I wrote an article about how the media has this antiquated idea of what a quarterback should be and if you don’t fit into that bubble they are quick to criticize even if the majority of QBs in the NFL don’t fit their model.
Listen to all the “codewords” that Theismann says in this quote about RG3 & Kirk Cousins.
“Let’s stop beating around the bush,” Theismann said during the broadcast, according to The Washington Post. “Kirk Cousins has played much better at the quarterback position than Robert Griffin III has. Now, Robert is learning to work out of a pocket. He doesn’t look as smooth or as comfortable throwing the football. I mean, your eyes will tell you everything you need to know.
“It’s going to be a decision that Jay Gruden is going to have to make. Right now, Robert Griffin III is his quarterback. Now, if there was a quarterback competition, it wouldn’t be a competition. Kirk Cousins would be the man I believe he would have to go to, because of the efficiency with which he has run [the offense]. Now Kirk, like I said, is basically a dropback quarterback. I see Andy Dalton in Cincinnati, I see Kirk Cousins that way.”
“You can’t avoid it. Your eyes don’t lie to you. Robert has struggled in the limited opportunities that he has had. And Kirk Cousins has seized the opportunities that he has had when it comes to playing the position and understanding the offense.”
“Kirk Cousins did a very good job tonight getting the ball out of his hands,” Theismann said. “Decisive with the ball, very accurate when it came to throwing it, and his decisions were very good as well. So it was a very complete second half for him. And you can say it’s against the second team, you can say he’s with the second team. It doesn’t matter. He did a heckuva job tonight.”
There are a couple of things to consider. First, Cousins primarily plays when the scrubs are in the game, so it isn’t an apples to apples comparison. Secondly, both Cousins and RG3 have started games in the NFL, so let’s look at a more apples to apples comparison.
RG3: Record: 12-16, 62% completion, 36 TDs-17 INTs, 91.5 QB rating
Cousins: Record: 1-3, 56% completion, 8 TDs-10 INTs, 68.6 QB rating
So, basically they have same winning percentage, RG3 has higher completion, TD/INT ratio and rating. So, the reality is when Cousins has had the opportunity to play in real games not preseason games, he hasn’t stepped up to the plate.
He hasn’t SEIZED the opportunities as Theismann says when it actually mattered. By stirring up these controversies it doesn’t help the Redskins at all. The facts are that RG3 has proven to be a more efficient and better quarterback than Cousins when live bullets are flying. The Redskins are going to have to either trade Cousins or they are always going to have to deal with this for a long time..
The backup QB is the most popular guy in town.