Heinicke Hive: The LEGEND of Taylor Heinicke Thread

[ODU AGGIE]

2 minutes ago, mistertim said:

I think Heinicke played really well last night. I was a bit surprised that he was mostly playing within the system and didn't do as much off-schedule stuff. He took what the defense gave him and it was mostly short and intermediate stuff but if that's what the defense gives you then cool. The go-ahead TD pass was outstanding. INT was bad, but I also don't get why they were passing there anyway.

 

It was fun to watch, he stayed healthy, and we won. Can't ask for much more. That said, I'm still mostly where I was before. I'm not ready to start talking about if he's actually the guy or not until I see more games. 

MT, I get it, really I do. You are taking a cautious approach and want to be fully convinced. But my question is, how many more games will you have to see? We have the Panthers game. We have the Bucs game. We have the Chargers game. And now we have the Giants game. So, sincere question -- how many more games will it take for you to say, "you know, I really Heinicke, and he is the guy"?

[Renegade7]

1 hour ago, DJHJR86 said:

IMO, it's too premature to declare him "the guy" or "the future" right now.  But, barring injury, he's earned himself the rest of the season as the starter.  

 

Rest of the season?  Nah, he needs to win some more games, its still about winning and who gives best xhance to win. Buffalo is a big test.

 

I really like Taylor now, it jus feels early to put my eggs in that basket, call me jaded.

[skinsfan93]

9 minutes ago, mistertim said:

INT was bad, but I also don't get why they were passing there anyway.

 

 

That int was a timing play and Terry got bumped off his route. While some can say we should have run the ball, I like that Scott decided to pass and more importantly he trusted Heinicke to throw a pass instead of handing it off. That shows the confidence the coaches have in him. 

[Skinsinparadise]

8 minutes ago, Chris 44 said:

With the o line issues in pass pro the last couple of weeks I think Heinikie is a much better fit that Fitz.

 

Possibly. I made that same comment during the Chargers game when he came in.   But its premature IMO to say definitively.  I've just been down this road too many times to just assume small sample = large sample.  It's over and done.  Rest easy.  And I am genuinely on the optimistic side about Heinicke.  If I don't believe in a player I am not shy to show it.  But the more I see posts that indicate Heinicke is the answer, rest easy -- the more it worries me.  Been there, done that too many times.  I think its bad karma. 😀

 

As for Heinicke specifically my worry is more of an RG3 2012 ending then him turning into a pumpkin like the other flashes we've had from QBs.    So I want to see him stay healthy.  Heck even his old ODU coach who worships Heinicke has said he needs to prove he can stay heallthy.

5 minutes ago, TryTheBeal! said:

I’d rather not have any “John Beck” in the Heinicke Hive.

 

 

Edited September 17, 2021 by Skinsinparadise

[Going Commando]

If you give Taylor High-Low levels, he's taking the high option every time he can.  That is exciting to watch as a fan, but it can be a bit of a roller coaster.

 

That game definitely felt like two bad teams flailing into each other, and the level of coaching all around felt really poor.  Thursday Night Football is an absolute mess and probably only the really great coaches and vet laden teams handle it well.  But Heiny was a shot in the arm for a team that was on the brink.  He played just a hair better than Daniel Jones.

 

That INT he threw was a gut punch but it looked like a bad break type play.  Terry got bumped off his spot by a linebacker dropping, and Taylor had to make a throw to a spot where he couldn't see the break, or else lose the timing of the play.  He's not a big guy who can see everything from the pocket, he's got to make blind throws at times.  Unfortunately, stuff like that is going to happen sometimes.  But you can live with it if he stays efficient and aggressive.

[Warhead36]

Heinicke makes the offense run. Is he a 5+ year option? I'm not sure. But for short term? Absolutely. If we can shore up the D he can grind out 9-10 wins which might still be enough to win the division.

[Skinsinparadise]

19 minutes ago, mistertim said:

 

It was fun to watch, he stayed healthy, and we won. Can't ask for much more. That said, I'm still mostly where I was before. I'm not ready to start talking about if he's actually the guy or not until I see more games. 

