Washington Redskins Rumors, News: Robert Griffin 3, Colt McCoy, DeSean Jackson, Jay Gruden

Washington Redskins Rumors, News: Robert Griffin 3, Colt McCoy, DeSean Jackson, Jay Gruden
Robert Griffin III #10 of the Washington Redskins looks to pass the ball against the Minnesota Vikings during the first quarter on November 2, 2014 at TCF Bank Stadium in Minneapolis, Minnesota. (Photo by Adam Bettcher/Getty Images)
Zachary Stieber
11/6/2014
Updated:
11/7/2014

The Washington Redskins are taking the bye week to prepare for the rest of the season as more news and rumors emerge.

Check out the latest buzz below.

Griffin Having Trouble With Timing

Some fans have noted how Kirk Cousins and Colt McCoy seemed to have a better grasp of the Redskins’ offense, and wonder whether Robert Griffin III is unfamiliar with the plays.

But Washington Post’s Mike Jones says that the problem is of trusting the offense and receivers.

“The problem isn’t a lack of understanding or knowledge of the playbook. The indecisiveness involves confidence and a feel for the pocket and anticipation. Griffin knows the offense inside and out and can spit out whatever verbiage and, and he knows where receivers are supposed to go. But, he doesn’t always trust his eyes and the concepts of the system, he said.

“He’s a perfectionist, which is good, but that can also hurt you if you’re a quarterback running a timing-based offense. This scheme is designed for a quarterback to hit his drop-backs and boom, get the ball out. The receiver, if he runs his route correctly, will get to the spot at the same time the quarterback completes his drop-back and throws the ball.

“Sometimes a receiver may not exactly look like he’s open yet, but the quarterback has to hit that final step of his three-, five- or seven-step drop and deliver the ball to the spot (leading the receiver), trusting that his target will get there. Because he doesn’t want to throw an interception, Griffin will hesitate and will hold on to the ball half-a-beat (or two or three) longer, but on many plays, you can’t afford to do that. Obviously, if the defender has better position on the pass-catcher, you have to go elsewhere. But it’s a fine line.”

Griffin Says He’s Franchise QB

Griffin understands why coach Jay Gruden says that the Redskins quarterback situation is up in the air but feels confident that he’s the team’s franchise quarterback.

“There’s no doubt there,” Griffin said, reported ESPN. “This is my team and I’m going to lead it.”

Gruden said on Monday following the loss to the Minnesota Vikings that the team will closely evaluate Griffin through the end of the season before deciding whether to offer him a fifth year extension. 

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“What he’s saying is, ‘Coming into this year, everybody has got a clean slate. Everybody has to prove why they should be here,’” Griffin said.

“And I haven’t been out there. Availability is the key, so my job is to continue to go out there, get better each week, help this team win and the rest will take care of itself. I don’t take that in any kind of way negatively.”

McCoy Back as Backup

Quarterback Colt McCoy #16 of the Washington Redskins walks off the field after beating the Dallas Cowboys in overtime 20-17 at Cowboys Stadium on October 27, 2014 in Arlington, Texas. (Photo by Tom Pennington/Getty Images)
Quarterback Colt McCoy #16 of the Washington Redskins walks off the field after beating the Dallas Cowboys in overtime 20-17 at Cowboys Stadium on October 27, 2014 in Arlington, Texas. (Photo by Tom Pennington/Getty Images)

 

Colt McCoy has found himself back as a backup to Robert Griffin III after leading the Redskins to a narrow win over the Dallas Cowboys the Sunday before last. 

McCoy, 28, says he understands what he’s supposed to do.

“I’m going to continue to be a great teammate and support the decisions that are made and support Robert and do my best to help him as much as I [can] during the week and during the game,” McCoy told the Washington Times.

“You know, that’s my role.” 

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Gruden has faced questions about whether he should have started McCoy against the Vikings and let Griffin recover more and McCoy try for another win but Gruden has said that Griffin will start when he’s healthy.

“We get a good look at Kirk [Cousins]. We get a good look at Colt and now it’s back to Robert,” Gruden said Monday. “So, the jury is still out on that position. But we feel good about Robert’s progress so far and we’ve just got to continue to build and see how he does from week-to-week-to-week and hopefully we can see that here at the end of the season.” 

McCoy said that he handled his responsibility when he stepped in and played but that he'll support the decision and continue to be a leader with the team.

Free Agents Haven’t Made Enough of an Impact

Washington Redskins wide receiver DeSean Jackson (11) celebrates after catching a 13-yard touchdown pass during the second half of an NFL football game against the Minnesota Vikings, Sunday, Nov. 2, 2014, in Minneapolis. (AP Photo/Ann Heisenfelt)
Washington Redskins wide receiver DeSean Jackson (11) celebrates after catching a 13-yard touchdown pass during the second half of an NFL football game against the Minnesota Vikings, Sunday, Nov. 2, 2014, in Minneapolis. (AP Photo/Ann Heisenfelt)

 

The Redskins’ struggles have in part stemmed from the free agents the team acquired during the offseason not making enough of an impact, reports ESPN.

