ASHBURN, Va. -- Robert Griffin III wants to be a leader. Jay Gruden has another idea: Just be a quarterback. Just worry about your job because, as of now, what you’re doing isn’t good enough.

It was another odd day at Redskins Park, where this round of the recent drama was at least on the record. There were no anonymous stories ripping Griffin’s fundamentals. There was nothing about him alienating teammates. This was the head coach crushing his young quarterback. Everything Gruden told the media Monday is what he said he’s told Griffin privately. None of what Gruden said publicly would therefore be classified as a surprise.

Still, there’s no mistaking what the first-year head coach thinks about Griffin.

“Robert had some fundamental flaws,” Gruden said of Griffin’s game Sunday in a 27-7 loss to Tampa Bay. “His footwork was below average. He took three-step drops when he should have taken five. He took a one-step drop when he should have taken three, on a couple occasions, and that can’t happen. He stepped up when he didn’t have to step up and stepped into pressure. He read the wrong side of the field a couple times. So from his basic performance just critiquing Robert it was not even close to being good enough to what we expect from the quarterback position.”

Yikes.

It’s curious to hear a coach say all of that out loud -- and it makes you wonder why Gruden did so. One interpretation: He’s not sold on Griffin and is not only sending a message to him that he must improve a lot, but also to owner Dan Snyder. That there are six games left to improve basic fundamentals and, if that doesn’t happen, then perhaps the Redskins need to make hard choices. Yes, Griffin has been a marketing machine for Snyder because of his popularity. But after three years fans want results; there were a lot of empty seats late in Sunday’s loss and more will follow down the stretch.

It’s worth noting that Gruden did not speak as harshly about Andy Dalton in Cincinnati, even after bad performances.

Maybe this is a last-ditch effort by Gruden to prompt change. I don’t know. But I know public statements like this are unusual, at the least.

Griffin remains a talented quarterback, but also one who has a ways to go in his development. When he was a rookie, then-coach Mike Shanahan -- still in the honeymoon stage -- would often say that in several years Griffin would look back and realize how much he didn’t know, especially when it comes to being a pocket passer. It’s also true that mobile quarterbacks, guys who could escape pressure, often take longer to develop in this area. Can Griffin become a great quarterback without great fundamentals? If he had hit DeSean Jackson on two deep balls Sunday, a lot of those flaws would be overlooked in a, ‘Yeah, but …’ sort of way.

Still, Gruden came across as a frustrated coach. Know this: His frustrations do not end with Griffin. There are basic plays not being made -- blocks missed, blitzes botched -- that add to his frustration. The Redskins’ problems don’t end with Griffin. They won’t end if they change quarterbacks. They will subside if Griffin develops because then he’ll become the playmaker they need at this position.

All the stuff about whether or not Griffin threw teammates under the bus in his news conference is not nearly as relevant as what Gruden said about his game. The sense from those at the QB's news conference was that Griffin, who blamed himself quite a bit, simply made an awkward point. Whatever. Even in talking to Griffin after his news conference, just a casual chat, he pointed the finger hard at himself. If you want to interpret his remarks differently, go ahead. But that obscures the larger point about what really matters.

The Redskins, once again, will be an interesting team to watch over the last six games. Once more, it’s not for the reasons they would like.