Haskins is making the grade for new coordinator Turner
During an unprecedented NFL offseason with limited face time and logistical challenges, one of Scott Turner’s trustiest tools is the quiz. The Washington Redskins’ new offensive coordinator tests secondyear quarterback Dwayne Haskins, among others, at the start of their meetings: What coverage is this? What is this motion called?
“Dwayne’s doing a great job,” Turner said on a video conference call with reporters Wednesday. “You can tell he’s putting the work in away from the meeting time.”
The working relationship between Turner and Haskins is crucial. Offensive coordinator and quarterback are one of the most important pairings in any organization, but for the Redskins the significance is heightened. In the short term, the two men are tasked with implementing a new system — without physical time together, in two-hours-per-day, four-days-per-week chunks — and improving an offense that with similar personnel last season scored the fewest points per game (16.6) in the league.
Turner and Haskins are young — 37 and 23, respectively — and headed for their first full seasons in their roles. They will rely on a variant of “Air Coryell,” an old offensive philosophy named after Don Coryell, the former San Diego Chargers coach whose vertical attack expanded NFL passing games in the late 1970s. Turner’s father,
Norv, ran a version of the offense when he coached the Redskins in the 1990s, and now Turner has brought it back to Washington with modern twists.
Because Air Coryell stretches the field, defenses often counter with coverages that eliminate deeper routes. With Carolina, the Turners exploited underneath passing lanes with running back Christian McCaffrey, who became one of the league’s most dangerous weapons. The Redskins have acquired hybrid backs and wide receivers from similar molds; Turner mentioned Steven Sims Jr., Antonio Gibson and J.D. McKissic as examples.
“Balance is not just run and pass [play-calls],” Turner said, pointing out that five receivers are eligible on every play. “True balance is using all five of those guys in the run game or pass game. Guys that are able to do different things, it gives you more options. … You want to be as unpredictable as possible.”
Boiled down, the core of Turner’s offensive philosophy is “options.” And that matches up with how the team addressed some of its unsettled positions during the offseason, stockpiling wide receivers, running backs, tight ends and left tackles — even if it didn’t acquire clear-cut starters for most of those roles.
“What we didn’t want to do is handcuff ourselves,” Turner said before imitating a conversation among coaches: “‘Hey, this is the guy, and we’ve got to play him.’ ”
“I just want the best players possible,” he said. “I don’t care if they’re rookies or 10th-year guys.”
Under center, Turner believes Haskins will become The Guy. He praised the signal caller’s pocket presence and ability to push the ball downfield. He commended Haskins’s performance on those quizzes, when the quarterback puzzles out not only what defenses were doing but what they would do next. He said, most importantly, that if Haskins doesn’t comprehend a concept the first time, he works to figure it out.
“A lot of play in this league is confidence,” Turner said. “Obviously you have to have this skill set that we all believe Dwayne does, but it takes a while for guys to truly believe that they can do this and that they can play in this league. It is highly competitive, and it humbles everyone.”