Category: Latest Washington News

Brandon Scherff’s comments show he has no intentions of leaving Washington in free agency

Brandon Scherff expressed his intense love for Ron Rivera and this Washington team on Sunday, showing little intention of leaving in free agency.

When it comes to the Washington offensive line, 80 percent of the players upfront are signed to contracts that have them in D.C. for the next couple of years, at least, but the biggest piece is still out there with his future uncertain.

We’re talking about RG Brandon Scherff, who was the first Washington player to be named an All-Pro this century, and someone who also was named to the Pro-Bowl for the fourth time in his career, and was given the Ed Block Courage Awards this season. In other words, a pretty important piece of the offense.

With Scherff playing on the franchise tag this past season, there have been questions as to if and when he is going to re-sign with Washington. Coach Ron Rivera has expressed his desire to get Scherff under contract, and in the past, the vet has said that he wants to stick around as well. Still, things can change, so it’s always smart to check-in.

Well, media members checked in with Scherff on Sunday, the morning after Washington’s last game of the 2020 season, and his answer doesn’t seem to have changed. In fact, his desire to stick around in Washington may be stronger than it ever has been.

It’s tough to deal in certainties in this day and age, especially when talking about a multi-million dollar deal that involves an NFL player. With that being said, I feel pretty safe saying that Scherff will sign a long-term deal with Washington this offseason, and hopefully finish his career in D.C. as well. He wants to be here, and the team desperately wants him back. Time to get the deal done.

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Pick a storyline: Washington’s 2020 season is what memorable sports movies are made from

Whether it’s Alex Smith’s comeback, Ron Rivera’s battle with cancer, or Taylor Heinicke’s legendary debut, Washington’s 2020 season was ripe with storylines that could easily be turned into sports movies.

Now that the dust has settled a little bit and we can collectively start accepting the fact that the Washington Football Team’s 2020 season has come to an end, the time for reflection can start to begin.

One thing we often like to do in the American zeitgeist is blow things out of proportion, and make real events seem bigger than they were long after the fact. Whether it’s a historical event or the story of a person’s life, many times we see those tales taken to the big screen and made to be something that they weren’t, often for the sake of box office sales or Hollywood celebrity.

If there’s one thing we know after watching Washington’s 2020 season though, it’s that there are a number of storylines that could easily be transferred to the big screen.

Maybe it will happen one day, or maybe it’s all a pipe dream, but as an ode to what was an incredible season in Washington, here are some movie ideas that can be created from what we saw in Landover over the last several months.

Taylor Heinicke played final quarter with separated AC joint in left shoulder

Taylor Heinicke said that he separated the AC join in his left shoulder diving for the pylon on his incredible touchdown, but played the final quarter through the pain.

While the whole NFL world was celebrating and marveling at the miraculous play that Washington quarterback Taylor Heinicke had just completed, the QB was masking his pain.

The play was one that we’ll never forget; a near sack turned into a mad scramble to the left side that left Heinicke diving head-first towards the endzone pylon, barely tapping it for a Washington touchdown. On the play, the QB said that he felt a pop in his shoulder, and suffered a separated AC joint.

It wasn’t until the next drive that Heinicke got hit and left for the locker room to get checked out, but he eventually returned and finished the game on the field. It’s just another detail that will add to the legend of Taylor Heinicke, something that we will never forget.

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WATCH: Ryan Kerrigan waves to stadium workers while exiting FedEx Field for what could be the last time

Ryan Kerrigan took a last trip around FedEx Field after the loss on Saturday night, which might have been his last career game in Washington.

We don’t know it for sure, but Washington legend Ryan Kerrigan may have just played his last game in D.C.

With him set to be a free agent this coming offseason, and the team that drafted him having little need for the talents that he possesses, there is a feeling that Washinton will let Kerrigan test the free agent market this offseason, and he will likely be picked up by a Super Bowl contending team.

After the game on Saturday, which ended as a 31-23 loss to the Tampa Bay Buccaneers in the Wild-Card round of the playoffs, Kerrigan made a final trip to the field to soak in the moment.

If this was the last time we see Kerrigan in a Washington uniform, it has been an absolute pleasure rooting for him for all of these years. We wish him all the best as he finishes out his career.

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UPDATE: Taylor Heinicke cleared to return after injuring shoulder

After a coming out party in the third quarter, Taylor Heinicke went down with a shoulder injury and is questionable to return.

We just can’t have nice things, can we?

