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RG3 Redskins

Let’s Keep The Current Problems Of RG3 In Perspective

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Robert Griffin III has been benched for the Washington Redskins game on Sunday. As both a passionate fan of the team, but one who also admires this young man and his family, I support the decision. RG3 just looks like he’s really in a big mental rut, one that gives the team no realistic chance to win, and puts him at serious physical risk. Watching him hold the ball, look indecisive and then get crushed makes me long for the safer days when he simply took off and ran into the open field.

But let’s keep this in a broader perspective and not overreact to the heat of the moment. RG3’s career is not lost—or at least it doesn’t have to be, if everyone involved makes good decisions.

This quarterback’s body has been through hell the last couple years. We’re looking at a torn ACL and a dislocated ankle that come on top of another torn ACL that happened early in his college career. That’s a lot of wear and tear for anybody, much less someone who relies on his legs. In retrospect, the bigger shock would be if RG3 didn’t go through a crisis of confidence in trying to trust his body and play with smooth instincts.

I’m accused by those that know me—and not without cause—of drinking too much RG3 Kool-Aid. It’s fair enough, and even if 90 percent of it was just posturing, that still leaves 10 percent of actual Kool-Aid consumption.

One of the areas that I really did buy into the RG3 hype was that he would be able to come back from his ACL tear with a minimum of disruption.

This was not only RG3 hype, but coming on top of Adrian Peterson’s recovery from a similar injury to win the MVP award a year later. I bought into the theory that we were in a whole new world of medical advancement.

It was a theory that was dead wrong, as both RG3 and Derrick Rose will be happy to attest.

The consequence of that is this—it’s been apparent from the season-opening game against the Houston Texans, that RG3 is overthinking a lot. It’s as though he’s having an on-field debate with himself in the pocket as whether to extend a play or simply to eat the football. By the time the debate is over, the defensive line answers it by crushing him into the turf.

On top of all this, we have an NFL mindset that insists that all quarterbacks be cut from the exact same cookie-cutter template, and be a precise dropback passers in the mold of Tom Brady and Peyton Manning. Redskins head coach Jay Gruden clearly buys into this, as evidenced by his decision to take the read-option out of the playbook.

In other words, RG3 had to become an entirely different kind of quarterback at precisely the same time he was trying to learn to trust his body all over again after injury. And we’re shocked that this isn’t going well?

Nonetheless, in spite of all this, all is not lost. ProFootballFocus.com grades the films of each player in the NFL after every game. In RG3’s four starts, his composite grade is higher than that for Matthew Stafford in Detroit (prior to today’s win) and Cleveland’s Brian Hoyer, just to name two. The film grades take context into account—did a player have protection, did he have open receivers, etc.

In other words, the PFF grade doesn’t take the stupid, simplistic approach that says a quarterback is solely responsible for wins and losses or even the less foolish, but still unsatisfying approach of just reviewing a QB’s stat line in the box score, as though it’s not dependent on a lot that goes on around him.

Don’t get me wrong—RG3’s grades are still poor, and the above fact is more an indictment of Stafford and Hoyer than anything. Colt McCoy deserves to start Sunday for the Redskins, and quite possibly well beyond that. I like Colt, and will be pulling for him.

But whether RG3’s future is in the nation’s capital or elsewhere, I’ll be pulling for him too. Right now, he just needs time—the time to let his body and mind reintegrate with each other and play with his old athletic smoothness. That’s not a process that gets worked out in a week.

I hope the Redskins choose to be the team that works with him, and use both him and McCoy in 2015. I understand if my own team decides that chore is just too much. But they better do so with eyes wide-open, because an RG3 revival is hardly some wild, off the charts possibility.

 

Let's Keep The Current Problems Of RG3 In Perspective

, , , ,

Robert Griffin III has been benched for the Washington Redskins game on Sunday. As both a passionate fan of the team, but one who also admires this young man and his family, I support the decision. RG3 just looks like he’s really in a big mental rut, one that gives the team no realistic chance to win, and puts him at serious physical risk. Watching him hold the ball, look indecisive and then get crushed makes me long for the safer days when he simply took off and ran into the open field.

