Jon Gruden believes the Washington Redskins are playing Colt McCoy at quarterback over Robert Griffin III for a simple reason: the former Longhorn is the best quarterback on the team right now.
Gruden, who is an analyst for ESPN and the brother of Redskins head coach Jay Gruden, gave an interview to ESPN Radio Wednesday where he talked about the Skins.
Gruden gave his opinion of why RG3 isn’t matching the success he had as a rookie.
“They’re not running the plays that they ran his rookie year,” Jon Gruden said. “I think the dive-option, the read-option, the read-option passes, I think the NFL has caught up with that. And if you don’t become an all-around quarterback, you’re going to struggle to sustain yourself. You’ve got to understand pass protections. You’ve got to be able to flourish in the pocket. And with the injuries, perhaps his mobility [decreased] and perhaps all the hits he’s taken have taken a toll on him. But he’s got to continue to develop as a drop-back passer. E.J. Manuel in Buffalo, who was a first-round pick, is going through the same thing. And it’s going to be a process.”
Though Gruden was particularly critical of McCoy while providing commentary for Washington’s Monday night win over Dallas, the analyst praised McCoy.
“But Colt McCoy deserves a little credit for being 2-0 in the games that he played in,” Jon Gruden went on. “He completed 36 out of 42 [passes]. We saw him on ‘Monday Night Football.’ I’m anxious to see how this kid can play, because he deserves the football.”
Gruden believes staunchly that despite what Washington gave up to get Griffin, McCoyy is more deserving of the chance to play.
“[Griffin] was benched last year right around this time of year, and he’s benched again. He’s got to play better to deserve the right to play. And it doesn’t matter what system; [that] doesn’t matter at all. You’ve got to find a quarterback, period, and that’s what the Redskins are trying to do. And Colt McCoy right now’s the best one they have.”
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