News: Gruden says McCoy to start against Patriots, McLaurin 50/50 to play
The Washington Redskins finally have their starting quarterback for their Week 5 match up with the New England Patriots, and predictably it's Colt McCoy. Jay Gruden finally gave up the intel at his press conference today, saying that he "decided a long time ago" that he would start McCoy. This begs the question, and flames the fire of the rumors that Gruden never wanted to draft Dwayne Haskins, and is not committed to developing the young quarterback.
Whether Gruden likes it or not, Haskins is the future of the franchise and right alongside him will be Ohio State teammate Terry McLaurin, who Gruden called 50/50 to play this week. That's just one the may storylines offered up by Redskins Maven for Week 5. Let's collectively take a breath we head into the weekend, the Patriots are coming and the Redskins are ready to give them a fight, hopefully with Scary Terry leading charge. See you on the flip side.
5 Biggest Storylines: Redskins vs Patriots :: Redskins Maven
1. All Time Series
2. QB Carousel
3. Concussed Tight Ends
4. Bad Offense vs Good Defense
5. Scary Terry Set to Return?
No. 5 is a big one here. With the Redskins naming Colt McCoy as the starting quarterback here, they're showing us that they're going after the win, as improbable as that might be. And if they're going to win, they'll need McLaurin to come back strong, and come up big.
Terry McLaurin questionable, 50/50 vs. Patriots :: John Keim
McLaurin has been the Redskins big play threat on offense in 2019. His absence was felt heavily in their Week 4 loss to the Giants, and if the Redskins are going to pull off the upset against the Patriots they'll need a game-breaking play of two from their rookie star.Jay Gruden said Friday that McLaurin is 50/50 to play.
Redskins to start Colt McCoy at QB over Dwayne Haskins, Case Keenum :: ESPN
Jay Gruden said Friday that he "decided a long time ago" the Redskins are going to start Colt McCoy vs. Patriots. As has been speculated throughout the week, it appears the reason that Gruden didn't name McCoy the starter earlier was to force a strategic advantage over Bill Belichick and the Patriots. (cough).
The question now is whether or not Case Keenum will even be active for Sunday's game, with the odds stacked against it.
The Redskins are on the verge of a lost season. So what do they do with Dwayne Haskins? :: Washington Post
The good news is that the Redskins have Haskins. The bad news is, Jay Gruden reportedly never wanted him and Haskins knows it. Now what? At least for another week, Gruden will push off Haskins taking over, and will start Colt McCoy against the Patriots. That's micro. The macro is the same issue that plagued Robert Griffin under Mike Shanahan; if the coach doesn't want you, you're never going to get the proper support and it will inhibit your likelihood of success.
Derrius Guice was all of us during the Nationals epic Wild Card win :: NBC Sports
Guice has adopted his new hometown Nationals as his MLB team of choice and could be found live-Tweeting their comeback Wild Card win over the Milwaukee Brewers this week. No word yet on if Guice will be in attendance for any of the Nats' home games this postseason, but they'll be glad to have him on board.
Redskins Hope Noah Spence Can Give The Pass Rush 'A Little Bit Of Juice' :: Redskins.com
Spence, the former second round pick of the Buccaneers is a player with a pool full of potential just waiting for the leak to spring. Spence had 5.5 sacks his rookie year but struggled afterward, until now. The young stud outside linebacker is thankful for his new opportunity, and is ready to let loose.
You remember the scene at the end of Bad Boys II when Marcus' pool bursts and he floats on down the waterway sipping a cocktail? That.
"It's been a blessing for me, being able to start over somewhere else...to try my best to help this team," Spence told Redskins.com Thursday.