Mike Shanahan Press Conference: "I haven't made a decision on the starting QB **UPDATE** per John Keim: Cousins will start

[TSO]

Better start thinking of a new signature

 

lol, I forgot. Don't have signatures on so I never even think about mine! 

[Newera]

This is the Shanahan's trying to protect their brand. Their stock is down.  Playing Kirk makes everything relative.  If Kirk plays well,  "See it was more Robert and not our system."    If Kirk doesn't.  Well, who cares, we are going to be fired anyway.  I agree with Czabe.  It's McNabb II.  

 

If Kirk out plays Robert.  (Which is possible).   Their narrative will be "See, we told you Robert is a diva and he and Dan hijacked the team."  

 

That's really why they're closing Robert down.  It's their excuse to play Kirk.  Come on Mike, we ain't stupid.  

 

Plus, Robert can learn a lot watching Kirk play.  They play so differently.  In other words, I think Robert will benefit more watching Kirk run the offense, then Kirk benefits watching Robert run it.  I still think among Luck, Wilson and Griffin -- in two years, Robert will be the best.

 

Problem:  Still same defense and atrocious special teams.

[skinsforlife101]

I really really want to see what KC1 can do.

With this offensive line I would not hold my breath for anything good:( 

[wilco_holland]

, yeah great idea...

[21cents]

I would like to see kirk cousins.

 

The real question is how good is rg3? cause this season hes been pretty bad,

 

Coming out of college he was hyped and looked at as a qb that made his wrs look better then they are.

 

This years nfl season tells another story. RG3 has been pretty bad missing wide open wrs and reading the defenses wrong,

 

Now we are seeing his baylor counterpart in WR Josh Gordan who has been the 2nd best wr and the most dominating WR 2nd half of the season. He is doing some outrageous things.

[21cents]

[Skins3000]

So if I'm reading you correctly, you feel RG3's ceiling is more important, even if evidence suggests that the team plays harder and performs better with Cousins.  What effect do you think that would have on the rest of the team if you trade away the QB they played for for the one they didn't?  Especially given that the thing with athletes with high ceilings is the risk they never actually reach that ceiling.

 

I realize I'm not being fair and just playing devil's advocate.  Just like hearing reasonable discussions about these sort of things.

The team played well for RG3 last year but what I think most of the fans fail to realized that the new regime when they walk through that door, that entire offensive line excluding Trent Williams will be replaced. Half the defense will be replaced. Santana Moss the ones supporting Shanahan will be replaced. So, when I hear about this team supporting Shanahan it is only certain players that know that without Shanahan they do not have a job when Shanahan is fired. Cousins has played an entire game against bottom feeder Cleveland. If he really wanted to protect RG3, Shanahan should had sat him against K.C. a much potent defensive team in inclement weather. If Cousins is going to get this team a 3rd round pick at best, Cousins is going to have to play against formidable opponents that is going to make a general manager say whoa not against a team that is 3 and 10 and ranked just as horrible as the Skins defense.

[Rpredskins]

I love how everyone is so quick to blame Mike Shanahan for all of this drama. Everyone is ready to take the side of an owner with a reputation for screwing the organization up and a second year player that has regressed in the second year. Mike Shanahan has won 2 Superbowls period.  He knows how to win. What this organization needs to do is take a breath and relax. The Skins have an offensive line that is set up a certain way and a runninback that is perfect for his system. Way too much rebuilding if they change coaches. Sets the franchise back five years.

 

So you're taking sides on this based on reputation and dislike of character? The reports so far and the reasoning behind them mostly point to Shanahan being more at fault. Of course that could be wrong, and if it turns out to be, then I'm sure all or most of us will adjust our view of the situation. But right now there's no logical reason to pin this on Snyder, unless you truly think that trying to quit before a playoff game is a rational response to the QB's wife riding in the owner's limo.

[darrelgreenie]

Lol at fans believing leaked reports.

If I was Mike I would leak more stuff, it's clearly working to sway the fans.

[Sekhmet187]

Actually yes, the talk was that if Green Bay lost yesterday that Rodgers would probably be shut down for the year as opposes to reactivated.

Outside of that, as stated to another poster, it's an idiotic comparison....those players you listed aren't second year players less than a year removed from a major injury and surgery, whose never has a true normal NFL offseason to grow and progress as a player. It's not comparable.

