Burgundy & Gold Reaction: QB Top Priority

Posted on by

January 4, 2022

by David Earl

Ron Must Get A Quarterback

We all – or at least most of us – loved the Taylor Heinicke story and the intensity he has brought each week since taking over for Ryan Fitzpatrick. While Taylor may not be this team’s future you cannot ignore the fact that, looking at him in his first full year, he’s had a good season as the starter. The fact that he completed 65% of his passes and played with an elusive style within the pocket provided for some exciting moments, and also aided in 4 late game winning drives this season. He brought a level of reliability that many initially questioned was possible, and showed durability for the first time since Bruce Allen botched the Kirk Cousins situation. Whereas Kirk may have lacked in pressure situations but compiled far more in stat lines, Taylor seemed to excel during important situations more times than not. What Taylor lacks, though, is what Kirk was good at: mechanics and ball placement in timing routes (especially intermediate routes). Taylor’s decision making has been erratic at times, such as on the interception called back early in this Eagles game. He needs to understand his own limitations and, in this case, realizing a lack of arm strength made this throw just a terrible choice. It’s unlike his pass to J.D. McKissic earlier in the year when no defender was around for 10 yards as he threw across the field. Taylor’s inconsistent mechanics is probably my biggest issue with him. I don’t see this as being fixable. There have been moments he wowed everyone with good form followed by a perfectly thrown ball. When the pressure is on, he normally does well, although he does occasionally revert to muscle memory and will throw off a poor platform. I don’t want to come across as entirely negative as I’ve appreciated every ounce he gave on the field for this team and owning his mistakes but this team has lacked a true franchise quarterback for far too long. I may stand on an island by myself in seeing him as a solid bridge quarterback entering the 2022 season, but I’d be an idiot to think Taylor is the answer.

Getting the franchise guy at this position makes all the sense in the world, of course. Positional stability with someone such as a new version of Joe Burrow or Kyler Murray will ckeep this team in contention over the long haul, not just once every 5 years or so. Even Miami’s patience with Tua Tagovailoa seems to be paying dividends, as he seems to be developing into The Guy (imagine that: developing a young quarterback). Whether the answer is a trade for a veteran or positioning for a rookie franchise quarterback, this coming offseason is crucial not only for Ron’s coaching job but for this franchise moving forward. Part of that importance is a guy like Terry McLaurin, who I have talked about ad nauseam throughout the season. Terry is a rising star at wide receiver but also has leadership qualities and a fierce in-game mentality.  This is not something this team can afford to lose. Landing a true franchise quarterback and another weapon at wide receiver will do more for this team going forward than the continuous patchwork year after year at this position. I believe Terry has respect for Taylor, so there may not be any issues with him in discussing a long-term deal if he saw the team come up with a viable option through the draft with Taylor as the bridge quarterback.  However, it’s also possible that McLaurin may disagree and think about himself over the team for the long haul. For this reason, getting this man under a long-term contract is the absolute top priority this offseason.

Embarrassing Landmark in FedEx

This topic has been on and off again for some time but these two moments above are just . . . enough already. The evident breaking down of the stadium and worsening on-field conditions have made FedEx the butt of the league jokes. While Dan and the team are looking into the new stadium for approximately the 2027 season, this is now the year 2022. He needs to invest more into this decaying landfill before someone really gets hurt. Yes, they made some very necessary field restorations, thankfully, but this cannot start and stop there, as the paying customers need to be taken care of as well. This, plus the terrible product on the field that has existed for far too long, has led to this stadium being dominated by visiting team’s fans.  Division rivals have made this stadium their home field. FedEx has just become the true symbol of this ownership over the decades and the lack of respect the team and its fans have gotten since the days of RFK. RFK was a true home-field advantage which Fed Ex may (will) never be. However, this offseason, especially with the rebranding coming, needs to be a major step in reestablishing Washington’s home field again. The only way the new stadium will succeed by 2027 is to not only put a winning product on the field but to get Fed Ex as close to right as possible and begin moving towards a new positive future. With all that said, the black cloud that continues to follow Dan Snyder needs to also be figured out as he is not selling nor will the league force him out, apparently (that’s a conversation in itself). The mountain is a steep climb ahead which we can only hope Ron Rivera and Jason Wright are capable of climbing.

Closing Out a Disappointing Season

Considering what Ron and this team had to endure with Dan Snyder’s scandals, Ron battling cancer, COVID-19, and the pressures from a worn-out and tired fan base, I think the team has improved to some degree.  We can look at the record and the irritating “moral victories” Ron leans on from time to time (which is somewhat concerning) or look at the obstacles faced along the way.  Despite all of that this team still stands united. Before you reach through your device to strangle me for just saying that, I am not ignorant to the holes in the roster, or that 2022 is a do-or-die year for this staff. Taylor Heinicke brought a level of competency and reliability the team hasn’t had since Kirk left, and Ron and Scott Turner deserve some credit for solidifying a critical position in the short term. As many want to rip Ron apart for picks like Jamin Davis and Antonio Gandy-Golden, let’s also not forget the 7th round gem in Kamren Curl, a developing Benjamin St-Juste, and a tight end in John Bates, who has shown impressive skills as a pass-catcher. We can argue about the drafted talent and bring valid points to either side on most picks, but the one possible pick that may come back to haunt Ron is his selection of Davis instead of moving up for a quarterback. I personally believe he should have traded up. Getting away from the prior year’s drafts, the one aspect of this team that did not exist years ago is accountability (aside from the Ron’s handling of the Jonathan Allen incident) and the level of passion with which they play when we expected them to simply fold – the team could have quit against Philadelphia, but instead played hard.  I may be picking at straws here but I am not ready to use his poor 13-19 start against Ron Rivera considering the dysfunctional mess he inherited, the lack of talent on this team, and the tsunami of disasters that have occurred since the start of the 2020 offseason. With that said, he has to address the many holes on this team starting with the quarterback position or he will deservedly be placed on the hot seat entering the 2022 season.