 

Me too.  This isn't a novel ride with a QB in house that some felt is the answer in a short sample.  I don't care who the QB is, I got to see a real sample.  And in Heinicke's case, I'd need to see him stay healthy first and foremost.  Surviving health wise for 1 2/3rds game is a good start but there are ways to go on that front. 

Edited September 17, 2021 by Skinsinparadise

[max21]

I’ve legit caught footballs from Taylor Heinicke, I’m essentially Terry Mclaurin. Greatest quarterback to ever live 

[ODU AGGIE]

12 minutes ago, Chris 44 said:

With the o line issues in pass pro the last couple of weeks I think Heinikie is a much better fit that Fitz.

You know who Ross Tucker reminds me of?

 

Alfred E. Neuman

 

[Chris 44]

3 minutes ago, Skinsinparadise said:

 

Possibly. I made that same comment during the Chargers game when he came in.   But its premature IMO to say definitively.  I've just been down this road too many times to just assume small sample = large sample.  It's over and done.  Rest easy.  And I am genuinely on the optimistic side about Heinicke.  If I don't believe in a player I am not shy to show it.  But the more I see posts that indicate Heinicke is the answer, rest easy -- the more it worries me.  Been there, done that too many times.  I think its bad karma. 😀

 

As for Heinicke specifically my worry is more of an RG3 2012 ending then him turning into a pumpkin like the other flashes we've had from QBs.    So I want to see him stay healthy.  Heck even his old ODU coach who worships Heinicke has said he needs to prove he can stay heallthy.

Its going to be interesting to see how this plays out now that he is the starter and getting all 1st team reps, game plan suited to him and getting the opportunity to become more familiar with the receiver's. 

[TradeTheBeal!]

Let’s ask the real questions…

 

Does Taylor Heinicke still daily drive his Mom’s old minivan?

[mistertim]

3 minutes ago, stevemcqueen1 said:

If you give Taylor High-Low levels, he's taking the high option every time he can.  That is exciting to watch as a fan, but it can be a bit of a roller coaster.

 

That game definitely felt like two bad teams flailing into each other, and the level of coaching all around felt really poor.  Thursday Night Football is an absolute mess and probably only the really great coaches and vet laden teams handle it well.  But Heiny was a shot in the arm for a team that was on the brink.  He played just a hair better than Daniel Jones.

 

That INT he threw was a gut punch but it looked like a bad break type play.  Terry got bumped off his spot by a linebacker dropping, and Taylor had to make a throw to a spot where he couldn't see the break, or else lose the timing of the play.  He's not a big guy who can see everything from the pocket, he's got to make blind throws at times.  Unfortunately, stuff like that is going to happen sometimes.  But you can live with it if he stays efficient and aggressive.

 

Disagree about the "high-low" part. Outside of the TD in the 4th he was mostly going short to intermediate, which seems to be pretty true of him generally. He tends to take the low option. Which is fine, especially if that's what the defense is giving you. Even the announcers last night kept talking about how soft the Giants were playing in coverage, so that also helped.

 

Agree that this was two bad teams flailing into each other. Our defense looked pretty bad against a bad team. Our offense looked pretty good against a bad team. I'm still extremely worried about the Bills game. Their offense is no joke. Their defense is decent but not great...but I have a feeling we might be forced to win a shootout with them, and this team isn't built for shootouts.

[Skinsinparadise]

Just now, Chris 44 said:

Its going to be interesting to see how this plays out now that he is the starter and getting all 1st team reps, game plan suited to him and getting the opportunity to become more familiar with the receiver's. 

 

No doubt.  I am intrigued.  But seeing up close my share of picks he's thrown in camp and inconsistency as for accuracy - it's tough for me to wipe that out of my brain.  He's had some balls that could have been picked off in both games.  

