Heinicke Hive: The LEGEND of Taylor Heinicke Thread

[petey hodge]

TH gonna be TH... he's been pretty consistent in his games wearing the B&G.  He gets 1st downs and puts us into positions to score points with his skills.  Question is, will our "premium defense" wake the F up and rise to the occasion?  Takes both sides of the ball to win games, right? (and special teams too in this situation)

Edited September 24, 2021 by petey hodge

[Going Commando]

16 hours ago, Voice_of_Reason said:

TH had a QBR of 35.6, but a passer rating of 99.6 against the Giants.

 

Jones had 68.4/102.2

 

Week 1 TH was 72.5/119.3

 

Anybody  know why his QBR was so low in week 2?  Doesn’t seem to make sense.

 

It's a junky, noisy stat that ESPN has been flogging for years but has never really caught on?

 

I'm guessing the late game INT that set up the Giants FG is the reason why it was so low for Taylor in that game.  Context matters.  The INT wasn't totally his fault as the WR got picked off the route by a dropping LBer, the defense held, and Taylor redeemed himself immediately on the next possession by leading a game winning drive--but was apparently not adequately rewarded for this in their statistical model since the result was a FG instead of a TD pass.

[Peregrine]

I think this is the game TH finally stumbles.  Buffalo has a good D, and I think he ends up throwing 2-3 picks, and finally gives the haters some ammo to say "See, hes bad and we are doomed".

 

Of course he will return to the normal course of things next week.

[skinsfan93]

36 minutes ago, Peregrine said:

I think this is the game TH finally stumbles.  Buffalo has a good D, and I think he ends up throwing 2-3 picks, and finally gives the haters some ammo to say "See, hes bad and we are doomed".

 

Of course he will return to the normal course of things next week.

He may throw some picks and we may lose but I’ll be happy if the offense moves the ball and scores some tds. Buffalos defense played well against Jacoby Brisett but allowed Big Ben to make some plays in the second half of that game. What I’m saying is Buffalo isn’t invincible. 

[NoVaSkins21]

4 hours ago, Peregrine said:

I think this is the game TH finally stumbles.  Buffalo has a good D, and I think he ends up throwing 2-3 picks, and finally gives the haters some ammo to say "See, hes bad and we are doomed".

 

Of course he will return to the normal course of things next week.

He could also prove the doubters wrong as well. I don't see 2-3 INTs happening, However, it's a tall task, but let's see what happens.  

[Burgundy Yoda]

6 hours ago, Peregrine said:

I think this is the game TH finally stumbles.  Buffalo has a good D, and I think he ends up throwing 2-3 picks, and finally gives the haters some ammo to say "See, hes bad and we are doomed".

 

Of course he will return to the normal course of things next week.

I have a gut feeling we are going to be running the ball a lot this week, so while it's possible he throws 3 INTs, it would have to be a completely awful game by Heinicke. 

[TheShredder]

17 hours ago, stevemcqueen1 said:

The INT wasn't totally his fault as the WR got picked off the route by a dropping LBer

No brother, it was 100% Bud Lighticke's fault.

Bad situational football decision.

Had AG for + yards straightaway and didn't take it. 

Clearly his fault. He manned up and went to work as I shut off the TV and cussed texted all who would read my vulgar texts.

No. I didn't see the ending!  I didn't see the MNF Santana Moss ending either. I just get too pissed when they are laying an egg or

giving games away to Division Rivals.

[Riggo'sRangers]

5 hours ago, TheShredder said:

No brother, it was 100% Bud Lighticke's fault.

Bad situational football decision.

Had AG for + yards straightaway and didn't take it. 

Clearly his fault. He manned up and went to work as I shut off the TV and cussed texted all who would read my vulgar texts.

No. I didn't see the ending!  I didn't see the MNF Santana Moss ending either. I just get too pissed when they are laying an egg or

giving games away to Division Rivals.

