The Redskins fired head coach Jay Gruden following a 0-5 start, and an Ohio State coach has been brought up as a potential replacement.
Much has been made of Gruden’s management of Washington’s quarterback situation. The Redskins selected former Ohio State gunslinger Dwayne Haskins with the No. 15 pick in the 2019 NFL Draft.
Gruden decided to start eight-year NFL veteran Case Keenum over Haskins and backup Colt McCoy. It was reported that Haskins was not ready for game action and McCoy was recovering from injury.
Keenum threw for 970 yards and seven touchdowns, completing 68.1 percent of his passes (92 of 135) with four picks through four games. In that fourth game at the Giants on Sept. 29, he went down with a foot injury, and Gruden replaced him with Haskins.
Haskins struggled in his first outing, tossing three interceptions and only 107 yards on 9-of-17 passing (52.9 percent). With Keenum and McCoy returning to full health, Gruden opened a three-quarterback competition between those two and Haskins following the Redskins’ 24-3 loss to the Giants.
Gruden chose McCoy, whom he wanted all along, to start against the Patriots. The former Texas signal caller completed 18 of 27 passes (66.7 percent) for 119 yards with one interception in the blowout loss.
The Redskins fired Gruden Oct. 7, the day after the loss to the Patriots. Speculation began immediately as to who or what would solve the issues in Washington.
ESPN’s “First Take” broke down the situation, and former NFL quarterback Dan Orlovsky gave some interesting insight. Orlovsky, who started seven games for the 0-16 Lions in 2008, has some experience with organizations in disarray and said the Redskins should blow it up.
“I would get a new general manager and I would look at our very own Louis Riddick,” Orlovsky said on First Take Oct. 7. “The reason why I would look at Louis Riddick is because they’ve got a young quarterback that they just drafted. Louis really like Dwayne Haskins coming out of school — there has to be that marriage there.
“Louis is going to be obviously very aware of how important it is to surround him with the right people: coaches and players.”
Riddick, who played seven seasons in the NFL before spending 13 as a director of pro personnel and pro scout, lauded Haskins throughout the draft process. He suggested the Giants should select him at No. 6 and hyped up the bright future he envisioned for the most prolific passer in Ohio State history.
Then, when Gruden decided to insert Haskins into game action without top targets Terry McLaurin and Jordan Reed and the team’s best offensive lineman, Trent Williams, Riddick expressed his disgust.
“Dwayne Haskins going into that game was really one of the worst decisions I’ve seen this year as far as how people handle young quarterbacks,” Riddick said Oct. 4.
It is Riddick’s belief that Haskins never had a fair chance.
“Do you think Dwayne Haskins feels totally supported in this process? These are the kinds of things I talk about all the time, setting people up for success,” Riddick said. “That young man right now is being set up for failure. Dan Snyder needs to recognize that.”
Orlovsky expressed a similar sentiment, indicating that Washington selected Haskins for a reason and that his long-term future should be No. 1 priority for a woeful Washington team.
“The reality is they got to build this team around the young quarterback that they just took in the first round,” Orlovsky said. “That’s what they should do.”
In addition to bringing in Riddick as the new general manager, Orlovsky suggested the Redskins bring in somebody familiar with Haskins. And in his mind, who would be better suited than his former quarterbacks coach and co-offensive coordinator Ryan Day.
“I’m first calling Ryan Day at Ohio State — Dwayne Haskins’ college coach,” Orlovsky said, hypothetically. “I don’t see Ryan Day leaving Ohio State, but I’m making the phone call.”
Below is the video from ESPN’s First Take. Orlovsky offers his opinion on Riddick, Haskins and Day starting at 2:45.
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