Washington head coach Ron Rivera shared one of his goals for quarterback Taylor Heinicke earlier this week.
In the wake of Heinicke’s two interceptions in last Sunday’s loss to the Bills, Rivera said that he wants the quarterback to “do things in more of a game-manager way” because “bad things seem to happen” when Heinicke tries to force things. Some quarterbacks have bristled at the game manager label over the years, but Heinicke said on Wednesday that he’s happy to wear it.
“I have no problem with it,” Heinicke said, via Nicki Jhabvala of the Washington Post. “That’s what every quarterback should be — game manager. You take what’s there, take what’s given, and you move the ball down the field. That’s something I want to do; that’s something I want to be, but at the same time I know there’s also other aspects of my game that can help, whether it’s on my feet or whatnot. ‘Game manager’ is fine with me. Just keep moving the chains, get the ball in those guys’ hands and score some points.”
Heinicke’s riskier plays have sparked the offense at times, but he said “the biggest thing is just sticking to the game plan” and not going off script when the opportunity presents itself. He’ll test that approach out in Atlanta this weekend.