Man, you have missed some legendary moments (Moss especially; was biblical) It makes me sad. Hang in there brother  and, occasionally, it is magical! Anger management is our friend 🤣  ***Brunell made some great plays that Moss game. I wish we could’ve gotten him 5 years earlier. An absolute player.***

Edited September 25, 2021 by Riggo'sRangers

[SkinsFTW]

1 hour ago, Riggo'sRangers said:

 ***Brunell made some great plays that Moss game. I wish we could’ve gotten him 5 years earlier. An absolute player.***

 

Super Smart too (except with his money that is)

[Skinsinparadise]

 

 

How Taylor Heinicke went from sleeping on his sister’s couch to Washington’s QB

 

In the summer of 2020, Taylor Heinicke was back at his sister’s house in Flowery Branch, Ga. He had spent the previous five offseasons in the small town an hour northeast of Atlanta, steeling himself to continue carving out a career on the NFL’s margins. He had known his whole life that football is fragile — he was an unranked recruit out of high school, went undrafted out of college and was released five times in four years — but this trip home felt different.

 

The previous fall, he had joined the XFL, a start-up spring league, and lost the quarterback job to a big-armed kid fresh out of college. He wondered if the game had passed him by, and when the coronavirus pandemic cut the season short, he had moved in with Lauren and her husband, Justin.

Heinicke was 27, sleeping on a couch every night, worn down from chasing a dream that didn’t want to be caught. It tortured him to think the only NFL start he would ever get would be a 2018 loss in which he threw three interceptions and partially tore his triceps. He told friends and trainers he was retired.

 

The truth is, Heinicke said in an interview this past week, he didn’t know what he was. Early in the pandemic, he had called Washington Football Team offensive coordinator Scott Turner, the biggest supporter of his NFL career, and asked if Washington had any coaching positions available. Turner told him he needed to finish his degree first — and to not give up just yet.

“Covid and the NFL season, you never know what's going to happen,” Heinicke recalled Turner saying. “We might need you later in the year.”

But hope was hard to muster. Most days, Heinicke found clarity by strapping on a 50-pound vest and speed-walking for two hours. He would return home feeling accomplished and ready to tackle his to-do list, but the NFL felt as far away as ever.

 

“There were some days where I just felt down and didn’t know what I was going to do with my life,” Heinicke said. “Quite honestly, I didn’t know what I [wanted] to do after football. So that was kind of stressful. There [were] some times where my sister was like: ‘Get the hell out of here. Go take another walk. Do something.’ ”

Eleven months later, after an incredible chain of events, Heinicke is the starting quarterback for Washington, preparing for his third start Sunday at the Buffalo Bills. Though the position in Washington has been occupied by nine players since 2018 — the most of any NFL team — the title feels different on Heinicke. The 28-year-old has made the most of his improbable second chance, going toe-to-toe with Tom Brady in his first start with the team and pulling off a thrilling game-winning drive in his second, but what he could turn out to be remains a mystery.

 

Here’s what is clear about Heinicke: He lacks the ideal size and arm strength for an NFL quarterback but makes up for that with his head, his heart and his legs. He has endeared himself to teammates in part because of his daring style of play, including a memorable dive for the pylon in January and a risky touchdown throw to reserve tight end Ricky Seals-Jones in last week’s win over the New York Giants. Heinicke has a decent chance to supplant Ryan Fitzpatrick this season even after the veteran has recovered from his hip injury, but he remains a long shot to cement himself as the franchise quarterback Coach Ron Rivera is searching for.

 

...Ask Heinicke or Turner how far he can go, how good he can be, and they’ll demur. Earl Williams, the quarterback’s skills trainer since he was 15, is not as shy.

 

“The more those people in Washington believe in him, the stronger that kid’s going to get — mark my words,” he said. “I’m not saying he won’t have a bad game here and there, but I’ll tell you what: When he gets going, it’s going to be tough to beat him. … You got a Drew Brees; you got a Russell Wilson; you got a kid like that. He’s got those possibilities in him for sure.”

Not long ago, Williams’s words would have seemed delusional. But his belief in Heinicke has always been so strong that, as recently as August 2020, he convinced Heinicke not to quit. Now the quarterback has a chance to manifest the life Williams has always said he was capable of — the one that seemed increasingly improbable to Heinicke over the past two years.

 

‘I want you to be ready’

 

Heinicke’s NFL dream last died Aug. 30, 2019. There had been other dates on that headstone, but on the drive home from the Carolina Panthers’ facility after being cut, Heinicke told himself he would bounce back again. But as the season started, his phone didn’t ring.

