Washington Redskins: Kirk Cousins Deserves Real Shot

By Andrew Long | Sep 1, 2015

The Washington Redskins have officially announced that Kirk Cousins will be their starting quarterback for the 2015 NFL season. I initially felt Robert Griffin III was the superior player. But, after a few games of preseason action, it’s apparent that Cousins is more prepared to lead the offensive attack in Washington at this time.

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Cousins has played well this preseason and, while negligent with the football, has shown the ability to deliver during the regular season, too. He’s 2-7 as a starter, so his win percentage is lousy, but a lot of that is on the team as whole. He’s thrown for a total of 18 touchdowns and 19 interceptions in his career.

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The high interception total is scary. Cousins has thrown an interception on 4.7 percent of his passing plays. That’s a staggering amount of picks. To put things in perspective, Brett Favre and Eli Manning have career 3.3 interception percentages. If your interception percentage is higher than theirs, you should probably tone it down a bit.

Aug 20, 2015; Landover, MD, USA; Washington Redskins quarterback Robert Griffin III (10) is looked at by trainers after suffering an apparent injury against the Detroit Lions during the first half at FedEx Field. Mandatory Credit: Brad Mills-USA TODAY Sports

If Cousins is going to make the move from backup to long-term starter, he’ll have to bring down the amount of interceptions he throws. His interception percentage more than doubles that of RG3‘s, as Griffin commits an interception on only 2.2 percent of passing plays. Griffin’s low interception rate comes at a price though, as he’s often sacked because he holds onto the football for far too long.

Cousins’ pocket awareness, and overall movement while inside of the pocket, is a definite upgrade over what Griffin brings to the table. Taking a quick look at their sack percentage will tell you that. According to Pro Football Reference, Cousins has been sacked on 3.8 percent of his drop backs, while a passing play led by Griffin ends in a sack 8.7 percent of the time.

Griffin’s high sack rate is what ultimately kills a lot of drives for the Redskins. The fact that he has trouble making the second and third read is problematic. The horrid line in Washington is at fault for a lot of the sacks that Griffin takes, but, at the same time, he causes a lot of the sacks by cluelessly dancing around in the pocket.

A big reason that Cousins gets sacked less is because he knows where to deliver the football if the first or second option is covered. Instead of tucking it and attempting to scramble, he’ll go through his progressions in an effort to find an open player. His high interception total proves that he doesn’t always make the best decision, but that’s something that will only improve with time.

With only nine starts over his three year career, Cousins has never had the luxury of actually having the starting quarterback job. Starting games and being a starter are two very different things, and whether or not Cousins is capable of performing as an actual starter will be decided this season.

That changed during a Redskins press conference when head coach Jay Gruden was asked if there was any news regarding the quarterback situation. “Yes, we do have news,” Gruden said. “We have announced that Kirk Cousins will be the starter for 2015, moving forward.”

It’s Kirk’s team.

“It’s Kirk’s team,” the second-year head coach emphatically uttered. In doing so, Gruden attempted to end any and all conversation regarding the starting quarterback job moving forward. Cousins won’t have to worry if he has a bad game. He won’t have to have to look over his shoulder with each interception thrown.

Gruden has made it very clear that it’s Cousins’ team from here on out. Still, even after stating that Cousins will be given a real opportunity as the starter, people will likely throw Griffin’s name out after every bad play. I can almost guarantee it, actually.

Dec 14, 2014; East Rutherford, NJ, USA; Washington Redskins head coach Jay Gruden talks with quarterback Robert Griffin III (10) during the third quarter of a game against the New York Giants at MetLife Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Brad Penner-USA TODAY Sports

If Cousins so much as throws a bad pass, people will begin clamoring for Griffin. If he throws a few unwarranted interceptions, people will begin clamoring for Griffin. If the team loses a few games in a row, people will begin clamoring for Griffin. Basically, if Cousins doesn’t absolutely play lights out football, an almost incessant amount of chatter will surround Cousins, Griffin, and the team.

If the Washington Redskins truly want to give Kirk Cousins an opportunity to flourish and prove his worth, they’ll have to rid themselves of Robert Griffin III. I believe that RG3 is still capable of performing at a high level; just not on this team. The environment that currently exists at Redskins park is toxic, and it’s something that cannot be sustained.

For the Redskins and Cousins to succeed, they’ll have to give him a legitimate shot and, sadly, that’s not going to happen with Griffin on the roster. He’s simply too big of a name. His presences on the roster will do nothing but bring negative attention to the organization.

The Redskins have created an absolute circus, and the only way to break it up is by removing the main attraction. If Kirk Cousins is going to be the guy to lead them into the 2015 season, then he deserves a real shot. A shot sans Robert Griffin III.

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