looking into the death of a woman that was believed to be an overdose.

Washington Redskins safety Montae Nicholson is being cooperative with investigators who are looking into an overdose case that led to the death of a 21-year-old woman this week, according to TMZ Sports. 

The report, which was released Thursday, states that Nicholson was one of two men who brought the unconscious woman to a Virginia emergency room early Thursday morning. The woman was later pronounced deceased. According to TMZ:

Multiple sources connected to the situation tell us one of the men is Montae Nicholson.

Nicholson has NOT been arrested or charged with a crime. However, cops say the case is being actively investigated by the Loudoun County Sheriff’s Office and it’s likely they’ll speak with Nicholson as part of the probe.

Nicholson did not participate in Thursday’s practice with the Redskins, but he was in attendance on Friday. Washington coach Bill Callahan spoke about the situation after the fact.

It is unclear whether or not Nicholson will play against the New York Jets on Sunday.

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Washington coaches seem confident that Haskins will lead them to victory over New York

For the past several days, the coaching staff in Washington has spewed rhetoric that would paint Haskins as the savior of the Redskins.

The Washington Redskins seem confident that rookie quarterback Dwayne Haskins can lead them to a win this Sunday against the New York Jets.

Though he has seen just eight quarters of live-action in the regular season, the coaching staff in Washington has been propping up Haskins constantly over the last two weeks — as they should — repeatedly saying that they feel he has shown improvement and growth throughout the bye week, and that his poise is starting to show itself in the offense.

When speaking to the media on Friday afternoon, offensive coordinator Kevin O’Connell uttered the same message that we’ve been hearing for the last several days; one of optimism and hope for the Redskins offense.

It’s an easy thing to say, but a much harder plan to execute. Though the Redskins have a decent chance to come out on top for just the second time this season, they will have to see a major step forward from Haskins in doing so. Will it happen?

The coaches sure seem to think so.

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Two reasons why Dwayne Haskins can make a bold statement against the Jets

Haskins will play in front of his home fans for the first time on Sunday, and he has a chance to instill some much-needed hope.

Rookie quarterback Dwayne Haskins has seen minimal live-action in the NFL this season, as he’s now played in three games, two of which came in relief efforts for an injured Case Keenum.

He’s taken the field with his team usually trailing, and he’s done what he could to try and will the Washington Redskins back to a victory. So far, he’s come up empty every time.

This Sunday, however, things will likely be a bit different.

When Haskins trots onto the field in a couple of days’ time, he will be doing so in front of his home fans for the first time in his career, and he will be doing so against a team that he has a legitimate chance of beating; the New York Jets.

For those two reasons, Haskins has a chance to instill the Redskins’ fanbase with some much-needed hope.

There’s no need to sugarcoat it, it has been a rough start to Haskins’ career this season. He is yet to throw a touchdown outside of the preseason, and he’s accounted for 4 interceptions in the three games he’s played.

With all three performances coming on the road, Redskins’ fans have been forced to sit back and watch in misery while the shortcomings have been streamed through their cable boxes. Now, with three straight weeks of taking first-team reps in practice, Haskins has a chance to build on the minimal improvements we saw two weeks ago when he made his first career start against the Buffalo Bills, and he will be doing so against a very beatable Jets team, who sit near the bottom of the league at 2-7.

Though the Jets have a very good run defense, ranking second in the NFL, they struggle in a key area where Haskins can build a lot of confidence and momentum — on third down. The Jets have allowed their opponent to convert on third down 45 percent of the time, which has kept drives alive and allowed teams to get into scoring position. Of course, the Redskins have been one of the worst teams in the league when it comes to converting on that down and distance, but it only takes a couple successful tries to get a rhythm building.

They may not leave Sunday’s game with a victory — and you could argue that they would be much better off in the long-term with another loss — but that doesn’t mean that a nice serving of hope can’t be injected into the veins of the Washington franchise. For the first time, Redskins’ fans will be able to see the production of their franchise QB with their own eyes, and they’ll get a good feel for the type of progress he will make going forward. With no chance at the playoffs, and little incentive to win, it’s tough to call this a statement game, but Haskins can make a giant statement to his home fans on Sunday afternoon.

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Redskins nominate Adrian Peterson for Art Rooney Sportsmanship Award

Peterson has been a picture-perfect example of a leader in his two years with the Redskins, and he’s now getting recognized for it.

He’s only been with the team for two years now, but running back Adrian Peterson is a great example of what an exemplary athlete looks like in the NFL, and the Washington Redskins have now nominated him for the Art Rooney Sportsmanship Award.

Peterson is one of 32 nominees in the league, and his 34-years of life experience makes him one of the oldest nominees for the award. Not only is AP a great modicum of leadership on the field, but he is a sure-shot to make the NFL Hall-of-Fame later in his career, as he currently ranks sixth in history in rushing yards and fifth in touchdowns.

“There’s nothing you can’t ask him that he wouldn’t do,” head coach Bill Callahan said. “He’s first in line in every drill, he’s first forward in the meeting room, he sits right in front of the room when the plays are being installed, and it’s like he’s a rookie on Day 1 just looking at the first play going in for the install of the week. There are so many things that impress me about Adrian.”

Peterson has been asked to shoulder the load on offense in two straight seasons now as second-year running back Derrius Guice has missed time with injuries, and in that time, he’s become one of the most important players for the Redskins organization.

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The Washington Redskins are completely helpless when it comes to third down

The Redskins’ offense and defense have been the worst in the league when it comes to being successful on third down this season.

When the Washington Redskins and New York Jets meet on Sunday afternoon, it won’t only be a contest between two of the worst teams in the league, but also between two of the least clutch offenses.

