Ever since Ron Rivera was named head coach of the Washington Redskins earlier this offseason, the team has been playing their cards close to the chest.
In Rivera’s introductory press conference, he expressed confidence that rookie quarterback Dwayne Haskins would eventually evolve into a franchise-type player capable of leading a team to success, but he stopped short of naming Haskins his starting QB going forward, noting that there are some veteran players who will get a look at the position as well.
Now, with offensive coordinator Scott Turner speaking with the media for the first time on Wednesday, the team stopped short of declaring themselves all-in on Haskins once again, but Turner’s words on the rookie were much more encouraging.
“I think the No. 1 thing is the commitment level,” Turner said, via The Athletic. “As far as just the approach, you’ve got to be the most committed guy in the building, your teammates have to see that (and) the coaches have to see that because that is how you develop trust and that is how you develop leadership.”
Commitment and leadership are two things that might have taken a hit under Haskins during his rookie season, although both can easily be brushed off as rookie mistakes. During his first career win, a late-game victory over the Detroit Lions, Haskins missed the final kneel-down of the game because he was on the sideline taking a selfie with some fans; he thought the game was over. A couple of weeks before that, a video surfaced online of Haskins pleading with his offensive line on the sideline, asking what he could do to better help them succeed. They seemed to want nothing to do with him, largely ignoring him and looking the other way. Of course, this isn’t Haskins’ fault, but it went to show that leadership and respect were still in need of growth in the locker room.
Now, under a new coaching staff, the message of commitment to the team is being shouted down from the rooftops, as the new regime hopes to get everyone to buy into what they are building, and that starts with the quarterback.
“It starts, No. 1, that the quarterback has to spend their time so he knows the offense better than anybody,” Turner said. He has to know it like a coach and he has to be able to present that on the field and present that confidence when he is running the show and that takes work, that takes work to get to that and guys see it. Guys see when it is there and guys see when it is not.”
If Haskins can commit to the team and the offense, they seem willing to commit to him.
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