Moments ago Coach Jay Gruden officially named his starting QB for the 2015 season. Gruden made the announcement by saying “It’s Kirk’s team.”
Gruden made it clear that Kirk Cousins would remain the starter for the entire 2015 season. Gruden believes that Kirk Cousins gives this team the best chance to win. Gruden mentioned that Cousins has taken the biggest leap forward in his offense, and with that said that Cousins won the job because of his performance, not due to Robert Griffin III‘s injury.
This is something that has been brewing for awhile now, however it’s a head scratcher that the Redskins decided in the off season to name Griffin the starter…even before OTA’s and Training Camp. Jay Gruden said the reason for naming Griffin the starter pre-maturely was due to trying to avoid distractions. The issue with that is now the starting QB of this team is going into week 1 of the regular season only having played a whole 2 quarters with the 1st team offense. There is no question that Cousins could have used the extra time in camp to build dynamic with the guys he would be playing with, as opposed to practicing with the 2nd and 3rd teams.
Many people question Cousins’ ability to overcome adversity. His biggest flaw right now is the interceptions. Cousins has worked very hard in the off season to improve on his mistakes and cut down on the turnovers. Cousins has had a very strong preseason and showed that he could bounce back from an interception. Cousins has shown that he can manage the game from the pocket, get passes out fast, and remain calm under pressure. These are things that have been lacking from the Quarterback play, but Cousins certainly looks improved in the preseason. Hopefully he is able to carry the momentum over against a strong defense vs Miami on September 13.
Having covered the Redskins here in Richmond and being able to see all of the Quarterbacks up close, Cousins was not the strongest QB out there. However, it should be noted that there are a lot of players out there that struggle in practice but are able to flip that switch on game day. This is certainly not a decision that most fans or anyone saw coming (at least this early), but hopefully this can relieve the Redskins of some of the distractions and be able to move forward with out drama.
Based on the information that I received it’s clear that most of the team feels like Kirk Cousins is the best Quarterback on the team and gives Washington it’s best chance, the team should rally around Cousins and he could surprise some people. If not Scot McCloughan will certainly be looking to draft a QB in 2016.
As far RGIII, Gruden said the team has no plans to cut him. Take that however you want but anything is possible, especially at Redskins camp. Many wonder if it’s the best choice to leave Griffin on the team or cut him and allow him to find his own team that works for him. Griffin is due a good amount of money next season due to his 2016 extension (not even getting into that one), so that should also play a factor. Perhaps just cutting ties and allowing all parties to move on is not only best for business, but also for fans who are exhausted and tired of hearing/debating the topic and ready to just talk X’s and O’s.
RCC will be monitoring the situation closely, but there is no question this is a plot twist indeed. Interesting to see if Kirk Cousins is able to take advantage of the opportunity given.
Also on another note, Gruden has confirmed that Colt McCoy will play the entire game in the final preseason game against Jacksonville.
The Kirk Cousins era has officially begun in Washington, let’s see what Captain Kirk is able to do.
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