WASHINGTON — The Redskins are into the offseason, and while future success is not guaranteed, more playoff football looks to be on the horizon because the team had the courage to make a tough decision before the start of the season and switch quarterbacks.
After Robert Griffin III was hurt in the 2013 playoff loss to the Seahawks, questions swirled around the Redskins like blitzing linebackers.
The 2012 season was magical, and what Griffin accomplished should never be forgotten. But after his knee injury, everyone wondered whether he and the Redskins would recover. The knee was healthy enough for Griffin to play, but it seemed he had lost a step, and opposing teams had gained an advantage.
The 2013 and 2014 Redskins seasons were a blur, but in that fog Kirk Cousins received opportunities to play. He had success. He had failure. As the backup to a quarterback who was the face of the franchise, Cousins could have doubted his place in the NFL.
Instead, he stayed ready. Cousins believed in ability, and it came through when he talked about the future — even when he was going through a period when his interceptions outnumbered his touchdown passes.
Now, the words Redskins and chaos are no longer used in the same sentence. The franchise has real direction, and the football people in charge — General Manager Scott McCloughan and head Coach Jay Gruden — have the support of the ownership to make decisions.
The biggest decision of this past season was Gruden’s choice to make Cousins the starter for the entire year. There was not a short leash. Cousins did not have to worry and look over his shoulder, wondering whether Griffin or Colt McCoy were a bad play away from replacing him.
Cousins looked straight ahead, and the team moved ahead and made the playoffs. The honeymoon is over, if there ever was one. Cousins knows he will have to get even better because opposing teams will get better.
Expectations for the Redskins are now higher and so is the pressure, but Cousins, after all he has been though, has proven he can handle it.
