Jay Gruden has officially been introduced as the new head coach for the Washington Redskins. The former Cincinnate offensive coordinator was granted his first head coaching job and this one certainly comes with a lot of pressure. Questions have risen over the type of offense he plans on running, but Gruden made one thing clear to the media, Robert Griffin III is the team's starter.
"Robert Griffin III is the starter. There will be no competition," Gruden said, via the Washington Post. "I see toughness. I see a guy that wants to win and I see a strong leader. I see every trait a quarterback has to have to be successful. Why wouldn't you want to coach a guy like that? I'm excited to coach him. Hopefully he's excited to play here."
If there was any idea that Kirk Cousins was going to get a slight look as the starter for next season, but those thoughts to rest. At this point, the Redskins are more likely to trade the promising backup to a team in need of a quarterback and get quality in return.
Gruden did not mention Cousins once in the interview, instead opting to praise Griffin as much as possible. The quarterback has come under fire recently, first for his character during the season and then for his relationship with both owner Dan Snyder and former head coach Mike Shanahan. The coach was eventually fired, many pinning Griffin as the reason. Gruden says his relationship with the quarterback is very important.
"It has to be genuine," Gruden said. "He has to believe it. I'll let him know I'm a trustworthy guy. He also has to understand I expect a lot from the starting quarterback. I expect him to come in and prepare and work hard and I expect him to take the blame on some throws. I expect him to be a great leader. I expect him to do everything to be great. As long as he's working his butt off I will provide him everything he needs to be successful. If he doesn't like a play, I won't call a play. I will make sure he's comfortable with everything we're doing."
Griffin and Gruden have not spoken to one another since the hire was made, but the quarterback did take to Twitter to praise his new coach and note how excited he was to get to work. "Excited about the hiring of Coach Jay Gruden. Can't wait to get to work with him & the guys!"
