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Derrius Guice 2.0

Amid all the crap that Redskins fans have lived through since Week 10 of the regular season (when Brandon Scherff was injured), one bright pinpoint of light has shined in the 2019 future — the return of Derrius Guice

By Bill-in-Bangkok
NFL: Washington Redskins-Training Camp Geoff Burke-USA TODAY Sports

Remember the excitement that we all felt when Derrius Guice was drafted by the Redskins with the 59th pick in the 2018 NFL draft?

It was like Christmas came twice. In 2017, Jonathan Allen — expected to be a top-10, or even top-5 pick — fell all the way to 17. A year later, Derrius Guice — considered to be perhaps the 2nd best running back in the draft behind Saquon Barkley — was still available after the Redskins had traded down in the second round, picking up an extra third round pick along the way.

Then, over the next few months, Derrius Guice did everything possible to make himself the most popular player on the Redskins team.

He came to DC and hit the streets like a tourist, taking pictures and posting on Twitter and Instagram as he went.

Click here to read Skins Stats: The 100 Stat Salute to Derrius Guice by James Dorsett

Guice was at the Capitals games sitting with the rest of the fans, celebrating DC success in sports.

He was at the basketball game, posing for pictures with his growing cadre of fans.

A fan of video games, especially Fortnite, Guice was routinely playing the game and involving his (mostly younger) fans in the fun.

Then he took it out of cyberspace and into “real life”. One day, Derrius Guice sent a Tweet out saying that he wanted to go bowling and asking if anyone wanted to join him. He announced the location he was going to, and then showed up. Again, he welcomed fans like old friends, posed for pictures, signed autographs and quite genuinely ingratiated himself with the fans.

Pretty soon, bowling became as much a part of the evolving Derrius Guice brand as video games.

Through it all, Guice appeared to be genuine, happy, and enjoying it all. He had an ever-present smile and a level of charisma that simply broke any meter ever devised by man. Guice wasn’t just a football star; he was a man of the people, and the people were growing to love him.

In off-season workouts and training camp, Guice continued to be a favorite with Redskins fans (and those from LSU), often staying on the field interacting with kids and adults alike after most other players were already showering and changing clothes. His patience seemed infinite.

Finally, the day came when Redskins fans were going to be able to see the newest team hero in action in burgundy and gold in an NFL preseason game against the New England Patriots.

His official stat line for the day says he got 19 yards on 6 carries, but his 7th carry was a 34-yard run that was negated by a holding penalty. The play ended with Guice writhing in pain on the field. He had torn his ACL and his rookie season was over.

Guice’s reaction to the news?

Derrius Guice was out of the spotlight for a while. We found out later — after it became known that Alex Smith had suffered a complicating infection following his injury — that the same thing had happened to Derrius Guice, and that he had stayed with is family in Louisiana as he fought to recover.

But the electric smile has never wavered, and Derrius Guice has continued to enrich both his home state of Louisiana, and his newly adopted home in the DC area.

September

October

November

December

January

There’s something to look forward to in 2019 Redskins fans: Derrius Guice 2.0.

We’ve got a talented running back with a radiant smile who runs over the opposition on the football field.

Our guy is a man of the people with charisma to burn.

Training camp with Guice should be high-voltage.

A season with Derrius carrying the ball behind (hopefully) a healthy and reinforced offensive line should add a dimension to the offense that will give us all a reason to be excited.

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