“I hate to say I was hoping for an injury, but every NFL team has injuries,” Heinicke said. “I was kind of just waiting to see if a team would bring me in for a workout.”

 

By November, the phone still hadn’t rung, so he joined the St. Louis BattleHawks of the XFL. The team’s coach, Jonathan Hayes, said in an interview that Heinicke and former Mississippi standout Jordan Ta’amu dueled throughout the preseason, and while “it could’ve gone either way,” Hayes chose Ta’amu as the starter in part because “all things being equal, putting Taylor as the backup, he would still be able to handle it with his maturity.”

 

Heinicke credited the XFL with helping him mature. As a young quarterback, he said, he often ran plays at practice and went home. But in St. Louis, he taught Ta’amu about defensive schemes and began to see the mistakes he had once made. He realized he could’ve prepared better.

After the competition, Heinicke’s willingness to help surprised Ta’amu. But over the next three months, they shared beers and hotel rooms and trips to a nearby casino. They went viral for crushing Bud Light Seltzers in the locker room after a win. Ta’amu began calling Heinicke “Pono,” a Hawaiian expression meaning “brother,” he said.

“He kind of just vibes with everybody,” Ta’amu said, a high compliment from someone of Gen Z.

 

https://www.washingtonpost.com/sports/2021/09/25/taylor-heinicke-nfl-career-washington-quarterback/

 

 

Edited September 26, 2021 by Skinsinparadise

[bearrock]

20 hours ago, TheShredder said:

No brother, it was 100% Bud Lighticke's fault.

Bad situational football decision.

Had AG for + yards straightaway and didn't take it. 

Clearly his fault. He manned up and went to work as I shut off the TV and cussed texted all who would read my vulgar texts.

No. I didn't see the ending!  I didn't see the MNF Santana Moss ending either. I just get too pissed when they are laying an egg or

giving games away to Division Rivals.

 

Next time WFT is losing against a division rival in prime time, you know what you must do.

[88Comrade2000]

On 9/24/2021 at 6:29 PM, Peregrine said:

I think this is the game TH finally stumbles.  Buffalo has a good D, and I think he ends up throwing 2-3 picks, and finally gives the haters some ammo to say "See, hes bad and we are doomed".

 

Of course he will return to the normal course of things next week.

He will probably come back down to earth. The defense will probably makes things worse for TH because he will probably be playing from behind all game; probably a 2td deficit. So, he’s bound to make more mistakes in attempting to lead us back.

[Panninho]

On 9/24/2021 at 2:37 PM, stevemcqueen1 said:

 

It's a junky, noisy stat that ESPN has been flogging for years but has never really caught on?

 

I'm guessing the late game INT that set up the Giants FG is the reason why it was so low for Taylor in that game.  Context matters.  The INT wasn't totally his fault as the WR got picked off the route by a dropping LBer, the defense held, and Taylor redeemed himself immediately on the next possession by leading a game winning drive--but was apparently not adequately rewarded for this in their statistical model since the result was a FG instead of a TD pass.

I honestly think that INT was totally on Heinicke. It was man coverage and to me it looked like Terry was supposed to draw Bradberry to the middle while getting in the way of the LB who was trying to run with Gibson in the flat. Heinicke should have immediately checked it to Gibson and it would have been an easy 5-6 yards if not a first down. I am not sure why Heinicke chose to throw to Terry instead. Was a strange decision.

[Califan007 The Constipated]

Oh jeez lol...😂

 

 

 

[Going Commando]

7 hours ago, Panninho said:

I honestly think that INT was totally on Heinicke. It was man coverage and to me it looked like Terry was supposed to draw Bradberry to the middle while getting in the way of the LB who was trying to run with Gibson in the flat. Heinicke should have immediately checked it to Gibson and it would have been an easy 5-6 yards if not a first down. I am not sure why Heinicke chose to throw to Terry instead. Was a strange decision.

 

I'm guessing the design of the play was the quick slant to Terry but the timing got messed up when Terry got picked.  I don't think Terry was supposed to be setting a pick because he made no effort to do that, and he would have if he was supposed to.  Situationally, a quick slant to Terry is the best throw.  They had two TOs left and it was second and long deep on our own side of the field.  We needed positive yardage and a certain completion, which was what the quick slant should have provided.  Gibson in the flat is probably a minimal gain since its man coverage and not zone.

