Move over, RG3…it’s the Kirk Cousins show now.
The Washington Redskins announced on Monday that Kirk Cousins will be the team’s starting quarterback going into the 2015 season. More importantly, this means that RG3, the face of the franchise, is now being demoted to merely a benchwarmer.
In a press conference, head coach Jay Gruden insisted that it was more so Cousins outshining RG3 in practice than RG3 sucking, to put it bluntly. “I just think it’s not so much what somebody didn’t do,” Gruden said. “It’s just what Kirk has done and I think what he’s done in practice and OTAs has really opened our eyes, and he’s proven to be the best quarterback on our roster at this time, really. It’s a compliment to Kirk, not so much the other guys didn’t do this or didn’t do that. I just think Kirk has played so well that he has earned the right.”
There is no doubt that the relationship between Griffin and the Redskins has soured over time. After an impressive rookie season, where he led his team to the playoffs for the first time in years and also won the NFL Offensive Rookie of the Year Award, he was plagued with injury upon injury. Since then, the Redskins have been doing the quarterback shuffle between RG3, Kirk Cousins, and Colt McCoy over the past two seasons. And when Griffin did start, he was lackluster on the field, only winning 3 games in 2013 and 2 games in 2014. On top of that, the Redskins have not been happy with RG3’s attitude. He has been portrayed as selfish and not a team player, and frankly, the coaches are fed up with him.
To add insult to injury, RG3’s teammates are apparently thrilled that he’s out and that Cousins is in. According to TMZ, one player said, “We have a better chance of winning with Kirk Cousins than Robert Griffin. Sometimes teams need a change and we obviously did.” Another player backed up his teammate’s sentiments, saying, “We’re relieved. This is good for the team.”
With rumors swirling that the Redskins want to part ways with RG3, this latest move just adds fuel to the fire.
What do you think about the decision to make Kirk Cousins the starting quarterback over RG3? Redskins fans, do you think this will help or hurt your team?