But let’s keep this in a broader perspective and not overreact to the heat of the moment. RG3’s career is not lost—or at least it doesn’t have to be, if everyone involved makes good decisions.
This quarterback’s body has been through hell the last couple years. We’re looking at a torn ACL and a dislocated ankle that come on top of another torn ACL that happened early in his college career. That’s a lot of wear and tear for anybody, much less someone who relies on his legs. In retrospect, the bigger shock would be if RG3 didn’t go through a crisis of confidence in trying to trust his body and play with smooth instincts.
I’m accused by those that know me—and not without cause—of drinking too much RG3 Kool-Aid. It’s fair enough, and even if 90 percent of it was just posturing, that still leaves 10 percent of actual Kool-Aid consumption.
One of the areas that I really did buy into the RG3 hype was that he would be able to come back from his ACL tear with a minimum of disruption.
This was not only RG3 hype, but coming on top of Adrian Peterson’s recovery from a similar injury to win the MVP award a year later. I bought into the theory that we were in a whole new world of medical advancement.
It was a theory that was dead wrong, as both RG3 and Derrick Rose will be happy to attest.
The consequence of that is this—it’s been apparent from the season-opening game against the Houston Texans, that RG3 is overthinking a lot. It’s as though he’s having an on-field debate with himself in the pocket as whether to extend a play or simply to eat the football. By the time the debate is over, the defensive line answers it by crushing him into the turf.

On top of all this, we have an NFL mindset that insists that all quarterbacks be cut from the exact same cookie-cutter template, and be a precise dropback passers in the mold of Tom Brady and Peyton Manning. Redskins head coach Jay Gruden clearly buys into this, as evidenced by his decision to take the read-option out of the playbook.
In other words, RG3 had to become an entirely different kind of quarterback at precisely the same time he was trying to learn to trust his body all over again after injury. And we’re shocked that this isn’t going well?
Nonetheless, in spite of all this, all is not lost. ProFootballFocus.com grades the films of each player in the NFL after every game. In RG3’s four starts, his composite grade is higher than that for Matthew Stafford in Detroit (prior to today’s win) and Cleveland’s Brian Hoyer, just to name two. The film grades take context into account—did a player have protection, did he have open receivers, etc.
In other words, the PFF grade doesn’t take the stupid, simplistic approach that says a quarterback is solely responsible for wins and losses or even the less foolish, but still unsatisfying approach of just reviewing a QB’s stat line in the box score, as though it’s not dependent on a lot that goes on around him.
Don’t get me wrong—RG3’s grades are still poor, and the above fact is more an indictment of Stafford and Hoyer than anything. Colt McCoy deserves to start Sunday for the Redskins, and quite possibly well beyond that. I like Colt, and will be pulling for him.
But whether RG3’s future is in the nation’s capital or elsewhere, I’ll be pulling for him too. Right now, he just needs time—the time to let his body and mind reintegrate with each other and play with his old athletic smoothness. That’s not a process that gets worked out in a week.
I hope the Redskins choose to be the team that works with him, and use both him and McCoy in 2015. I understand if my own team decides that chore is just too much. But they better do so with eyes wide-open, because an RG3 revival is hardly some wild, off the charts possibility.
 

Dealing The Race Card When It Comes To RG3

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It’s time to drop the race card on the table when it comes to the constant drama surrounding Washington Redskins quarterback Robert Griffin III, and moreover it’s time to deal that card from two different decks.

Now that RG3 is back in the Redskin lineup, he’s again facing the latest round of all-out character attacks. Some media reports say those are from within the locker room, and others dispute that, but there’s no question that the Redskins quarterback is under fire for a lot more than just his play. He’s been called a diva, a prima donna, and worse. And I have a hard time separating race from this constant barrage.

But unlike a lot of circumstances, the racial issue comes from both sides in this drama. I’m going to stress in advance that these deal with attacks on RG3’s character, not his play on the field, which is fair game. Here’s a summation of the landscape…

*RG3 is viewed by some in the African-American community as “not black enough.” One need only recall an infamous ESPN commentary in 2012, when African-American “analyst” Rob Parker called Griffin a “cornball brother”, for marrying a white woman and for unconfirmed rumors of voting Republican. Parker wondered if RG3 was “down with the cause.” Parker was fired, but it makes one wonder how extensively his opinions are shared, particularly by RG3’s African-American teammates. The silence of white liberals was a reminder of how much they rely on African-Americans being emotionally bullied into supporting their causes and candidates.

