RG III Gets Benched in DC

26 Nov, 2014

The Redskins will start Colt McCoy over Griffin on Sunday against the Indianapolis Colts, the latest development in a stunning tailspin for the 2012 NFL Offensive Rookie of the Year.

First-year coach Jay Gruden said McCoy will be given “every opportunity” to hold the job for the final five games of the season.

“We’re searching for answers on offense,” Gruden said. “And it starts at the quarterback position, quite frankly.”

Now it’s a question as to whether RG3 is done for good in Washington, and whether he’ll develop the skills necessary to succeed as a pocket-passer in the NFL.

The Redskins (3-8) are 0-3 since he returned from an ankle injury and have scored only one touchdown in each of the past two games.

The former No. 2 overall draft pick seemed poised to revolutionize the quarterback position with his arm and legs when he led Washington to the playoffs two years ago, but he is 4-14 as a starter since the start of the 2013 season and has struggled to adjust his game.

“We just want him to take a step back, work on his craft a little bit more, study the game a little bit more,” Gruden said.

Griffin will serve as the No. 2 quarterback on Sunday. Although he chatted informally with reporters Wednesday, he made no comment about Gruden’s decision.

The Redskins have not permitted Griffin to speak publicly at various times this season, but a team spokesman said it was Griffin’s decision to remain silent this time.

This is the fourth quarterback change made by Gruden this year. The coach called it a “merry-go-around,” but it’s almost par for the course for the Redskins, who have used 24 starters since 1993. The lack of continuity has its price – they’ve missed the playoffs in 18 of those 22 seasons.

The team will have to decide in the upcoming offseason whether to pick up a fifth-year option on Griffin’s contract. That now seems unlikely, but Gruden nevertheless said he hasn’t given up on the 24-year-old QB.

“For Robert to take a step back and be a backup quarterback is not the end of the world,” Gruden said. “It’s happened to great quarterbacks in the past. It will happen again. … Doesn’t mean he’s not going to be a great quarterback one day, here or somewhere else or whatever.”

Griffin was benched for the final three games last year as the season spiraled to a 3-13 finish under then-coach Mike Shanahan. He has also suffered two major leg injuries, a torn ACL in his right knee as a rookie and a dislocated left ankle this year.

AP

Image Charles Rex Arbogast 

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