And while these were the comments that finally doomed Swearinger in D.C., so to speak, he had a habit of publicly criticizing various aspects of the team throughout his two seasons with the Redskins.
The pattern continued into this season, Swearinger sounding off after an embarrasing Monday night loss to the Saints.
"I've been preaching, trying to change the culture," he told reporters. "We go to practice, there shouldn't be any (freaking) joking around. Shouldn't be any more joking around from nobody. We got blew out."
"Home games, that's some of the worst things I've seen," Swearinger went on to say. "I've played on four different teams. Never seen it that bad, you know with other teams' jerseys in the stands, with the boos, whatever it may be. I've never been a part of nothing like that."
A few weeks later, Swearinger was back to criticizing teammaters for not practicing hard enough before the Thanksgiving loss to the Cowboys.
However, after a 40-16 loss to the Giants, Swearinger appeared to insinuate something was wrong with the play-calling.
"Can't say it's the players. We're the same players. We're the same guys. We've put in the same work. We're practicing hard. I'm speaking for my (fellow defensive) players. We're practicing hard. … I can't give you no answers to that because I'm not the coach, but I know we're trying to do what we need to do on defense as players."
But then on Saturday came the straw that finally broke the camel's back, and there was no mistaking this time to who and what Swearinger was referring.
“I feel like we should’ve been more aggressive,” Swearinger said about the late game play that ended in an illegal contact call on Fabian Moreau. “Feel like in 3rd down and six playing a backup quarterback why would you put us in man-to-man? We’re at our best as a defense when we have our eyes on a quarterback. When you go one high on a backup quarterback? That's easy man! They gonna go backside every time. It’s a bad call. It’s a horrible call. You don’t put Fabian in that situation on a backup quarterback. Regardless of the call, the ball was overthrown. But I just feel you put us with our eyes facing the quarterback with all the talent we have on the back end, we could dominate every team every week.”
“If I’m the d-coordinator, I’m calling zone every time on 3rd down every time cause you got a backup quarterback,” the safety said. “Make him beat us. Make him (think), 'Oh okay, it’s zone. Go here.' I’m gonna go pick you off. If it’s man, 3x1, you’re going back-side every time. A kindergarten quarterback knows that man.”
Wherever Swearinger signs next, it will be his fifth team in six NFL seasons.
