One week after Washington coach Jay Gruden benched quarterback Robert Griffin III in favor of Colt McCoy, it is already surfacing that Gruden is done with RG3, per reports from the Washington Post. Though it is unclear whether owner Dan Snyder and president/GM Bruce Allen are in agreement with their coach, it is telling that Gruden is convinced the team should part ways with the 2012 second-overall pick.
It was well-known that Gruden had doubts about Griffin before being hired this winter, but RG3 still entered training camp as the undisputed No. 1 quarterback. However, after nearly a year of working with the 2012 Rookie of the Year, Gruden is ready to make a clean break with Griffin in the offseason.
Gruden's desires to make a change are well known within the organization, according to Jason Reid of the Washington Post:
Although Gruden had doubts about Griffin before coming to Washington in January, Griffin was his unquestioned starter from the offseason workouts through training camp to Week 1 of this season. After working with Griffin for more than 10 months, however, Gruden is now done with him, according to multiple people within the organization.
Reid adds that Gruden believes Griffin is "at best a long-term project as a pocket passer," displaying poor footwork and bad decision-making for a third-year quarterback. Gruden also thinks RG3 "seemed more concerned about enhancing his brand than about honing his pocket skills."
Griffin's terrible performance since his rookie season -- a 4-14 record and Total QBR of 36.5 -- would seem to make the choice to part ways an easy one from a coaching perspective. However, the situation is less clear-cut for team ownership, which sacrificed four high-round draft picks for Griffin and would likely have a difficult time trying to get fair value in a trade this winter.
Regardless of how this scenario plays out, it looks like Griffin's future in Washington is cloudy. Not only does he lack the support of his head coach, but he is also struggling to maintain the promise he displayed early in his career.
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