Draft Day Diagnosis

by Ben

I am annoyed very annoyed.  I expected this from the Four Letter sports network who neglects highlights like they are the original owners of Sarah McLachlan’s dogs.  ESPN has taken the term “BREAKING NEWS” and worn it out like a prostitute’s deposit box.

I expected this from ESPN, but not from my fellow congregants of the Church of Chocktaw a.k.a. Redskins Nation.  If certain members of the fan base are not complaining about something, then they have nothing to talk about. 

There is no Quarterback Controversy in Washington. There is no Quarterback Quandary either.  Robert Griffin III is our franchise quarterback and Kirk Cousins will be his back up. Period. So stop acting like a bunch of Rajan Rondos and knock it off.

Drafting Kirk Cousins in the fourth round (despite his 2^nd round grade by many in the NFL) was not an ego driven pick by the Shanahans, it was not an owner driven pick either.  It was a savvy move to pick up a viable back up and insurance policy for a quarterback with more hype than a sex tape starring Jessica Biel and Kate Upton. 

The NFL is a quarterback driven league, and the Washington Redskins have drafted their cornerstone superstar who is the total package.  He is charismatic, athletic, has a high character, and he can launch an aerial assault like George W. Bush when he had control of the red phone.

However, quarterbacks take major hits on a weekly basis and every snap is a risk for an injury.  The Redskins have protected themselves against this by drafting Kirk Cousins, who after being developed under the Shanamen, will be a solid and reliable quarterback in the NFL.  His role with the Redskins will be to backup and push Robert Griffin III, not threaten his job. This has to be considered a coup, unless you are in the Rex Grossman camp. And if you are still in the Rex Grossman camp, then I hope you leave your food out over night so a grizzly bear comes to your camp and rips your face off.

Another way to look at this draft day decision is following the Kevin Kolb/Matt Flynn/Brian Hoyer model.  The Redskins can develop Cousins BEHIND Robert Griffin III, and then hopefully trade him for draft picks.  I know Kolb was the only one traded for picks, but Flynn was rumored to net picks before cashing in on a nice contract with Seattle.

In case those of you who constantly complain forgot, the Redskins traded three 1^st rounders and a 2^nd round pick to get into position to draft Robert Griffin III.  This means two things; the first is that the Redskins are heavily invested in RG3 and they will ride or die with him.  The second part of this is that their draft pick pool is slightly depleted, and the Redskins will be looking to acquire more draft picks.  If developed properly – and there is no reason to think he won’t be developed properly by the Shanahans – Cousins could net the Redskins a 2^nd round pick or even multiple mid round picks.  I would think this is a reasonable gamble taken by the Redskins with their fourth round pick.

There is no question that the Redskins had more holes to fill than the Iraqi Navy, and the 4^th round may have been a better place to select an offensive tackle.  Would I rather have seen the Redskins draft Ole Miss right tackle Bobby Massie or Zebrie Sanders out of Florida State with their fourth round pick? Of course. BUT, when it comes to offensive linemen, I trust the Shanahans.  They know what they are doing on the offensive line, and they addressed the depth of the line by drafting two guards and a tackle in this year’s draft.  Protecting Robert Griffin III is paramount and the Shanahans and Bruce Allen are very aware of this.  Their job is to also protect the TEAM, and they have done this by acquiring a solid quarterback to be an insurance policy in the event of an injury, or as a trade chip to pick up extra draft picks. 

It is time to stop complaining and start embracing our new franchise quarterback who has so much charisma, even Magic Johnson is jealous.  It is a new dawn for Redskins Nation and it is one to be very excited about.  A year ago the NFL was locked out and the Redskins had a “battle” going on between John Beck and Rex Grossman.  A year later, Robert Griffin III is in town and is more popular than Whitlow’s on a Thursday night.  Kirk Cousins is RiRa when Whitlow’s gets too crowded.   You would much rather go to Whitlow’s, but RiRa isn’t so bad, and it is not a threat.