Heinicke embraces plan to become more of a ‘game manager’

ASHBURN — Sunday’s game will be a homecoming of sorts for Taylor Heinicke. He grew up in suburban Atlanta, though he wasn’t a Falcons fan. His father, he says, was from Wisconsin, so, that made him a self-described “Cheesehead” — a Green Bay Packers diehard. 

“I grew up a lot watching Brett Favre,” Heinicke said, “and Aaron Rodgers.” 

Heinicke’s taste in quarterbacks, in hindsight, helps explain a lot when it comes to his own playing style. Despite his lack of size, Heinicke exudes the same type of gunslinger, throw-caution-to-the-wind confidence that defined Favre and is evident in Rodgers. But, as Heinicke is learning, sometimes the reward isn’t worth the risk

As Washington prepares for the Falcons, coach Ron Rivera said he wants Heinicke to become more of a “game manager” in certain situations. In Sunday’s loss to the Buffalo Bills, Heinicke forced too many throws into tight windows — leading to two costly interceptions. His completion percentage was a season-low 58.3. 

The game manager label has its negative connotations — it’s become a shorthand for overly cautious quarterbacks too quick to rely on checkdowns. Former Washington starter Alex Smith was tagged with the nickname “Captain Checkdown” early in his career. But Heinicke and Rivera both say “game manager” is a label they can live with.

“Sometimes that is really just taking what’s given to you,” Rivera said. “Go ahead and throw the checkdown, go ahead and throw the drag or the slant as opposed to, ’OK, I’m going to wait for the dig to get it to that middle window. … We’ll live with the right decisions.” 

“I have no problem with it,” Heinicke said. “That’s what every quarterback should be: A game manager. Take what’s given. You move the ball down the field. That’s something I want to do, something I want to be.” 

When Heinicke watched the tape of Sunday’s loss, he saw plenty of situations where he could have made a better decision. On his second interception, for example, Heinicke tried to force the ball into triple coverage — leading to the turnover. But after analyzing the film, Heinicke said he noticed tight end Logan Thomas wide open underneath. “Maybe it’s only a five-yard route on third-and-17, but, hey, you get it to him quick, maybe he’s got the first down,” he said.

Either way, the play would have likely avoided a turnover — one that was costly given Washington was already down multiple scores at that point.

Rivera said Heinicke needs to better understand that there’s no such thing as a “17-point play.” The quarterback, at times, has pressed to make things happen when Washington is facing a deficit, which has led to additional mistakes. Rivera said Heinicke has generally improved in that area — this is their third season together, dating back to Carolina — but it’s something that inexperienced quarterbacks must learn. 

Wide receiver Terry McLaurin said the team’s wideouts can also help Heinicke by doing a better job in terms of running cleaner routes and catching passes. The offense has occasionally stalled with drops, notably by rookie Dyami Brown and veteran Cam Sims. 

Still, Rivera said “there’s a time and place” for Heinicke to take big plays down the field.

“If you watch the way Tom Brady plays — and everybody wishes they had a Tom Brady — he’s very systematic,” Rivera said. “He handles it. He controls the game. He controls the tempo. He controls the pace. He makes great decisions and all of a sudden, he’s throwing big bombs, big balls down the field.  … If you look at it, at times, Tom Brady knows, ‘Hey, I’m going to manage it here. I’ve got to make a play here.’

“That’s really what you want your quarterbacks to do.” 

At one point Wednesday, Rivera was asked about another quarterback on his roster that does have a better track record of making the safer type of play: Kyle Allen. 

If Rivera does want more of a game manager, would he consider switching to Allen? Even with Heinicke’s off performance, Rivera shut the idea down quickly. 

“I’m not afraid to play Kyle, but I don’t want Taylor looking over his shoulder,” Rivera said. “For right now, I’m going to stick with Taylor because honestly, that was Taylor’s fourth start ever. It was his first start on the road. … It’s all part of the growing process that Taylor will go through as a quarterback.”