By now, you’re aware that former Ohio State quarterback and Heisman finalist Dwayne Haskins has been benched by the Washington Football Team, falling all the way down to 3rd string. And while these things rarely happen for one reason in particular, there are oftentimes things that stand out more than others.
In the case of Haskins, reports have surfaced (take them for what they’re worth) that his study and practice habits weren’t up to expectations in our nation’s capital according to a report from the Washington Post’s Les Carpenter.
From the Washington Post:
“(Coach Ron) Rivera’s benching of Haskins, the once-presumed quarterback of the future, after just four games was a surprise, given the seeming commitment the coach had made to playing Haskins the whole season. But inside the team’s practice facility, momentum for the move had been growing, a person with knowledge of the situation said, in part because Haskins had fallen into poor study and practice habits. The person said Haskins’s lack of preparation was hurting him in games, leading to overthrown passes and missed opportunities to hit open receivers.”
“The concerns represented a departure from the effort Haskins had shown in winning the starting job during training camp, for which he had drawn praise from Rivera. Something seemed to happen to Haskins after he won the job, the person familiar with the situation said, and his work habits deteriorated. Another person who has seen Haskins at practice this season noticed Haskins being sloppy during pregame warmups, while Allen worked diligently in those same drills even though he was unlikely to play in the game.”
Inside the practice facility, momentum for benching Haskins had been growing, a person with knowledge of the situation said, in part because Haskins had fallen into poor study and practice habits. (via @Lescarpenter) https://t.co/kvKqTKWuYC
— Dan Steinberg (@dcsportsbog) October 8, 2020
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Rivera tried to downplay the decision to reporters this week, placing more blame on the situation of the underperforming division and a bizarre offseason that didn’t allow for development because of the coronavirus pandemic, but the actions of the head coach spoke louder than any words he could muster.
“This is not as much an indictment on Dwayne as much as it is an indictment on the situation and circumstances that we are in,” Rivera told reporters Wednesday. “He did not have the benefit of [offseason workouts] and minicamp. He didn’t have the benefit of four preseason games to work through things. Because of that, he’s behind in his development in this system. Again, it’s an unfortunate situation.”
But yet here we are. It just goes to show you that no matter where a quarterback is in his development and career in the NFL, it’s a win-now league. You can show development slowly, and if the team isn’t following close behind, many coaches, suits, and stakeholders are much quicker to pull the plug on a guy than years ago. In this case, it took all of four games.
For Haskins, getting benched seems like the beginning of the end in Washington. Rivera seemed to dismiss that notion, but it sure doesn’t look good. Haskins now has a perception he’ll need to shake, and once that’s out there, it can be tough to battle back from.
Here’s to hoping this is just a speedbump in the road for the Big Ten’s all-time single-season passing leader. Apparently, drama comes more than just in the form of politics in the D.C. metro area.
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