Don't be that guy: a word of caution.

It's a fairly common phrase spoken these days.  In plainspeak, the implication is, simply, "don't be a jerkoff."  "Jerkoff" is probably one of the most fluid words in the English language, provided you qualify it as a word.  It has pretty much whatever meaning you want it to have.  The guy getting unnecessarily loud at a calm social gathering?  Don't be that guy.  The guy that explains every joke he cracks because nobody's laughing at them, so he thinks you don't understand them?  Don't be that guy.  The guy out with his friends that doesn't want to split the bill because all he had was a platter of nachos?  Definitely don't be THAT guy.

That's Jason Garrett.  For the uninitiated, Jason Garrett is the head coach of the Dallas Cowboys.  I don't have the hatred for Jason Garrett that would be expected of your average Washington Redskins fan.  I suppose it's because he's actually accomplished so little as the head coach of the Cowboys that, well, I'm not seething about their success.  Also, to a lesser extent, Garrett is really the head coach of Dallas in name only.  Describing the dysfunction in Dallas Cowboyland as related to organizational management is a blog entry all its own; it's one that's been done to death all over the media and it's not one I'm personally interested in writing.  Garrett has as much power in Dallas as I do.  He's a eunuch.  Jerry Jones runs that show.  He has since he bought the team.  We know it.  It's established beyond fact.

That's Jay Gruden.  Jay Gruden, as of 2014, is the head coach of the Washington Redskins.  I'll admit I wasn't thrilled with this hire, but like the Stockholm Syndrome sufferer I've been for years, I've come to accept and even identify with my captor, Daniel Snyder.  It's not that I think Jay Gruden is a bad coach; I have no idea what sort of head coach he is because this is the first head coach gig he's had in the NFL.  He got a ton of credit as the offensive coordinator for the Cincinnati Bengals for getting the most out of a sub-par quarterback in Andy Dalton.  Again, it's not that I don't personally like Jay Gruden, it's the fact that I thought the Redskins interviewed at least two better candidates before they made this decision.  I wanted Darrell Bevell.  (I'm not going to post a picture of Bevell.  He's still chilling in Seattle with his Lombardi Trophy & he can eat a bag of nutsacks.)  Yet, here we are.  Jay Gruden is our guy, for better or for worse.  Snyder's backed off his Jerry Jones-like tendency to micromanage, and he's taken to hiring competent men to run the organization.  Fine.  I can deal.  I can even muster up support for Jay.  His brother Jon won a Super Bowl, so that's gotta count for something.  Right?  Right.

I fully believe that the first half of the upcoming season is going to clear up exactly what kind of head coach Jay Gruden is going to be.  And here's my advice to him:  don't be Jason Garrett.  DON'T BE THAT GUY.

Robert Griffin III hasn't looked that great this preseason.  Who cares, it's preseason.  New coach, new system, new beginning.  It's to be expected.  Gruden is bringing a more... traditional kind of game plan to the Redskins' offense.  Griffin can run like hell, and he can also throw like hell when he wants to.  Gruden wants Griffin to throw more, run less.  Be a quarterback.  Don't do anything stupid and get yourself hurt.  Griffin has the talent to pull it off, but does he have the cognizance to do so?  He hated the former regime, but those two clowns (who, due to my personal contempt, will not have their names published on mine and Juan's beloved sports blog) ran a scheme that fit Griffin better.  It's OK, take your time, work out the kinks.  This is what Gruden wants from Griffin.

But what if it doesn't happen?

Robert Griffin III seems to be an OK guy for a bonehead.  He's riding the hell out of the "new coach/system" explanation.  But here's the thing:  his backup, Kirk Cousins, is not experiencing these growing pains.  In fact, Cousins seems to fit the bill just fine.  He's making better reads.  He's throwing better passes.  He just looks BETTER in this offense than Griffin does.

And that's where Gruden has a choice to make.

I'm not advocating the immediate replacement of Robert Griffin III with Kirk Cousins.  Not by a longshot.  Griffin has earned the benefit of a doubt.  Gruden sees that and he's acting accordingly.  Griffin is also a media darling, a huge transcendent star, and a total fame whore, not to mention being the pet project of Dan Snyder.  Therein lies the rub:  is Jay Gruden going to be able to properly coach the entire Washington Redskins football team?  Yes, one of his primary duties as the coach is to get Robert Griffin III to live up to his draft status.  Griffin is the starter and Gruden has to nurture him, coach him, get his absolute best every single game.  The team is LOADED with offensive weapons, and that's 75% of the battle.  Griffin is being set up to succeed; he's better-disposed than most of the QB's in the league.

So what if he fails?

If he does, Gruden has to drop the axe.  He cannot let Griffin's personal satisfaction take precedence over the success of the other 52 players on the team.  If Kirk Cousins can take the Redskins further than Robert Griffin III can, then Gruden has to allow Cousins to do that.  He has to take that stand.  He has to be the leader he was hired to be.

He can't be Jason Garrett.

He can't be that guy.