Heinicke Hive: The LEGEND of Taylor Heinicke Thread

[justice98]

37 minutes ago, -JB- said:

You must do a hell of a job talking yourself out of everything in life LOL. What more evidence do you need?  There aren’t any more games to be played before he needs to be either signed or let out to pasture.  What’s your decision???

 

Proceed as if you don't have a QB for next year.  That's the answer.  Great job, you've earned a chance to compete, but I'm not handing this guy the keys to the car purely based off 5 quarters, I dont care how good they were.  If Heinecke can beat out whoever gets brought in, so be it.

[Commander -JB-]

2 minutes ago, justice98 said:

 

Proceed as if you don't have a QB for next year.  That's the answer.  Great job, you've earned a chance to compete, but I'm not handing this guy the keys to the car purely based off 5 quarters, I dont care how good they were.  If Heinecke can beat out whoever gets brought in, so be it.

That’s easy to say but who do you bring in?  A first round draft pick?  A guy you trade multiple picks for?  Those are franchise altering decisions.  It’s not so easy as you make it seem.

[HigSkin]

TH said on the Junkies he becomes a FA March and he doesn't know what will happen but he definitely wants to be here and WFT is his first choice.

 

 

Edited January 11, 2021 by HigSkin

[KDawg]

4 minutes ago, justice98 said:

 

Proceed as if you don't have a QB for next year.  That's the answer.  Great job, you've earned a chance to compete, but I'm not handing this guy the keys to the car purely based off 5 quarters, I dont care how good they were.  If Heinecke can beat out whoever gets brought in, so be it.

 

Just now, -JB- said:

That’s easy to say but who do you bring in?  A first round draft pick?  A guy you trade multiple picks for?  Those are franchise altering decisions.  It’s not so easy as you make it seem.

I do agree that we need to look for options. But we also can’t be throwing ridiculous resources into it. You both have a point. If a guy falls to our pick that we like (any pick) then I’d take them. If a vet is available for a modest contract that doesn’t crush us cap wise, bring them in and let them duke it out with Allen/Heinicke.

 

It’s not wise to sit still because we have Heinicke. But what Heinicke’s performance allows is that we don’t have to reach.

[Commander -JB-]

17 minutes ago, KDawg said:

 

I do agree that we need to look for options. But we also can’t be throwing ridiculous resources into it. You both have a point. If a guy falls to our pick that we like (any pick) then I’d take them. If a vet is available for a modest contract that doesn’t crush us cap wise, bring them in and let them duke it out with Allen/Heinicke.

 

It’s not wise to sit still because we have Heinicke. But what Heinicke’s performance allows is that we don’t have to reach.

I agree with that.  In no way am I saying Heinicke played like Joe Namath in his prime out there lol

Edited January 11, 2021 by -JB-

[justice98]

40 minutes ago, KDawg said:

This is a casualty of the NFL system. A new crop of rookies comes in every year. And seemingly every year teams cycle through the guy they had the year before for the new shiny toy hoping he is lightning in a bottle.

 

Guys fall through the cracks every year. Even talented guys. Reps are hard to get. Starters and backups, which are either highly drafted, incumbent, or got a chance to show they could play on another roster, take the majority of the reps. 
 

That’s not to say that Heinicke is going to wind up being a pro bowler. Doesn’t mean he’s going to even wind up as our starter. He may not. It’s realistic that he doesn’t live up to the new expectations. 
 

But disqualifying a guy because he couldn’t find his footing when he didn’t have the pedigree is a tough look. 
 

He’s not Dwayne Haskins where he had a big time shot to prove it and failed. 

 

Nobody's disqualifying him, but I'm not wiping my hands like all questions have been answered either.  The reasons he hasnt made it thus far aren't automatically ancient history to be ignored.  Standig was on Sheehan just a minute ago talking about how personnel people around the league aren't buying it just yet.  Hell, even if his game is wonderful, his durability is a huge problem.  Also relevant history.

 

Has he played himself back into the league, absolutely.  Has he played himself into a starting job, that is unlikely if folks aren't being prisoner of the moment.

[KDawg]

Just now, justice98 said:

 

Nobody's disqualifying him, but I'm not wiping my hands like all questions have been answered either.  The reasons he hasnt made it thus far aren't automatically ancient history to be ignored.  Standig was on Sheehan just a minute ago talking about how personnel people around the league aren't buying it just yet.  Hell, even if his game is wonderful, his durability is a huge problem.  Also relevant history.

