Washington Redskins quarterback Kirk Cousins has sought out the advice and experience of a very intriguing former NFL head coach and current ESPN broadcaster who bears a disturbing likeness to the murderous doll "Chucky."
Yep, you guessed it - Marc Trestman.
Wait. No. That's not right.
Cousins, known to be seeking a chance at the starting gig in Washington, recently spent time working with Jon Gruden, former head coach of the Oakland Raiders and Tampa Bay Buccaneers and brother of Redskins head coach Jay Gruden.
"...it was made clear from one source involved in this story that this was Cousins' idea. Cousins and the older Gruden have maintained a very positive relationship over the last three years," writes Chris Russell of ESPN 980.
Jay, of course, announced at his NFL scouting combine press conference Wednesday that Robert Griffin III would enter next season as the starter, so Cousins' decision to work with Jon won't be paying dividends - at least not in the immediate future and, potentially, at all.
Former Redskins tight end Chris Cooley revealed, prior to Gruden's announcement, that Griffin will quarterback the team "without competition" in 2015, according to Dan Steinberg of The Washington Post.
Could these recent developments portend Cousins' departure from the team via an offseason trade?
"There is at least one team interested from what I've heard, and possibly more," writes Russell. "It's not hard to figure out who these teams would be."
All three of the Redskins quarterbacks - Griffin, Cousins and Colt McCoy - had an opportunity to set themselves apart last season and each failed in their own way. With McCoy an unrestricted free agent and Cousins still under contract for one more season, it's possible Cousins stays and backs up Griffin for one more season and McCoy finds a new NFL home.
McCoy though, is a favorite of both Bruce Allen and Gruden, because of his poise and command of the offense. It's also hard to envision him being offered a starting gig elsewhere next season, so his value to the Redskins may very well be greater than it is to any other NFL franchise.
Cousins has a higher ceiling and looked very good in certain spots, but he also has a propensity to turn the ball over and, per Russell, is dealing with some confidence issues after his failure to keep hold of the starting gig last year.
John Keim of ESPN mused recently about the potential trade value of Griffin and Cousins and believes the Redskins could land a fourth- or fifth-rounder for Cousins rights.
With new GM Scot McLoughlan in the fold, it's bound to be an offseason of firsts for the Redskins - though the whole Gruden-naming-RGIII-the-starter-at-the-combine thing certainly smacks of team owner Dan Snyder sticking his nose in the one place it never, ever belongs, reminding us that there are still some things in this life we can all count on.
The only thing certain at this point is, with Gruden's announcement, Cousins won't get his desired chance to start with the Redskins next season.
All that remains to be seen is whether or not that desire coupled with the Skins' offseason plans leads to him remaining with the team or playing elsewhere.
