[Monkeydad]

Despite the severity of the injuries, news is not as grim as it could have been.

I really hope the team does protect their investment. Because we have a capable backup in Cousins who can only benefit from some playing time, I hope we do take a Strasburg-like approach and limit RGIII's playing time to ensure a full recovery, but at the beginning of the season. Maybe give him the first month off. We need to think long-term. We've shown we can win late in the season. I'm not saying we'd be taking the first month by playing Cousins...we can win. He'll have Morris and a fully-healthy defense including Orakpo and other key missing players.

Another consideration could be to evaluate the playbook. We should not run a limited offense solely to protect him because that would limit his potential, however running a smarter offense for the longevity of his career would be smart. Perhaps, we can limit some of the option, called-QB runs (except for in the red zone where RGIII scores every time) and run a more traditional Shanahan offense with QB rollouts where he could easily take off towards the sideline if no one is open. It's the offense Elway and Plummer excelled in and the offense that Kirk Cousins shredded Cleveland with. Cousins ran it to perfection. It opened up the passing attack. Just imagine adding in Griffin's speed (he'll get it back) into an offense that rolls the QB out. It could be just as effective as our 2012 offense but would not put Griffin in so many situations to be hit in places on the field where he can't get to the sidelines. The danger of the option plays is that even if he hands the ball off or pitches it to a RB, it's still perfectly acceptable for a defender who was pursuing him to still hit him because he has to be accountable for the QB whether he keeps the ball, pitches the ball or fakes a hand-off. Any option QB is going to get hit whether he has the ball or not and most of these hits will be in the center of the field or near the line of scrimmage.

I love the pistol formation. Griffin has the best fake hand-off I've ever seen. We need to keep using his skills and talents, but lets stop putting him in danger so much. It's smart from both a football standpoint and an investment and business angle.

If Kyle Shanahan does get plucked for a HC job somewhere else, it could actually benefit our QB if it forces Mike Shanahan to become the playcaller and he installs an offense like he's always run as I previously described. I have no doubts it would still be one of the more potent offenses in the NFL, but would present less danger for Griffin than Kyle's love for the read-option plays. Yes, they've worked. They're fun to watch and hard to stop, but they'll also shorten Griffin's career.