One play that changed everything...

[SC_RedskinsFan]

This is early I know, as we do not know the extent of Griffins injury. This is just food for thought, as many of you know I am a huge Griffin fan so this is not a hate on him thread. I admit this is putting the cart before the horse, but it makes me wonder....

But could the play where RG3 injured his ankle/leg be the last time he starts for us? One awkward step could change everything for this franchise. If he is out 8-12 weeks, I do not think he will play again this year. If Cousins plays good/ decent the rest of the year, they will both be going into a contract year. It is obvious we will have to do something with one of them.

I do not see how if Cousins does good he would not be who we start next season and at the end of the day the QB we keep. Would we try to trade Griffin, or just let him become a free agent. Hard to see him walk after we gave a kings ransom to get him.

I feel bad for RG3, he is a great person, and a great talent. This is the 2nd big injury in 3 years. Will his confidence be there if/when he comes back? I hate this injury because I was saying last week turn him loose and let him run and play, and this is what happened...

 

[Fear The Spear]

He's an injury waiting to happen.
Combine all the factors that he plays with reckless abandon, his freakish athletic ability that allows him to do crazy things, his lanky build, and his awkward method of landing, it seems like every time he's tackled, he's a risk of injury.
He seems to get injured on plays that normally would not injure other QB's, like without even getting hit
I don't feel comfortable with him as our long-term QB, unless Cousins remains on the team as a backup.
And if Cousins keeps playing like this, he will not remain on this team as a backup.
So, that is going to leave the staff with a very difficult decision at QB, eventually

 

[Miles Monroe]

We should actually be happy we have the capability to make that choice if the time comes. Shanny is looking brilliant right now....

 

[Fred Jones]

He's an injury waiting to happen.
Combine all the factors that he plays with reckless abandon, his freakish athletic ability that allows him to do crazy things, his lanky build, and his awkward method of landing, it seems like every time he's tackled, he's a risk of injury.

I am sad. If RGIII had not gotten hurt he would have won the game and everyone would be talking about the game he just played. I was looking forward to watching him get better as a pocket passer. Cousins is better at the moment, but RGIII has better long term upside.

That said, can't argue that RGIII has not shown he can stay healthy. The above quote is pretty good summation of the future of RGIII.

As a fan of the team I have to hope Cousins can continue and get some wins this season. Let's wait until the off season to figure out what happens next.

 

[Elephant]

I thought you were going to talk about the dropped pass by the WR who made DeAngelo Hall look stupid. Ironically, after being burnt for toast, he almost intercepted the ball.

As for Griffin...no comment.

 

[Chris]

Two (or is it three?) knees and now an ankle in about 5 or 6 seasons for a qb who relies on his legs is tough to overcome. Will this latest injury further the hindrance of his development? I would guess it would. Griffin, to me, is/was the only one of the two that has a chance to become special. I don't dislike Cousins at all but feel that he is a 'what you see is what you get' type of qb. That was enough against an outmanned Jaguars team. The Eagles in Philadelphia is an entirely different story.

Thankfully, we will get a number of games that matter to find out what he can do.

 

[Boone]

All of the 'injury prone' talk - my response to that is 2 plays.

2 plays.

One that could happen to any NFL QB at any time. The other, a freak injury on play that didn't even involve an opposing player.

I guess that makes him 'injury prone'.

I feel bad for us and I feel bad for Robert. I think if nothing else, fans need to give him a break and get off his back for awhile. Whether you ever believed in him or not, he's paid about as heavy a price for trying to bring this team back from insignificance as is possible. That alone ought to earn him some respect.

 

[Gulf Coast Redskin]

Ya know...I'm a Redskins fan first. No player, no matter how much we gave up for him, is above the team, in my eyes. I was one of many that didn't just like the RG3 Draft choice, I LOVED it! I thought, "this is the guy that will change things! He will help turn this thing around finally & take us into a new chapter of Redskins lore!" And let's face it. That first season, he shocked the world. He ran for over 500 yards, threw for over 2000 & was electrifying throughout his rookie season. He made us all watch in amazement as he dashed down the sideline against the Vikings for 76 yards & a TD, leaving Minnesota in a cloud of dust.

But that has been short-lived. Griffin, plagued with injuries, has made many of us scratch our heads & doubt whether he is right for this offensive scheme. Making him a pocket passer isn't necessarily the worst idea, but the problem is, he is so used to making plays with his feet that asking him to stand still in a pocket that isn't exactly secure all the time & make plays from there means transition, which also means time for him to adjust & patience on our part to allow him that time without being booed off the field for not always making the best decisions. I love RG3 as a player & from what I've seen from him as a human being. He's a stand-up guy, it seems, & amazing talent.

Up until today, I have been an RG3 apologist. Always a Redskins fan first, but truly believing that he was the better QB for us. However, after today, I have to admit that I believe I was wrong. At least for now. Capt. Kirk showed us today that perhaps HE is the better QB in this offense & that he certainly can command respect from the opposition in ways that RG3 no longer could.

