Regardless if he stays or not, the Redskins need more Pierre Garcons on their roster
by Jamual Forrest
Pierre Garcon’s 2016 campaign was a fantastic one for the soon to be free agent. The 30 year old receiver finished with 79 receptions for 1041 yards, and unfortunately just three touchdowns. From a production standpoint he showed the type of player he is: he’s a solid route runner who can run every route in the route tree, he can get over the top of a defense, which was something we thought he was not capable of. He’s a physical player at a position many aren’t, and he’s a team’s most reliable target as a receiver. Of his 114 targets this year he’s only had 1 drop, a 0.9% drop percentage. His game resembles that of current Detroit Lion Anquan Boldin, a reliable target who can make the tough catches nobody else can’t, be involved on every drive and keep the chains moving.
It’s not just the stats and his production on the field that makes him valuable, it’s his competitiveness, attitude and passion. Garcon has been one of the most underrated Redskins during his 5 years with the team. Throughout this 2016 season many started to recognize the importance of Pierre Garcon because prior to this year people thought he was just a guy who “gets the job done” like a Jason Witten, nothing special. His willingness to get physical in the run game and lower his shoulders as opposed to eluding as a ball carrier has stood out. There have been moments where he has stood up for his teammates when situations have occurred on the field. For example, in the season finale during a situation near the sidelines, he wasn’t even involved during the play, but came from the sideline to stick up for a teammate who was involved in the situation. Another instance where he showed his passion was the game winning touchdown run by running back Chris Thompson and he celebrated as if he scored the touchdown himself.
In the last 2 games of the season, he had his 3rd and 2nd best games of the year. In the Giants game there were two specific plays where you recognized Pierre Garcon’s effort and determination, trying to put the team on his back. In his 3rd catch of the game, he caught a pass about 12 to 14 yards from the line of scrimmage and ducked a defender turning the catch into a 49 yard run to the Giants 23 as the Redskins at the time trailed 10-0. The second play was his 4th and last catch of the game on the game tying drive down 10-3. In that play, he took a 3rd and 17 deep into New York territory for 21 yards and drew an unsportsmanlike flag to set Washington up on the 1 yard line that resulted in a touchdown pass to Jordan Reed. The effort given by Garcon in that game is an example of the type of player he has been throughout his 5 years here. The Redskins lack that type of character throughout this team.
Many have spoken post-game after the loss, most specifically Will Blackmon, saying the Redskins need more leaders in the locker room. Pierre is one of those leaders. In head coach Jay Gruden’s final press conference for the season he spoke on that, stating “[w]e’re going to have free agents. We’re going to lose some of our free agents. It’s our job to make sure we target the ones we definitely want back that really have an impact on this football team, not only from a talent standpoint but from a leadership standpoint. Both of those areas are very important to me, almost more so as a leadership standpoint. A lot of these guys have talent, but we have got to make sure we keep the great leaders in this building.”
These are things that hinted at Gruden’s appreciation of Garcon. Earlier in the year Gruden spoke on his practice effort which is great as well. It is undeniable that he bring to the table not just his abilities as a productive receiver but his character traits as well. This team needs to be infused with many more Pierre Garcons, who take their craft, practice, and games as seriously as does Pierre.