While Kirk Cousins Still Calls The Redskins "Robert's team" Coach Gruden Simultaneously Said It Might Be Kirk's Now
Cousins:"I won't change my statement that this is Robert's team."
— Mike Jones (@MikeJonesWaPo) September 23, 2014
NFL - Acknowledging his place in the hierarchy of the organization, Kirk Cousins reiterated his understanding Tuesday that the Washington Redskins remain Robert Griffin III’s team. Coach Jay Gruden, on the other hand, is backpedaling from his August declaration that Griffin holds “the keys to the franchise” in his hands. Asked if Cousins might permanently replace Griffin in Washington, Gruden replied, via the New York Daily News, “Crazy things have happened in NFL. I’m not going to discount anything.” Gruden could have remained noncommittal. He could have changed the subject. He could have brushed aside a long-simmering quarterback controversy and stood firmly behind the charismatic star for whom the franchise mortgaged three consecutive drafts. Instead, he conceded the reality that the NFL is a week-to-week operation. Plans aren’t written in stone; they flow like a river. As much as the Redskins have invested in Griffin via draft picks and marketing, the episodic nature of the NFL’s schedule creates storylines that send seasons careening in directions never imagined. Events can unfold to thicken plots and change plans.
This is so night and day from last season it’d ridiculous. A level-headed coach whose main focus is to win, and a starting QB saying all the right things. Cousins is of course going to say it’s RG3’s team. He has said all along that he is here to be the backup, and right now he’s just filling in for the starter. And then Gruden. Wow. I love it. He’s here to win football games, not start drama. He doesn’t care about the past. He doesn’t care about the number of draft picks they gave up for him. If he feels Cousins gives the team the best chance to win football games, he’s going to roll with Cousins. And I think that’s the way it should be. We’ve all been very impressed with Cousins so far. He has another soft defense on Thursday vs the Giants, and then the real test will be the Monday night game vs the Seahawks. If he continues to succeed, there’s no reason to put injury-prone RG3 back in at QB1. If he starts throwing picks and floaters, by all means revert back. But as Gruden said, things change. Things happen. You have to adjust.
