COACH

RGIII Benched; Colt McCoy to Start Sunday

Washington Redskins quarterback Robert Griffin III will be watching Sunday's game from the bench.

News4's Dianna Russini confirmed overnight that Colt McCoy will start against the Indianapolis Colts.

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"I came here with a clean slate, and I want to play the best players, period, whoever they are," Coach Jay Gruden said. "First round picks, sixth round picks, free agents, I don't really care who they are, where they came from. Obviously the history of Robert and the talent that he has at quarterback, very excited to coach him when I first got the job and I still am. And I'm not giving up on Robert. It's just, we haven't been successful."

RGIII is coming off two poor starts. He's been sacked 11 times in the past two games and has faced criticism through much of the season.

Griffin did not speak to the media Wednesday, but it's unclear if that was his decision or the team's, Russini reported.

"He wanted a chance to play himself through this slump," Gruden said.

McCoy, the team's third-string quarterback, won both games he's played this season.

"I know this is a significant decision for our team," McCoy said. "Moving forward I just want to go out there and play the best I can and help our team as much as I can find a way to win some games."

Unfortunately, the news of the shake-up got out a little early; Gruden wanted to tell the entire team about his decision first on Wednesday.

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