 

Has he played himself back into the league, absolutely.  Has he played himself into a starting job, that is unlikely if folks aren't being prisoner of the moment.

I don’t know that it’s unlikely. But I do know that he has durability concerns.

 

his history should not be ignored, either. 
 

I’d caution people who are totally convinced that he IS the guy to take it easy. I’d also caution people that think he ISN’T the guy to take it easy. 
 

I think there’s a good chance he is the day one starter. Whether he keeps the job the entire season is up to him. 

[Thinking Skins]

18 minutes ago, KDawg said:

 

I do agree that we need to look for options. But we also can’t be throwing ridiculous resources into it. You both have a point. If a guy falls to our pick that we like (any pick) then I’d take them. If a vet is available for a modest contract that doesn’t crush us cap wise, bring them in and let them duke it out with Allen/Heinicke.

 

It’s not wise to sit still because we have Heinicke. But what Heinicke’s performance allows is that we don’t have to reach.

I think this is the most wise take. Whereas before Saturday I was more of a proponent of maybe trading up moderate resources for whichever of teh top4 QBs that dropped to maybe 10-15 depending on what the trade up cost is. I don't like trading a similar package for a Stafford and almost certainly not a Ryan. Those guys just don't move the needle for me. They've done almost nothing in the playoffs (when they've made it). Matt Ryan is called Matty Ice for having ice in his veins but he was a dud in the playoffs his whole career with the exception of that one year with Kyle Shanahan. Both these guys are just better and older versions of Kirk Cousins or Alex Smith. Sure they may be better regular season QBs and top 4000 yards but I don't trust them in crunch time. 

 

Do I trust Heinicke? Not yet but he made it move like no QB here has done since 2012. Maybe Kirk could have done something in 2015 but I can't even remember enjoying that year too much. I remember 2017 starting 6-3 and missing the playoffs and similar for 2018. Maybe it was the impression I had of Kirk after 2014 where he had an up and down season but never seemed to really take the team by the horns like even Colt tried to do, like RG3 did, like even Rex Grossman tried to do (bless his heart with all his interceptions). 

 

Even Kyle Allen was somebody who I was saying not to underestimate and only call the backup of the future was a guy I wasn't overly impressed with. He lost to the Giants in a game he should have won but that fumble was so important. We beat Dallas with him, but that Dallas defense was (historically) horrible and we did it with a running game and Allen was more of a role player. Nothing against his role that game because he did it well and I think we can win games with QBs like that. And he did nothing in that second Giants game. He looked ok this year but didn't have the gamechanger impact of Heinicke. 

 

Does that mean we shouldn't address the position at all? I definitely wouldn't say that. I like Holmgren's philosophy of always drafting a QB (but that does mean that its hard to develop QBs) and trading them to build up draft picks. But I think right now he's the most talented guy on the roster and deserves a shot at the starting job in 2021. Durability and size are concerns but like Doug Flutie, he shouldn't just lose his job for size to a 6'3 guy who can't hit the broad size of a barn. 

[Tedskins 21]

6 hours ago, Berggy9598 said:

If you count the regular season and just look at the performance in a vacuum it was not the best QB performance. RG3 on thanksgiving, Kirk Cousins on SNF against the Packers, RG3 vs Philly off the top of my head were better. 

Some great performances for sure, but neither guy bested Taylor’s QBR from Saturday.

[justice98]

43 minutes ago, -JB- said:

That’s easy to say but who do you bring in?  A first round draft pick?  A guy you trade multiple picks for?  Those are franchise altering decisions.  It’s not so easy as you make it seem.

 

Who's making it sound easy?  We're in this situation because finding a QB is hard.  But these are the things you have to consider. No guarantees, but you still need to explore the options before deciding they're not necessary.

 

Heinecke might seem like an appealing option 2 days after an amazing performance, but there's been no free agency, no draft, no trade discussions, nothing.  What I don't wanna do is take any options off the table based on Saturday, not even a little bit.  That's all I'm saying.

Edited January 11, 2021 by justice98

[Warhead36]

I'm glad we have Rivera here because you know he's not gonna make an emotional decision based on just Saturday's game.

[Conn]

Is it true that Heinicke is a restricted FA? That would make him much easier to hold onto but I don’t see how that could be the case for a 27 year old we just signed to a 1-year deal. 