*On the flip side, let’s consider this. Robert Griffin III is the son of military parents and from a strong family background. He’s never been in a whiff of trouble. He helped turn a struggling college program (Baylor) into a burgeoning powerhouse and…well, there are unconfirmed rumors that he votes Republican. Are you going to tell me that if he were a clean-cut white guy instead of an African-American with braids, that white conservatives wouldn’t be all over him? Fox News might give him his own show. But instead, there’s no support. As one, who’s mostly identified and voted with conservatives since turning 18 in 1988, this is one more cause of my increasing estrangement from the modern Right.

When an NFL quarterback’s team is winning games, none of this matters. But the Washington Redskins are not winning games—as a lifelong fan of the team, I have all the emotional battle scars of a 6-19 record over the last season and a half. And when things go wrong, you need a natural base of support to fall back on. Robert Griffin III does not have one—at least not among organized media and social activists.

I contend that this young man is being whipsawed by both sides of the racial divide in the United States, and it’s the real reason for both the sustained character assault he’s undergone, and the lack of any real support coming to his defense.

What other reason could there be? Let’s run through the litany of alternate explanations and I’ll explain why I’m not persuaded…

*The Redskins have lost 19 of their last 25 games, most of which have been with RG3 at quarterback. Yes, and I don’t consider criticisms about his game to be about race. I don’t necessarily agree with them—the ‘Skins play little defense and less special teams. But I get that it comes with the territory in being an NFL quarterback. But Robert Griffin III has been attacked with a ferocity that goes well beyond on-field performance. He’s had his character emasculated. And that doesn’t go with the territory.

*He clashed with his first head coach, Mike Shanahan. Yes he did. As mentioned, Griffin had no track record of getting in trouble with authority and came from a background that would presumably place great value on respect for leadership. Shanahan’s past track record included being unable to get along with John Elway when he was in Denver, to the point that Elway refused to return to the organization until Shanahan left. However things went down between Shanahan and RG3, their respective backgrounds suggest it’s the quarterback, not the coach, who deserves the benefit of the doubt.

*RG3 does a lot of commercials. He indisputably does. Everything from Adidas to Subway to being on with his parents in support of the military. But it’s not as though he’s kissing his bicep like Colin Kapernick of the 49ers. These ads RG3 does are all benign and non-controversial. The most audacious one was “All In For Week One” in the summer of 2013. So, his most bombastic ad was a vow to recover from an ACL tear and play the first game of the season? It might not be medically prudent, but there’s no way it explains the vitriol that poured out.

*His teammates don’t like him. We have to begin by first pointing out that we really don’t know that. And even if we do, the same questions need to be asked—why? If it’s for any of the reasons above, then the same answers apply. I also need to know exactly who doesn’t like him. Let’s keep in mind, this isn’t exactly the New England Patriots locker room that RG3 walked into. The Redskin locker room is filled with players whom I wouldn’t miss if they were cut tomorrow. Their on-field performance has been terrible, and there’s only a handful I would consider credible on any subject of leadership (Ryan Clark, Santana Moss, Trent Williams). In short, I need to know specifics—who hates RG3 and why? No one seems to want to step forward. Maybe they don’t exist.

That’s all I can think of. If there’s something I missing, I’m happy to consider it. But right now, I would sum this up with three simple propositions…

  • Robert Griffin III is being subjected to a character assault well beyond the scope of standard criticism for a quarterback.
  • Most reasons put forth don’t hold water when put up to the light of scrutiny.
  • The one that’s left is that he’s right in the middle of the racial divide in the United States—a place that invites vitriol.

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The NFL Week 5 Undercard: Atlanta Goes To Washington

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The Atlanta Falcons stand on the verge of blowing open the NFC South race before it even begins, with their 4-0 record having built up a three-game cushion and inspiring hopes that this could finally be the year Matt Ryan’s teams translate regular season success into postseason wins. The Washington Redskins have been given new hope with the play of Robert Griffin III, and are at 2-2. The Falcons-Redskins matchup keys TheSportsNotebook’s look at the NFL Week 5 undercard (defined as games not seen much outside the local area, plus the Thursday night game).

This has the potential to be a big week for the cities of Atlanta and Washington. If the Braves win the National League wild-card game on Friday, they’ll start a best-of-five series with the Nationals on Sunday, shortly after the Falcons and Redskins finish hostilities. It’s got the potential to be the highest-stakes Atlanta-Washington weekend since Grant matched up with Lee. Although they wouldn’t be in the same city—the NFL game will be in D.C. while a potential baseball playoff series would open in Atlanta.