Heading into this Week 11 showdown that very few people outside of Washington or New York will be watching, both the Jets and Redskins rank as the bottom two teams in the NFL when it comes to third-down conversions — Washington converts for a first down just 24.2 percent of the time, which is slightly above New York’s 23.7 percent success rate.

For the Redskins, they know it’s absolutely something that they need to get better at, as it’s imperative to their success.

When it comes to third down, Washington is even worse on defense. Through nine games, they rank dead-last in the league, allowing their opponent to convert on the down and distance 50 percent of the time. It’s no wonder they’ve found little success this season.

Whether on offense or defense, third-down is where a team really shows how good they are. It comes as no surprise that Washington is near the bottom of the barrel on both sides of the ball.

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Washington will look to get Terry McLaurin more active in the offense

The Redskins desperately need to find something that works on offense, and they think that moving McLaurin around on offense might help.

It sounds like you can expect to see much more of rookie wide receiver Terry McLaurin this weekend against the New York Jets.

You can probably expect to see more of all Redskins receivers for that matter.

When talking to the media on Thursday afternoon, Washington coach Bill Callahan talked about how the team went about trying to solve their offensive woes during the bye week, and one of the top solutions they came up with was getting the receivers more open in space downfield, allowing rookie QB Dwayne Haskins more options to pass to. Obviously, that includes McLaurin, but Callahan also made sure to note that he wants to see more production from Steven Sims Jr., Cam Sims, and Darvin Kidsy as well.

While the Jets defense is one of the best in the league against the run, their secondary is nothing to gloss over either. The Redskins offense will have their work cut out for them on Sunday, but maybe this new wrinkle can help them end the touchdown-less streak at long last.

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Jamison Crowder is better off now, and he’ll likely let the Redskins know it

Crowder will make his return to Washington after leaving in free agency last year, and he’s liable to let the Redskins know what they lost.

The Washington Redskins are likely to feel a bit of a sting this weekend when they face the New York Jets, but it will be of their own doing.

For the first time since letting him go into free agency this past year, wide receiver Jamison Crowder will be returning to FedEx Field, where he spent the first four years of his career. Now, in New York, Crowder has found a new home, a new quarterback, and new life to his game.

Through the first 10 weeks of the season, Crowder has developed into the top pass-catcher for the Jets, and he’s started to find a rhythm with QB Sam Darnold at long last after the projected franchise-quarterback missed the first part of the season with an illness. So far this year, Crowder has 42 catches for over 480 yards and two touchdowns. It’s pretty clear that he is better off in the green and white, rather than the burgundy and gold.

Though Washington has seen rookie receiver Terry McLaurin shine in his place, it’s always a tough site to watch one of your few successful draft picks walk, and find a suitable home so quickly. On Sunday when the two teams meet, it wouldn’t be a shock to see Crowder put up some big numbers out of the slot, as Washington struggles to defend that position.

Whether they admit it or not, the Redskins undervalued Crowder in his four years with the team, and he’s liable to let that be known on Sunday.

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Terry McLaurin has NFL’s fourth-highest grade among rookies through Week 10

McLaurin is one of the NFL’s best targets beyond the sticks this season, and his reliability will help Dwayne Haskins down the road.

The Washington Redskins have shifted their focus to rookie quarterback Dwayne Haskins, who will be making his second career start this Sunday against the New York Jets. However, don’t let that distract you from the highly-encouraging season that rookie wide receiver Terry McLaurin has had through these first nine games.

Heading into Week 11, McLaurin ranks as the fourth-highest graded rookie in the 2019 draft class by Pro Football focus, beating out names like Kyler Murray, and Marquise Brown. He trails only Dexter Lawrence, Nick Bosa, and Josh Jacobs.

Here’s what PFF had to say about the rookie:

While reports are circulating as to whether or not Washington should go the Arizona Cardinals route and draft another quarterback in the first round in back-to-back drafts — whoever ends up as Washington’s quarterback of the future will at least have one of the top premier wide receivers in the NFL in Terry McLaurin. The former Ohio State Buckeye has been one of the most reliable and dangerous downfield threats, as he is tied for fifth in PFF grade on targets past the sticks. It’s safe to say McLaurin is a certified deep threat.

Whether or not Haskins finds success during the rest of his rookie season is yet to be seen, but it helps that his old college teammate is going to be there for him out on the numbers, as reliable an option as there is in the game.

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Are the Redskins the least likely NFL team to sign Colin Kaepernick?

The Redskins will attend Colin Kaepernick’s workout on Saturday, but there’s approximately a zero percent chance that they ever sign him.

Some major news came out in the NFL this week and a major story subsequently broke yesterday in Washington. The NFL announced that quarterback Colin Kaepernick would be holding a private workout for all 32 teams this Saturday in Atlanta, and the Redskins announced on Wednesday that they would be sending a scout to the workout.

So what does that mean… would the Redskins actually consider signing Kaepernick if he looks good on Saturday?

No. It’s not going to happen. In fact, USA Today recently ranked the 32 NFL teams from most-likely to least-likely to bring in the free-agent QB who hasn’t played since 2017, and the Redskins come in all the way at No. 32.

They were 6-3 last season on the day starting QB Alex Smith suffered his horrible leg injury. But rather than call Kaepernick, team brass opted for Colt McCoy, Mark Sanchez and Josh Johnson and a downward spiral. With first-rounder Dwayne Haskins now installed as the starter and a high draft pick assuredly coming down the pike no matter how well Haskins plays, no chance the ‘Skins change course.

Not only do the Redskins currently have a semblance of a plan at the QB spot, but they also are likely the last franchise that Kaepernick — a social justice warrior — would play for, considering that their mascot has been seen as a racist symbol by many groups in the nation.

The Redskins will be in attendance at the workouts, but they have a zero percent chance of signing him.

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