Ron Rivera: Kyle Allen would have “leg up” in shortened training camp

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When Washington traded for quarterback Kyle Allen, head coach Ron Rivera said that the team would head into training camp with the belief that Dwayne Haskins is their starting quarterback.

At this point, though, no one can be sure that training camp will be starting on time or that it will unfold in the usual fashion. Rivera addressed that prospect and said that a condensed schedule after a canceled offseason program could wind up boosting Allen because of his familiarity with Rivera and offensive coordinator Scott Turner from their time in Carolina.

“If that was the situation Kyle would have a leg up on the situation, most certainly. . . . If we were told, hey, you’ve got two weeks to go, I would feel very comfortable with Kyle because here’s a guy that knows the system, has been in the system and could handle it for us for a period of time, and we’ll see how that goes,” Rivera said, via Jenny Vrentas of SI.com. “That’s kind of the thought process behind it for us.”

It will likely be some time before there’s clarity about schedules for camp and the quarterbacks in Washington will be watching closely for that information.

21 responses to “Ron Rivera: Kyle Allen would have “leg up” in shortened training camp

  1. Well a full TC with Allen already knowing the system gives him a leg up still.
    Either way don’t be shock if Allen is the starter regardless, Haskins sucks.

  2. Why would a new head coach wants to be hamstrung to another guy’s bust draft picks?
    Haskins can improve, so he still has a chance in the future.

  3. It’s discouraging to hear any head coach put his foot on the scales of open competition for a starting job, when your on a (TEAM) that should allow for the (BEST) player to have an opportunity without prejudice!!

  4. If they start the season with Kyle Allen they’re in trouble. I think he’s there to help bring Haskins (or who ever they draft) get up to speed.

    Saying Allen has a leg up, is intended to light a fire under Haskins because the new staff didn’t hire him and aren’t committed. Haskins was reported to be lazy in his preparation last year… that’s not going to fly anymore.

    Haskins is many multiples more talented than Allen, but he’ll need to fight for the job… it’s a pretty simple message (the coach is sending).

  5. Haskins-Robbins, the fake QB who throws more flavors of interceptions than just about anyone, is not going to be ready to win – possibly ever. When a rookie QB is a starter, the ones who will be great has something about them that rises up and you see it even if he loses games. Haskins-Robbins has no intangible. He rides waves. He does not make them. He is not a leader and he could be replaced by a statue without any drop off in offensive output.

    I hope Haskins-Robbins is traded to some other stupid team for a ham sammich and a bag of chips. He is not worth more than that.

    I’m not saying Allen is going to be great, but he has more upside potential evident by his play than that fraud from Ohio State.

    As for determining whether a QB is a bust after 7 games, start producing the plays that would give you hope that he is above average. Right now he has a body of work that only shows multiple ways to throw an interception and precious few wins. Even if he lost games, there should be something you can point to that demonstrates “he has it”. Well, he has nothing. He has demonstrated a profound inability to move the ball consistently and the fact that he was less awful as the season went on does not mean he was good. He never was.

  6. Ron Rivera is a fool or incompetent if he thinks Kyle Allen is a better option than Wayne Haskins. Allen is not in Haskin’s class. It’s not even close.

  7. Kyle Allen is a better quarterback than Dwayne Haskins for what the Rivera-led offense requires of the position. Allen reads defenses better than Haskins right now, and I am pretty sure he is more mobile as well. In a vacuum Haskins has a higher ceiling than Allen, but for what they will want to do on offense, Allen is better.

  8. Rivera’s loyalty is going to cost him another job! Allen can’t read defenses and is a turnover machine. I never saw Haskins play, but I can’t imagine he is worse than Allen, who struggled mightily with world class talent at RB and WR. If I were a skins fan, I’d hope they take Tua at 2 over Young.

  9. They don’t have CMC and Allen was one of if not the worst deep ball passer in the league last season…playing D against the Skins just got a lot easier.

  10. If there is even a possibility of Kyle Allen supplanting Haskins than the Skins need to draft Tua. The talent difference between Haskins and Allen is significant so if Haskins can’t beat out Allen than you need to be drafting Tua because Allen is definitely not the answer. And who cares if Allen knows the system better, are we playing for just today? That’s like saying if the Niners brought Colt McCoy and Jimmy G at the same time that Colt would win the job because he knows Kyle’s offense better. For as much as people blast Haskins rookie performance lets look at Kyle Allen’s last 9 games: 16 INT’s, 34 sacks, 10 TD’s. That’s atrocious considering he had weapons like McCafrey and DJ Moore which is significantly better than what Washington has. Kyle Allen is clearly not a starting QB in the NFL, so if you think he can beat out Dwayne, time to search for your new QB. There are no guarantees you will have a top 2 pick again and be in position. I love Chase Young as much as the next guy but QB is the most important position in the NFL and to be honest Dline already is the Skins strongest unit. They even have the cap room if they want to shell out the cash for Clowney and pick Tua at 2. Regardless, if you go into the season with Ryan Kerrigan and Montez Sweat as your starting DE’s, you will live with that.

  11. There is no underlying code to Rivera’s words here. Kyle Allen knows the offense better so with no prep he would be the guy they would use. But Dwayne Haskins is the likely eventual starter this year, if the season goes ahead.

  12. Haskins was a second round pick drafted in the first round because the Redskins terrible owner already knew him. He is basically a much less intelligent, lazy version of Byron Leftwhich, so there’s the upside there, a vastly inferior Leftwhich. Good luck Redskins, keep it up. Maybe Alex Smith will bail you out.

  13. Kyle Allan can be a really good nfl starter he performed well considering he was an undrafted rookie with a terrible offensive line. Watching the games when given time he is an incredibly accurate qb.

  14. Given Alex Smith’s unavailability, the Skins needed a solid backup, and that’s what Allen is – a workmanlike player who knows Scott Turner’s system. In that sense, he’s a great backup for the team to have.

    Rivera is smart to make it clear that the job must be won – and stay won – and by all accounts, Haskins has been working hard in the off-season. People who watched the games saw how quickly Haskins made big strides, and made throws to the deep corner and on the run that were eye-opening. People who didn’t watch didn;t see it, and that’s fine. They’ll see it on the field in the fall.

    Competition is good! But it’s highly likely #7 will be under center Week 1.

  15. Dwayne Haskins is the most underrated young quarterback in the league. He has elite arm talent. AT OSU, he beat out Joe Burrow for a starting position and then dominated the Big Ten by throwing 50 touchdowns (and only 8 interceptions) in one season. While he started slowly in Washington, in his last 4 games his qb rating was in the top six. Sure, Dwayne would be hugely disadvantaged trying to learn a new offense without a camp (if it comes to that) but make no mistake, Haskins is the real deal.

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