It's perfectly reasonable to be upset or angry about the potential benching...fully get that. But it can be argued against without nonsensical arguments like this

 

So let me get this straight, because it seems some fans still are believing that line I heard all throughout the off-season that somehow since RGIII has had two surgeries in the same knee, he can somehow become more than 100% healthy with even more rest. That is simply not true and the whole reason all of this "RGIII can get hurt because unlike other QBs he had two injuries in the same knee same knee so shut him down" stuff makes no sense to me.

 

First of all, his knee is fine and he is 100%, so the idea that he should be shut down to get healthy is wrong. His knee could get stronger, yes, because THAT is why it takes athletes more time to recover from ACL and MCL injuries, the knee loses some of its strength, even after its 100% healed from injury. The mere fact that everyone seems to think its idiotic to not shut him down because he had two knee injuries makes no sense to me, He is no more likely to get hurt tomorrow than he is next year. The only possible credence I can give to that line of thinking is that maybe you believe the injury has made RGIII play worried and that could lead to him doing something that gets himself injured again, bit that is just something everyone will have to deal with.

 

seriously, look at Derrick Rose's situation in the NBA. He had a horrible knee injury and waited extra time to come back, then blew out his other knee. caution doesn't guarantee anything, and the extra time did him no good as even when he did come back, he was still rusty. Amare Stoudamire had two surgeries in the same knee and came back early and looked good before injuring himself in a non related incident. Its just the breaks of a person's personal recovery. This whole idea that "well Eli Manning isn't recovering from an injury so its a stupid analogy" only makes any sense whatsoever if RGIII wasn't 100% healthy.

 

So my question to many of you who think this makes sense to bench RGIII, do you really believe his knee isn't healthy and that an off-season of rest will make him healthier? Because in all honestly, from everything we know and hear, that isn't true. The only thing the off-season will give him is more time to strengthen his knee so he regains a bit more of his speed, and more time learning whatever offensive system is in place and his reads. 

[PapaLazarou]

Give the guy some credit. He might be questionable at personnel decisions and game adjustments but he sure knows how to manipulate an owner and alienate a fanbase.

[skinsmarydu]

The only thing the off-season will give him is more time to strengthen his knee so he regains a bit more of his speed, and more time learning whatever offensive system is in place and his reads.

The idea is to make sure this happens.

Without a broken collarbone,(good one, whoever posted that originally), arm, finger, toe, or anything else. My only worry is that Kirk is gonna get WWE'd behind that line now...if he gets injured before the season ends, we'll be in a real pickle then.

[Sekhmet187]

The idea is to make sure this happens.

Without a broken collarbone,(good one, whoever posted that originally), arm, finger, toe, or anything else. My only worry is that Kirk is gonna get WWE'd behind that line now...if he gets injured before the season ends, we'll be in a real pickle then.

 

I get that you're worried with the way the line is blocking, keeping him in could expose him to a new injury, but if the oline is largely the same next year, or with additions that are a big unknown, it won't be much different in september 2014. but yes, you're right that there is always the risk that the next blitz this season could give RGIII another injury to deal with in the off-season. I understand that line of thinking and its basically whether or not you believe the next 3 games could help him learn anything, like playing a full 16 game season and not having players wondering if RGIII is going to be able to be the player they think he can be because hes always injured or being protected. 

 

The last thing you would want is any player on the team or another team that could be brought in next season thinking RGIII is a diva and wants to sit to protect himself for next season. Regardless of whether it happens or not, as fans we should hope that the player perception is not of RGIII being soft.

[skinsdude]

I don’t find the idea of Mike shutting Robert down for the season so puzzling.  Mike said that Robert is currently 100 percent healthy and that he wants him to stay that way through the end of the season so that he can participate in all offseason programs. Makes sense. I don’t want Robert spending another off season doing solely rehab work because he played in three meaningless games. I want him on the practice field playing football. I would like for Robert to have the reps in the final three games as much as the next person but not if it possibly means that he would not have a productive offseason. Get the brace off and be 110 percent on opening day.

[martytheman]

wow.. this saga just gets more and more bizarre as the days go by.

always a circus.. no matter who is here.

 

I have been down on rg all season, from his horrible accuracy to sloppy mechanics to zero pocket awareness.

Hope he turns it around next season, but this one is a sunken ship.

 

I would be interested to see what Cousins does with a full week of preparation and gameplanning.

Those who are on the Cousins sucks bandwagon can't expect the guy to do much when he's down 45-10 and thrown to the wolves who know he has to throw every down.