Minutes after QB Taylor Heinicke set the world on fire with a highlight play that will top all highlight plays, he got sacked and went down awkwardly on his shoulder, which eventually took him out of the game and sent him to the locker room.

He has been labeled as questionable to return.

In his place, it will be practice squad QB Steven Montez, who has yet to take an NFL snap. He will be getting his first live action in the fourth quarter of a playoff game, trailing by two scores, against the greatest QB to ever play the game.

Good luck kid.

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Twitter reacts to the athletic marvel that is Washington QB Taylor Heinicke

Twitter blew up with excitement after Taylor Heinicke made his miraculous scramble for a diving touchdown to get Washington back in the game.

With a little bit of time left in the 3rd quarter, trailing by 8 points, Washington backup QB Taylor Heinicke, who was just signed to the roster midway through December, was put in a position to do something special.

He dropped back, felt the pressure from the outside, and started to improvise. Almost as if he’d done it before, Heinicke scrambled up and out to the left side, picking up the first down, and then making a last ditch effort, leaping towards the endzone with the ball outstretched. His hands hit the pylon, and his teammates went wild.

What happened next on Twitter was fun to watch.

 

WATCH: Taylor Heinicke pulls off miraculous scramble for diving touchdown

Taylor Heinicke just pulled off the improbable, scrambling for a wild diving touchdown that put Washington right back in the game.

TAYLOR FREAKING HEINICKE! ARE YOU KIDDING ME!

It has been highlight play after highlight play for the undrafted QB in Washington, and he pulled off the miraculous in the third quarter on an elusive scramble that ended up with a touchdown after he was all but sacked for a big loss in the backfield, pulling WFT to within two points.

Heinicke has been incredible on the night, giving new life to the Washington offense and allowing them to stay in the game with the Bucs, who have a dynamic offense of their own. If nothing else, Heinicke has absolutely earned a spot on Washington’s roster in 2021.

 

Wild-card Inactives: Terry McLaurin, Antonio Gibson to play; Alex Smith out

Both Terry McLaurin and Antonio Gibson will play for Washington, while QB Alex Smith has been ruled out for the game on Saturday.

We got the news earlier in the day that Washington quarterback Alex Smith would not be active for the wild-card game against the Tampa Bay Buccaneers on Saturday night, leaving QB Taylor Heinicke to receive his second-career start and first career playoff start.

Outside of the QB position, Washington got some good news, with both WR Terry McLaurin and RB Antonio Gibson being ruled active for the game, expecting to assume their normal workloads. Both players were held out of full practice this week, dealing with a couple of different leg injuries, but Washington will get both of them on offense in a game where they need all the help they can get.

For the Bucs, both WR Mike Evans and CB Carlton Davis have been ruled active, so Tampa will be with most of their starting players as well, minus LB Devin White, who is on the COVID/Reserve list.

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Report: Alex Smith will not play vs. Buccaneers; QB Taylor Heinicke to start

Alex Smith will not be able to go against the Bucs in Washington’s playoff game on Saturday night, giving the start to backup Taylor Heinicke, who has looked good in limited action this season.

It will be the backup QB with a single quarter of action this season who gets the start for the Washington Football Team on Saturday night in a wild-card game against the Tampa Bay Buccaneers.

Alex Smith, who was hoping to get the start, has not progressed enough from his calf strain injury, and ultimately will be unable to play against Tom Brady and the Bucs in Washington’s first playoff game since 2015.

Coming into this weekend, we all knew this was a distinct possibility, with Smith being held out of practice all week while trying to nurse his calf back to health, which has been hobbling him for several weeks now. On Friday night, a report came out that Smith was still feeling a lot of soreness in his leg, but he would wait to see how it felt on Saturday morning before making a decision. On Saturday morning, there was still no word, which might have provided some more hope, but ultimately the decision was that Washington would be better off with a healthy Heinicke, rather than a hobbled Smith.

In his one-quarter of action this year against the Carolina Panthers, Heinicke earned a little bit of trust from his teammates, going 12-for-19 for 137 yards and a touchdown in relief of a benched Dwayne Haskins. The most notable reaction came from DE Chase Young, who appreciated the confidence that the backup QB played with.

With as strong as Washington’s defense is, and as stagnant as the offense has been even under Smith, putting Heinicke under center is not exactly a death sentence for the burgundy and gold. If they can stick to their gameplan and make life tough on Brady, even a handcuffed offense could be able to get the job done.

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