[Thinking Skins]

9 minutes ago, ConnSKINS26 said:

Is it true that Heinicke is a restricted FA? That would make him much easier to hold onto but I don’t see how that could be the case for a 27 year old we just signed to a 1-year deal. 

https://overthecap.com/player/taylor-heinicke/4450/

 

They have him listed as a RFA. Age: 27Free Agency: 2021 (RFA)Accrued Seasons: 3

 

That's news to me because I had assumed it was just a given he was an UDFA. Thanks for this because it almost guarantees that he's coming back. 

[goskins10]

49 minutes ago, justice98 said:

 

Who's making it sound easy?  We're in this situation because finding a QB is hard.  But these are the things you have to consider. No guarantees, but you still need to explore the options before deciding they're not necessary.

 

Heinecke might seem like an appealing option 2 days after an amazing performance, but there's been no free agency, no draft, no trade discussions, nothing.  What I don't wanna do is take any options off the table based on Saturday, not even a little bit.  That's all I'm saying.

 

I agree. The only thing has taylor earned was a shot to make the team next year. That's a big deal. And he played great. Cannot take that away. But it was one game. He has several years before to make that impact and he did not. He can compete. And if in the end, after they explore all reasonable options he is the last guy standing, then start him. Anything else is not smart. 

1 hour ago, KDawg said:

 

I do agree that we need to look for options. But we also can’t be throwing ridiculous resources into it. You both have a point. If a guy falls to our pick that we like (any pick) then I’d take them. If a vet is available for a modest contract that doesn’t crush us cap wise, bring them in and let them duke it out with Allen/Heinicke.

 

It’s not wise to sit still because we have Heinicke. But what Heinicke’s performance allows is that we don’t have to reach.

 

I agree it gives us some flexibility. But I disagree a little bit about resources. If there is a guy available - for trade or Veteran, the team believes he is the guy, you do what you have to. We are the poster child for how much difference a quality QB makes (I know we are also the poster child for poor QB decisions.. 🙂 . But if you see a guy who is YOUR guy, the player that you see as a long term franchise QB, you have to go get them. 

 

Where I think you were more talking to is and where I agree, we do not have to get a QB just to get a QB because we have no answer. We don't have to settle for someone that checks some boxes but is not quite what the team is looking for out of desperation. Without his performance, you have to think that could happen. 

[Berggy9598]

59 minutes ago, Tedskins 21 said:

Some great performances for sure, but neither guy bested Taylor’s QBR from Saturday.

Congrats for identifying the one stat that supports your argument

[Tedskins 21]

1 minute ago, Berggy9598 said:

Congrats for identifying the one stat that supports your argument

 

Thank you, sir.

[Berggy9598]

Just now, Tedskins 21 said:

 

Thank you, sir.

 

[757SeanTaylor21]

When Seattle signed matt Flynn they also drafted russ. Russ won and been lighting the league eve since, i won't say heinicke is russ but man did he have some russ type of magic in that pocket. That td run was vintage russ. Give him some competition and let it be fair. If he wins it let him free

[NoVaSkins21]

1 hour ago, ConnSKINS26 said:

Is it true that Heinicke is a restricted FA? That would make him much easier to hold onto but I don’t see how that could be the case for a 27 year old we just signed to a 1-year deal. 

 

Pretty sure he's un-restricted.  He said as much on the Sports Junkies this morning.  He also said the he loves it here and wants to stay.  I know everyone says that type of things before free agency, but really hope they can a deal done prior to FA.

[Number 44]

55 minutes ago, Berggy9598 said:

Congrats for identifying the one stat that supports your argument

Well, in fairness, my understanding of QBR is that it is the stat that has the purpose of measuring the QBs overall game performance, taking everything into account.

[Berggy9598]

11 minutes ago, Number 44 said:

Well, in fairness, my understanding of QBR is that it is the stat that has the purpose of measuring the QBs overall game performance, taking everything into account.

For my own personal entertainment I actually looked up Cousins’ QBR from the Sunday night game against Green Bay. It’s significantly higher than Heinicke’s on Saturday 😅

 

EDIT:

Heinicke had a QBR of 63.2. Are you sure the QBR hill is the one you want to die on? 

Edited January 11, 2021 by Berggy9598

[Tedskins 21]

5 minutes ago, Berggy9598 said:

For my own personal entertainment I actually looked up Cousins’ QBR from the Sunday night game against Green Bay. It’s significantly higher than Heinicke’s on Saturday 😅

 

Looks like I was misinformed.

