By Rich Tandler
Most teams’ collective eyes light up when they get to face a rookie quarterback. Visions of multiple takeaways and an easy win dance through their heads.
The Washington Redskins, who face the Carolina Panthers and rookie quarterback Cam Newton on Sunday? Not so much.
The last six times the Redskins have gone up against a team starting a rookie quarterback, they have lost.
Yes, you read that right. The Redskins have a six-game losing streak against rookie quarterbacks.
The skid goes back to Oct. 15, 2006 when Vince Young and the 0-5 Tennessee Titans came in to FedEx Field and beat Washington 25-22. As has been the case for most of Young’s career since, he didn’t post dazzling numbers—he completed 13 of 25 passes for 161 yards and a touchdown—but his team did post the W.
Later that season, Bruce Gradkowski’s Bucs beat Washington 20-17. In 2007, the Bills’ Trent Edwards was the quarterback in that painful game played a few days after Sean Taylor died. Joe Flacco and the Ravens beat the Redskins 24-10 in 2008.
When the Lions broke their 19-game losing streak against the Redskins in Week 3 of the 2009 season, it was rookie QB Matthew Stafford leading the way. Finally, last year Sam Bradford of the Rams posted his first NFL victory in St. Louis’ 30-16 win over the Redskins.
There it is—six games over five seasons under three head coaches and three different defensive coordinators.
A common theme in these games is a lack of takeaways against the inexperienced signal callers. In the six games, the Redskins have a total of three interceptions. They also have not been able to generate much pass pressure against the rookies. The Redskins sacked Young three times in the Tennessee game. In the five games against rookies since the Redskins have a total of three sacks.
If the Redskins are unable to stop the bleeding against rookie quarterbacks against Newton and the Panthers, they should get one more chance later this year as it now seems likely that Christian Ponder will be the quarterback for the Vikings.
Note: Some have pointed out that the Redskins defeated the Bucs in 2009 with Josh Johnson, who was in his first NFL season, at quarterback. But Johnson was not a rookie by the NFL’s definition since he had been on Tampa Bay’s practice squad the previous season. If you want to set aside this technicality and call Johnson a rookie, that’s fine. It is only slightly less embarrassing for the Redskins to have lost to first-year signal callers in six of their last seven tries.
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