 

on the other hand, shanny could be playing him to come up with some awful gameplan and torpedo Cousin's trade value in order to give danny another big FU.

 

All in all, this is a bad situation all the way around.

[martytheman]

I have heard reports that if Green Bay gets eliminated Rodgers will be shutdown and will not come back even if he is healthy.

 

At this point I am afraid that RG3 will end up like Ramsey. Shell shocked to the point of no return. This Oline is going to get him killed.

 

Yes the O-line has some problems, but Griffin is gonna be the one to get Griffin killed.

his refusal to get rid of the damn ball is what leads to alot of these hits he takes, if he would zip the ball out of there in less than 3 seconds on a 3 step drop the line wouldn't be an issue 99% of the time.

 

but what does he do on a 3 step drop? hold the ball for about 5 seconds and then take a punishing hit after sailing his pass over the receiver's head or throwing the ball at his feet.

rinse, repeat.

[Lavarleap56]

That's correct you don't....you also aren't the entirety to the HTTR-24/7 crew. That part of my statement was in reference to things like KCs latest post scorching Shanahan and playing the role of Baghdad Bob for Snyder while claiming this and that needs be apologized for to "the fans". In this thread, the thing specifically I was replying to was boss hog posting this tweet

HTTR24-7.com ‏@HTTR24_7 2m

Fans should be pissed..Reporters ask questions that the FANS want answers too. Mike Shanahan refuses to answer what you want answers too

 

You don't own the word "fans" bro.. People can say what they want and speak from a fans pov because we are all fans of this team. You don't get tons of mentions from fans on twitter asking how this keeps happening to the fans etc.. So my tweet is a general statement instead of responding directly to one individual. 

 

But the facts are what they are.. A reporters job is to ask questions that fans want to know, in return they get more eyes on their work. Mike Shanahan has bypassed the beat guys since he took over this organization in 2010. He has planted and used the national media to control the narrative he wants out there, makes things tough for the guys on the beat and the fans that read the Keims and Paulsens of the world. 

 

You don't have to be pissed, that's your right. But I think it's crazy for a Head Coach to be planting stories that crush the team hours before a game, then stand at the podium and not answer to any of it. It wouldn't be as bad if he at least lied at the podium and acted like we are stupid like usual. But to sit up there and basically co-sign the report by not killing it is crazy IMO. 

[gaskinsfan]

For this to be a serious consideration it means; Shanny realizes RG3 is nowhere near ready to play QB at a high level. He is making the same mistakes week after week. 3 more weeks of the same mistakes won't help him. Only a ton of work in the off-season can help him develop into a better pocket QB. The risk of RG3 getting hurt and not having a healthy offseason outweights the benefits of 3 more games that really don't matter.

 

A side benefit of playing Cousins is he gets some game experience, and some more indication of how good he can be. If he stinks it up, he's the backup anyway and you have a healthy RG3 in the offseason. If he lights it up, then you can decide how things play out next year, maybe have an open competition in camp.

 

Winning games is the goal of any team not avoiding controversies because you have competition at a position.

[returnofthefunbunch]

Yes the O-line has some problems, but Griffin is gonna be the one to get Griffin killed.

his refusal to get rid of the damn ball is what leads to alot of these hits he takes, if he would zip the ball out of there in less than 3 seconds on a 3 step drop the line wouldn't be an issue 99% of the time.

 

but what does he do on a 3 step drop? hold the ball for about 5 seconds and then take a punishing hit after sailing his pass over the receiver's head or throwing the ball at his feet.

rinse, repeat.

May I ask a stupid question...who does he throw the ball to?  The other team, or into the stands?  The games I have watched, wrs are rarely open.  He did overthrow a wide open Pierre last week, but most of the time our receivers are blanketed.  Has anyone else noticed that since Reed has been hurt, our offense has been much less effective?  We only have two true receiving threats, Pierre and Reed... that's it.  Teams take them away and no one else is open.

[darrelgreenie]

I think Shanahan is doing all of this because there was a legitimate undermining of his authority by RG3 and Snyder. Not because he just wants to destroy the organization on the way out, but because he felt Snyder went back on his word of staying out of things. I think we all are ignoring how many things that came out of the RG3 camp this year that made us all wonder what the heck was going on. That HAD to be it right there.

 

I'm not gonna ignore that now because we're all pissed at Shanny and for how the season went. Just 4 months ago we were all praising the direction of this team. I refuse to just believe all of that was a mistake and no one had any idea what they were talking about.

