There’s been some discussion of late about why there’s so much talk about how quickly Redskins quarterback Robert Griffin III is recovering from his knee surgery and whether there’s an undue amount of pressure being put on him to make it back for the start of the 2013 season.
Obviously Griffin’s long-term health is the chief reason to be prudent with his return, but Kirk Cousins is another reason why the Redskins can afford to be certain that Griffin is ready. Cousins handled himself well in two relief appearances and one start when Griffin was hurt during the regular season and coach Mike Shanahan clearly thinks that the team got a special talent when they landed Cousins in the fourth round of last year’s draft.
“There’s no question in my mind. I thought he was a first round draft choice last year,” Shanahan said, via the team’s website. “There are different people that make a living looking at players. I thought he was one of the best players in the draft last year, but you’re not always right. They’ve got to go out and perform at a high level.”
Cousins will be running the offense during OTAs, something he said he plans to prove to his teammates that he’s confident and capable enough to handle the starting job. He’s not RGIII and he’ll never be RGIII, but Cousins’ work last year and Shanahan’s belief in his ability should be enough to convince the rest of the team that he can do the job in Griffin’s place.
And, more importantly, it should be enough to convince them that it’s better to play Cousins for a little while if it raises the chance of playing with Griffin for a much longer period of time.