The Washington Redskins have fared so poorly in their first two games of the season that people are legitimately questioning whether the team would be better off playing Kirk Cousins at quarterback since Robert Griffin III is nowhere near 100 percent healthy.
Washington coach Mike Shanahan was asked on Monday whether he has considered benching RG3 for Cousins, and he gave a big smile and pretty much laughed off the suggestion. But there are people who think they should make the switch to Big Cuz, and former Indianapolis Colts coach Tony Dungy is one of them.
Dungy just doesn’t think Griffin is ready to play at the level he needs to be at.
“You always want your big guns out there, and they want to be out there — they want to be out there to help their team,” Dungy told Dan Patrick on Monday. “But I’m seeing a guy who is not doing the same things that he did last year. So you’re saying we’re going to change the offense, we’re going to tailor it, we’re going to keep him safe and let him throw from the pocket, he’s still a good quarterback. And he is all that. But he’s not 100 percent, and he’s not presenting the problems that he did in the past.”
In addition to not being the same dangerous presence that he was, Dungy is concerned that Griffin could get hurt.
“They’re not really what they need to be,” Dungy told Patrick. “And he can do that, and maybe they’ll win some games, but I’m worried about him getting hurt. You’re just sitting in the pocket, you’re not taking off, you’re not playing instinctually, you’re not just letting it flow. You better be winning to take that risk. I think he’s at risk sitting in the pocket like he is right now, and that’s why I would consider taking him out.”
[Related: Pierre Garcon says RG3 is slowed by knee brace]
Dungy says he is not sure whether Cousins would give Washington a better chance to win than RG3 and that he would need to see another game with Griffin starting to make his decision. Dungy agreed with what Patrick pointed out, that Griffin missed the preseason and still has room to improve. But based on what he has seen for two games, Dungy thinks Cousins is a better option.
“But what I’ve seen off the last two games, yes, Kirk Cousins I think running that offense the way it is now would give them a better chance.”
I had my concerns about RG3 entering the season for the exact same reasons that we’re seeing. Adrian Peterson is an extremely unique case, not an example of what should be expected in someone’s recovery from knee surgery. How could we expect Griffin to play like he did last season when he’s less than 10 months removed from reconstructive knee surgery, wearing a big brace, missed the entire preseason, and is being discouraged from running? It all spells bad news and it’s a reason why Washington’s first month of the season was probably doomed from the start. It’s tough to say it, but it might not be a bad idea for Washington to give Griffin the season off to recover and gain full confidence before sticking him out there.
Helmet smack to DC Sports Bog
