Jay Gruden Bet Big and Won for the Washington Redskins

December 28, 2015   ·   James Dudko   ·   Jump to comments

When Jay Gruden chose Kirk Cousins as his starting quarterback for the 2015 NFL season, he wasn't just gambling on a fourth-round pick with a history of throwing interceptions.
Gruden was also admitting to the Washington Redskins hierarchy that he couldn't do the job he was hired to do. Namely, develop 2012 second-overall pick Robert Griffin III into the franchise quarterback he's supposed to be.
By choosing the understudy over the face of the franchise, Gruden was also taking on the owner who was so enamored with RG3 he let his team trade away the farm to get him.
Those were very risky choices for a second-year head coach who endured a 4-12 baptism of fire as a rookie sideline general. Gruden bet his career on the call under center. He bet big on Cousins, and won.
Four months after naming Cousins his starter, Gruden no longer looks like a brash and naive young coach out of his depth. Instead, he's built a reputation as a bold and inspired risk-taker, whose insisten...

Read Complete Article at Bleacher Report - NFL
Article is property of BleacherReport.com