Washington Redskins' coach Jay Gruden didn't hesitate to say that Robert Griffin III is the team's starter as long as he is physically healthy enough to play (Griffin returned this week from a dislocated ankle suffered in Week 2).
But that doesn't mean that Gruden is betting on long-term success for RGIII. The rookie head coach still has many of the same unanswered questions about Griffin as he did when he took over. A 29-26 loss to the Minnesota Vikings in which Washington could have easily won the game did not help matters.
Gruden stayed positive regarding RGIII on Monday, but did note that he is still far from a sure thing.
"You start out with Robert, you give him all the reps in training camp and then he hurts his ankle and misses five or six weeks," Gruden said. "We get a look at Kirk [Cousins]. We get a good look at Colt [McCoy] and now it's back to Robert. So, the jury is still out on that position. But we feel good about Robert's progress so far."
Griffin has made three starts under Gruden and lost both of the games that he was able to finish. Gruden admitted that the final seven weeks of the season are crucial for Griffin to answer some lingering questions about his play.
"We've just got to continue to build and see how he does from week-to-week-to-week and hopefully we can see that here at the end of the season," Gruden said. "That's what we have to see and that's what we have to find out."
Gruden hopes to see improved pocket awareness and decisiveness from RGIII going forward. Griffin was sacked five times by the Vikings on Sunday, including twice on critical drives late in the game.
"You've got to have a clock in your head as a quarterback and sometimes he gets locked in somewhere and by the times he comes off to his secondary receiver, he feels the pocket closing in on him and he doesn't have time to move," Gruden said. "Sometimes that comes naturally. Sometimes it doesn't. But it's something he's going to have to fight through."
Griffin was 18 of 28 for 251 yards, one touchdown and one interception against Minnesota. He also ran seven times for 24 yards. The Redskins are on a bye this week before playing the Tampa Bay Buccaneers in Week 11.
