“I would have 100 percent went down with Taylor Heinicke.”
That was Chris Cooley’s first thought looking back at last week’s tough loss to the Browns. Cooley was a guest on the “Kevin Sheehan Show” podcast Thursday.
“Early in the game, there was nothing to show Wentz was prepared or better than Heinicke. I want to be clear; I don’t think there is much of a difference. I am not going to sit here and say Heinicke is a better player. I don’t think there is enough of a difference that I would have made the change (from Heinicke to Wentz).”
“You threw Wentz in because you didn’t know you could be eliminated, and so you thought maybe Wentz can give us a spark going into the playoffs.”
“He (Heinicke) still has never been phenomenal, but he still might make par on 18.”
Cooley was adamant that the Commanders have no intermediate passing game. “They have no 3-5 step (passing) game.”
“I still, at this point, don’t believe they have any semblance of how they want to protect the quarterback…There are some things they don’t pass off. They don’t pass off twists. They don’t pass off stunts, blitzers. They don’t pick up blitzers. There are a lot of things they don’t do.”
“Throughout the last six or seven games, I have not been impressed in any way with Scott Turner–at all…there are things they are not attempting to do, and I am not impressed with it.”
“He (Wentz) does make a deep out to the right to Dotson which is an absolute awesome throw.”
On the failed 4th & 1 toss to Jonathan Williams, Cooley was clear Terry McLaurin did not block down well on No. 20. He also did not like the way Turner’s play motioned into where they were going on the play. “I don’t hate toss on 4th & 1; I just hate the way they set it up.”
Regarding Wentz’s second interception: “He threw right into coverage; he never moved the safety. So, I don’t like that throw.”
On the third interception, Cooley expressed the throw should have gone to an open Cam Sims, as Wentz had no business even attempting the throw into double coverage.
“The other play I hated”, expressed Cooley was when Washington was down 17-7 at the Cleveland 24, 3rd & 5. “It is an easy read… Terry, by the way, was _____ wide open and is going to get 20 yards over the middle,” and it is going to be 17-14.
“He (Wentz) cannot handle pressure. He panics in the pocket to any form of pressure. He does not keep his eyes down the field. He is not comfortable when he sees any semblance of a blitz… If his first read is not there right now, he is in panic mode.”
There is much more where Cooley also comments regarding the defense.
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