Ceci Ferrara
October 20, 2015
Sports Writer
Sports Insider
For another week in the row, the Washington Redskins went home empty-handed. Though they jumped out to an early 7-0 lead on the road against the New York Jets, they were unable to overcome multiple turnovers and a struggling run game, losing to the Jets 34-20. It was their second consecutive loss, and fourth on the season. Their record (2-4) now boasts twice as many losses as wins.
Quarterback Kirk Cousins struggled, completing just 25 of his 43 passes for 196 yards and a touchdown. But he also threw two interceptions, bringing his season total to eight in six games. Despite his perpetual struggle of protecting the ball, Coach Jay Gruden remains confident in Cousins.
“Kirk gives us the best chance to win, still,” the Redskins coach said. “I want to see him fight through this. That’s going to be the making of a strong person, a strong football player. How they react to some tough times and how they improve. I’m excited to see him bounce back and have a big bounce-back game this week and coming weeks. We’ll see how it goes.”
Cousins didn’t have much help on the offensive side, with Alfred Morris and Chris Thompson limited to just 33 rushing yards. Redskins cornerback Bashaud Breeland recovered two fumbles and picked off Ryan Fitzpatrick once, but his defensive efforts weren’t enough to lift his team to victory.
After a close game which the Redskins led 13-10 at the half, their defense collapsed in the third quarter. The Jets blew the game wide open, scoring 17 unanswered points, seven of which came on a Cousins interception. The offensive outburst was too much for Washington, whose lone second half score was on a blocked punt recovery near the end of the game. With the loss, the Redskins remain winless away from home this season.
Though the Redskins–and Cousins–continue to lose ball games, Gruden believes his quarterback has shown improvement.
“Over the course of the game and over the course of these six games, he’s made some good decisions and some great throws,” Gruden said. “We tend to reflect on the negative ones, and he’s had a few. There have been a few. But there have been a few in just about every quarterback that has played this year. We’re trying to coach off the things he’s struggled with, hopefully learn from them.”
It remains to be seen how long Gruden can continue to make excuses for Cousins before he decides to make a quarterback change. And while Robert Griffin III was active on Sunday for the first time this season, he did not see any game time–nor did he expect to. His status was almost a technicality; he was suited up due to the amount of injuries on the roster.
Though rumors have swirled that Griffin is unhappy with his role on the team, the former No. 2 draft pick refused to answer questions about his situation.
“I’m not going to talk about myself,” Griffin said. “We need to win next week. That’s all we’re focused on. I’m not focused on what I’ve had to go through or anything like that. We’re just focused on Tampa Bay for next week. We have to get a win before the bye.”
Lamar Odom
Last week former NBA star Lamar Odom was found unconscious and foaming at the mouth, attributed to an overdose, at a Nevada brothel. Odom was supposed to be airlifted to the nearest hospital nearly 60 miles away, but due to his height–6’10”–he had to be driven there instead.
After a week of heavy media coverage and speculation, Odom appears to be on the road to recovery. He regained consciousness over the weekend and is reported to be speaking, eating, and even moving his limbs on his own. He has been relocated from rural Nevada to Cedar Sinai in Los Angeles, where he will have access to some of the best doctors and medical care in the world.
These developments are a miraculous turnaround from the reports that Odom was battling for his life just a few short days ago. However, the basketball star still has a long road ahead of him, especially as doctor’s continue to assess what damage was done to his organs while he was unconscious.
The 35-year old forward entered the NBA in 1999 as the fourth overall pick for the L.A. Clippers. During his 14 year career Odom played for four teams, including a seven-year stint with the L.A. Lakers during which he won two NBA Championships (2009-2010) and was named the NBA Sixth Man of the Year (2011). More recently, he has been in the spotlight for his marriage to reality star Khloe Kardashian.
Fans of the NBA star can only hope that this medical scare is the wakeup call Odom needed to get his life back on track. It has been reported that he had been working towards an NBA comeback. If he can fight back from this near death experience, nothing is impossible.
