Dan Orlovsky’s two suggestions for Dwayne Haskins to improve originally appeared on NBC Sports Washington
Football guru Dan Orlovsky is starting his own quarterback meeting room, beginning with Washington's Dwayne Haskins.
The focus of these quick-hit videos, Orlovsky says, will be to describe what aspects of the game these QBs, especially the young ones, are doing well with and provide feedback to parts of their game he'd like to see them improve.
The cerebral ESPN analyst has 12 years of experience playing under center in the NFL himself. Haskins surely can take note of any and all constructive criticism Orlovsky has to offer.
"What do I love through two games? First of all, (Washington has) gotten off to rough starts on offense the first two weeks. He has kept playing through those rough patches, continued to lead his team," Orlovsky said. "He came back Week 1 and kept his team in it in Week 2. So, just the mindset. I love the mindset of 'moving onto the next play.' Building good habits for the long term of your career. So, Iove that out of Dwayne."
That's a foundational positive to start with for Haskins. The most obvious example of which was his halftime speech that helped Washington rally back after going down 17-0 to the Eagles. The same heroics didn't come to fruition in Arizona, but Haskins still did his best to close the gap in the fourth.
While a never-say-die attitude is an important mentality to have in the NFL's most important position, the former Ohio State Buckeye can't dwell on what he's doing well in his first full season as a starter. Orlovsky knows this too, and had these two suggestions to help the sophomore QB have the chance at being a "really good player for a really long time."
Download and subscribe to the Washington Football Talk Podcast
"First of all, his feet. I want him to become a technician with his feet," Orlovsky said. "He's not one of these quarterbacks that makes all these off-platform, feet-all-over-the-place throws. But when he's a technician with his feet, even in-game, he's a really good player. Become a technician through your progressions in the pocket with your feet.
RELATED: Chris Cooley finds major flaws for Dwayne Haskins in Week 2 film breakdown
"Then, No. 2, don't assume. You can predetermine where you're going to go with the football or predetermine where you want to work with the football -- but don't assume...I want you to predetermine a plan or predetermine a progression instead of assuming."
There it is -- footwork and patience. They're staples of growing as a QB in this league, and improving in those areas will better Haskins' game tremendously.
"So, there's a lot of good on tape. There's a ton of room to grow. We've got to be aware of what's around him," Orlovsky said. "But through two weeks, that's the thing he's doing well, and those are the two things I really want him to focus on moving forward."
