Article/Video: Taking the Measure of RG3

[Om]

Another feel-good article/video on RG3's overall approach to his craft and preparation to excel at the NFL level. And you have to love it when some observer can't quite keep from gushing.

Taking the measure of Robert Griffin III
By Dave Sheinin

BRADENTON, Fla. -- They stretched a tape measure around his torso and waist. They strapped him into a leg-press machine, enclosed him in a body-composition pod, hooked him up to monitors and sensors. They recorded his height and weight, took his blood and urine, told him when to fire his muscles – “Now! Go!” -- and when to stop. They measured his sweat output, his metabolism rate, his heart rate.

And by the end of the nearly eight-hour evaluation of Robert Griffin III’s physiology Thursday at the Gatorade Sports Science Institute, a team of scientists who administer the tests to elite athletes gave Griffin a detailed analysis of his body, with suggestions on what (and when) to eat and drink to maximize his production.

“I’m basically here to try to find that extra competitive edge that all athletes are seeking,” Griffin said Wednesday night, after beginning a 10-hour fast that preceded Thursday’s testing at the institute, which is tucked into a corner of the sprawling IMG Academies an hour south of Tampa. “… Not everyone thinks about nutrition, what you put into your body. That’s a big part of how you perform. If you fuel yourself the right way, you can perform at a high level.”

Griffin, the former Baylor quarterback who is widely expected to be selected by the Redskins with the No. 2 overall pick of next week’s NFL Draft, was one of five prospective draftees invited to the GSSI lab for Thursday’s testing.

At one point, after exchanging pleasantries with South Carolina defensive end Melvin Ingram, a projected top-15 pick, Griffin flashed his famously toothy smile and joked, “As long as you don’t try to tackle me, we’re cool.”

Griffin, 22, has always had an uncanny awareness of his body’s nutritional needs. But on Thursday he said he still has more to learn.

“Nutrition isn’t something I’ve struggled with, but it’s always good to hear from experts,” he said. “… Fans and coaches all want to know you’re putting the necessary work in to be successful, and I’m making sure I cover all the grounds.”

Privacy concerns prevented the Gatorade scientists from revealing any specifics of Griffin’s evaluation, but one of them, JohnEric Smith, said there were no great surprises.

“You’ve seen clips -- he’s an amazing athlete,” Smith said. “Testing him, he’s an amazing athlete. What we look for are what areas he can be better. Some athletes are amazing athletes but there’s always an area he can improve. You’re really good, but lets make you elite in as many areas as we can….

“You get somebody like Robert, he’s got great habits, great background, and he has the physiology to go with it…. His knowledge of how his body works is huge.”

When Griffin first stepped into the lab and saw the array of machines and computer read-outs, he quipped, “Oh, so this is the torture chamber.” And while what followed wasn’t exactly torture, he didn’t seem to enjoy the poking and prodding.

More to his liking was the afternoon activity – a full football-specific workout on a back field a five-minute golf-cart ride away, overseen by Chris Weinke, the director of the IMG Madden Football Academy and, like Griffin, a former Heisman Trophy winner (2000, Florida State).

There, Griffin – sporting gold shoes and gaudy teal, pink, white and black socks, and fitted with sensors on each forearm to measure his sweat -- navigated an obstacle course of cones and blocking dummies as he unleashed a torrent of screaming, tight spirals that had Weinke’s jaw dropping.

“Off the charts,” Weinke said. “You can just see the athleticism coming out. Now, he’s the first to admit he still has work to do. That’s good. He knows that…. But he’s as good as I’ve been around.”

An approaching lightning storm cut the proceedings short, but Griffin had to catch a flight home to Texas anyway. First, though, at Weinke’s request, Griffin stopped to shake hands and take photos with a half-dozen teenaged football students who had gathered on the sidelines to watch.

“Nice to meet you guys,” he said, before he was spirited away in a golf cart, headed towards the parking lot, towards the airport, towards the NFL.

By Dave Sheinin | 05:41 PM ET, 04/19/2012

 

[tshile]

om, don't take this as knock on you for posting it. i'm happy you posted it, because i like to see what's out there that i miss on my regular perusing.
but...

am i the only one thats over the '<insert 'expert' here> saw RG3 work out and thought he was possible the best ever' reports?

the 'experts' telling us how awesome this kid is going to be have started making me worry... enough of analysts reviewing film and watching a work out, i just want to see him in camp already.

 

[Om]

Not sure I understand what you're saying, brother. What is it about reading these reports that worries you?

 

[tshile]

Well, that the experts are (in general) idiots driven by ratings and popularity not by facts and a desire to actually know things.

I mean... they just released strength of schedule ratings for all 32 teams based on last year's results... as if that means anything.

Basically I feel like the more and more they hype him the more likely it is to not work out, and be yet another offseason move by us that doesn't work. Not to be a downer, but every year there are moves that are supposed to make us competitive again, and they haven't worked out yet.

At this point I'd rather everyone shut up about him (in the national media) and let us privately gawk about him

I'm weird like that though. I also only wash my jersey after losses because I must preserve the 'winning' on my jersey for the next game if they win, and i must wash off the stink of losing if they lose.

So yeah

 

[tshile]

To clarify, I was more referring to the Chris Weinke comments at the end of the article, than what the article is really about (gatorade sports science and how RG3 did there).

This probably wasn't the best place for those comments

 

[servumtuum]

Well, tshile, this may or may not help but it is in the spirit of Om's OP only this time it's comments from Bill Polian about RIII.

