If RGIII Continues to Struggle then He Must Sit

Nov 16, 2014; Landover, MD, USA; Washington Redskins quarterback Robert Griffin III (10) throws the ball in front of Tampa Bay Buccaneers outside linebacker Lavonte David (54) in the first quarter at FedEx Field. Mandatory Credit: Geoff Burke-USA TODAY Sports

It’s only fair. I said the same thing about Kirk Cousins when he was turning the ball over in his stint as the starter for the Washington Redskins. That if he continued to turn the ball over then he should be benched. Well now I’m proclaiming the same thing about Robert Griffin III.

This isn’t a headline grab, it’s the truth. I’ve championed the case for RGIII in recent weeks, stating that he can still be great, that he needs more time to develop, but now time is almost up. It’s possible that Griffin is still just rusty from such a long lay off, and maybe the ankle injury is affecting his mental approach to the game.

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But he was making the same mistakes before the injury. Holding on to the ball too long, being indecisive with his reads, and using faulty foot work on his throws. RGIII did these things in week one and he’s still doing them now. The fact is the Washington Redskins got off to a 13-0 deficit against the Tampa Bay Buccaneers because of one man, Robert Griffin III.

Here’s a still of the first play of the game. RGIII has two receivers wide open on the play and for what ever reason he didn’t get the ball to either of them. Tight end Jordan Reed was breaking open over the middle, and wide receiver Pierre Garcon was all alone up top.

But Griffin doesn’t trust his read, panics and scrambles out of a sack, and then uses horrible footwork on his pass to Niles Paul resulting in a shoestring catch attempt. Granted, it was a pass that Paul could have caught, but he didn’t and it resulted in an interception. The Redskins defense had to bail RGIII out by holding the Bucs to a field goal.

But we saw Colt McCoy execute plays like this against the Dallas Cowboys and he hadn’t started a game in two years, so this is a play that Robert Griffin III has to make. RGIII comes off like a confident player right now, but maybe that’s just phony bravado. Because a confident quarterback makes these plays.

But right now the Redskins are hampered by a quarterback who I think lacks confidence. Even the Tampa Bay Buccaneers can beat you if that’s the case, and we saw it on Sunday. On RGIII’s second interception, his pass was tipped. But that wouldn’t have happened if he hadn’t been staring down his receiver.

It was an easy play for Buccaneers linebacker Mason Foster who had dropped into coverage. It was no fluke either. All he had to do was read Griffin’s eyes, which led him straight to the ball and the play was made.

Griffin was indecisive again on a drive in the second quarter deep in Buccaneer territory, after a muffed punt. He had receivers open but held on to the ball and took two needless sacks. The lost yardage resulted in a missed field goal. And again this is no RGIII bash fest.

This is not some nonsense about him throwing teammates under the bus. This is no trumped up locker room insider “report” based on third hand gossip. What this is, is legitimate scrutiny of a quarterback not getting the job done on the field. So I don’t know what RGIII needs to do to get his swagger back, but whatever he does it needs to happen soon.

Because right now the Washington Redskins need a quarterback who can simply execute plays. It doesn’t have to be spectacular, it just needs to be effective. Personally, I’m a fan of Robert Griffin III. Anyone who’s followed this blog knows this. But this is business, not personal.

Yes, the Redskins gave up an awful lot to get Robert Griffin III, but he needs to start justifying that investment right now. If he can’t do it, then just like I said about Kirk Cousins the same thing applies here. Get the job done or take a seat.

Next: The Redskins Actions will keep fans Loyal, Not their words

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