Washington Redskins must fix these problems
Oct 27, 2013; Denver, CO, USA; Washington Redskins quarterback Robert Griffin III (10) lays injured after a sack by Denver Broncos defensive tackle Terrance Knighton (94) (not pictured) in the fourth quarter at Sports Authority Field at Mile High. Mandatory Credit: Ron Chenoy-USA TODAY Sports
3. Quarterback Play
There’s bound to be talk of a quarterback controversy essentially every year in the nation’s capital. In 2014, it was healthy and thriving controversy, as the carousel of Robert Griffin III, Kirk Cousins, and Colt McCoy took turns being below-mediocre quarterbacks in Washington. Every quarterback has major issues. Griffin has poor pocket awareness and has “cabin fever” — he’s trigger-shy and often times doesn’t throw the ball when receivers are open. Cousins had a big problem with throwing picks and not showing up in the fourth quarter, and McCoy dealt with injuries and was inaccurate on more passes than Redskins fans would have liked.
Cousins essentially said that he’d want a trade if Robert Griffin III remains the starter. On that note, Gruden should have an open quarterback competition between Griffin and Cousins. No, he shouldn’t acquiesce to Cousins’ demands — no quarterback on Washington’s roster played well enough in 2014 to have earned the starting job for 2015. If Cousins had replicated his play from the Jacksonville game (Week 2) and the Philadelphia game (Week 3), he may have earned the job, but his interception issues came about. Cousins did manage to put up 41 and 34 points in those two games on offense, which were Washington’s two highest point totals per game in 2014.
Drafting someone like Marcus Mariota or Jameis Winston doesn’t make much sense (because the Redskins took Robert Griffin III second overall just three years ago), and they won’t fall to fifth overall anyway. An open quarterback competition is probably the best way to go here, and if all else fails in 2015, then the front office should consider drafting a quarterback.
Next: Defense