Anyway, on the specifics of the Falcons-Redskins. Writing as a partisan Washington fan, I see little reason to think the ‘Skins can slow down Ryan and the Falcon offense, particularly if Atlanta is patient enough to work Michael Turner into the running game into the mix. The Redskin secondary is porous, and the pass rush—without Brian Orakpo—just isn’t there.

Short of inclimate weather, I don’t know what’s going to slow the Falcons down and bad weather in D.C. in early October isn’t exactly common. RG3 will make it exciting and the Atlanta defense has to get tougher themselves, but it’s going to take a lot going right for the rookie quarterback to get his first home win.

Other games on the Week 5 undercard…

Arizona-St. Louis: This is the Thursday night game and it’s turned out, rather surprisingly to be a compelling matchup in the NFC West. Las Vegas is looking for an ugly game, as the posted Over/Under total of 36 is the lowest on the board this week. The Cardinals need to be able to show they can the run ball consistently and get Ryan Williams involved in the offense.

They’re also a little nicked up on the defensive front and while it doesn’t look like a long-term problem, I think it’s questionable that they can take advantage of a bad St. Louis offensive line and get to Sam Bradford. Arizona’s due for a loss, and a road game on a short week when they can’t run the ball looks like a good spot to pick it.

Baltimore-Kansas City: Opposing quarterbacks have picked apart the Kansas City secondary and there’s no reason to think Joe Flacco doesn’t have a big day here. The Chiefs have disappointed because outside linebacker Tamba Hali hasn’t been the difference-maker they need him to be, and when they fall behind it forces them to go away from the running game. Baltimore’s a solid favorite and rightly so.

Miami-Cincinnati: The Dolphins did everything they needed to do last week in Arizona and still lost. Cincinnati has won three in a row and seems to have its offense clicking with both the run and pass, while the defensive front seven has been as good as advertised. The secondary remains a sore spot, literally on Sunday, with both corners nursing injuries, but I’m not ready to bet on Ryan Tannehill to have two good games in a row. The Fish’s own pass defense has been awful and it’s all set up for Andy Dalton to have a big game lead Cincy to 4-1.

Seattle-Carolina: Both defensive fronts would seem to be in position to have big days rushing the passer, and both offenses have reasonable counter-measures in their running games. Thus, it comes down to Cam Newton. He’s got the big-play capacity that Russell Wilson lacks and that can be the difference. Or, Newton could make the key mistakes that lead his 1-3 team further downhill. Wilson made those mistakes last week, throwing three interceptions at St. Louis, but I don’t think that will happen again. I was a believer in Carolina at the start of the year, and while that belief is shaken, I’m not ready to write them off, and picking against them at home in a winnable game would be just that.

Chicago-Jacksonville: There’s no reason on paper to pick against the Bears here, who are giving six on the road. The Chicago defense is third in the NFL against the run, and that’s no surprise. Jacksonville is completely dependent on Maurice Jones-Drew if they’re going to win, and have no real way of forcing the Bears to not key on him. It’s realistic to think Chicago, playing a second straight road game on a short week, might lose a little focus, or that Jay Cutler might be due for a interception-heavy game. But those are just guesses. The percentages say it’s a decisive Chicago win in what’s one of three NFC North-AFC South matchups.

Tennessee-Minnesota: Minnesota is running the ball and stopping the run, and that’s a good formula for success against a Tennessee team that got a resurgent effort from Chris Johnson last week, but saw Matt Hasselbeck throw key interceptions. We don’t yet know if it’s going to be Hasselbeck again or if Jake Locker’s bad shoulder will allow him to play. Picking this game is a nightmare—the Vikings strike you as a team that will win as long as nobody believes in them. So unfortunately for them, I’m sold on their ability to win this one at home.

Buffalo-San Francisco: Ryan Fitzpatrick is productive for Buffalo when no one pressures him, and he becomes a turnover machine when the heat is on. So what’s likely to happen in San Francisco? The Over/Under on the game is 44.5, and that might as well be the number of Bills’ turnovers we’re betting on. I don’t see Buffalo being able to run consistently and take the pressure off Fitzpatrick, thus freeing up the Niner defense to tee off.

The bye weeks in Week 5 are for Dallas, Detroit, Oakland & Tampa Bay. Tomorrow’s feature of the main national TV games will start with three games in the early window that will be seen by large chunks of the country–Green Bay-Indianapolis, Philly-Pittsburgh and Cleveland-NY Giants. Then the late afternoon marquee is Denver-New England, and from there we’ll preview the prime-time games of San Diego-New Orleans (Sunday) and Houston-NY Jets (Monday).

