Heinicke is making people believe, but Georgians already did

ATLANTA — In the locker room after a thrilling win, Washington Football Team quarterback Taylor Heinicke grabbed his phone. He tapped out a text to Earl Williams, the skills trainer who had helped convince him not to retire during the summer of 2020, who had helped train him all fall until Washington gave him the call he thought would never come.

Williams, his wife, Lori, and others had driven from near Buford, Ga., to see one of the NFL’s most improbable stories — one known simply as “Taylor” or “T” to them. Heinicke had led his second last-second comeback in three weeks, this one against the hometown Falcons.

“Hey man stay around,” Heinicke wrote to Williams. “I got a present for you.”

The victory was significant to Heinicke. Despite his success in Georgia growing up — the Collins Hill High standout set records, led the Screaming Eagles to the Class 5A semifinals and was named one of the state’s best players as a senior — his previous game against the Falcons looked to be the end of his career. In December 2018, in his first NFL start, the then-Carolina Panthers quarterback threw three interceptions and partially tore his triceps in a loss to the Falcons.

This time, Heinicke arrived on a high. He was not only a starter but a hero: A few fans at Mercedes-Benz Stadium wore T-shirts commemorating his iconic pylon dive in the 2020 postseason. His sister Lauren, who had become pregnant shortly after he stopped crashing on her couch last fall, introduced him to weeks-old Jack. Heinicke had “60 to 70” other supporters in the stands, he estimated, including the high school kids he trained when he was out of the league.

“It was pretty emotional there for a little bit,” Heinicke said. “It means a lot to me.”

Outside the stadium, Williams began walking toward Washington’s team buses in a back parking lot. He met up with Jake Banta, a close friend of Heinicke’s, and they rehashed a few throws. One of Williams’s favorites was Heinicke’s second touchdown to Terry McLaurin to draw Washington within two. He thought the pass, which was risky, showed Heinicke’s headiness.

“You know why he did that, right?” Williams said.

“Looked like his arm got hit,” Banta said.

“He threw the ball because it was [man-to-man] coverage,” Williams replied. “The back of the defender was to him, so he was smart about it because [McLaurin] was coming back to the ball ...”

“And the guy didn’t even see it,”

Banta finished.

After Washington’s defense stuffed Atlanta, Heinicke got the ball back with 1:47 left. What came next didn’t surprise Williams or Banta. Heinicke couldn’t connect with McLaurin and instead found reserve wide receiver DeAndre Carter for 24 yards, slot man Adam Humphries for 19 and running back J.D. McKissic for four. On his last snap, Heinicke worked to McKissic, who was his fifth read, and checked down. The running back took it 30 yards for the go-ahead score.

The late-game poise felt familiar to Williams. He had seen the 28-year-old win shootouts like this for years, especially in college at Old Dominion, and he thought it showcased his intelligence and mobility. There were a few throws Williams didn’t like, but he thought the check-down to McKissic was a good example of Heinicke winning with his head. With the game on the line and with tight coverage on his top target, Heinicke zoomed through his progressions to keep his throwing windows open longer. Williams insisted “these are the kind of games that make franchise quarterbacks.”

“He grew up some more today, and if he continues that way, he’s going to be a problem,” he added. “I don’t care who he plays against. … He’s going to be a problem.”

Near the bus parking lot, Williams and Banta walked up to a fence. A security guard rushed over and told them they weren’t allowed to stand there. But Heinicke told Williams to stay for his present, so they waited on the other side of the street. Friends of other players cycled through until the stadium sent a dozen police officers to line the sidewalk.

Inside, at a news conference, Heinicke praised his offensive line, McKissic and McLaurin. He explained the touchdown to McKissic came on a “flood concept,” where all of the other receivers went left, and said he made better decisions this week than he had the week before in a blowout loss at Buffalo. Heinicke game-managed like coach Ron Rivera wanted with check-downs and had no turnovers.

“Just got to be smart with it,” he said. “I think today we did that.”