Ashburn, VA – In the infancy of this 2015 off-season – mid-February to be exact – three things conspired to cause a ruckus within Redskins Nation:
- Sources revealed that the Washington’s back-up quarterback Kirk Cousins has gone to Florida to train with Jon Gruden, the brother of Redskins’ head coach Jay Gruden.
- Former head coach Mike Shanahan went on ESPN980 (Redskins’ owner Dan Snyder’s radio station) and talked about what happened during his tenure here with regards to quarterback Robert Griffin III, his injuries and the relationship between Snyder and Griffin and;
- Jay Gruden stated in a press conference held during the NFL Combine that Griffin will be the starter “going into the season” (whether that means the regular season opener or training camp is yet to be determined) even though the 2015 season has not even begun by league standards.
That these things all happened practically at the same time is astounding in some regards and not at all surprising in others. Were yesterday’s events transpiring when they did a weird coincidence? Not all. It would be naïve to think none of them are related. While I seriously doubt that Shanahan cares so much about what happens in Washington that he went to the trouble to find out when Gruden would have his press conference so that he could make his news public at the same time, the timing of Shanahan’s interview is indeed strange.
But it’s hard to believe that what the head coach said about Robert starting in 2015 wasn’t, at least in part, a result of him finding out that Cousins was working with his brother. Gruden’s first year in Washington was nothing if not enlightening and he knew that there would be a huge amount of speculation surrounding Cousins’ ambitions and Gruden’s close relationship with his brother. No doubt he realized as soon as he found out that he needed to nip what was sure to be the resulting media pandemonium in the bud.
There is a school of thought that the directive to name Griffin starter may have been issued from above. That would be no surprise but that is a subject for another day. The point is that, after an uncertain and tumultuous 2014 season full of quarterback changes and talk of competition, Gruden has turned the tables and announced that Griffin is his starting QB. It would be in Griffin’s best interest to take full advantage of the proclamation.
RGIII endured injuries and benchings over the last couple of seasons but, by the end of 2014, he was the starting quarterback again, if only because of an injury to his backup (Colt McCoy). Actually, he should have been starting as soon as he was healthy anyway so that he could work through learning the new system as well as his mental and mechanical problems in the pocket. But Gruden was a first-year coach and he obviously realized too late that being so took more time than he — or his offensive coordinator Sean McVay — had to devote to coaching his young signal-caller effectively. In the end, Gruden felt he needed to win games and, in his opinion, McCoy gave the team the best chance.
“I think I probably put too much on Sean last year,” Gruden said during his presser yesterday. “I thought I’d be a little bit more hands-on with the quarterbacks than I probably was, so I thought it was important to add another set of eyeballs that can really focus and hone in on the quarterback position.”
Gruden’s remedy for the hands-on problem was to hire Matt Cavanaugh as his quarterbacks coach. The latter’s job will be solely to improve Griffin — and any other quarterbacks on the roster.
“Robert is a hard worker,” Gruden said during his presser yesterday. “He works hard on his body and his strength, but we will have things drawn up for him, specific things that he can do to get better from the quarterback position mechanics-wise, throwing-wise, drop-wise. He has a good idea of what we did in OTAs and during the season with footwork and fundamentals that he’ll continue to build on. Hiring Cavanaugh will only help in that process.”
Gruden had indicated at the end of last season that there could be a competition in training camp for the quarterback position. The announcement he made yesterday contradicts this.
It would be hard to believe though that, if Griffin arrived at training camp after all of the OTAs and mini-camps with no improvement; and Cousins was better, Gruden would just carry on with him as starter no questions asked. If he did, he would not only eventually lose games, he would lose the locker room and probably his job. He cannot afford this in his second year as a head coach. Wouldn’t he have to initiate a competition for the quarterback position?
Competition is actually what Griffin needs… for his own level of confidence as well as the team’s confidence in him (and in the coaching staff). Technically, the starting job should already be his to lose. But he was so inconsistent and the quarterback carousel was spinning so fast last season that he was never truly entrenched as THE man, either by his play or by his coach. Now his teammates need to see that he deserves the job, not that he is entitled to it because of either what was given up for him or because the owner really likes him. That ship has sailed and it ended up in worse shape than the Titanic.
It’s been well documented that there were players in that locker room in 2014 that were not in Griffin’s “camp.” This means the young man already has somewhat of an uphill battle in winning over his current and future teammates.
Gruden’s statement yesterday was the best thing that could happen for Griffin right now… if he will use it as motivation to put in the right kind — and amount — of work. He is a ferocious competitor he is and has amazing talent… he now needs to put in the hours and hours of film study required to learn the position, as well as continue his physical workouts.
Griffin can re-establish his status at Redskins Park other ways as well. He needs to be willing to run whatever system Gruden deems will be the most successful for him, no matter what the plays are. That may mean running more read-option and keeper plays than he apparently wants to but, he must realize that he has a special set of skills that so many quarterbacks don’t. It’s a proven fact that his athletic gifts can put a defense on their heels for an entire game if they think that Griffin is a run threat. Following his coach in this way will show growth/development as a football player and less of the diva he has been said to be. It would result in him becoming the leader he has indicated he wants to be more by action than words.
Robert basically needs to work at his craft right now to the exclusion of all else. He will be working with QB guru Terry Shea during this offseason and, while likely a good thing for Griffin’s confidence, who knows if it will help his mechanics? RGIII worked with him last offseason too and did not show much improvement over his 2013 form. As well, the Baylor grad needs to embrace whatever Cavanaugh teaches him once he is allowed into the facility for conditioning workouts, OTAs and mini-camps. Unfortunately, the Redskins should have had a QB coach last year and didn’t. Now they do and Griffin should take full advantage of it.
With Cousins working down in Florida with his brother, Jon, Jay was smart to make this announcement yesterday no matter how early it is. Anytime the Redskins do anything, it’s going to be talked about. But having a backup quarterback working with the head coach’s older brother during the time the players are not allowed contact with the staff is newsworthy. Would Jay be communicating with Cousins through Jon? Was this a way for Cousins to get a leg up on Griffin? This head coach’s success is going to rise and fall with Robert THIS year. It is a critical season for both of them and they should lean on each other to make it successful. Whether or not Snyder insisted Gruden make the statement that Griffin is the starting quarterback for 2015 is subject matter an entire commentary on its own (coming next). What’s important right this minute is what Griffin does with this most recent revelation.
RGIII has been given a huge “thumbs up” from his organization. He now needs to run with it and prove he deserves the vote of confidence, regardless of where and why it came.
If Griffin has grown up… if he is beyond the apparent immaturity that supposedly caused him to do things like set edicts regarding acceptable or unacceptable plays to his coach or spending too much time with the owner, then this latest announcement from Gruden could be great for the QB. This is his chance to take the football and run with it.
Hail.