World News – United States – Washington sits down Haskins to oust weak NFC East

David Jacoby and Jay Williams react to Washington football team naming Kyle Allen starting quarterback and moving Dwayne Haskins behind Alex Smith on graph depth (1:46)

ASHBURN, Va .– Washington soccer team coach Ron Rivera has seen a young quarterback struggle to develop He has also seen an NFC East that remains winnable – even after a start 1- 3

Rivera therefore benched Dwayne Haskins and inserted Kyle Allen as starting quarterback for Sunday’s game against the Los Angeles Rams. Rivera had his eye on the future with Haskins; now it’s in a division where the first place team, the Philadelphia Eagles, is 1-2-1

« We’re in a situation where if we’re still trying to teach one guy and the other 52 don’t have a chance to see if we can win, then it’s not fair, » Rivera said. « If someone [in the division] was 4-0 or 3-1, OK But there is a chance of winning the division You have to look at it that way »

After the Rams game, Washington faces the New York Giants without a win twice in four weeks in addition to Dallas, Detroit and Cincinnati, three teams combined 3-8-1

Rivera finalized his decision Tuesday night and told quarterbacks Wednesday morning Haskins was demoted to third string with Alex Smith now in the No 2 role Smith had been inactive for the first four games

This move was surprising, but not shocking due to a weakened NFC Is Plus, Allen’s familiarity with the offense played a crucial role He spent two years in Caroline under Rivera and the current coordinator Washington offensive Scott Turner Allen started 12 games for the Panthers last season

In four games this season, Haskins has placed last in the NFL overall QBR at 306, 27th in completion percentage (610) and 26th in yards per pass attempt (643) He has the second-worst percentage of completion compared to expectations this season at minus-66%, ahead of just Jeff Driskel of the Denver Broncos (minus-89%), according to NFL Next Gen Stats

“Kid has an NFL arm,” Rivera said. “But now there’s a chance Some may disagree with me That’s fine But for me and this team, I’m taking my suddenly I’m here to win, and now we have the opportunity to find out if we can win

Rivera made it clear after his hire that he liked Haskins’ talent, but wanted to see more – first in terms of leadership, but also in the field A source said the new staff liked Haskins’ talent and arm size and believed he would fit well into Turner’s system, which called for attacking on the pitch

But Rivera pointed out that a shortened offseason and lack of preseason games played a role in Haskins’ slow growth in the first four games. He only started seven games as a rookie and, with a new system, needed more time on the pitch Rivera and Turner both said it’s not about not being able to use the entire playbook as much as its limited representatives in the system.

“There were some mistakes that popped up that were repeated mistakes,” Turner said “It goes back to your development Sometimes it’s good to take a step back and assess what you’re doing and not just getting lost in the mix week after week It can be detrimental to a man’s long term growth

« You want to make sure you don’t pick up bad habits It wasn’t all bad That doesn’t mean [this] is the end of the road He lets Dwayne see it from another point of view »

Haskins had shown a more consistent energy during practice since camp opened, but was noticeably different on Wednesday During the open-to-media game, he watched the other quarterbacks take in rehearsals, occasionally pacing behind the line or bending arms After a drill ended and the other quarterbacks moved to a different area, Haskins ran behind. A week ago he was the first on the field

“I’ve been on different sides of this coin many times,” Allen said “It’s part of the job Very few are anointed in high school, college, and professionals and don’t have bumps It there is a lot of adversity that hits I feel what he feels I felt it last year and in college and high school It’s a tough feeling « 

“The situation is forcing us to do something different, and I’m going to do something different,” said Rivera. “Hope he understands I hope he understands This is all part of the process. ‘learning How he comes out at the other end, it’s up to him He can come out stronger or not « 

Washington had preached patience with Haskins since the moment the team drafted him with the 15th overall pick in 2019 Last year there was consensus that he shouldn’t play in as a rookie Some thought his game needed work before he was ready to help the team win But after firing coach Jay Gruden and starting 1-7, Washington inserted Haskins

When Rivera named Haskins as a starter in mid-August, he said he would have made it a competition had there been a typical preseason

But Haskins wasn’t the only problem with Washington’s squad this season He’s lost each of the last three games by 14 points or more Youthful errors appear in other areas of the offense, including rookie running back Antonio Gibson and left side of the line with tackle Geron Christian, guard Wes Martin and others

« One thing a lot of people don’t see is the frustration on the fringes of other players, » said Rivera « I look at this I see this I feel this Guys want to win, and where its development, I think our best chance of winning now is with the guys who have been in the system »

In response to a report that Haskins’ starting job was in jeopardy on Sunday, his agent David Mulughetta tweeted about the QB’s inexperience and supporting cast – a young offensive line and « guns limited « 

“The same for Kyle,” said Rivera “He’s got the same guys there He’s going to have the same unfair jerk, and we’ll see how it goes The players we have are the players we have But this what you have to understand is that there is a primary position to touch the ball in every play « 

Allen started 12 games for Carolina in 2019 and finished with the second-worst QBR total (383) among quarterbacks with at least eight starts Allen threw 17 touchdowns and 16 interceptions last season The Panthers have won all of their four early starts, but went 1-7 the rest of the way, including a loss to Washington in Rivera’s last game with Carolina

“Over the season Kyle has struggled,” said Turner “He just tried to do too much It forced him to make changes He has to do a better job this time around with interceptions, but also the safety of the ball when it is returned or kicked He tried to force the ball into narrow windows; this is what got us in trouble This time, far from playing, gave him a chance to learn more about himself, and it will help him move forward »

Allen said he learned about situational football last season and the need to take better care of the ball He said that during his time on the sidelines he tried to take as many mental reps as possible

“The last year has been good for me to be thrown into the fire and have a lot of good and bad too,” Allen said “It’s always easier to see it and say what you would have done on the sidelines instead of being in the game For me to see it and digest it and see how the attack goes and who is doing what well and situational football things too « 

Says Rivera: « He had success Not much success, but he had some. He can handle and control [the offense] Hopefully things go well »

Dwayne Haskins