The question is nonsense. I know there are media and fans mentioning that RG3 should be benched. Theses are the same guys that thought Kirk Cousins should continue playing after his one start against Cleveland last season.
If RG3 was injured and he was risking further injury or if he was throwing 4-5 INTs a game, I could better understand the question. However, most of the people bringing this issue up are morons that have kneejerk reactions to everything and think real football is fantasy football where you can swap guys in and out whenever you feel like.
RG3 has not been the problem. Sure, he hasn't played his best football the last two weeks but it's also not hard to understand why that is the case. He is coming off of a major injury and didn't get any work in preseason. Last season, Peyton Manning looked rough to start the season coming off of a major injury but we all know how he finished. Also, last time I checked, RG3 is not playing defense and isn't giving up 30+ points a game. He isn't playing special teams and shanking punts or making dumb penalties or poor decision in punt/kickoff returns resulting in us being pinned back deep in our zone.
Sure, he looks a little rusty but to shake the rust off the guy has to play. Unfortunately, the last couple of games are the work we would have hoped he would have gotten in preseason. I expect him to improve week to week and he will do that by playing. Putting in Cousins would be a mistake on many levels. Aside, from the fact that RG3 is better, putting in Cousins has further implications as it would tick off RG3 and disrupt the team and then if Cousins wasn't good, it would be even more disruption to go back to RG3. Plain and simple, it doesn't make sense.
While I wish people would just shut up with the bench RG3 talk, I recognize that is what people do and it is part of the game. The funny part is the strongest proponents to bench RG3 would be praising him should the Skins win on Sunday. It's the nature of sports fans.
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No - but it is clear he was not ready for prime time. He should have either gotten some reps during the pre-season, or the Deadskins should have held him out for a few weeks and gone with Cousins.
I don't think the Deadskins would have won the last two weeks because their D has been atrocious, but it sure looks to me like he is slower and shaking off some rust.
In general, it seems the Deadskins are still in pre-season mode while their opponents realize it is the regular season.
I def don't think RG3 is the problem. His play is A problem but its the least concerning. He's not playing great obviously but there are many many many other problems that need to be fixed besides the QB. Its funny to think about it. Do these people really think that putting in Cousins will magically fix the defense and special teams? This is truly a knee jerk response.
It's easy to say that he should have played in the preseason. I'm not saying he shouldn't have played. The problem is if he had played and had gotten hurt, it would have been the end of Shanny. It's a Catch 22. People will say he should have played in preseason to get up to speed but if he got hurt, those very same people would have demolished Shanny for playing him. Again, the nature of moronic fan.
RG3 will get better. However, as I have mentioned, and I think we all have mentioned and agree, RG3 isn't the main problem. Defense has been killing us. There was a local poll showing that more than 60% of the people feel that the defense is the issue.
RG3 needs to play to get back in sync. Putting in Cousins doesn't help unless RG3 is hurt or Shanny believes Cousins is the better player. The fact is that we are where we are. RG3 needs to play to get back up to speed. I believe RG3 is healthy but rusty. Robs, to your point to put Cousins in to get RG3 more time to recover doesn't make sense unless he is still hurt. Whenever RG3 started to play, it would be likely that he would need a few weeks to get up to speed. Might as well have that happen now.
Funny because benching RG3 has become national news and obviously a hot topic for sports talk radio and the "experts" are quick to say that benching RG3 is nonsense but it's interesting to hear some idiot fans in favor of benching him. They really don't understand football.
Shanny gets paid big bucks to make tough decisions. He hasn't done a very good job with RG3 or with his defense.
I agree that RG3 needs to work himself into shape, but he may still need some recovery time. It may have made more sense to plan to platoon RG3 and Cousins for a couple of weeks to get RG3 the reps to get back into shape. Expecting him to just come in cold and play hasn't worked out well.
RG3's numbers look pretty good, but they are purely cosmetic numbers that he is getting with teams playing soft prevent coverages. He is not where the Deadskins need him to be and it is quite possible that Cousins would be a better short term option.
All that said, if the Deadskins can win their next two and both RG3 and the D play better, then all will be well. If not, then the pressure will build for a lot of change.
Haslett runs the defense. There are issues with the defense that need to be fixed and if the Skins take the same type of drubbings over the next couple of weeks, Haslett should be gone.
He "may" need some recovery time. We don't know. Again, P. Manning looked shaky early part of last season. He didn't seem to have the same velocity/accuracy on his throws but it came together over time. I'm confident RG3's play will improve but it hasn't been bad.
Platoon RG3 and Cousins? What?!! This isn't college. That to me would be a recipe for disaster. Platooning wouldn't allow for any chemistry with the rest of the team. What if one starts playing better than the other? They are both young QBs and I can see how that would fracture relationships throughout the team.
Point is that RG3 hasn't been the problem for this team. He's been solid and I expect his play to improve. However, if he struggles and starts to hamper the team, we'll have to re-evaluate. That is the case with any player in this league.
When I say "platoon" I mean that the plan could have been to have RG3 play the first quarter or two and then go to Cousins. They don't have to switch drive by drive.
