I've given up trying to explain why Washington seems to do better with Heineke under center than Wentz.
Maybe it's simply that he's benefited from the O-line playing better, key players returning to health/form (Robinson/Thomas/etc) and our Defense picking up the slack.
Maybe it's simply that the team just believes in him more than Wentz. He's the warrior who never gives up and has fought in the trenches with them. That pylon dive for which he got so famous just shows what he'd do for a win. Under him the team just seems to exude that same attitude. (Weirdly, I kind of feel the same! I have no feel for Wentz, and no confidence that he will fight for the game because I've not seen it with my own eyes while he's been wearing a Commanders/Redskins jersey. But with Heineke...there's a weird magic. You KNOW the interception is coming. But you also KNOW that the team can win with him. It's such an odd feeling!)
Maybe it's just luck. Maybe he is that lucky talisman.
Howell is in a pretty good position if he can take advantage of it.
He's got a QB without an ego who will help guide him (Heineke). He's got a team that already has strong locker-room leaders in Terry and Allen, so he doesn't need to fulfill that role off the bat.
He's got a team that, once they fix the O-Line, has good weapons across the board and is young. He's playing opposite a strong defense.
He's also in a position where Rivera doesn't have to throw him into a sink/swim scenario.
The glimpses of him in pre-season were promising enough to make me excited to see what he could be like next year in Training Camp and PreSeason. Could he be our QB moving forward?
While it would be nice to get the next Mahomes, I'm realistic enough to know that getting an ELITE talent like that is a rarity. But it's not unrealistic to hope that he could be just someone consistently GOOD and with development potential.
Like a Jalen Hurts. Couple of years ago he was just good enough to take the job from Wentz. Now two years later he's being bandied around as league MVP.
Not saying Howell is in that category, but I think it's worth grooming him this year and then rolling the dice with him next year and seeing what happens.
Maybe it's simply that he's benefited from the O-line playing better, key players returning to health/form (Robinson/Thomas/etc) and our Defense picking up the slack.
Maybe it's simply that the team just believes in him more than Wentz. He's the warrior who never gives up and has fought in the trenches with them. That pylon dive for which he got so famous just shows what he'd do for a win. Under him the team just seems to exude that same attitude. (Weirdly, I kind of feel the same! I have no feel for Wentz, and no confidence that he will fight for the game because I've not seen it with my own eyes while he's been wearing a Commanders/Redskins jersey. But with Heineke...there's a weird magic. You KNOW the interception is coming. But you also KNOW that the team can win with him. It's such an odd feeling!)
Maybe it's just luck. Maybe he is that lucky talisman.
Howell is in a pretty good position if he can take advantage of it.
He's got a QB without an ego who will help guide him (Heineke). He's got a team that already has strong locker-room leaders in Terry and Allen, so he doesn't need to fulfill that role off the bat.
He's got a team that, once they fix the O-Line, has good weapons across the board and is young. He's playing opposite a strong defense.
He's also in a position where Rivera doesn't have to throw him into a sink/swim scenario.
The glimpses of him in pre-season were promising enough to make me excited to see what he could be like next year in Training Camp and PreSeason. Could he be our QB moving forward?
While it would be nice to get the next Mahomes, I'm realistic enough to know that getting an ELITE talent like that is a rarity. But it's not unrealistic to hope that he could be just someone consistently GOOD and with development potential.
Like a Jalen Hurts. Couple of years ago he was just good enough to take the job from Wentz. Now two years later he's being bandied around as league MVP.
Not saying Howell is in that category, but I think it's worth grooming him this year and then rolling the dice with him next year and seeing what happens.