Washington quarterback Kirk Cousins says effort wasn’t a problem last night. Washington coach Jay Gruden agrees.
“I don’t say it was flat,” Gruden told reporters regarding the team’s performance during a fairly brief media appearance following the 38-14 loss. “I say we just dropped the ball. We had two fumbles and a dropped pass that resulted in an interception. So I don’t think we came out flat. We just didn’t protect the football. . . . I think the effort’s fine. We just got beat today. . . . Credit them for making the plays. We just didn’t make any.”
But what’s really the difference between “flat” and “unfocused”? Receiver Jamison Crowder failed to sufficiently focus on catching a pass, which caromed into the hands of Cowboys safety Jeff Heath and ended a scoring drive. Then, Crowder failed to sufficiently focus on securing the ball after a punt.
At least Crowder doesn’t have to worry about losing his punt-return gig.
“We don’t have anybody to put back there right now,” Crowder said. “We just don’t. . . . I don’t have anybody else to return a punt.”
Given the rash of injuries, Gruden doesn’t have a lot of things that he needs. Given the proclivities of the guy who owns the team, there’s a chance that a month from now Gruden won’t have a job.