Ron Rivera’s Decision To Bench Dwayne Haskins Can Only Be Described As Idiotic
Dysfunctional teams do dysfunctional things. The Washington Football franchise has been a mess for a long time. This season has been much of the same. IDIOTIC. That’s the only way to describe Ron Rivera’s decision to bench Dwayne Haskins.
Let’s go back one week ago when reports surfaced that Haskins was on the hot seat. Haskins’ agent hit the nail on the head. There’s nothing else for me to add.
Haskins then went out against a tough Ravens defense with an inferior supporting cast and threw for over 300 yards. Of course, it didn’t matter how well Haskins played; the decision was already made.
The fact of the matter is, the decision to bench Dwayne Haskins is comical on several levels.
A: Kyle Allen can’t play!
Allen finished the 2019 season as the Panthers starting quarterback (Cam Newton) got hurt. Allen’s record over the final nine starts was 1-8. He also finished that season with a TD to INT ratio of 17-16 and 255.5 passing yards per game on a pass-happy offense. Furthermore, Allen’s weapons in Carolina were significantly better than they’re going to be in Washington.
Kyle Allen had 34 turnover-worthy plays on 489 attempts. If Allen played the entire season, he would have led the NFL by a mile, even passing Jameis Winston’s 40 turnover-worthy plays. Of course, Allen didn’t make the splash throws like Winston, either.
There is ZERO upside to playing Allen. We know what Kyle Allen is at this point: A low-level backup that has no upside. What are we doing here? What is being accomplished with this move?
B: This supporting cast stinks.
How about we look at the rest of this roster first? Outside of Terry McLaurin, nobody else has a lick of talent. Haskins has a passer rating of 113.2 when targeting his old teammate at Ohio State. His passer rating drops to 69.1 when throwing it to anyone else.
How about we point the blame to lousy roster construction? The starting tight end is a converted quarterback, Antonio Gibson is a gadget guy, and there’s no real number two wide receiver. Say whatever you want about Haskins, but this franchise has not supported him.
C: A better alternative already exists on the roster.
If you’re going to bench Haskins, wouldn’t you do it for Alex Smith? You know, the same guy who had a winning record with this same team in 2018? Smith isn’t a world-beater, but he’s a very respectable quarterback who’s been to the playoffs numerous times.
Smith is healthy because he’s now the backup. There’s no way you can convince me Allen is better than Smith. Smith has a 94-66-1 record as a starting quarterback. Record isn’t everything, but Washington gave him a $94 million contract for a reason. He is a stable quarterback.
D: Rivera tanked any value Haskins had.
The Panthers got a fourth-round pick for Kyle Allen. Arizona got a second-round selection for Josh Rosen. The point is, even quarterbacks who can’t play have trade value. It’s just a reality. Guess who has no value now? Dwayne Haskins.
Even if you don’t think Haskins is the guy, let him finish the season and then move on. Find out what you have. He’s the type of guy that a team like Pittsburgh who has an old quarterback would want. Someone young you can mold and have to sit behind a real veteran quarterback.
Guess what happens now? There is no trade value. Washington has to cut him because they have no leverage now. Hey, great job Ron!
E: Rivera’s explanation makes no sense.
I legit laughed out loud reading Rivera’s explanation for why he benched Haskins. The guy is unfit to lead this franchise.
IF HASKINS DIDN’T KNOW THE OFFENSE, THEN WHY DID YOU START HIM WEEK 1!?!? So you wanted him to fail on purpose?
Rivera doesn’t want to “Lose” Haskins. Buddy, I can tell you this right now. If I get benched for Kyle Allen and get made third string, you lost me. I want nothing to do with you. I request a trade or release. I want no part of you.
Let me get this straight. The NFC East is terrible. The Eagles are currently in first place, and Washington beat them… with Haskins. Rivera thought it was a good idea to go to Allen even though the guy he benched beat the team in first place?
Washington lost to Arizona, Cleveland, and Baltimore. All three teams have much better rosters. It’s not like Haskins took a dump against the Giants or Jets. I’ve now been led to believe that a quarterback who lost seven straight starts in Carolina is a better alternative to try to win this division.
The fact of the matter is this decision reeks. It’s a desperate and emotional move to get his guy from Carolina in there. That and or he doesn’t like Haskins. Nothing else to it. The fact of the matter is Rivera proved he’s unfit to lead this organization.