 

But like I've said his ability to scramble in the pocket is almost Russell Wilson level elite.  He has moxie.  There are things I like a lot.  But there are still a few things that make me pause.  Clearly, his coaches have seen things that made them pause considering them signing Fitz and chasing Stafford in a trade.  

 

If you put a gun to my head for an answer, I think he's a good QB and the real deal.  But it doesn't at the same time seem crazy to me that he doesn't end up the guy either for his play or because of injury.  So I want to see more before annoiting him

[Skinsinparadise]

I don't know about Hopkins getting a game ball, he got lucky, but Heinicke definitely...

 

 

 

[BatteredFanSyndrome]

17 minutes ago, Skinsinparadise said:

It also just feels like bad karma to anoint Taylor so fast.

I agree with your entire post, but quoted this for emphasis.  That's exactly where I'm at.  We're just a fanbase desperate for competence at QB, but more than that, we are desperate to have "The guy" moving forward.  

 

That said, I'm definitely interested to watch this play out.  While I was happy to get Fitz, knowing there was no long term potential to be 'the guy' helped to curb the enthusiasm.  With Heineke the jury is still out if he can be the guy but it's possible.

[mistertim]

16 minutes ago, ODU AGGIE said:

MT, I get it, really I do. You are taking a cautious approach and want to be fully convinced. But my question is, how many more games will you have to see? We have the Panthers game. We have the Bucs game. We have the Chargers game. And now we have the Giants game. So, sincere question -- how many more games will it take for you to say, "you know, I really Heinicke, and he is the guy"?

 

It doesn't have much to do with being "cautious", really. It's knowing for a fact that a QB can have good games, or even a string of good games and still not necessarily be a great long term QB. It's happened a ton of times in the past (hell, it's happened to US plenty of times in the past).

 

I don't have some sort of set limit. Fitz is out for probably 4-6 weeks at least so we'll see where things stand at the end of that. Even if Heinicke ends up playing for the rest of the season I'd still probably take in his whole season and then see how I felt about it at the end. Of course, if he goes on a tear and starts demolishing teams and putting up 4 TD games and winning huge shootouts I'd come to a faster conclusion, but I really don't see that happening.

 

And I would have done the same thing for Fitz or any other QB outside of if we'd traded for Rodgers or Watson or Wilson.

[Cooleyfan1993]

Yeah, I’m in wait & see mode on Heinicke. Sure he won last night, but it was the giants. I’d like to see him compete against the bills next week, a much tougher opponent. 

[HigSkin]

44 minutes ago, skinsfan93 said:

That int was a timing play and Terry got bumped off his route. While some can say we should have run the ball, I like that Scott decided to pass and more importantly he trusted Heinicke to throw a pass instead of handing it off. That shows the confidence the coaches have in him. 

 

I'll add this.  NY CB Bradberry who played in Carolina with Scott and Ron knew that play was coming by the way they lined up.  That's what I heard on The Junkies this morning.  In hindsight Taylor should have dumped it off to the back or TE but it doesn't matter.  He made up for it.

Edited September 17, 2021 by HigSkin

[hail2skins]

Whether last night's game would've been a win or loss, Taylor played well. Made safe throws for the most part, although the two TD passes were darts and very well placed. Credit has to go to the O-line, which didn't allow any pressure at all. 

[jnhutchi3]

52 minutes ago, Skinsinparadise said:

 

Yeah.  And I don't mean it in a bad way.   My leaning with Heinicke is very positive.  For example, there was a dude, I know you can recall him, who was a Chiefs fan who became a WFT fan because of his fandom of Alex Smith.   That dude hated me  because while I admired Alex's leadership, I didn't like the trade, and I didn't see Alex as the dude to take us to the promised land.  I was cool with Alex but I really wasn't taken by him where deep down I was excited about him being the QB.  But there were other real haters of Alex.  i didn't hate Alex, I liked him, but I saw a ceiling with him and the main ceiling was I just didn't think he was the dude to compete with the big boys in the playoffs.  To me while he had that "it" factor as a leader.  He didn't have "it" as a QB as for going toe to toe with the better QBs in the league in a big spot type of game.