Free safety Ryan Clark heads the list of the free agents who have not produced enough.

“He has made an impact when it comes to being a leader in the meeting room and how he conducts himself, from his preparation to on-field savvy. He’s a coach on the field. The problem is, he’s no longer the same player and this position remains one the Redskins must solve,” it noted.

“Clark does fly up to make some strong hits, but the coverage breakdowns -- and a couple missed tackles -- have marred the secondary.”

Defensive end Jason Hatcher, linebacker Darryl Sharpton, and offensive guard Shawn Lauvao are among the other free agents who haven’t produced enough.

The one that has? Wide receiver DeSean Jackson, who is averaging 21.8 yards per catch.

See an Associated Press story below.

Full Redskins Experience: Distractions and 3-6

Washington Redskins quarterback Robert Griffin III, left, stands on the sidelines with head coach Jay Gruden, right, during the first half of an NFL football game against the Minnesota Vikings, Sunday, Nov. 2, 2014, in Minneapolis. The Vikings won 29-26. (AP Photo/Jim Mone)
Washington Redskins quarterback Robert Griffin III, left, stands on the sidelines with head coach Jay Gruden, right, during the first half of an NFL football game against the Minnesota Vikings, Sunday, Nov. 2, 2014, in Minneapolis. The Vikings won 29-26. (AP Photo/Jim Mone)

 

ASHBURN, Va.—Jay Gruden got the full Washington Redskins circus distraction experience all in one day. A protest against the name, a bus wreck on the way to the stadium, Robert Griffin III’s return from an injury, a media report the coach called “amateurish,” and a defense that allowed a rookie quarterback to put up 29 points.

And perhaps the most Redskins indicator of them all: The record is 3-6 for the fourth straight year.

If ever a team needed a bye, it’s this one. They could use of the break to figure out how to tune out the outside noise. Sunday’s 29-26 loss to the Minnesota Vikings had all the makings of an all-too-typical Redskins day from the last decade or so.

“From a mental standpoint, you want your team to be thinking about the Minnesota Vikings, period,” Gruden said Monday. “I want Robert and I want the offense to be thinking about Mike Zimmer’s Double-A package and blitz package and how we’re going to attack. I want the defense to be thinking about Teddy Bridgewater and their zone-checks and what they have to do, instead of reading tweets about there’s locker room separation, whatever, and having bus wrecks and all that stuff.

“So there was a little bit of things that might’ve took our mind off the important thing, which is the Minnesota Vikings.”

The Redskins couldn’t do much about the accident involving team buses on the way to the game — “We’re four tire rotations from driving off a cliff,” Gruden said — and the players were largely isolated from the thousands who marched outside the stadium calling for the team to change its nickname.

But a pair of media reports clearly raised some ire at the Redskins’ facility.

One said that “several members” of the organization “believe” the order to start Griffin on Sunday came from owner Dan Snyder and general manager Bruce Allen. The other linked a group of players’ boisterous behavior toward media and a public relations staffer during a Griffin group interview to an allegation that Griffin has “alienated himself” in the locker room.

Gruden launched a blistering retort to the second report, calling it “amateurish” from “some small-time reporter reporting fiction.”

But the first-year head coach is quickly learning that it’s all part of the deal in Washington.

“We’ve got a young team. We have some fragile egos here,” he said. “The guys are young guys, trying their best, and they read in the paper that nobody likes ‘em and they’re alienated and ’blasy, blasy.' It just doesn’t seem right.

“But as a football player, as an NFL football player playing here, you have to expect it. ... The big thing is we can’t let anything tear the locker room apart.”

All the distractions could have been neatly swept away if the same defense that disrupted Tony Romo’s life just six days earlier could’ve done the same to Bridgewater, who led two long, answer-back drives in the fourth quarter. Gruden said the staff will spend the upcoming bye week re-examining their defensive schemes.

As for Griffin, he did OK after missing six games with a dislocated ankle but made two poor throws at critical times — an interception before halftime that led to the Vikings’ first touchdown, and a short-armed effort on fourth-and-6 that landed short of an open Pierre Garcon in the game’s final two minutes. He also was sacked five times, showing he’s still yet to get a good feel for pressure around him in the pocket.

As for the 3-6 record, there’s no telling what it portends. In 2011, the Redskins finished 5-11. In 2012, they never lost again in the regular season, going 10-6 and winning in the NFC East. In 2013, they never won again and ended up 3-13.

Asked to give his team a pre-bye grade, Gruden said “from a human being standpoint, I'd give him an A.”

“Bad thing is we don’t get credit for being good guys,” Gruden said. “We get credit for wins and losses, and that’s not good enough. The grade is 3-6. ... That’s probably a D or an F-plus.”