 

The figures I am referencing are PFF's grading.  This is different than a QBR rating.  PFF had him graded out higher than that performance.

Edited January 11, 2021 by Tedskins 21

[Berggy9598]

2 hours ago, -JB- said:

That’s easy to say but who do you bring in?  A first round draft pick?  A guy you trade multiple picks for?  Those are franchise altering decisions.  It’s not so easy as you make it seem.

Let’s play the odds that he’s Tony Romo or Kurt Warner thats not a gamble at all 

[Skinsinparadise]

On Sunday, I spoke with Washington quarterback Taylor Heinicke, who gave Tompa Bay fits Saturday night. Tom Brady and the Bucs survived in Washington 31-23. This was, as I told Heinicke, a kind of classic Rocky Balboa-Apollo Creed athletic contest, the kind of game that makes us love sports. “Yeah,” said Heinicke, who was studying math remotely at Old Dominion in the fall with no football job—until Washington called with an offer to join the practice squad five weeks ago. The rest is living history.

We spoke while Heinicke lay on a trainers table at the Washington team facility in Ashburn, Va. His legs were encased in NormaTec pulsing compression pants. He’d taken some good shots in his first start for the injured Alex Smith, and damaged his shoulder diving for the pylon (and a touchdown) on his eight-yard third-quarter score. Still, he went 26-of-44 for 306 yards, with a TD and an interception against Tampa. 

 

FMIA: Have you come down from this incredible experience?

Heinicke: “Actually, I haven’t been able to look back on it at all. I’m running on fumes right now. You know, the shoulder injury last night, didn’t get much sleep, looking forward to taking a nap after this. But when I wake up and maybe in a week or so look back at what transpired over the last month, it’s definitely something to be proud about. It’s definitely something my dad would be proud of me about. It’s one of the things, you just keep this ball rolling. I’ve been on the other side. I’ve been in the real world. I’ve been taking classes, you know. That’s great and all but it’s not as fun as playing ball.”

Washington Football Team quarterback Taylor Heinicke.(Getty Images)

FMIA: What would you have said if I told you two months ago you’d be dueling Tom Brady wire to wire?

Heinicke: “I’d say you’re out of your mind. You know, again, it’s been a crazy year, 2020 has. It just speaks volumes of what hard work, determination and you know all that stuff. Keep doing it. Stay on the grind. Keep your dreams alive. Great things can happen. I credit all the people that are close me, kept on pushing me, and believing in me.”

FMIA: Third quarter of the game. You’re down 18-10 and driving, at their 8-yard line.

Heinicke: “So we got a play called where our halfback just free-released and he was our first read. They covered him up pretty well. We had [another receiver] come in to replace him and he was covered. My last read on that was a little dig route behind all those things with Logan [Thomas] and they covered that well, too. So, I figured I needed to make a play. The defensive line was actually doing a great job containing the pocket and I just kinda wiggled around back there and found a hole. Once I kinda got through, I saw that pylon. I just made a beeline for it. And um, you know, I don’t know how I got that. I’ve seen a video of the dive. I didn’t know I dove from the 4-yard line. That was pretty cool. But again, that was one of those things I just wanted to go get. I knew our team needed it. I thought it was gonna be a huge spark for our team and again I’ll never forget that. Unfortunately, that’s when I hurt my shoulder. At least it came on a pretty cool play.”

 

FMIA: Tampa gets a field goal, and you come back from the locker room.

Heinicke: ”Well, I knew after that touchdown run, there was something wrong. I felt something click or pop. When I came to the sideline, I took my helmet off and just held it in my left hand. And that was pretty bad pain. I knew there was something wrong. I talked to the doctors. Then we went inside. They looked at it. Gave me a little ibuprofen and got back out there. Got back into it. Put a little padding and a little tape on there to stabilize it. Felt a lot better. And fortunately I got back out just in time when the offense got the ball.

 

https://profootballtalk.nbcsports.com/2021/01/11/cleveland-browns-nfl-playoffs-fmia-peter-king/?cid=fmiatw

[Tedskins 21]

1 minute ago, Berggy9598 said:

Let’s play the odds that he’s Tony Romo or Kurt Warner thats not a gamble at all 

 

If you can upgrade the QB position this offseason without investing too much, you do it.  But his performance and the way Allen was trending doesn't make QB as big of a need as it was previously thought.