 

I've taken arrows for Kirk.  But i don't really think he has the "it" factor either.  He's a much better QB than some give him credit for.  I think he's a good player and better than the scrubs we've replaced him with.  But he's also IMO missing that "it factor in big games/big moments.  I never bought into McCoy.  I know now it sounds crazy but I recall the posts from some that he's the dude and Kirk just puts up numbers because of Jay's magic system.  In retrospect its silly.  But it was definitely a narrative with some back then.

 

I can recall back that some thought Gus had that "it" factor and was the answer.  Todd Collins seems to be forgotten by most but i recall the enthusiasm about him.  He was simply a "winner" not the most talented dude but throws with anticipation and makes plays.    If I had to think worse case scenario with Heinicke, it would be Collins because some of the stuff being said about Taylor reminds me of Collins.  Collins wasn't mobile but the narrative was he was clutch, threw with anticpation, made plays and was a winner.

 

Many forget but years ago most felt we found our franchise QB in Jason Campbell when he got off to a 6-2 start.  Sounds ridiculous now but it wasn't ridiculous then.  Sheehan turned from a Haskins skeptic to saying he's bust proof after his 1.25 game stint when he played well in his rookie season and he had plenty of company on it.

 

Heinicke in a short sample does come off like a dude with the "it" factor.  As nuts as it may sound, I'd trust what I've seen so far over Kirk or Alex in a big game in the playoffs.  So I consider myself a Heincike guy but want to explain why I've not dived in fully into that pool.  The team's history at that spot.  I want to see more.    It also just feels like bad karma to annoit Taylor so fast.   If they ever did a QB 30-30 special about this team, there certainly would be a segment about teases when they thought they had the answer. 

 

 

 

 

I loved Alex Smith.  The dude flat-out knows how to win games.  People that didn't like him simply don't know football.  He also had 1st round talent,  as every one of his coaches in San Francisco and Kansas City will tell you.

 

Personally, I don't think Colt McCoy was ever given enough of a chance in Washington.  I thought he was better than Cousins when they were competing for the starting job a few years ago, he definitely made fewer costly mistakes.  I hope McCoy gets a second chance to prove he can play before his career is over.

[DJHJR86]

Heinicke is undefeated in games that he has started in the regular season.  All he does is win!

[jnhutchi3]

17 minutes ago, Cooleyfan1993 said:

Yeah, I’m in wait & see mode on Heinicke. Sure he won last night, but it was the giants. I’d like to see him compete against the bills next week, a much tougher opponent. 

 

Well, he also played extremely well against the eventual SUPER BOWL CHAMPS last January.  I think that question has already been answered.

[MisterPinstripe]

5 minutes ago, HigSkin said:

 

I'll add this.  NY CB Bradberry who played in Carolina with Scott and Ron knew that play was coming by the way they lined up.  That's what I heard on The Junkies this morning.  In hindsight Taylor should have dumped it off to the back or TE but it doesn't matter.  He made up for it.

I read that Ron said that the play was designed to go to Gibson, if you look at the play again you can see he is wide open for a first down. Terry blocked off the guy supposed to cover Gibson. I love Heinike, but that looks to be fully on him and actually a good call from Turner. 

[BatteredFanSyndrome]

47 minutes ago, ODU AGGIE said:

So, sincere question -- how many more games will it take for you to say, "you know, I really Heinicke, and he is the guy"?

You didn't ask me, but I'm in the same area code as @mistertim on TH.  

 

For right now, he's absolutely the guy.  If Fitz was healthy tomorrow, I'd still say Taylor should start next Sunday.

 

As for whether we've actually found 'the guy' of our future, the jury will remain out on that through the season.  A lot of football left to play.

[DJHJR86]

49 minutes ago, Renegade7 said:

Rest of the season?  Nah, he needs to win some more games, its still about winning and who gives best xhance to win.

 

That would be a healthy Taylor Heinicke.