Kirk Cousins Still the Right Man as Starting QB for the Washington Redskins

Kirk Cousins has lost three straight, but he's still the right man to start at quarterback for the Washington Redskins this season. The 2012 fourth-round pick proved it with a gutsy and generally efficient performance against the Seattle Seahawks in Week 5.

Although Washington was downed 27-17, Cousins hardly embarrassed himself against the defending Super Bowl champions and their formidable defense. In fact, his 283 passing yards, including a pair of touchdown strikes, were very commendable numbers.

Cousins, with the help of DeSean Jackson, managed to prove it's more than possible to beat Seattle's vaunted Legion of Boom secondary deep. Cousins' ability to help create big gains against a marquee defense, despite the lack of a running game and playing behind a woeful offensive line, is further proof that he's the right man for this season.

That means Redskins head coach Jay Gruden should shelve plans to reintroduce injured starter Robert Griffin III ahead of time. That idea is a real possibility, per NFL.com insider Ian Rapoport:

Bringing Griffin back early, or at all this season for that matter, is the quickest way to hit the reset button on the 2014 campaign. Even at 1-4, it hasn't come to that just yet.

Cousins still represents the best way for Gruden to run the offense he wants. That's the crux of the problem with Griffin.

The dual-threat specialist is best suited to a particular scheme. It's a system more accommodating to his skills, which are very unlike those of Cousins.

If you want to see a template for how the Washington offense should look with Griffin under center, then look no further than what the Seahawks and their half-sized Houdini, Russell Wilson, produced at FedEx Field.

That's a parallel ESPN Redskins reporter John Keim smartly described after watching Wilson improv the Washington defense to a slow death:

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Meanwhile, Wilson excels because when he moves in the pocket, he keeps his eyes downfield and big plays result. His two longest passes -- a 36-yarder to tight end Cooper Helfet and a 30-yarder to Lynch -- came off scrambles. Wilson doesn't try to be a hero with his legs. Instead, he used his legs to let others make long gains. There's a maturity to Wilson's game that any young quarterback would be wise to follow.

Griffin can get there. And you can't forget that, two years ago, he was making those plays. His fourth-down play against the Giants in Week 7 of his rookie season was as good as anything Wilson showed Monday. But even then, Griffin too often tucked the ball five or 10 yards behind the line and missed some potential big plays by running. As he grows, those plays must be turned into long passes; it's what Wilson typically has done.

When Griffin returns, he needs to not only show he can extend plays but can make the decisions necessary to win games. The Seahawks have shown there's a tremendous value to having a dynamic player like Wilson. They also haven't tried to change him. The Redskins also don't need to change Griffin; they just need him to do what he does -- but to just do it wiser. And if it happens, the Redskins will once again have what Seattle does: a player who can make something out of nothing -- and carry his team to a win.

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Keim was arguing for Griffin's speedy return, which is where he and I differ. It's not because Griffin doesn't possess the freelancing athleticism Keim praised Wilson for.

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He certainly does, at least when healthy. However, it's easy to doubt how often Griffin will be allowed to use his own extra dimension.

As Keim pointed out, Seattle's coaches haven't changed Wilson. In fact, they've adapted to him. That's not something Gruden can claim to have done with Griffin, a dual-threat quarterback he has tried to convert into a pocket-based field general.

For Washington to thrive with Griffin under center this season, the offense needs to change and not the designated franchise quarterback. It needs to resemble a Seahawks-style scheme, one defined by read-option looks and principles.

Gruden's scheme seems more rigid. It's a pro-style system designed to confine quarterbacks to quick and easy reads rather than allowing a signal-caller to riff with it whenever the need arises.

Even Griffin's most ardent supporters ought to concede the former Baylor ace doesn't exactly fit that scheme like a glove. Would Gruden really reset the dial midstream for a system so specifically tailored to Griffin?

It hardly seems likely.

Nick Wass/Associated Press

After all, this is a coach who gave an unflattering appraisal of the read-option when he took the job, per Sports Illustrated writer Don Banks:

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Personally my belief is the read option is better as an element of surprise. If you're making it a major focal point of your offense -- though they had success with it -- that's problematic. You want to have some of it, no question, because it's the way to get the numbers back in your favor offensively. And with a quarterback like him, why wouldn't you have some of it?

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The problem is that some is not enough when it comes to Griffin and the read-option offense.

Gruden tried to adapt his play-calling to suit Griffin in Week 2 against the Jacksonville Jaguars. A pair of planned runs showed Gruden's willingness to turn Griffin loose on occasion.

But stretching that willingness to a season-long concession is another matter altogether. It would lead to an uncomfortable fit between coach and quarterback.

Things certainly appeared that way when Griffin toiled his way through Week 1's 17-6 loss to the Houston Texans. Short passes and limited designs were the order of that day.

Matt Rourke/Associated Press

The offense has been notably more expansive with Cousins at the helm. That's not to say he is without his limitations. Cousins can be erratic, and his reaction to pressure is a particular worry.

But those are trade-offs a play-caller can make to have the full breadth of his playbook available. A passer comfortable in a scheme has more chance of ironing out his deficiencies than one who isn't.

Instead of trying to build a pocket passer from scratch or nervously dipping his toe in the read-option waters Gruden should continue trusting the one quarterback best suited to his offense.

That means Cousins should remain under center.

All statistics via NFL.com.