Robert Griffin III’s injury is a setback to him. But the injury’s larger impact to the team is that it stops rookie Head Coach Jay Gruden’s evolving thinking about the best way to use RGIII. The Redskins’ opening drives of the Jaguars game hints that Gruden now gets it that Mr. III is, or was, a dual threat more than a pocket passer. Embrace it, because Griffin is only marginally better than his back-up as a pure pocket passer.
The injury released unseemly comments from fans, some of it venomous. Griffin bashers are convinced that he is already a bust. (Huh?) Kirk Cousins bashers point to Cousins’ 2013 performance, when the entire team sucked, and declare him unworthy. RGIII’s recovery is still unknown. Cousins needs eight weeks of first team practice and game reps to round into form as an NFL starter. The Griffin or Cousins question will resolve itself over that span, when the team faces NFC East rivals and the Seahawks and 49ers. Can we please let this play out before picking starters and declaring busts? Games, after all, are not played on paper. They are played on television.
