- Joined
- Aug 1, 2009
- Messages
- 24,950
- Reaction score
- 528
- Points
- 1,143
- Alma Mater
I wanted to hold off writing this for a few days until I let the shock of our current situation wear down and the truth be told about what the Redskins' future holds.
Let me first say that I like Robert Griffin III. He is a high quality young man who let his ego get in the way of common sense on Sunday...something most 22 year old competitors would do. Many here talked about how humble this young man was all season long, captivated by that smile and the appropriate remarks at every turn. I admit, the young man wow'ed me too. I was extremely impressed with his ability on the field, more impressed with his leadership and the way he always seemed to put the team first. That wasn't the case over the last month. And what his decision making over the last month has shown me is, he is much less mature than we thought he was...now we are left wondering if he can regain his edge in the NFL. He crumbled under the pressure by trying to prove us he could do it, he placed himself before the team...his ego got him hurt. And now, Redskins' nation is left wondering what the future holds...a situation that concerned me more than most on this site and else where as it became apparent we would land him here in the draft last off-season. The worst case scenario has happened and here we sit without first round picks for 2 more years and our star QB, likely, out for the 2013 season, no telling what he'll be able to do when he returns.
Last year when everyone was emphatic about how badly we needed this young man on this team, I clamored against it. I did not want some athletic QB who had never done much but put up a lot of statistics. When the final draft positions were known, I was relieved we were not in a position to draft him. When I found out we may be trading up for him, I cried out against the idea and when we drafted him I was upset. The cost was extremely high for a QB that plays like he does, especially coming off the knee injury he had in 2009. It was such a big risk. A risk this franchise really didn't have the luxury to make.
What I was not able to see from the film is what many Baylor fans have expressed, it wasn't just his physical attributes, it was his leadership. None of that mattered to me because I watched enough film on him to form my opinion. Granted, 5 games in his final year in college was probably not enough to form a comprehensive opinion, but he ran a lot and took a lot of hard hits from college players. I kept thinking to myself, if he takes those type of hits in the pros, he will not last long.
Well...I was right! I told you so!
His style of play is 100% all the time and it has cost this team at least one season without him. We will find out the extent of things over the coming week or so, but from all indications and if Shanahan doesn't want to be driven out of town with a pitch fork for not letting him heal properly (THIS TIME), he will make him sit out for a year to let this injury heal properly!
After the Ravens game, when we were told the extent of his injury, I suggested we should side line him for the rest of the season. Many said that was ridiculous! It's a win now league, we are on a streak, the injury wasn't that bad... Then when we saw Cousins perform so well against a middle of the road Browns defense, we should have let him start against the hapless Eagles! We should have sat RG3 for that game as well. And if it came down to it, if he wasn't right for the Cowboys' game, we should have sat him then too.
I told you so!
I am not in any position to judge what Shanahan did Sunday Night. I was at the game and the only indication that I saw there was a problem, was the 9 yard run late in the first half. I really didn't know how bad it was until I saw the film later that night. In retrospect, I can say that this was a poor decision on Shanahan's part, for all the reasons already mentioned. Mostly, this lies on Robert Griffin III's shoulders. He placed himself above the team! I cannot say for sure what he was thinking, but he is a competitor so I can imagine he thought he was wearing a cape since all season long we had been calling him superman.
Before we chose RG3 to lead this team, I was against it. By the time the New Orleans game came around, I was excited and when he churned off a 79 yard TD run against the Vikings and I saw what was happening in the stands of that stadium, I was glad to say I was wrong! It did not pain me in the least. Now? Well, I am right back where I started. I would much rather have taken Ryan Tannehill with the #6 pick and watched him grow. I think he would have been a decent QB for Shanahan and we would likely have gone about where most expected...8-8, but we'd have had a second round pick last year, next year's first and the following year's first and that would likely have been 10 spots higher than we sit in the draft order for this draft...first and second rounds.