 

The biggest factor was that Terry got picked, and on a timing throw like a quick slant you have to let it go and trust your receiver to get there on time.  But aside from that, the real issue is that Bradberry recognized the play.  He knew it from being in Carolina with Turner and that's how he knew to jump the route. 

 

It was a bad play call for the situation that demonstrated Turner's instinctive lack of trust in his run game, it was predictable to the defense, and it also involved a poor execution from the intended first read.  I can't hang all of that on Heinicke.

[skinny21]

19 minutes ago, stevemcqueen1 said:

 

I'm guessing the design of the play was the quick slant to Terry but the timing got messed up when Terry got picked.  I don't think Terry was supposed to be setting a pick because he made no effort to do that, and he would have if he was supposed to.  Situationally, a quick slant to Terry is the best throw.  They had two TOs left and it was second and long deep on our own side of the field.  We needed positive yardage and a certain completion, which was what the quick slant should have provided.  Gibson in the flat is probably a minimal gain since its man coverage and not zone.

 

The biggest factor was that Terry got picked, and on a timing throw like a quick slant you have to let it go and trust your receiver to get there on time.  But aside from that, the real issue is that Bradberry recognized the play.  He knew it from being in Carolina with Turner and that's how he knew to jump the route. 

 

It was a bad play call for the situation that demonstrated Turner's instinctive lack of trust in his run game, it was predictable to the defense, and it also involved a poor execution from the intended first read.  I can't hang all of that on Heinicke.

RR said the call was to get the ball to Gibson in the flat.  Terry’s route provided the ‘rub’ against man coverage (sort of anyway), Gibson has a good chance at the first down and getting out of bounds.  JT O’Sullivan pointed out that he wasn’t a fan of the play design because Gibson was running a swing vs (dang, blanking on the route… ‘flat’?), but it still should have gone to him and should been successful.

On the other hand, throwing to Terry and his sure hands wasn’t, IMO, a “bad” call by Heinicke - pretty good chance of success if Terry doesn’t have to avoid the backer as much as he did (though Bradberry likely would have put a good hit on him), but it wasn’t the “right” call.

 

 

[kfrankie]

Looks like Mad Dog 20/20ikie today.  Strawberry banana flavor.

[CobraCommander]

He’s just too small and weak.

[Berggy9598]

Yeah let’s pump the breaks

[DJD2]

Maybe Heineken knew what they were doing. 

[NoVaSkins21]

I think the high watermark for Heinicke may have been the Vagiants game.  Very pedestrian today.  

Edited September 26, 2021 by SAli457180

[zCommander]

Just now, SAli457180 said:

I think the high watermark for the Heinicke may have been the Vagiants game.  Very pedestrian today.  

 

Because our D sucked and left turds all over the field and TH tried to do too much trying to bail this team out? TH and our Special Teams were only the bright spots today. Our WR dropped some easy ball and didn't help TH out either. 

[HogsVa7]

Let's see more games with Heinieke though.  I don't blame the loss on him at all. This is a great lesson and experience for what he went through today. Our defense is trash straight up. When you have Josh Allen putting up those numbers especially in 20 mph winds all game long we have a huge problem. The Bills defense is really good, our defense is not and we can't stop nobody right now. Heinieke threw a couple of picks, but at the end of the day we have to see more of him though. 

[srtman04]

I don't hang that loss on Taylor.....if our D wasn't swiss cheese and gave Heineke more opportunities,  I feel like the game would have been different.  I do like the fact Taylor never gave up on the game and we scored another TD...even if it was a garbage one.  I still feel like Heineke deserves more experience in the NFL....games like this were bound to happen. 

[NoVaSkins21]

Just now, zskins said:

 

Because our D sucked and left turds all over the field and TH tried to do too much trying to bail this team out? TH and our Special Teams were only the bright spots today. Our WR dropped some easy ball and didn't help TH out either. 

I want Heinicke to succeed as much as anybody because we are starving for a franchise QB, but the INTs were just poor throws.  The Bills prepared for him and he made some bad decisions.  Agreed the D is abysmal and will continue to be.  The drops by the WRs were when the game was already out of hand.