 

That is not to say Shanny isn't being completely unprofessional here. He is. But I'm not so narrow minded as to believe it wasn't spurred by something horribly wrong behind the scenes and not just the stupid "it's his ego" argument. 

Basing your opinion on leaked media reports is not an objective way to gain information. The very reports you cite are leaked by people hoping to gain an advantage in perception from the leak.

And its working pretty damn well.

 

The leaks have worked to shift the blame from the on the field and personnel failure to literally everything else under the sun.

[martytheman]

May I ask a stupid question...who does he throw the ball to?  The other team, or into the stands?  The games I have watched, wrs are rarely open.  He did overthrow a wide open Pierre last week, but most of the time our receivers are blanketed.  Has anyone else noticed that since Reed has been hurt, our offense has been much less effective?  We only have two true receiving threats, Pierre and Reed... that's it.  Teams take them away and no one else is open.

 

if nothing is truly there, then the correct play is to throw it away.

However in limited action, KC had no problem finding Garcon, Paulson, Morgan and Moss...

 

he did also almost hit 2 db's in the hands, but you get the idea. I find it hard to believe everyone is completely covered 100% of the time, but ONLY when RG3 is in the game. Cousins may not have done any better statistically, but he did throw receivers open and had the ball waiting when they came out of breaks, and that's something Griffin has yet to do this year. I'm not saying he's the end all-be all of the qb position, but he did pull the trigger on throws that RG3 definitely would NOT have.. right or wrong at least he pulled the trigger.

[darrelgreenie]

For this to be a serious consideration it means; Shanny realizes RG3 is nowhere near ready to play QB at a high level. He is making the same mistakes week after week. 3 more weeks of the same mistakes won't help him. Only a ton of work in the off-season can help him develop into a better pocket QB. The risk of RG3 getting hurt and not having a healthy offseason outweights the benefits of 3 more games that really don't matter.

The risk of getting Griffin injured? Really? 12 carries against the Giants, some on TRIPLE OPTION.

In the first half of the Giants game Griffin was 16/17 1 TD sell that crap about Griffin not being able to play at a high level somewhere else. Get the gameplan and playcalling right FIRST then talk about the QB.

Oh, wait whut? Admitting that Griffin's poor play is linked to the gameplan and playcalling is an admission on fault and the Shanahan's don't play that game.

[Jacoah]

While I think that this is a horrible idea, that RGIII needs the reps the rest of this season, I'm curious to see (if Cousins starts) how the backup does as a starter the rest of the season. At least it will keep my interest. Apart from AlMo, I've lost almost ALL interest in this cluster **** of a team.

[darrelgreenie]

But I think it's crazy for a Head Coach to be planting stories that crush the team hours before a game, then stand at the podium and not answer to any of it. It wouldn't be as bad if he at least lied at the podium and acted like we are stupid like usual. But to sit up there and basically co-sign the report by not killing it is crazy IMO. 

Mike Shanahan is a ballsy dude, I'll give him that. I find it ironic that Mike is playing hardball right now and turning around and claiming that poor little head coach mike shanahan was hindered by Griffin's relationship with Snyder.

 

Fire this dude.

And I'm not a guy that calls for a coaches job lightly.

Didn't call for Kyle or Haslett's or Danny Smith or even Zorn.

But enough is enough.

[returnofthefunbunch]

if nothing is truly there, then the correct play is to throw it away.

However in limited action, KC had no problem finding Garcon, Paulson, Morgan and Moss...

 

he did also almost hit 2 db's in the hands, but you get the idea. I find it hard to believe everyone is completely covered 100% of the time, but ONLY when RG3 is in the game. Cousins may not have done any better statistically, but he did throw receivers open and had the ball waiting when they came out of breaks, and that's something Griffin has yet to do this year. I'm not saying he's the end all-be all of the qb position, but he did pull the trigger on throws that RG3 definitely would NOT have.. right or wrong at least he pulled the trigger.

I agree that he needs to learn to throw the ball away, but KC didn't really show how things should be done.

RG3  46% of his passes(pathetic)  13.7 yards per completion

KC     44% of his passes(pathetic)  8.4 yards per completion

 

Either guys were not open or he didn't hit them.  All I know is when you have a WC style offense, when there are quick timing patterns with lots of slants, the receivers need to get off the line and get some space between them and the dbs.  When we run those types of passes where there are 3 step drops and pass, our receivers are NOT open.