NFL Week 1 Recap

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Week 1 of the NFL is in the books, so let’s go division-by-division with some observations…

NFC EAST: The big stories of Week 1 are all right here and there’s plenty of chances to overreact. Does Robert Griffin III’s fantastic debut—called the best ever by a rookie quarterback in the NFL yesterday by the normally reserved Michael Wilbon on ESPN—mean the Redskins are a division contender? Do Michael Vick’s four interceptions mean more than the fact he ultimately led a game-winning drive to push Philadelphia past Cleveland? Are the Giants headed for another pedestrian regular season or are the Cowboys now real Super Bowl material? For now, let’s just focus on the last point—we already know Dallas is capable of looking very good. What we don’t know is if they’ll string together consistent wins or if a clunker home loss is waiting in the wings. How about we see if they can at least go like 4-1 or 6-2 before we book passage to New Orleans for the Super Bowl?

NFC NORTH: I’m going to hold back on Green Bay’s poor defensive showing against San Francisco and Chicago’s win over Indy, since the Packers-Bears play Thursday night and we’ll talk about both teams more in depth in just two days. For now, let’s look at Detroit. Does their narrow home win over St. Louis mean a warning sign for the Lions, or instead an indicator the Rams will be improved? I’m concerned about Matthew Stafford’s three picks, but given the presence of Jeff Fischer on the St. Louis sideline and the talent the Rams have on the defensive front I’m going to give the benefit of the doubt to St. Louis and say this was just a case of a team going from awful to at least semi-competent and semi-competent in the NFL means you can at least compete week-in and week-out.

NFC SOUTH: Just like Detroit gets the benefit of the doubt, so does Carolina. I think Tampa’s 16-10 home win over the Panthers is more a sign that the Bucs are going to be respectable this year than it is a sign of Carolina being overrated. At the start of the year I picked Carolina to go 9-7 and Tampa to shoot up to 8-8, so a home win for the Bucs fits that landscape.

NFC WEST: We’ll look at San Francisco in more depth tomorrow after their win in Green Bay has moved them to the forefront of Super Bowl discussion (to the extent the Niners weren’t there already). But I want to throw a second-guess at Seattle head coach Pete Carroll, or at least whomever handles the play-calling. The Seahawks trail Arizona by six points, and have three shots at the end zone. Russell Wilson is a quarterback who’s short, with some accuracy issues, but very mobile and good on the run. So does Seattle roll him out and let him create something? No, they run three straight pure dropback passes and fail to get in the end zone. I like to give coaches the benefit of the doubt, because I think they probably often have legitimate reasons for their decisions, even if they don’t work out. I’ll give the same to Carroll and his staff regarding this play-calling. I just wish I knew what the rationale was, because it escaped me.

AFC EAST: I know the media will want to talk about the Jets, but I can’t get past just how bad Buffalo was. I wasn’t a part of the modestly crowded Bills’ bandwagon to start the season, but I wouldn’t have expected the team to be this bad. How much longer do they stay with Ryan Fitzpatrick, after he throws three interceptions? And the most alarming stat anywhere in the NFL? Buffalo, after signing Mario Williams in the offseason not only ends up with zero sacks—against a questionable offensive line—but zero QB hits.

AFC NORTH: Even those of us who think Baltimore is in decline (I say “those of us” as though there were more people than just me thinking that) have to do a double-take after last night’s 44-13 thrashing of Cincinnati. Joe Flacco played the part of the quarterback having a breakout year and the defense produced four sacks. The concern? Cincinnati established the run, with 129 yards on the ground.

AFC SOUTH: Very disappointing effort from Tennessee. The Titans might not have been expected to win against New England, even at home, but the rushing game was non-existent and if that’s going to be a pattern than it will be a long year in Nashville. And though Jacksonville didn’t play badly in an overtime loss at Minnesota, if they can’t beat the Vikings, where are the wins going to come from?

AFC WEST: I’m sure everyone has heard plenty of pundit-talk about Peyton Manning’s play on Sunday night and this is a case where the mainstream commentary is pretty well right on. San Diego got a nice win on the road over Oakland, but that has the look of a game that was more about Raider incompetence offensively. And though Phillip Rivers’ completed 24/33 passes, the fact those completions only got 231 yards against a lousy secondary has to be a least a yellow flag. Last night might have been a 7-9 team beating a 5-11 team.