The benefit would be that it would have been like pre-season for RG3. In addition, they could have locked the schedule in place so it would not look like they were benching him.
After 2-4 weeks, RG3 would have gotten the reps and been better able to take over. It is not that complicated and it makes perfect sense.
I disagree that RG3 hasn't been a problem. I don't think he is THE PROBLEM, but he hasn't played well and thus, by definition, he is part of the problem.
That's silly. Either play him or sit him. Don't platoon for a half. I don't think I have ever heard of that. Again, it's not fair to the QBs or the entire offense as it's hard to get into a rhythm and it's bound to fracture relationships throughout the team. If they did that, I can imagine the fans/media having a field day with that. Just more circus.
RG3 has been fine. The problem is that he hasn't been the dynamic player he was last year and that is what everyone is expecting. He is a top 10 QB in most relevant stats. I get that he was playing in situations where we were down big and defensive strategies alter but it's not like those defenses were giving him points. He still deserves credit for the numbers that he has. It's just that everyone wants to get on him for not being superman. It will come. I hope/expect to see him improve week to week.
Like preseason - that way you can work him into game shape.
I would have done it if I were the coach and I had a QB who had not taken a snap in preseason. It is clear he is not sharp - I don't share your view that he has not been a problem.
Are you for real? I suppose that is why you won't be a coach - among several other reasons.
That is insane. Just stop and imagine for a second the media storm with such a set up. Fans and media would have a field day with that. It would create a competition between RG3 and Cousins in front of a national audience. What if Cousins outplayed RG3? It would fracture the team and organization. That's the kind of story the media would dream of. Sports talk (locally and nationally) would go nuts. Fans would all be chiming in as to who they liked more. That idea is just plain silly.
Lets not forget the team and not understanding who their leader is. Depending on the play, some guys on the team would want one guy while the others would want the other guy. The team wouldn't have any continuity and it's hard for the offense to get into a rhythm. There are differences with the cadence, the timing, and many of the small nuances that just makes it unfair for everyone.
I think its easy to say he should have been benched for 4-5 weeks now that weve seen his play but before the Eagles game you would have to assume that he was 100%. At the time if they knew he was 100 % then the right choice was made. Personally i dont think he is 100%. This team is not very good, but many of the flaws can be masked by last years RG3 however, I think hes scared. He doesn't want to play like last years RG3 where there is a high risk of injury. To come back from an ACL injury within 8 months and be ready to take on the physicality of football requires intense hard work and dedication. Probably more than any training camp, offseason, preeseason combined. I dont think he wants to have a serious injury and have to go through that again and if he plays like last years RG3,it is almost inevitable to happen. It would be a miracle if it didnt. I dont know if he will play like last years RG3 again but if this team is to do anything this year, they need him to be RG3 of last year.
JSR, I believe the guy is healthy enough to play. The problem is he is rusty. If he had sat the first 4-5 weeks, he is still going to have to play catch up once he gets in. It is unreasonable to expect a guy coming off of an ACL injury and to not play a single down in preseason and come in Week 1 and be the dynamic player he was last season. It will take some time.
Now if you couple that with the fact that they have been down big early in both games and forced to play a two minute offense for much of the game, it doesn't do RG3 any favors and it's a different offense that what we would typically run.
I've said it several times and I'll say it again, the offense will be fine. As RG3 gets more time and shakes the rust off, the offense will come around. There is enough talent there for them to be successful. Lets not forget that this was one of the top offenses in the league last year and personnel has not changed.
Special teams has been an issue this season but that can/will be corrected.
The real issue is defense. Our secondary is a big concern. The loss of Carriker and Jarvis Jenkins hurts up front which in turn hurts the rest of the defense. I like London Fletcher a lot but he is looking his age. The fact that we are still dealing with the cap penalty hurt us too this offseason.
My hope is that the defense will improve to a point where they are at least not abysmal and RG3 improves week to week. We grind through the season and improve week after week. Given that there shouldn't be anyone running away with the East, we may have a shot. Then we have a full offseason of key players being healthy and we will have the cap penalty lifted and we make the necessary improvements.
Sometimes you have to take a step back before you can move forward.
We just have to disagree. I don't think it would have been the big deal that you think it would be. If Shanny had announced that RG3 was going to play the first 4 series (almost a full half) and then Cousins would take over in the first game, I don't see any problem. Setting the schedule in stone so that RG3 could get some game reps and work off the rust makes perfect sense.
It would be somewhat similar to the strict schedule the Nats put on Strassburg. Coming off of an injury, it makes perfect sense to limit playing time.
I don't think RG3 is fully healthy, but let's assume that he is, he did not have any time to work back into playing shape in the preseason. There is no question that at the very least there is significant rust in his game. If they had let him work his way back more slowly it may have helped. Instead of going back and forth, let's just agree to disagree. We'll never know anyway.
We'll never know because it is a ridiculous idea. Your scenario is very different than the Strasburg situation.
I just know fans and media alike would have a field day your scenario.
It's fine though. We can agree to disagree.
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