Patience & No Production
In an attempt to establish a culture of accountability, head coach Ron Rivera is at the top of the list. Rivera is mostly responsible for overseeing football operations, who the team wants to sign (players and coaches), who has earned a roster spot, and which players have earned a starting spot.
This new era of accountability has cost former Washington safety, Sean Davis, his job. It promoted safety Troy Apke to a starting role. It also promoted offensive tackle, Geron Christian, to a starting role, and it also enabled Rivera to announce quarterback Dwayne Haskins as the week one starter confidently.
How quickly have things changed though, as Apke has struggled mightily and Rivera demoted Haskins to the third-string quarterback. Reminder, it is only week five. However, if Rivera is establishing a new era of accountability, when will hold himself accountable for the Washington Football Team's current state?
The production that we are seeing on the field this season is not unfamiliar to most who watch Washington; for many years, the team has been non-competitive in plenty of games. Furthermore, they had not sniffed a potential playoff berth since 2016, when it came down to a week 17 game against the New York Giants. The only thing that Washington fans know in the past decade is letdown after letdown, so seeing that continue in 2020 is not surprising at all.
What we did not see coming is the path Rivera chose to define the outlook of 2020. At one point, Rivera emphasized patience to the fans and media because the rebuild was going to take some time, and he needed everyone on board for what was to come. As the regular season began, and people began questioning his in-game decisions, he continued this approach. After multiple head-scratching time-management gaffe's versus the Arizona Cardinals, Ron Rivera reminded everyone, "We're trying to develop a football team." However, his tone shifted at some point, as well as his messaging, which made Rivera come across as inconsistent and potentially motives that are not yet clear.
Second-year quarterback Dwayne Haskins was pressured to perform better by his coaches before week four, and he made no egregious mistakes that should warrant getting benched. In a year that was meant to develop a football team, Rivera benched Haskins in favor of Kyle Allen because it was fair to the other 52 players. Rivera is all-in on the short-term glory and chasing a division title and, as a result, has wholly ceased Haskins' developmental period.
The Washington Football Team fell to 1-4 after losing 30-10 to the Los Angeles Rams Sunday. Though Allen really isn't to blame for the outcome (because of his injury), the fact of the matter is Washington's offense looked much worse than they did all season. The offense finished the day with 108 total yards, allowed eight sacks, and had seven three-and-outs in the second half of the game. According to Pro Football Focus, this was the third-worst total of any game since 1970.
The first game after Rivera argued for having a more experienced quarterback at the helm to better their chances at a division title, the team loses by 20, and everything looks the same, if not worse. The clock is ticking, and Rivera is lying in the bed that he made up. The decisions he has made to this point can make or break the future of his tenure, so if he is willing to bypass the opportunity to develop his young players, he damn sure better win the division.
Jamual Forrest has been a freelance sports journalist for four years, covering the Washington Football Team and can be heard as a co-host on The Hog Sty Network's "The Hog Sty" podcast. Additionally, Jamual contributes to The Hog Sty Network and SB Nation's Hogs Haven. You can follow Jamual on Twitter at @LetMualTellit and see his Washington Football Team film breakdowns here.
