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Washington Redskins: It’s Just Training Camp

By Hunter Noll

Jul 28, 2016; Richmond, VA, USA; Washington Redskins quarterback Kirk Cousins (8) throws the ball during drills as part of afternoon practice on day one of training camp at Bon Secours Washington Redskins Training Center. Mandatory Credit: Geoff Burke-USA TODAY Sports
Jul 28, 2016; Richmond, VA, USA; Washington Redskins quarterback Kirk Cousins (8) throws the ball during drills as part of afternoon practice on day one of training camp at Bon Secours Washington Redskins Training Center. Mandatory Credit: Geoff Burke-USA TODAY Sports /
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The Washington Redskins training camp is in full swing, and that means two things. One, football is back, and two, it’s time for some overreactions.

Throughout the NFL season, there will be a startling number of overreactions by fans, teams, players, and analysts. These overreactions will be both positive and negative.

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There will be the team that gets blown out week one and won’t win a game all year. Teams will start 4-0 and be heralded as the next perfect season. Players will have great or dreadful games and have full season predictions thrown at them.

One of the biggest times for overreactions is training camp. This is the time of the year where virtually every Dallas Cowboys fan will tell you that they’re going to win the Super Bowl.

The reason for this is because fans have been waiting for football for so long that they’re ready to jump on the smallest story lines and make them big. Throw in the fact that there’s a bunch of no name guys that will be making plays against team’s stars, and you have a recipe for strong overreactions, both good and bad.

Jul 28, 2016; Richmond, VA, USA; Washington Redskins wide receiver DeSean Jackson (1) catches the ball in front of Redskins cornerback Josh Norman (24) during drills as part of afternoon practice on day one of training camp at Bon Secours Washington Redskins Training Center. Mandatory Credit: Geoff Burke-USA TODAY Sports
Jul 28, 2016; Richmond, VA, USA; Washington Redskins wide receiver DeSean Jackson (1) catches the ball in front of Redskins cornerback Josh Norman (24) during drills as part of afternoon practice on day one of training camp at Bon Secours Washington Redskins Training Center. Mandatory Credit: Geoff Burke-USA TODAY Sports /

Yes, some of these overreactions may come to be true. Basing a full prediction off of a bad day at training camp seems pretty bold though, doesn’t it?

Two players that have been subjected to this the most for the Redskins have been Josh Norman and Kirk Cousins.

Let me start with Norman. There are plenty of videos where the cornerback is performing a one-on-one drill. In a few of these videos, he gets beaten (like any human ever), and people are making this more than it should be. First off, one-on-ones are completely unfair to the cornerback.

Holding the play to an incompletion is an incredible accomplishment. There is no one else to mess with the quarterback, cover the field, or help cover the receiver. No help over top, no help in the middle, so the receiver can make any cut and be open if you don’t make it with him exactly.

No, Norman getting burnt a few times by above-average receivers like DeSean Jackson and Pierre Garcon isn’t a sign of things to come this season.

Then there’s Cousins. The quarterback is entering just his second season as the starter, and is still splitting the Redskins fan base a little bit. Some of the fans are ready to anoint him the savior of the franchise, while others think he’s nothing more than a bridge to the next QB in Washington.

Training camp hasn’t helped this argument. He’s made some spectacular throws, but he’s also had his fair share of under throws and complete misses.

Great play by Bashaud Breeland here. A lot of the fans aren’t paying attention to that however. There’s a lot of people complaining about the pass from Cousins.

Yes, it’s absolutely an under throw, but a lot more goes into it. First off, Breeland had Jackson pretty well blanketed. A perfect throw might have resulted in a touchdown, but other than that, it was going to be incomplete. Throw in the fact that this was a one-on-one drill and there’s a lot of pressure on Cousins to make that perfect throw.

There are no other options for him to throw to, he can’t scramble and create more time, decide to run on the play, or dump it off to a check down. He’s got one option, and he’s got to throw it to him during his actual route.

So Cousins makes a bad throw, it gets picked off, and instead of complimenting the coverage by Breeland, fans have complained that Cousins is looking bad this training camp.

He’s working hard, shouldn’t that the biggest takeaway from camp (via Tim Rohan of Sports Illustrated)?

All I’m asking is that Redskins fans start taking training camp a little less seriously for players of this caliber. Yes, spots are won in training camp, Cousins and Norman aren’t losing their spots though. A bad play doesn’t define a season.

More nfl spin zone: Washington Redskins: Watch the Cornerbacks in Camp

Cousins threw an interception in a one-on-one drill, it happens. For anyone that didn’t know, Tom Brady has thrown 150 interceptions in his regular season career, so I think Redskins fans shouldn’t be too worried about Cousins throwing them from time-to-time.

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