There were too many holes to fill to take a flyer on such a gamble. As I look at the situation before us, many will call me a Debby Downer or pessimist, I don't really care. RG3 was a bad investment. While the division title was nice, what did we truly gain? It was a fun ride while it lasted...what's next?
Let me first say that I like Robert Griffin III. He is a high quality young man who let his ego get in the way of common sense on Sunday...something most 22 year old competitors would do. Many here talked about how humble this young man was all season long, captivated by that smile and the appropriate remarks at every turn. I admit, the young man wow'ed me too. I was extremely impressed with his ability on the field, more impressed with his leadership and the way he always seemed to put the team first. That wasn't the case over the last month. And what his decision making over the last month has shown me is, he is much less mature than we thought he was...now we are left wondering if he can regain his edge in the NFL. He crumbled under the pressure by trying to prove us he could do it, he placed himself before the team...his ego got him hurt. And now, Redskins' nation is left wondering what the future holds...a situation that concerned me more than most on this site and else where as it became apparent we would land him here in the draft last off-season. The worst case scenario has happened and here we sit without first round picks for 2 more years and our star QB, likely, out for the 2013 season, no telling what he'll be able to do when he returns.
Last year when everyone was emphatic about how badly we needed this young man on this team, I clamored against it. I did not want some athletic QB who had never done much but put up a lot of statistics. When the final draft positions were known, I was relieved we were not in a position to draft him. When I found out we may be trading up for him, I cried out against the idea and when we drafted him I was upset. The cost was extremely high for a QB that plays like he does, especially coming off the knee injury he had in 2009. It was such a big risk. A risk this franchise really didn't have the luxury to make.
What I was not able to see from the film is what many Baylor fans have expressed, it wasn't just his physical attributes, it was his leadership. None of that mattered to me because I watched enough film on him to form my opinion. Granted, 5 games in his final year in college was probably not enough to form a comprehensive opinion, but he ran a lot and took a lot of hard hits from college players. I kept thinking to myself, if he takes those type of hits in the pros, he will not last long.
Well...I was right! I told you so!
His style of play is 100% all the time and it has cost this team at least one season without him. We will find out the extent of things over the coming week or so, but from all indications and if Shanahan doesn't want to be driven out of town with a pitch fork for not letting him heal properly (THIS TIME), he will make him sit out for a year to let this injury heal properly!
After the Ravens game, when we were told the extent of his injury, I suggested we should side line him for the rest of the season. Many said that was ridiculous! It's a win now league, we are on a streak, the injury wasn't that bad... Then when we saw Cousins perform so well against a middle of the road Browns defense, we should have let him start against the hapless Eagles! We should have sat RG3 for that game as well. And if it came down to it, if he wasn't right for the Cowboys' game, we should have sat him then too.
I told you so!
I am not in any position to judge what Shanahan did Sunday Night. I was at the game and the only indication that I saw there was a problem, was the 9 yard run late in the first half. I really didn't know how bad it was until I saw the film later that night. In retrospect, I can say that this was a poor decision on Shanahan's part, for all the reasons already mentioned. Mostly, this lies on Robert Griffin III's shoulders. He placed himself above the team! I cannot say for sure what he was thinking, but he is a competitor so I can imagine he thought he was wearing a cape since all season long we had been calling him superman.
Before we chose RG3 to lead this team, I was against it. By the time the New Orleans game came around, I was excited and when he churned off a 79 yard TD run against the Vikings and I saw what was happening in the stands of that stadium, I was glad to say I was wrong! It did not pain me in the least. Now? Well, I am right back where I started. I would much rather have taken Ryan Tannehill with the #6 pick and watched him grow. I think he would have been a decent QB for Shanahan and we would likely have gone about where most expected...8-8, but we'd have had a second round pick last year, next year's first and the following year's first and that would likely have been 10 spots higher than we sit in the draft order for this draft...first and second rounds.
There were too many holes to fill to take a flyer on such a gamble. As I look at the situation before us, many will call me a Debby Downer or pessimist, I don't really care. RG3 was a bad investment. While the division title was nice, what did we truly gain? It was a fun ride while it lasted...what's next?