Washington coach Jay Gruden confirmed in an afternoon press conference that Colt McCoy will be the team's starting quarterback on Sunday against the Indianapolis Colts, sending Robert Griffin III to the sidelines as the No. 2 quarterback on the depth chart.
Jay Gruden: Colt McCoy will have ‘every opportunity’ to keep starting job over RG3
Jay Gruden made it official at a Wednesday afternoon press conference that Colt McCoy will start on Sunday against the Colts.
Cary Edmondson-USA TODAY Sports
Gruden emphasized that the decision to move forward with McCoy was about winning games and based on the need to fix the offense.
“We’re searching for answers on offense, number one, and it all starts at the quarterback position, quite frankly,” Gruden said. “Colt was 2-0 as a starter ... and due to our recent struggles offensively, I thought I’d try to change at the helm. We’re not trying to pin all the problems offensively onto Robert, but we just feel like Colt deserves another opportunity being that he had a lot of success as a starter.”
Washington (3-8) is tied for last place in the NFC East, and is 0-3 since Griffin returned from his ankle injury, scoring only one touchdown in each of the last two games.
Gruden insisted that McCoy had earned the right to be the starter, based on his play in practice and when filling in for Griffin earlier this season, and intends to stick with McCoy for the rest of the season. “I feel very strongly that players who play well, practice well, deserve an opportunity ... I feel very strongly about Colt ... I’m prepared to give Colt every opportunity to keep the job,” he told the media at the press conference.
McCoy is the only Washington quarterback to start and finish a win this season, beating the Cowboys in Week 8, and he also played the second half of the team's victory over the Tennessee Titans in the previous week. From a statistical perspective, he has performed better than Griffin this year, besting him in both total QBR (81.3 vs 26.7) and passer rating (107.0 vs 85.7).
Gruden says he has not completely given up on Griffin and mentioned that he has no regrets about going back to him as the starter following his injury. The head coach reaffirmed to reporters that “we’re not trying to pin all the problems on Robert. [...] I know he can play better ... I know we can coach him better.”
Griffin had a breakout rookie season in 2012, leading the team to a 10-6 record and a playoff berth. He was one of the top quarterbacks in the league that year, ranking fifth in total QBR (73.2), fourth in completion percentage (65.6 percent) and first in yards per attempt (8.1).
"we're not trying to pin all the problems on Robert. I know he can play better I know we can coach him better."
However, he’s declined in each of the last two years and has performed as one of the worst quarterbacks in the NFL in that span. He is just 4-14 as a starter since 2013, and his Total QBR of 26.7 this season is the second-lowest in the league (min. 180 plays). He has really struggled to transform himself into a traditional pocket passer, and has not been able to grasp the West Coast offensive scheme favored by Gruden this season.
McCoy has confidence that the team can turn it around in the final five weeks of the season. “I know this is a significant decision for our team, I understand that ... I just want to play the best I can,” McCoy told reporters.
McCoy has proven that he can be a viable alternative under center in his limited playing time with Washington this season. He rallied Washington to a win over the Titans in Week 7, completing for 11 of 12 passes with one touchdown in the second half of that game, and then followed it up with another nearly spotless performance in a win over the Cowboys in Week 8 (25-for-30, 299 yards, 1 Int).
Unless McCoy struggles, it appears that Griffin will not start another game in 2014. Although Gruden made it clear he believes Griffin has a future in the NFL, it is unclear whether that will be with Washington or another team.
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