When you bench your starting quarterback and name him the third-stringer, it probably signals that you are done with that player. Despite all that, Ron Rivera claims he has not given up on Dwayne Haskins. Kyle Allen is now the new starting quarterback, but Rivera (claims) isn’t throwing Haskins in the trash.
“By no means have I given up on him,” Rivera said.
“A big part of it is watching and studying,” Rivera said. “Like today, he was back there behind the quarterback watching the reps, looking downfield. Just being involved, staying connected, which is important. … I’ve told you guys the only reason I’m doing what I’m doing is because of the circumstances and the situation we’re in right now.”
“There are things Dwayne was still learning to do that Kyle knows in terms of communicating with the offensive line,” Rivera said. “It’s something as we go through this and progress, Dwayne will learn and see how these things are done.”
I can’t buy what Rivera is selling. If Haskins needed help with the playbook, studying, and learning the playbook, he shouldn’t have been in Week 1. This was a weird year with the virus, and it didn’t do Haskins any favors with a shortened offseason. If Haskins needed help grasping the system, he shouldn’t have been thrown into the fire.
Haskins had the NFL’s lowest total QBR (30.9) in the NFL. The fact of the matter is, Haskins was set up to fail. This is his third head coach in two years, and has been given a terrible supporting cast. Half the battle to succeeding is landing with an organization that is going to develop you. Haskins needs to get out of there fast!
