Coming on in relief of an injuredRobert Griffin III, Washington Redskins backup quarterback Kirk Cousins produced the highest Total QBR in the NFL on Sunday.
The ease with which Cousins moved the chains has left Redskins fans wondering if New England Patriots officials were correct in their training-camp assessment that he is a better fit than Griffin for coach Jay Gruden's offense.
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According to Mike Wise of The Washington Post, Gruden himself has wrestled with the same conundrum since taking over the team.
Wise reports, via a person with knowledge of Gruden's thinking, the rookie head coach realized this summer Cousins was better suited to run the West Coast offense even if the exorbitant draft-pick investment in Griffin mandated staying the course.
While Griffin was struggling to master the offense and still working through obvious mechanical flaws dating back to a disastrous 2013 season, Gruden insisted there was no quarterback controversy and publicly backed RGIII as the face of the franchise.
Rather than washing his hands of a uniquely talented quarterback who just two years ago authored the best rookie quarterback season in NFL history, Gruden was resigned to taking a few early-season lumps as he transformed Griffin into a legitimate pocket passer.
Now that Cousins is doing his best Andy Dalton impression in Griffin's stead, Gruden can concentrate on winning games as opposed to holding his quarterback's hand through an arduous developmental phase.
"I feel like we can win any game with Kirk Cousins," Gruden said after Sunday's win over the Jags. "Kirk is a special guy. He started four games last year and didn't have great success, but obviously has a skill set that I feel like is very much suited for what we do. He can handle it mentally, and obviously, physically. I feel that he can make every throw in the book and we are going to move forward with Kirk."
It's a telling quote, especially the "very much suited for what we do" part.
NFL Media's Aditi Kinkhabwala reported from team headquarters Monday there is no quarterback controversy because the Redskins understand Cousins doesn't share Griffin's dynamism. Privately, the team's brass has to wonder if Griffin will ever fulfill that potential.
Not long after Mike Shanahan mortgaged the future of the organization for the rights to the Heisman Trophy winner, local celebrity Tony Kornheiser declared that RGIII was ushering in an "era of unbridled optimism."
Two years later, the Redskins are coming to grips with the tepid reality that their dynamic quarterback might never inspire those giddy feelings again.
The latest "Around The NFL Podcast" recaps every Sunday game from an upset-heavy Week 2 in the NFL, and considers what RGIII's injury could mean for the Redskins.
