Washington Redskins quarterback Robert Griffin III will not take another snap under center this season. Starting in place of the former number one draft pick will be Kirk Cousins. It hasn’t been a good year for the 2011 Heisman Winner, or the Redskins, who now sit in last place in a very mediocre NFC East.
Jeff Darlington of the NFL Network was reportedly told by an unnamed Redskins player that the team is just publicly saying Griffin is sitting due to injury concerns. However, rumors are running rampant that the second year QB is being benched because of his poor on field performance and that head coach Mike Shanahan is using spin to protect Griffin.
RG3’s stellar rookie season in which he threw 20 touchdowns and only five interceptions did not end well when the quarterback re-injured his surgically repaired right knee. Mike Shanahan fell under fire for allowing Griffin to stay in the game against the Seattle Seahawks in the playoffs last season when it was evident to anyone watching that Griffin’s knee was seriously injured. Many critics condemned Shanahan for jeopardizing the career of a franchise-type quarter for what would amount in the grand scheme of things as just a single game.
Many pundits and NFL fans don’t think that Shanahan will be back to coach the Redskins next season.
Backlash against Coach Shanahan is at an all-time high. Redskin fans are especially fed up after a promising 2013 season.
Can't decide if the question of the day is: "Will there be another snow day tomorrow?" or, "Did #MikeShanahan get fired yet?"
— ✨Beth Jarvis✨ (@bhjarvis) December 11, 2013
Can never be mad at a guy for taking the George Costanza approach in trying to get fired. #MikeShanahan
— Mike Cassidy (@M_Cass5105) December 10, 2013
RT @benmaller Rob Ford has better chance of keeping his job as mayor of Toronto than #MikeShanahan does coaching #Redskins next season.
— Russ Rothstein (@ramnupe) December 8, 2013
It is clear that Griffin is not the same player as he was last season. His statistics in every major offensive category have dipped dramatically. What made him such a special QB was his ability to move around the pocket and run wild on defenses. We haven’t seen that same kind of mobility after Griffin went under the knife last winter to repair two ligaments in his troublesome right knee. Typically the recovery time for ACL surgery is about one year, Griffin had about half that time to get ready for the 2013 season.
The Redskins will travel to Atlanta next Sunday. The Falcons are another team that has been a monumental disappointment after making the playoffs last year. Both teams are just 3-10 and are in last place in their respective divisions.
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