The Steelers’ fans last Sunday found themselves in a bit of the same quandary as the British army did in 1775. They couldn't figure out where Washington was.
While the Brits were worried about George Washington, it's James Washington about whom Steelers fans are currently concerned.
The second-round draft pick played sparingly in the team's 21-21 tie last Sunday in its opener at Cleveland and did not have a pass thrown his way. That had fans wondering what happened to the player who had lit up the preseason with seven receptions for 158 yards and two touchdowns.
Ben Roethlisberger cleared some of that up Wednesday as the Steelers (0-0-1) began preparations for their home opener Sunday against the Kansas City Chiefs. The Steelers quarterback said the rookie is going through some of the same struggles that have plagued other young receivers in their first year.
"If you think about it, they need to learn the offense," Roethlisberger said. "Then they need to learn all of the extra hand signals. Then they need to learn the no-huddle stuff. So, there is a lot to learn. You ask guys to do a lot of things. We asked JuJu (Smith-Schuster) to do a lot because we moved him around and asked him to play multiple positions. I think it is hard enough to learn one position, but James is getting it. He’s learning and when I test him out there on the field, he gets it and he understands it. Now it’s just translating that to on-the-field stuff."
To Roethlisberger's point, the Steelers have been hesitant to use their rookie receivers extensively early in the season for much of the past decade.
Smith-Schuster, who had one of the best seasons for a rookie receiver in team history, played just 25 snaps in the opener last season against the Browns. He got 38 snaps the following week against Minnesota, then had just two more games the remainder of the season in which he played fewer than 50 snaps.
In 2014, Martavis Bryant not only didn't see any snaps in the opener, he wasn't even active until Week 7, when he finally was active in a win over Houston. Bryant caught two passes for 40 yards in that game, including a 35-yard touchdown on his first NFL reception.
The year before, Marcus Wheaton got just seven snaps in the opener and 20 snaps in his first three games before finishing the season with 159.
Finally, Antonio Brown barely played at all as a rookie, appearing in just nine games and catching 16 passes for 167 yards.
As Roethlisberger suggested, it's not just about knowing the regular offensive plays. He needs to trust that receivers are going to be where he expects them, know the hand signals for the no-huddle offense and what adjustments need to be made off of them.
That's an area where Washington admits he's still learning.
"Yeah, because I'm so used to college days," he told me. "It's a lot different here with the hand signals, because when they change the plays with hand signals, you've got to remember what each position does because you can be in any of those positions. That's probably the most challenging thing for me, but we're getting there."
Washington also suffered an abdominal injury in the team's third preseason game that limited his practice time.
But at some point, possibly even this week, you can expect Washington to surpass Justin Hunter, who played more than 40 snaps against the Browns. It's just a matter of when, not if.
"He’s just got to keep working," Mike Tomlin said. "He’s a young guy. He’s made some plays in preseason football. He’s made some plays in a training camp-like setting. He played some on Sunday. That will continue. It’s just the natural maturation process or development that all players go through. What happened with him Sunday is no reflection of the trajectory of his career, whether it was positive or negative.
"In the big scheme of things, he’s been here a very short period of time. I know it seems like he’s been here a long time for him."
So patience will be the key, even if Washington is accustomed to playing -- a lot. He appeared in every game of his freshman season at Oklahoma State, catching 28 passes for 456 yards and six touchdowns. He then finished his career by posting over 1,000 yards receiving in each of the next three years.
And he's aware it's a long season. After all, Smith-Schuster not only didn't have a catch in the opener against Cleveland last year, he had just 17 receptions through the Steelers' first seven games before finishing the year with 58 catches.
"It's just a process you have to go through," Washington admitted. "You put a rookie out there, his eyes are going to be huge because he's vulnerable to so many things. I feel like they're kind of working me into it. Once I'm there, it will be like I didn't skip a beat. I'll be there with everyone else."
That realization has been what has helped Washington from becoming frustrated at the few snaps he's gotten with the first-team offense.
"It was at first," he told me of the frustration.
At first? Even though he played just 11 snaps Sunday, something he told me he had never done before.
He's learned to swallow his pride.
"A little bit," he told me. "But that's a good thing because you learn to start fresh."