Photo by The Associated Press.
With Mike Shanahan dismissed and first-time head coach Jay Gruden in to lead the Washington Redskins, quarterback Robert Griffin III says he’s ready to go and grow.
Griffin attended the Baylor bowl game and went on vacation in Hawaii to avoid any involvement in the team’s coaching search. Gruden, the offensive coordinator for Cincinnati, got the job, which was received to mixed reviews in D.C. Griffin, who has been depicted in the Washington press as a spoiled star, said he’s on board.
According to The Washington Post, Griffin said, “Excited, man. Can’t wait to get to work. Key takeaways: excited to get this thing going, get better together, have fun, win.”
Griffin was not nearly as sharp after missing the entire preseason recovering from surgery on a torn ACL . It did not help that his offensive line failed him much of the time. The team went 3-13 and Shanahan benched him for the last three games, purportedly to protect him from injury.
Meanwhile, backup Kirk Cousins was the starter and many thought a quarterback controversy would brew if Cousins flourished. But he tanked.
Gruden committed to Griffin as his starting quarterback.
“I see a ton of talent,” Gruden said at his introductory press conference. “I see a guy that can run, I see a guy that can maneuver in the pocket, I see accuracy, I see long-ball accuracy, I see toughness, I see a guy that wants to win and I see a strong leader. I see every trait that a quarterback has to have to be successful. I see Robert having all of those, so why wouldn’t you want to coach a guy like that? So I’m excited to coach him.”
