News: Haskins or Keenum? Gruden's not telling.

Washington Redskins head coach Jay Gruden still deciding between Case Keenum and Dwayne Haskins to start vs. New England Patriots in Week 5. DJ Swearinger sounds off on Redskins, Gruden.
Dwayne Haskins | Bill Kostroun-Associated Press

The Washington Redskins suffered another defeat in Week 4, falling to the division rival New York Giants 24-3 on Sunday. But there's good news; change has come. The question going into Week 5 is whether that change, (particularly at quarterback), is here to stay. Jay Gruden said Monday that he would not yet announce a starter for the upcoming matchup with the reigning world champion New England Patriots. Both Dwayne Haskins and Case Keenum are in the running, even after Haskins spelled Keenum mid-game against the Giants, and out-snapped him 33 to 18. One thing to keep an eye on is who takes the majority of first team snaps in practice this week. 

The quarterbacks weren't the only ones making news on Monday, with former Redskins defensive back DJ Swearinger taking to social media to straight flatten head coach Jay Gruden, saying that Gruden "is incapable of winning." One other question that lingers after an 0-4 start, are the Redskins the worst team in the league? Surely they can't be worse than the Miami Dolphins, right? 

Good, Bad, Ugly: Redskins have nowhere to go but up after Week 4 :: Redskin Maven

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The Good: Quinton Dunbar, who stymied Giants WR Sterling Shepard and hauled in two interceptions. 

The Bad: Head coach Jay Gruden and Dwayne Haskins, who both unprepared for Haskins to play on Sunday. The choice to put Haskins in was exciting but maybe misguided. With the New England Patriots up next on the schedule, the team might revert right back to Case Keenum and spare Haskins the embarrassment, but they may be better served throwing him to the lions and letting him fight his way out.   

The Ugly: The Redskins' defense. Facing off against a rookie QB in Daniel Jones, who was minus his No. 1 option in Saquon Barkley, the Redskins D simply couldn't hold up. They had their moments, gathering four turn overs, but that still didn't hold up against their failures. 

Dwayne Haskins should start against Patriots in Week 5 :: Redskin Maven

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Back to the 'Bad' guy from above. Haskins is in it now. The Redskins have broken the safety glass and it's time to see what the prized 2019 No. 15 overall pick has to offer. Haskins was clearly unprepared for action in Week 4, but with a week of first team reps, and foresight to game plan around him, the coaches ought to turn to No. 7 again in Week 5. 

DJ Swearinger lights up Redskins coach Gruden in Instagram comment :: Redskin Maven 

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You don't quit jobs, you quit bosses. Swearinger let rip on his former employer, the Redskins organization, and specifically lowered the shoulder on  head coach Jay Gruden. The whole quote speaks volumes, but among the highlights, Swearinger says Gruden is incapable of winning, that "it ain('t) in him to coach discipline," and "Mediocre work get('s) you beat." 

How did Dwayne Haskins' NFL debut compare with other Redskins draft picks? :: NBC Sports

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When compared to previous rookie quarterbacks in the Redskins illustrious history, Haskins had probably the worst debut, at least statistically. Robert Griffin III was a world beater, but most of his fellow comps were in line with what Haskins did, but the current QB had the detriment of getting thrown in without any first team work during the week. Give Haskins credit for slinging it, he showed guts. 

Redskins waiting to announce starting quarterback for Week 5 vs. Patriots :: CBS Sports

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The choice will become clearer as practices start up later this week. Who's getting first team reps? How many? Keenum is the easy, veteran option but Haskins, who broke the seal Week 4 against the Giants is ready to come on. Gruden will hold his cards close to the vest for as long as he can. 

 "I can make a decision now. I might've already made a decision. But I'm going to let it play out because I need to see these guys perform. I don't need to make an announcement and then change my mind on Friday. I want to come out here and let these guys practice and then hopefully somebody will take the job and run."

Overreaction Monday: The Washington Redskins are worse than the Miami Dolphins :: Redskins Wire

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Of all the overreactions that came out this morning, this may be the hottest take; "The Washington Redskins are worse than the Miami Dolphins." That's saying something, considering the Dolphins are almost deliberately losing, having intentionally depleted their roster in hopes of lining up a high pick in the 2020 draft and with it their next franchise QB. 

Yea, we said it. It may end up being true, but at the moment, after the Redskins have fallen to an 0-4 record with no answer in sight, it classifies as a hot take, at best.

While both teams are 0-4 with a long list of embarrassing losses on their schedule so far and a revolving door at quarterback, there is one reason that Washington gets the nod here for the worst squad:

Snap Counts: Redskins-Giants, Week 4 :: Redskins.com

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Given the final score it'll come as no surprise that the defense (78) topped the offense (51) for total snaps. 

Shout-out to the offensive linemen, who lead their offense week in and week out in snaps. Hogs need love too. All five offensive linemen played 100% of the snaps in Week 4, so did both the starting safeties, Montae Nicholson and Landon Collins. 

Other notable snaps for Week 4 include Dwayne Haskins (33) vs. Case Keenum (18) and in Terry McLaurin's absence Paul Richardson led all receivers with (45) snaps. 


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Burke Downer
BURKE DOWNER