Aug. 9, 2012; Orchard Park, NY, USA; Washington Redskins wide receiver Pierre Garcon (88) does a flip in the end zone to celebrate a first half touchdown against the Buffalo Bills at Ralph Wilson Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Timothy T. Ludwig-USA TODAY Sports

 March 12,2012

The Washington Redskins signed free agent WR Pierre Garcon from the Indianapolis Colts. Terms of the contract were 5 years 42.5 million dollars and brought up questions of whether Washington overpaid for Garcon. A lot of people did not believe Garcon had the ability to be a #1 receiver in the NFL and thought this was a bad move by Washington. Garcon quickly silenced all of the critics with a breakout game in week 1 vs the Saints. His numbers were great and didn’t even finish the game due to a foot injury, an injury that  limited his action for the entire year. Garcon fought and played through as much pain as he could bear and ended up having a respectable season and proved his importance to this franchise.

Oct 7, 2012; Landover, MD, USA; Washington Redskins linebacker London Fletcher (59) takes the field before the game against the Atlanta Falcons at FedEX Field. Mandatory Credit: Brad Mills-USA TODAY Sports

April 13, 2012

London Fletcher officially resigned with the Redskins, giving them a relief heading into the draft that their captain was back! This allowed Washington to keep their focus geared towards improving other areas of the team. London Fletcher is undoubtedly the heart and soul of this team and the #Resign59 campaign was one of the most talked about topics in Redskins Nation. His resigning was huge to secure the best possibility for success for the Redskins defense and pretty much made it to where he would retire as a Redskin.

Dec 30, 2012; Landover, MD, USA; Washington Redskins quarterback Robert Griffin III (10) hands off to Washington Redskins running back Alfred Morris (46) during the second half against the Dallas Cowboys at FedEX Field. Mandatory Credit: Brad Mills-USA Today Sports

 April 26-28,2012 

This was the day the Redskins drafted four players that would be key pieces to success for the team.

- 1st round pick 2- Robert Griffin III

- 4th round pick 102- Kirk Cousins

- 6th round pick 173- Alfred Morris

- 7th round pick 213- Richard Crawford 

Each of these players have showed up when the team needed them the most with un-rookie like performances. Griffin and Morris have shown that they possess the capabilities to bolster the franchise for years to come. Cousins showed that he is able to keep the team afloat and play at high level in the absence of Griffin. Crawford got his opportunity late in the season, but shined when his number was called vs Baltimore. Now that Crawford is a household name in Washington, let’s see how he progresses from here.   

July 27, 2012; Ashburn, VA, USA; Washington Redskins tight end Chris Cooley (47) shakes hands with fans while walking to the field during Redskins training camp at Redskins Park. Mandatory Credit: Geoff Burke-USA TODAY Sports

August 28, 2012 

Chris Cooley was waived by the Washington Redskins in hopes that he would have an opportunity to sign with another team and be a starter. The majority of Redskins Nation was saddened by the departure of Captain Chaos, the best tight end the franchise has seen. Chris Cooley refused to sign with another team and was content to not play this season until October 21, 2012 when the Redskins resigned him. An season ending  injury to starting tight end Fred Davis left Washington no choice but to bring in another body to fill that roster spot. Who better than the franchise leader in receptions for tight ends.   

September 9,2012  

First game of the season, the Washington Redskins travelled to New Orleans and handed them a loss to remember. Robert Griffin III exceeded all expectations with an epic debut performance. Winning this game let the league know that the Redskins were for real and were going to make some noise in 2012. 

September 30, 2012; Tampa, FL, USA; Washington Redskins kicker Billy Cundiff (5) is congratulated by long snapper Justin Snow (54), tight end Logan Paulsen (82) and punter Sav Rocca (6) after he made the game winning field goal against the Tampa Bay Buccaneers during the second half at Raymond James Stadium. The Redskins won 24-22. Mandatory Credit: Kim Klement-USA TODAY Sports

 September 30, 2012 

It didn’t take very long for Robert Griffin III to get his first game winning drive. In week 4 vs the Tampa Bay, Griffin led the Redskins down the field to set up a game winning 41 yd. field goal by Billy Cundiff.  

December 9, 2012; Landover, MD, USA; Washington Redskins kicker Kai Forbath (2) is interviewed after kicking the game-winning field goal against the Baltimore Ravens at FedEx Field. The Redskins won 31-28 in overtime. Mandatory Credit: Geoff Burke-USA TODAY Sports

October 9, 2012 

The Washington Redskins signed free agent rookie kicker, Kai Forbath. After an inconsistent beginning from Billy Cundiff, Washington decided to go a different route at the kicker position. Some fans thought that the Redskins would go back and resign Graham Gano, but they shocked everyone and went with Forbath. This proved to be a clutch decision by Washington, as Forbath went 17 for 17 before missing his first kick in the season finale vs Dallas.  

October 14, 2012; Landover, MD, USA; Washington Redskins quarterback Robert Griffin III (10) runs with the ball past Minnesota Vikings strong safety Jamarca Sanford (33) for a touchdown late in the fourth quarter at FedEx Field. The Redskins won 38-26. Mandatory Credit: Geoff Burke-USA TODAY Sports

October 14, 2012 

The Washington fans got to see Griffin excite the crowd with a game sealing 76 yard touchdown run to beat the Minnesota Vikings. This was Griffin’s first game back since his concussion and let fans know that he was indeed back and ready to finish the season. This will be a play to remember forever!  

