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After starting the season 0-2, there are rumblings of discontent among Redskins fans. Some have openly clamored for the team’s young star quarterback, Robert Griffin III, to be benched in favor of backup Kirk Cousins, at least until Griffin is 100% healthy.
The situation has the potential to go from mildly disruptive to outright explosive if the Redskins can’t turn it around quickly. The Redskins will face the Detroit Lions next Sunday in a game that could feature put an excessive amount of pressure on the Redskins’ offense to keep up with Detroit’s offense.
Redskins head coach Mike Shanahan now faces a very delicate situation when dealing with Griffin. Obviously, he won’t be abandoning Griffin in favor of Cousins just yet, but at 0-2, he can’t afford to continue staying loyal to Griffin if the Redskins’ offense continues to sputter.
If it becomes necessary for the Redskins to insert Cousins over Griffin, it would only be for a short period of time, but a successful outing by Cousins could complicate everything we’ve come to know in Washington. The question yet to be answered is, should Griffin’s struggles continue, could Kirk Cousins seize the Redskins’ starting job?
Obviously, any scenario in which Kirk Cousins is starting for the Redskins and a healthy Robert Griffin III is sitting on the bench would be catastrophic for Washington, and frankly, it’s not a likely situation. Still, Robert Griffin has struggled thus far in 2013; that much we know. While Mike Shanahan knows Griffin will be the team’s long-term starting quarterback, in the short-term, he has to at least consider benching Griffin if he struggles early in week three.
The Lions have one of the better defensive lines in the NFL, and they’ll be in all-out attack mode against the Redskins. Look for Cousins to take over if the heat from the Lions is too much for the Redskins’ banged up quarterback.