I am a Redskins fan first. I've been here long before Griffin was even a twinkle in his father's eye & I will be here long after he has retired (God willing) & regardless of who is the QB, I want to see W's. What I saw today was a team that gelled better than I've seen them gel in a long time & they didn't just win a game, they straight up DOMINATED the Jags. On every side of the ball.

With all that said, my feeling is this: Don't fix what isn't broke. If Cousins continues to play like he did today, I see no reason to put him back on the sideline once Griffin is healthy. Let him succeed or fail on his own. I see no reason to sit him when RG3 is healthy. Right now, the Redskins coaching staff & FO need to come to grips with this statement:

Captain Kirk Cousins is the starting QB for the Washington Redskins.

He earned it today & he proved that he deserves it. And I, for one, think Gruden needs to make the best decision for the team to win games & not worry about how much we gave up for Griffin. I hope that Griffin is ok & is capable of playing again. But, I also hope that he doesn't play again without EARNING that spot. I hope they don't just put him back on the field because we spent so much for him. Yeah, it stinks that we did give up as much as we did for a guy who has been more controversy than continuity, but we can't think about that anymore. Just be thankful that we have a guy like Cousins to take his place. This is a good problem to have, folks.

I love my Redskins & for the first time in a looooong time, my throat hurts & I am savoring it. Surrounded by Saints fans who constantly try to ridicule me for being a Redskins fan, this week is going to be a fun one.

Hail to the Redskins! Hail Capt. Kirk!

 

[Elephant]

Boone, I can tell you the stands at FedEx Field were electric. That first run was a great call for him...let the Jags know he was ready to run it if he needed to. The stands lit up! Chants of "RG3! RG3!" filled the stadium...everyone (including myself) was cheering for him.

When he was being carted off the field those same chants filled the stadium. He heard the fans...but you could tell he was hurting.

 

[MikeSr619]

Just saw a snippet of his press conference and he was smiling and laughing about it. I hope he's gonna be ok.

 

[Boone]

Press Conference clips are all on auto-rotation on the home page and are also available in the 'This Week's Game' section of the BGO Media Library for anyone interested.

 

[Canadian Hog]

Just saw a snippet of his press conference and he was smiling and laughing about it. I hope he's gonna be ok.

One thing I feel fairly confident about is that the Redskins will be ok in Robert's absence.

That's not to discredit him, his skill set, and what he brings to the table. I'm personally very thankful for his contributions to the franchise thus far and the impact he had on this team two seasons ago.

The fact is though that Kirk Cousins is very capable of running this offense. While he didn't do that much to inspire confidence a season ago in three starts, the fact is that Shanahan threw him to the wolves, and he was entering a horrible situation with a bad team on a long losing streak at the end of the season. Lose-lose scenario in my opinion. With a fresh start, maybe the positive glimpses Cousins has shown in spot duty will become more consistent.

 

[MikeSr619]

Griffin went 2 for 3 for 38 yards and ran twice for 22 yards. Any qb was going to be good back there.

Skins are hoping 4 to 5 weeks max for Griff?

 

[stevenaa]

That seems pretty optimistic. We certainly don't want him coming back too quickly. He needs to be fully healed 100%.

 

[MikeSr619]

Agreed and you don't bench a hot qb anyways. It's scary and sad to think we might have seen Griffin as a Redskin for the last time.

 

[Boone]

They'll be okay unless Cousins gets hurt. We just lost our starter. It's great to have a capable backup, but it does matter. Losing Robert is a huge loss.

 

[stevenaa]

Don't say that. We're snake bit enough as it is. I'm not sure I could survive another blow like that.

 

[DieselPwr44]

Robert's loss is huge,no doubt.....but this could also be our Sonny/ Billy moment or for the younger fans, our Trent a Green/Kurt Warner moment.

 

[Fear The Spear]

While he didn't do that much to inspire confidence a season ago in three starts, the fact is that Shanahan threw him to the wolves, and he was entering a horrible situation with a bad team on a long losing streak at the end of the season. Lose-lose scenario in my opinion. With a fresh start, maybe the positive glimpses Cousins has shown in spot duty will become more consistent.

You're right. Cousins lost a lot of fans, and a lot of support and confidence from his critics, and a lot of trade value from those 3 starts and losses, but I think those were an aberration. Because at that time, he was playing with a supporting cast that had basically given up. A team with no morale. A team that basically had given up on the season, and given up on its head coach. So it probably wasn't fair to judge him on those games. And so the Cousins we saw in 2012, and the one we saw today, most likely reflects his true potential, IMO

 

[Elephant]

I don't want this taken the wrong way, because I have been rooting for Robert to succeed, regardless how I feel about him. I am concerned that when Robert returns, his confidence level will be shattered. Looked like he may have finally regained some and hit his stride before the injury today. After that first run and slide for an 11 yard gain, he got up with tremendous energy. Gruden mentioned it in his press conference. It took him more than a year and a half to get that confidence back after the knee injury, what is this going to do to his psyche once he gets back on the field.

Is he shell shocked?