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Dan Wetzel
Washington, as much as any team in the NFL, should know about the importance of a franchise quarterback.
And Washington, perhaps more than any team in the NFL, should know that as much as a quarterback is needed to lift a franchise, the franchise, in turn, needs to do its part in protecting him so he can keep lifting.
That should have been true even before Jayden Daniels was injured while playing late in a blowout loss on Sunday.
Back in 2012, Washington appeared to have a QB savior in Robert Griffin III, a dynamic Heisman winner who bested Andrew Luck and Russell Wilson to win NFL Rookie of the Year.
Then came the first quarter of a wild-card game against Seattle, when Griffin’s right knee buckled. Rather than putting in backup Kirk Cousins, coach Mike Shanahan stuck with the clearly compromised Griffin.
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Why keep your starter in for the end of a blowout loss? Why, especially, when he was battling a hamstring injury that limited his mobility. If he had to be there, why not just a steady diet of hand-offs?
«I know many of you have been asking about the thought process of Jayden being in the game in that situation. I get that,» Washington coach Dan Quinn said this week. «I’ve been thinking about it honestly nonstop too, and for me the answer is, man, I missed it.»
Credit Quinn for owning the mistake; still, this was costly. The coach said Daniels would be out «a while,» which is not ideal for a 3-6 team.
Yes, football is still football. It is a tough sport. A dangerous sport. There is no way to get around the fact that injuries, often significant ones, can occur at any time to anyone.
Josh Allen (6-5, 237), although Buffalo hardly wants him exposed to as much contact as Daniels has been. For Washington, Daniels is lost in a season that is now likely lost as well. All that’s left is the hope that he can make a full recovery and Quinn & Co. reevaluate everything about how to manage their most important player.
«We will give him the support … in every single way,» Quinn promised. «It’s calls, offense, defense, the whole way through. I absolutely feel that way. The hamstring injury and tonight with the elbow, it’s really important that we get that part right. And we will.»
The franchise which, after failing to protect their last young star quarterback, spent years searching for a new one, now needs to remind itself of a lesson that should have already been learned.
The phrase «franchise QB» has two parts to it, after all.
