Following up on an item in this week's
Team Notes. ... Head coach
Jay Gruden told reporters on Wednesday
Robert Griffin III was benched in part because he needs time to learn the offense.
Colt McCoy will move into the starting lineup in hopes of providing some spark to a passing attack that couldn't get rolling with Griffin under center.
While the move isn't necessarily permanent, NFL Network's Albert Breer reports that McCoy will play out the string for the rest of the season if he plays well.
“Robert has done some good things at quarterback but I think he just needs a little bit more time in the system with the verbiage and the plays, to sit back and take a step back and learn,” Gruden said. “When he gets back in there he’ll be a lot more decisively and ready to roll.”
As Profootballtalk.com's Michael David Smith suggested, that explanation doesn’t make a lot of sense.
Smith added, "Griffin has had plenty of time to learn Gruden’s system since Gruden was hired in January. Griffin got the first-team reps throughout minicamps, training camp and the preseason, whereas McCoy wasn’t even signed until April and spent the whole offseason as a third-stringer and doing scout team work. If McCoy doesn’t need more time to learn the offense, why does Griffin?"
But Gruden made a lot more sense when he added what it comes down to is that McCoy has been the quarterback for two of Washington’s three wins this season, and that means he deserves the chance to show he can keep helping Washington win.
“We’re gonna play Colt -- he’s done some good things,” Gruden said. “I felt like he deserved a bit of a promotion.”
Still, Gruden insists that he’s not saying Griffin can’t one day be a franchise quarterback.
“Obviously, I’m not putting the blame all on Robert,” Gruden said. “It seems like that when you make a change at the quarterback position. I understand that there are other issues involved here, but we’re 2-0 with Colt as a starter and I just want to give him an opportunity to play well.”
We'll see about that. Griffin's passing mechanics and footwork have regressed, while his confidence has clearly taken a shot. The Baylor product who once froze defenses with his elite speed and pinpoint accuracy has now resorted to dinks and dunks while failing to win a single game this season.
The transition back to Griffin was not smooth. DeSean Jackson said in an interview on FOX the decision had teammates "feeling a certain way." After RGIII struggled in his first two games back, he was criticized by Gruden for not taking accountability for his play.
Given all that, Smith's contention that realistically, it’s hard to imagine any scenario in which Gruden is coaching Griffin next year also makes sense.
Smith summed up: "If Gruden is claiming he still thinks Griffin can play well, then Gruden is trying to talk up Griffin for a potential trade partner in the offseason. Griffin has had all the time he’s going to get to learn Gruden’s offense. It hasn’t worked, and if Griffin is going to become a great player in the NFL, it will be with some other coach. ..."
Meanwhile, tight end Jordan Reed (hamstring) and running back Silas Redd (ribs) were limited. Reed has said he intends to return after missing last week's game with the same injury, but you'll want to watch for more on his progreess in coming days.
