When DJ Swearinger fired off his post-game comments about the play-calling of defensive coordinator Greg Manusky, there was an assumption his words was the voice of the locker room. That is until second-year defensive lineman Jonathan Allen tweeted the exact opposite shortly after Swearinger’s comments.
Sunday, Redskins head coach Jay Gruden seconded Allen’s tweet when he said in response of Swearinger’s comments, saying the safety was not the voice of the locker room and he doubted Allen, Daron Payne, and defensive captain Mason Foster felt the same way about Manusky.
Swearinger was released Monday after meeting with Gruden. Swearinger announced the results of the meeting during an live on-air interview with 106.7 the Fan’s Grant Paulsen. During the interview, which lasted roughly 30 minutes, Swearinger and Paulsen discussed multiple topics stemming from his release. One of those topics was Allen’s tweet of support of Manusky, indirectly underlining Swearinger’s post-game comments.
“I play defensive back, watch a lot of film. When you play D line — not taking anything away from Allen, he plays D line, he’s in his second year — all they have to do is rush the quarterback or stop the run,” Swearinger responded (h/t the Washington Post). “It’s a different mind-set when you talk about a DB that’s been in the game for a long while or a D lineman who hasn’t been in the game for a while. The DB and linebackers play a lot of coverage; nine times out of 10, the D line they rush so they don’t know what’s going on back there.
I guess he’s a young player and he doesn’t know about calls in the back end and, you know, he said the right thing. He said Greg Manusky called a good game. He had a great game, Jonathan Allen had a great game. Why wouldn’t he say that when he had a great game? If he had a good game then of course he’s going to say he called a good game. That said, he doesn’t play in coverage, he doesn’t play in the back, he doesn’t know what’s going on in the back end. He’s taking up for his D coordinator as he should. But on my end, I’m taking up for the players and the guys that’s going to war with me.”
Allen has been linked as one of the leaders on the team. And whether it was his intentions or not, he in fact undermined Swearinger. His tweet changed the narrative and perspective of Swearinger calling out the defensive coordinator.
With that said, Swearinger is correct in the fact that his viewpoint of the defensive scheme or the play-calling would be different from Allen or any other defensive lineman. Their responsibilities aren’t the same.
Nonetheless, the two contrasting takes paint a vivid picture of how the Redskins’ locker room may be, right or wrong. One thing is for sure, the Redskins lost a talented safety and now have created a huge void and added to their growing list of needs heading into the off-season.
