Rivera picks the wrong passer

RIDING THE PINE Dwayne Haskins probably deserved to be benched, but with him sitting games out, the Washington Football team won't know if he learned anything.

There is every reason in the world to admire Ron Rivera and the courage and perseverance the Washington Football Team coach has shown while battling cancer in this most unusual NFL season ever.

There is every reason to love, savor and appreciate Alex Smith’s comeback from a leg broken in two places and the 17 surgeries needed to repair it and allow him to resume his NFL career.

The problem is Rivera’s insistence on starting Smith at quarterback is a terrible decision that, at best, could set the team’s development back for who knows how long.

It’s not Smith’s fault. He paid for his second chance – literally – with blood, sweat, and tears. And throwing for 325 yards in yet another close, grim loss to the New York Giants on Nov. 8 showed Smith still has it. That’s despite three interceptions, the last two of which cemented the outcome for the Giants.

“Unfortunate,” was Rivera’s description of the miscues. “He tried to make things happen and forced things and, unfortunately, bad things happened each time.”

Rivera already made one horrible decision the first time Washington played New York, going for the two-point conversion and the win instead of playing the odds and forcing overtime. The WFT lost, 20-19.