Jim Williams: Former GM Polian weighs in on Griffin

There might not be an NFL Draft analyst with a better resume than ESPN's Bill Polian. He was involved in the draft day experience throughout his 25 years as a general manager with the Buffalo Bills, Carolina Panther and Indianapolis Colts. Polian was a part of with one of the most famous draft day decisions in NFL history -- selecting Peyton Manning over Ryan Leaf as the No. 1 pick for the Colts in 1998.

So this week during a conference call, Polian provided some insight on the Redskins' future quarterback, Robert Griffin III.

What does Griffin's running ability add?

Polian » "Let's first establish that RGIII is not Cam Newton. He will not run over anyone. He is a world-class sprinter, very quick. And out of the pocket, he will be a very dangerous threat. Not running over people, but outrunning defensive linemen who are trying to contain him. So make no mistake RGIII is a running threat, but in a different way than a Newton."


How will Griffin fit in the Redskins' offense?

Polian » "Well, think about RGIII running the Houston offense instead of Matt Schaub. When I was with the Colts, we saw that offense twice a year and it was all about rolling out the quarterback and presenting the defense with mismatches. It was well conceived and tough to stop. I have to think that with RGIII running things, opposing coaches facing Washington won't get much sleep."

How is Griffin as a passer?

Polian » "He is comfortable in the shotgun, but he also can play under center. The Redskins may have to work on his footwork there but nothing too tough. He can make all the throws you need from a quality quarterback, but what impresses me most is that he can be running, plant his foot and with a flick of his wrist throw the ball 55 yards on a line. That is something very special."

Link: http://washingtonexaminer.com/sports/nfl/2012/04/jim-williams-former-gm-polian-weighs-griffin/514751

 

[Burgundy Burner]

Three days and counting.

Bill Polian - The Redskins need to find him a well-paying position in the organization.

Mr. Griffin - With each new story comes something that impresses me more than the day before. This is like a dream come true - please, no jinxes to mess it up. Pretty please.

 

[Goaldeje]

Three days and counting.

Bill Polian - The Redskins need to find him a well-paying position in the organization.

Mr. Griffin - With each new story comes something that impresses me more than the day before. This is like a dream come true - please, no jinxes to mess it up. Pretty please.

Blah. Polian rode Manning to success. Have you seen their draft picks lately? Donald Brown? Anthony Gonzalez? Their entire OLine? Blech.

He gets the press to slobber over him bc he drafted a top five QB ever, as the (mostly) consensus number one pick with the first overall pick. If we need to move on from ShanAllen, let's do it with someone young and hungry. Not old and tired.

 

[tshile]

i agree that polian rod manning to success.

but i've changed my mind. i can't stop reading the articles. i must have been in a bad mood this morning. case of the mondays or something

Is the gatorade sports science a once a year, rookies only thing? Or do they do this stuff year round for whatever athlete wants to pay for it?

 

[Burgundy Burner]

I would disagree. There have been many good players for the Colts over the last fifteen years. Polian did rather well when you consider that he had an idiot for an owner to deal with.

 

[Lanky Livingston]

Polian, a lot like Kraft, had the advantage of a franchise QB for 14 years, this is true. However, he did stock the well around Peyton with playmakers like Marvin "Guns Blazin" Harrison, Reggie Wayne, Edgerrin James, Joseph Addai, Dallas Clark, Brandon Stokely, etc. And he did very well with their OL over the years - lowest sack total in a season since the 91 Redskins, I believe.

 

[Om]

Franchise QB's are the rising tide that make an entire organization---from the owner to the GM to the waterboy---smarter, more successful, better looking, less smelly.

Bill Polian's career, much like those of people like Bill Belichick, has to be viewed in context of what else they might have done in the years they did NOT have The Man behind center stirring the drink. And that can only be done after the fact, in context of all the factors involved in each individual case, and of course, is 100% subjective.

 

[Goaldeje]

Polian, a lot like Kraft, had the advantage of a franchise QB for 14 years, this is true. However, he did stock the well around Peyton with playmakers like Marvin "Guns Blazin" Harrison, Reggie Wayne, Edgerrin James, Joseph Addai, Dallas Clark, Brandon Stokely, etc. And he did very well with their OL over the years - lowest sack total in a season since the 91 Redskins, I believe.

I should have noted that, sorry. He did very well in the early Manning years, and stocked the cupboard very, VERY well. from about 2006-on however, bleh. Go back and look at their drafts, far more misses than hits.

 

[Lanky Livingston]

I should have noted that, sorry. He did very well in the early Manning years, and stocked the cupboard very, VERY well. from about 2006-on however, bleh. Go back and look at their drafts, far more misses than hits.

Maybe crazy Irsay was starting to get in on the drafts? They had a few hits in that time; Antoine Bethea was a great 6th-round safety pick, Sanders was good when not injured (*coughSTEROIDScough*), Angerer is a very solid LB, Austin Collie & Pierre Garcon were very solid late-round WR picks, Jacob Tamme, Pollak is a solid OG. But yeah, they've had more misses than hits these past few years, that's for sure. But every GM has a down period.

 

[servumtuum]

I used the Polian interview as a counterpoint to Tshile's valid concern about sports media "pundits" not being a completely trustworthy source of perspectives on RGIII. Whatever one may think of Polian's past successes/failures in drafting, he does have a history of being personally involved in the actual process of evaluating players and the their selection for an NFL team and of being accountable for the same as opposed to the "pundits" bring able to spout whatever they wish with little or no consequences.

Short form: He's been there.