Team news: Atlanta Falcons | Page 34

New Washington head coach Jay Gruden and his new offense haven't returned Robert Griffin III to his rookie-season form. Despite the struggles -- or the calls for backup Kirk Cousins -- Gruden is sticking with Griffin, the 2012 first-round pick.

“I feel good about the starters we have," he said, via the Washington Post, adding that RG3 "is further along that it appears he is, I think."

The Cousins bandwagon is starting to gain a lot of momentum lately. It's hard to imagine the team benching RGIII unless they struggle out of the gate. Either way, RGIII's stock is falling a bit. The ideal situation is to draft him as a backup or at least part of a committee as long as you have another starter you're comfortable with.

Former Washington QB Joe Theismann used his platform on the team’s own preseason broadcast to question Robert Griffin III’s grasp on things, and to praise the work done by backup Kirk Cousins.

“Let’s stop beating around the bush,” Theismann said in the fourth quarter, via the Washington Post. “Kirk Cousins has played much better at the quarterback position than Robert Griffin III has. Now, Robert is learning to work out of a pocket. He doesn’t look as smooth or as comfortable throwing the football. I mean, your eyes will tell you everything you need to know.

“It’s going to be a decision that Jay Gruden is going to have to make. Right now, Robert Griffin III is his quarterback. Now, if there was a quarterback competition, it wouldn’t be a competition. Kirk Cousins would be the man I believe he would have to go to, because of the efficiency with which he has run [the offense]. Now Kirk, like I said, is basically a drop-back quarterback. I see Andy Dalton in Cincinnati, I see Kirk Cousins that way. …”

It's a topic no one seems to want to bring up around Washington, after all, RGIII is firmly planted as the team's starting QB. But if Washington struggles to start the season, or Griffin takes a hit and has to miss time, it will be interesting to see how it plays out should Cousins get to play under center. We're probably a long way off from that situation, but from a fantasy perspective, Cousins would have a lot of weapons to make him an interesting grab off the wire and play in your lineup...

After Robert Griffin III struggled in joint practices with New England last week, members of the Patriots organization opined to ESPN.com's Mike Reiss that Kirk Cousins was the best quarterback on the Redskins roster.

Reiss specifically cited Cousins' edge in "running the offense, fine-tuned mechanics and how decisively the ball came out of his hand."

Griffin attempted just four passes in the preseason opener, a 23-6 win over the Pats, but we couldn't help but wonder if the footwork issues that dogged him last season have yet to be ironed out.

As well as Cousins played versus the Patriots, though, there is no hint of controversy in Washington.

It would be hard to believe the team would turn to Cousins as the starting QB over RGIII. If anything, this increases Cousin's trade value...

The Ryan Mallett showcase didn’t work as intended, but the backup quarterback wasn’t offered much help last night in the Patriots’ preseason opener against the Redskins.

He was outdueled by fellow trade-bait backup Kirk Cousins, who was 9-of-13 for 103 yards and a touchdown and helped the Redskins build a 13-0 lead in the first half.

Pats rookie QB Jimmy Garoppolo’s surprisingly productive performance was particularly noticeable after Mallett’s struggles. The second-rounder completed 9-of-13 passes for 157 yards and a touchdown in his first NFL action, and wide receiver Brian Tyms had five receptions for 119 yards and the scoring grab.

Mallett did have some moments, completing passes to Brandon LaFell and Josh Boyce, the story noted. The performance comes just days after Mallett was deemed NFL ready and was called someone who could start in the NFL right now.