November 4, 2012; Landover, MD, USA; Carolina Panthers quarterback Cam Newton (1) prepares to throw the ball against the Washington Redskins at FedEx Field. Mandatory Credit: Geoff Burke-USA TODAY Sports

November 4, 2012 

Week 9 vs Carolina would be the turning point for the rest of the season. This loss would be the 6th and final loss of the season for the Redskins in 2012. The Redskins finished the season on a 7 game winning streak to catapult them to the top of the division to reign as NFC East champs.  

December 30, 2012; Landover, MD, USA; Washington Redskins quarterback Robert Griffin III (10) scores a touchdown in the third quarter of the Washington Redskins game against the Dallas Cowboys at FedEx Field. Mandatory Credit: Geoff Burke-USA TODAY Sports

December 30, 2012 

Dallas came to town…Dallas went home with a loss…The Washington Redskins won their first division title since 1999. Because of this, Seattle has to travel to Washington for their first round match up. The city is already buzzing in anticipation of this game and excited to see what 2013 has to bring.

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Oct 7, 2012; Landover, MD, USA; Washington Redskins quarterback Kirk Cousins (12) drops back to pass against the Atlanta Falcons during the second half at FedEX Field. Mandatory Credit: Brad Mills-US PRESSWIRE

Well, I don’t want to say I told you so, but… and as it remains to be seen whether Robert Griffin III will play on Sunday vs. the Vikings let’s remind all Redskin fans that Kirk Cousins is no Curtis Painter as the second option. Late in the third quarter when RG3 went out of the game, Cousins responded in his NFL debut by connecting with Santana Moss for a 77-yard touchdown pass, keeping the Redskins in the game throughout. Although he will be remembered for his two late interceptions in the 4^th quarter while trying to tie the score, Cousins showed that the Skins are not just a one dimensional, rely on RG3, team. The fourth round product out of Michigan State raised some eyebrows across the league during the preseason when he turned in performances like the one in their contest against the Chicago Bears, in which he went 18 of 23 for 264 yards with 3 touchdowns, while playing the entire second half.  In the final preseason game as well, Cousins impressed by throwing for 222 yards and completing 15 of 27 passes.

Now obviously, Cousins is still a back up, still not Robert Griffin, but Cousins did cement himself in the preseason as a sure handed option as a second string quarterback. Let’s also remember that Cousins was thrown into a game with most likely little preparation during the week. His numbers, 5 of 9 for 111 yards with a touchdown and 2 interceptions are not any reason to feel any real fear. Griffin’s mild concussion will keep him out at most one game, and if Cousins is the starter this week the Redskins still have a very formidable shot at winning. Yes there will be some growing pains, but that is the case with every rookie quarterback. Well at least RG3, who has proved to be the one mere exception so far this year, emphasis on the so far.

Basically, it’s this. With the Kirk Cousins, the Redskins have a quarterback who can manage and initiate the offense, and can provide a sufficient enough option at quarterback for them to have a chance at winning this Sunday.

Case closed.

Feel free to comment on the post, discuss on our Facebook page, tweet us, or email us at Redskinx22@yahoo.com

Kudos to Cousins, a fourth round pick, for getting a deal signed before the Redskins new wunderkind and first round draft pick, Robert Griffin III. Of course, it’s as standard a rookie deal as they come, valued at just around the $2.6 million range.

Not an exorbitant dollar amount by any means but, then again, no one is expecting Cousins to do much more than be a good understudy and absorb the system over the next few years. I mean, there are guys killing themselves on special teams day-in and day-out across the NFL for a third of what Cousins is pulling down.

People in the corporate world would liken that to getting paid more for doing less and most of us would agree that that wouldn’t suck. Not one bit.

Should we be worried that RGIII hasn’t signed yet? No, no we shouldn’t. The particulars of his deal are far different than Cousins’ in terms of breadth and complexity. You don’t just throw a standard, carbon copy deal down in front of your franchise’s messiah and call it a day. You fine-tune it and make sure that it’s worthy of the importance you placed on him when you mortgaged the figurative farm, horse and buggy to be able to draft him.

With Cousins signed and Griffin III sure to follow suit here shortly, what does this mean for Rex Grossman?

I don’t think you need me to tell you what it means. You already know. Rex Grossman, even on his best day in burgundy and gold, was merely serviceable and, depending on how quickly RGIII can adjust to the NFL, Grossman’s days in DC are drawing to a certain close.

Cousins signing means that the Redskins could be taking their first step towards mirroring Green Bay’s Aaron Rodgers/Matt Flynn dynamic. A star quarterback and a capable understudy that may or may not have the ability to lead a team on his own. Can it exist in Washington? Well, yeah, of course it can.

I’m not saying depth exists yet at the quarterback position- it absolutely doesn’t. Grossman is Grossman (sigh), RGIII is infinitely talented and just as unproven and Cousins is a question mark, albeit a very interesting one.

At the very least, it’s another name in the bag and another player we won’t have to worry about for the next few years. Cousins is a fourth rounder and as such, he has no choice but to work hard and be grateful for every rep he gets.

His time on the field may only be measurable in trace amounts when he finally parts ways with the Redskins but in the meantime we can be grateful that RGIII is sharing the practice field with someone who will push him and keep trying to steal some of his limelight, even if it’s only fractions.

Regardless, I’m glad Cousins is on board. There should always be space for someone with a bit of talent and (apparently) a healthy stockpile of character. Now if only another rookie quarterback would hurry up and ink a deal.

We’re ready any time you are, Robert.