WASHINGTON — It’s hard to believe that we are having this conversation
after what we witnessed just two short years ago, but Robert Griffin III’s
days in Washington are all but done.
I can’t believe that I’m saying that,
but it’s true.
That’s right, the former Heisman Trophy winner and Rookie of
the Year may have played his last game in D.C.
Just two years ago this week he was torching the Cowboys on Thanksgiving Day
en route to an NFC East title and playoff game. So much has changed since
then and today Jay Gruden officially named Colt McCoy the starting quarterback
this Sunday against the Colts. The coach is looking at this week for now. He
hasn’t made any promises that it will be this way for the remainder of the
season, but it’s kind of hard to imagine him going back to number 10.
This is the second year in a row that Griffins’ coach has benched him because
he isn’t good enough to be on the field. Gruden made it very clear in last
week’s press conference that there are plenty of fundamental flaws with
Griffin’s game right now. He wants him to sit back and learn the offense a
little more.
“I think he just needs a little more time in the system with the verbiage and
the plays,” Gruden said to Indianapolis reporters during a conference call
Wednesday.
The frustration has been building for Gruden since the off season. Remember
how poorly Griffin played in the preseason and everyone was asking if there
were a quarterback controversy? Gruden could see this day happening from
then.
The coach did say that Griffin will be the backup quarterback this week. What
does that say on how he feels about Kirk Cousins?
The numbers don’t lie, Griffin is 4-14 in the last two years as a starter for
this team. He hasn’t won a game in more than a year and has consistently
missed open receivers this year while struggling to run Jay Gruden’s system.
I’ve always been a supporter of Griffin and thought he would be the guy here
for quite some time. That’s not breaking news. I gave him the benefit of
the doubt after all the nonsense last year with the Shanahans and thought that
a new coach would give him a fresh start. I always thought that you can’t make
a decision on a quarterback after just three years, two of which he sustained
major injuries.
I understand what Jay Gruden is doing here, he is a first year head coach and
is doing what he needs to do to give his team the best chance to win football
games. He has convinced Dan Snyder and Bruce Allen that they must sit Griffin
and that he can’t win with him right now.
“We’re all on the same team. We’re all on board,” Gruden said. “There hasn’t
been any arguments, ‘You play him. You do this. You do that.’ I think,
ultimately, it was the coach’s decision but they’re on board. Had they been
adamant and said, ‘No, play him [Griffin III],’ I don’t know what would’ve
happened. I do know that they’re on board with the coaching decision to play
Colt McCoy this week.”
That being said, I still would like to see him play the final five games of
the year. Gruden was asked about that,
“I think there’s a case for that, but there’s also a case that Colt’s 2-0 and
he played very well at Dallas on Monday Night Football.”
I don’t think Colt McCoy is your quarterback of the future so why not see if
Robert can somehow learn over these next five weeks and maybe play himself out
of the funk?
Gruden has decided that he is not going to win football games with Griffin and
that’s it. There is no going back now.
“I’m prepared to give Colt every opportunity to keep the job,yes.” Gruden said
on Wednesday.
While Griffin is partly to blame for how this is going to end, I put a lot of
blame on the organization as well. From the day they traded four draft picks
to move up to draft him to his rookie year where his family was allowed access
to the halls of Redskins Park or even the post game locker room at Fed Ex
Field. Remember when Dan Snyder stayed behind in Dallas to have Thanksgiving
dinner with Griffin after the game? I could go on.
The excitement of 2012 is long gone and after this season Dan Snyder, Bruce
Allen and the Redskins will go back to the drawing board trying to figure out
whom their franchise quarterback is, yet again.
Stop me if you’ve heard that before.
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