I’ve seen plenty of QB controversies over the years as a Redskins fan.
And I was front row for the Shanahan vs. Griffin showdown, turned shutdown, last season.
But what is happening now between Jay Gruden and RG3 is nothing short of war.
At least last year Shanny, was enthusiastically rooting for Griffin to have a great “off-season program” while openly admitting that Kirk Cousins was being shined up for auction.
Oh, how that now seems “warm and fuzzy.”
Gruden’s passive aggressive hatred of Griffin keeps reaching new depths with every open microphone.
Mid-week, Gruden responded to a question about playing Griffin at all between now and the end of the year to see where he might be in terms of his play, with the icy cold “He’s right here. I know where he’s at. He’s right here. We’ve seen alot of him….”
After Griffin played with some spark and toughness after Colt McCoy left the Giants game with a re-aggravted neck injury, Gruden was asked about his chances to start again in the final two weeks.
Said Gruden: “He’s in the mix. He’s on the roster.”
Wow.
You almost think he had to catch himself not to add….. “He’s on the roster… UNFORTUNATELY”…. with a dismissive, smart-ass sigh.
While Gruden may be entirely correct in EVERY ASPECT of the Griffin drama – that he’s fundamentally crap, emotionally soft, and just waiting to be broken again – it doesn’t make his comments any less breathtaking to hear.
A properly run organization would get all the principals on the same page – Gruden, Bruce Allen, and owner Dan Snyder – and have a plan to effectively manage the entire short-term and long-term game plan on such an important player.
If the plan is to get out of the RG3 business in the off-season, as soon as possible – even if it’s for pennies on the dollar – then the front office can backstop the coach in private with assurances that he won’t be judged on losses due to crappy QB play. Then in turn the coach can say NICE things about Griffin whenever possible.
To force start McCoy this week with a gimpy neck, was another ultimate sign of this coach vs. QB war. McCoy is hardly the second coming of Brett Favre when it comes to toughness. And given this o-line has been picking up QB’s off the turf an average of 6 times a game since Halloween, only an idiot didn’t see McCoy getting knocked out of the game at some point.
An idiot, or a coach who hates his “franchise” QB.
And more importantly, hates the bosses he works for who force him to keep that same QB as his top active backup.
Stick it to me? Oh yeah, I’ll stick it to you!
If I could see through the thick fog of losing, and paint a picture of how Gruden, Allen, and Snyder will come together for a plan they all agree on this winter, I would. But I can’t.
4 Comments
luke
Czabe, do you think Gruden even wants to come back as coach of this dysfunctional team/franchise??? If I were him, I wouldn’t. Anyone who comes here to coach right now I think is either crazy or someone who loves drama. Would love your thoughts.
jim
Ketchup and mustard colored glasses time: Keep RG3 out to prevent injury calamity. RG3, on his own, goes to QB bootcamp in off-season. His stock rises for trade or Skins get a transformed RG3 next year…win-win.
Mike
Czabe, realistically are the the Redskins ever going to be a winning organization with Dan Snider owning them team? Even Jerry gets out of the way on occasion and more times than not, he gets the right pieces for his team. I find it hard to believe that all of the coach, GM, and player combinations have failed so consistently becuase they weren’t capable. What is wrong with this owner?
Jerry
Less than 2 weeks ago, I was SO sure Griffin was on a fast train out of DC based on the way he was benched and how aggressively down on him Gruden was. Now it’s not entirely clear who is running things over there. Given how much Gruden appears to hate Griffin’s play, the fact that he is starting him over Cousins makes little sense unless he’s being forced to make this move by management. Good fodder for radio but lousy for this team.