Why Won't Callahan Anoint Haskins?

Bill Callahan refused to do what many think is the obvious on Monday. Why?ty6

On Monday, after another dreadful loss in Buffalo on Sunday, Redskins interim head coach Bill Callahan had the perfect opportunity to give a rudderless franchise a small shot in the arm.

He refused.

He chose not to announce Dwayne Haskins as the Redskins starting quarterback for the second half of the season and even refused to appoint the rookie the starter for November 17 against the Jets.

Bill Callahan to the podium. He is not ready to announce a starting quarterback while they are still evaluating Keenum.

I’ll have more on this later. I don’t think that means Keenum is going to be the starter.

BC: “We have time” going into the bye.

— Craig Hoffman (@CraigHoffman) November 4, 2019

As with everything and anything, proper context is needed.

I believe that Haskins will be the starter when the Redskins return to the field by default. He’s not ready (still) and that’s fine.

Often, the Redskins have been accused of lacking common sense and it’s a fair accusation. In this case, they are stuck between wanting to win games and knowing what nobody else knows. They know for sure what Haskins knows and doesn’t get.

If Case Keenum was 100% healthy and reliable, the strong belief among NFL league wide sources is that he would still be the quarterback because Haskins has a large gap to close to handle the position and be trusted completely.

I believe that as well. Keenum might be cleared from concussion protocol by next week and if he is – he could get the start against the Jets. A decision that will drive everyone completely insane.

Haskins, who performed reasonably well in Buffalo, his first NFL start, was the choice of Dan Snyder and Bruce Allen. Not the football people in the building. That’s well known. It’s not known exactly where Callahan resided on that choice, but he is well connected with Allen.

One league source suggested that Callahan knows exactly how far away Haskins is and refuses to do what everyone wants him to do, just because that’s the public and media narrative.

Watch Live: Interim Head Coach Bill Callahan Speaks to the Media https://t.co/HXdpFm5auD

— Washington Commanders (@Commanders) November 4, 2019

Haskins was 15/22, 144 yards and no touchdowns or interceptions. He was sacked four times but ran for a key first down on 3rd/6 in the second half.

Not bad. Not great. Something to build on, against a top-five defense on the road in a howling wind.

So why would a grizzled veteran coach that is auditioning for the head job (presumably) not be willing to proclaim Haskins the starter?

1 – Callahan could be waiting for next Monday to announce what many believe will happen because he doesn’t want Haskins to slack off during the bye week. A sense of urgency and commitment is needed every day and every week, especially for a rookie quarterback with some questions about his work ethic so far. He also could have told Haskins privately what his decision is, while instructing him not to reveal it publicly.

2 – As one long-time NFL executive suggested Monday afternoon to S-I, “media has no clue” about Haskins’ lack of knowledge.

3 – Sources continue to suggest that the reason why Callahan did not take any deep shots on Sunday, is because when you combine a top-five defense, a howling wind and the lack of big-time weapons – you want to reduce the exposure and pressure on a young player. Buffalo was a very complex defense with two terrific safeties and multiple looks.

It’s hard to call a game plan against good defenses when you have limited faith.

4 – The Jets might provide an opportunity for more success than the Bills did, but Haskins doesn’t even get to reap the rewards of an extra practice week, because the Redskins are on bye and have a mandated break.

5 – Callahan also knows he’s under no requirement to give the Jets (who lost to the Dolphins Sunday) any extra time to advance scout for Haskins. They’ll do it no matter what, but why not create more work for them?

The bottom-line is this: Callahan did nothing wrong by drawing out the decision, besides frustrating the media and fan base. Quite simply, he doesn’t care enough but I also think he knows how far away Haskins truly is and he’s hoping that he doesn’t have to do what he did on Sunday in Buffalo.

That’s to play Haskins.