When the final whistle blew at the end of the Washington Redskins second preseason game against the Detroit Lions, fans of the burgundy and gold and the media that cover them were left shaking their heads in incredulity. Among other problems shown, the rise and fall of fourth year quarterback Robert Griffin, III was a sight to behold. Having gone from 2012 superstar to 2015 question mark, people are questioning whether or not he even belongs in the NFL. Head coach Jay Gruden has been said to be in the hot seat because of things he did last season and how he is handling 2015; and some say the owner is still meddling in the day-to-day operations of the team. There is a lot of negativity surrounding the franchise and if it wants to survive this season, it’s going to have to circle the wagons, continue to watch each other’s backs and ignore the outside world.
There may be some truth to the theory that head coach Jay Gruden is in danger of losing the locker room because of naming Griffin starter without a legitimate competition at the position. NFL players are competitors and no one else on that team is going to be named to the No. 1 squad because of his salary or draft spot. And the players might lose some respect for their head coach IF Griffin’s preseason continues to look disastrous and he is under center come September 13 against the Miami Dolphins. Depending on how he comes back from the concussion (it has been ruled, “minor”) he sustained against the Lions, it all may be a moot point. But if he is cleared to play the next game and has another outing like the one against Detroit, Gruden will have no choice but to put either Kirk Cousins or Colt McCoy in, if only to protect Griffin. It would be the humane thing to do. The fourth year man took too many shots in that game — hard shots. Some were because of the poor play of the offensive line… but not all.
All of that said, there are some interesting theories out there about what is going on with the team.
One of the favorites is that Gruden is trying to make Griffin fail by calling plays that the QB will not succeed with because he wants McCoy or Cousins to run his system. It is said that he didn’t call the best scheme for Griffin like he did for McCoy and Cousins but, of Griffin’s five passes, all but two were from the shotgun. It’s well-documented that Griffin is successful from the shotgun… given time to execute the play. This should show that Gruden is not trying to set up Griffin to fail.
Gruden may feel Cousins or McCoy is the better player for his system but he is not going to go as far as to sabotage Griffin with his play-calling.
A huge amount of negative media (both mainline and social) attention was devoted this past week to an interview with Alex Parker that Robert granted and something he said during it.
“I don’t feel like I have to come out here and show anybody anything or why I’m better than this guy or better than that guy,” RGIII said to Parker. “It’s more about going out and affirming that for me, I go out and I play, I know I’m the best quarterback on this team. I feel like I’m the best quarterback in the league and I have to go out and show that. Any athlete at any level, if they concede to someone else, they’re not a top competitor, they’re not trying to be the best that they can be. There’s guys in this league that have done way more than me. But, I still view myself as the best because that’s what I work toward every single day.”
Most of the local press — at least those of us have known Griffin since he arrived in Washington — know what he really meant by those comments. But many national folks (and some local people) had a field day with it, calling the Heisman Trophy winner arrogant, delusional and a host of other derogatory adjectives.
Because of the outcry, Griffin took it upon himself to address his comments with a few reporters out at Redskins Park.
But there is no winning for this young man… even his subsequent explanation was dissected and re-dissected and criticized. Most people can make a verbal mistake and are given the benefit of the doubt when they say, “that’s not what I meant.” It doesn’t appear Griffin will ever be offered that courtesy because of his history.
That said, in the big scheme of things, the only people Griffin really needs to worry about is his teammates and coaches.
“You have to think you’re the best,” teammate and wide out Pierre Garçon said. “[You] continue to work hard to be the best and go out there and prove it every day. Nobody has to agree with you. You just have to believe in yourself and work hard. … I’m happy that he feels that way. Hopefully, we keep playing better and keep getting better and as an offense, we can help him prove that.”
Griffin’s coach wasn’t too terribly worried about it either.
“I didn’t make a lot out of it. You guys did,” the coach said at his presser this week. “I think all players want to strive to be the best. That doesn’t change. [Receiver] DeSean Jackson said he’s un-coverable. Whether he is or he’s not, that’s how he feels, and Robert has high goals for himself. I don’t fault anyone who has high goals for themselves. You don’t want anyone who strives to be average. But the key thing he said is he’s got to go out and prove it. We all have got to go out and prove it.”
Every time Griffin went down in the game against the Lions, a teammate was there to help him up. Things like that are important right now and are what Redskins players need to continue to do with all the negativity that is swirling around the team.
The players and coaches in Washington need to shut the door to the locker room, pay no attention to what the outside world is saying and continue to work on their craft. Don’t forget that the team on the field and the coaching going on during these preseason games should not be what the public will see when the Miami Dolphins come to town. There are starters that will take the field and there will be game-planning. That makes a difference. In addition to those differences however, if the team is unified and cohesive, there’s all the more chance that there’ll be some winning. And all of that is up to them.