Kirk Cousins could replace RGIII as Redskins QB for Week 15
Mike Shanahan won’t commit to Robert Griffin III after benching him late in the Redskins’ ugly loss on Sunday.
Late in the Washington Redskins' emabarrasing loss to the Kansas City Chiefs, Redskins coach Mike Shanahan opted to bench Robert Griffin III in favor of Kirk Cousins. With the team down by 35 points and the struggling star quarterback stumbling through another poor performance, it wasn't a very significant move. What was signficant, however, was that after the 45-10 loss, Shanahan left open the possibility that the change could be permanent, according to ESPN.
Shanahan refused to make a determination on the starter against the Falcons next week, but his refusal to commit to the team's franchise quarterback is interesting in itself.
“We’ll talk about that later,” Shanahan said in the post-game presser. “That’s with anybody in any position. We’ll look at injuries, we’ll look at where we are and what direction we’re going.”
Griffin was much more confident that he would get the nod, stating “That’s not an issue.”
Neither player looked good in the ugly loss. Griffin, who has struggled all season to live up to the expectations he set during his 2012 Rookie of the Year campaign, went 12-of-26 for 164 yards, one touchdown and one pick. Cousins went 7-of-16 for 59 yards.
It doesn’t help things that the benching comes immediately on the heels of a report that claims Shanahan nearly quit after last season due to team owner Dan Snyder’s relationship with Griffin. Reportedly, the coach physically packed up his office following the Redskins loss because he was upset over the favoritism Snyder constantly showed to the star quarterback.
