Redskins: Kirk Cousins running out of excuses

Oct 4, 2015; Landover, MD, USA; Washington Redskins quarterback Kirk Cousins (8) warms up before the game between the Washington Redskins and the Philadelphia Eagles at FedEx Field. Mandatory Credit: Brad Mills-USA TODAY Sports

Redskins: Kirk Cousins running out of excuses

I can see what Washington Redskins head coach Jay Gruden has tried to do. He’s tried to instill a sense of confidence in quarterback Kirk Cousins in a way that he didn’t last season with Robert Griffin III. But with each game that goes by it’s clear there’s nothing more Gruden can do for Kirk Cousins. He’s on his own now.

It’s not about a coach giving him confidence. Kirk Cousins either has that in himself right now or he never will. The clock is ticking. Some people are saying that Cousins still needs time to develop but I’ve been saying for a while now that he doesn’t have that time.

If Kirk Cousins wants to have a future as a starting quarterback in the NFL then he needs to show now that he has what it takes to do it. So far this season he’s shown that he doesn’t. Excuses can be made that without his best receiver in DeSean Jackson and the absence lately of a running game that Cousins hasn’t had a fair shake.

But as I’ve pointed out in the Redskins loss to the New York Jets, the lack of a running game and Desean Jackson initially didn’t cause Kirk Cousins to miss open receivers. It didn’t cause him to throw interceptions into the waiting arms of Jet defenders.

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That was all on him. I guess at this point Jay Gruden doesn’t have a choice but to continue to hope that Kirk Cousins can become the quarterback he thinks he can be. But I think that if Kirk Cousins really was the quarterback that Jay Gruden says he’ll be then I think it would be apparent by now.

I understand that Kirk Cousins does a lot of things the right way that can impress a head coach. He understands Jay Gruden’s offense and shows leadership on and off the field. He’s quick to put blame on himself and doesn’t throw his teammates or coaches under the bus.

However, the most important kind of leadership a quarterback can show is the ability to lead a team to wins and so far Kirk Cousins hasn’t consistently shown the ability to do that yet. Yes there have been injuries that have left Cousins without vital weapons on the offense.

But the real franchise quarterbacks can overcome all of that and their teams win because of them and not in spite of them. But for now Kirk Cousins is still the starting quarterback of the Washington Redskins and he still a chance to prove himself.

I think Jay Gruden is willing to wait to see how he performs when DeSean Jackson gets back in the lineup as well as Jordan Reed. To see if anything changes and if the light bulb comes on for Cousins. But as much as I’d like to see him become a good quarterback I think Cousins is what he is, a career backup.

And if that’s how it turns out then there’s nothing wrong with that but right now the Washington Redskins need a quarterback who’s more than that as their starter. So I say Cousins has one more shot in week 7 to get things together.

If he has another multiple interception game against the Tampa Bay Buccaneers then it’s time for Jay Gruden to end the Kirk Cousins experiment and move on to another starting quarterback.

Next: Redskins-Jets week 6 Review: Player ratings

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