Before I dive into my reasoning for why the Washington Redskins need a new man under center in the near future, let me say a few things first. I was a HUGE Robert Griffin III fan when he was at Baylor. In his fourth season with the Bears, the eventual Heisman trophy winner (first player in Baylor history to do so) absolutely went off, completing 72.4 percent of his passes and throwing for 4,293 yards, rushing for another 699. He also threw for 37 TDs, ran for another 10 on the ground, all while throwing a minuscule SIX interceptions all season. He led his team to a 10-3 record overall with a 6-3 record in the Big 12. The ten wins overall was tied for the most wins in a single season in Baylor Football history, while the six Big 12 wins were the team's best since joining the conference. Additionally, Baylor was invited to the Alamo Bowl, where they beat Washington in a nail-biting 67-56 shootout in which Griffin was 24/33 with 295 passing yards and a touchdown, with an additional 55 yards and a TD coming on the ground on 18 carries. Before Griffin's freshman season with the Bears, Baylor hadn't made a bowl game since 1994. RGIII is credited with putting the Baylor football team on the map, as he set a plethora of records in his time there, and is considered the best Baylor football player in the history of the program. He rightfully earned the statue in his honor outside Baylor's McLane Stadium, which opened before the 2014 college season began.
Photo via Dallas News
There was no drop off once Griffin came into the NFL. In fact, he got better. Griffin had the best rookie campaign of any quarterback in league history. He took a 6-10 Redskins team that finished fourth in the NFC East the previous season, led them to 10-6, and threw for 3200 yards with 20 touchdowns and five interceptions (the highest TD:INT ratio of any rookie quarterback ever). In addition to his staggering numbers throwing the football, Griffin racked up 815 yards and an additional seven touchdowns on the ground. His total QBR for the year was 102.4, the highest of any rookie quarterback ever. His phenomenal campaign earned him NFC Offensive Rookie of the Year honors, as well as a spot in the 2012 Pro Bowl. His world class sprinter speed with his cannon of an arm made him a terrific dual-threat quarterback. Add that to his unwavering swagger with which he played, and defenses everywhere were having nightmares about playing against him.
Then this happened....
Photo via www.deadspin.com
Robert Griffin tore his ACL in the Wildcard Round Against Seattle.
That day was a horrific one to say the least for all Redskins fans, as we have not seen the same franchise quarterback since then. After his gruesome ACL tear shown above in addition to the Grade 1 LCL Sprain he suffered in Week 14 against Baltimore, Griffin's running ability was severely compromised. He was so much slower than before, and could no longer plant and cut with his leg the way he did before. To say Griffin's performance has dropped is an understatement, as he has done worse in just about every statistical category since his rookie campaign ended.
In the past two seasons, in addition to his poor performance, his leadership came into question multiple times. Part of that is because of the spotlight he was under after his injury and the ensuing story that team doctor James Andrews had not cleared him to return to action against Baltimore. Nonetheless, Griffin was appointed offensive co-captain during the Redskins' bye week in the 2012 season, but he wasn't expected to lead as a rookie. The team had seasoned veterans on either side of the ball, such as linebacker London Fletcher and wide receiver Santana Moss to take some leadership pressure off of Griffin. Besides, when your team is winning games, nobody's leading ability or attitude is questioned. The moment your team starts to lose consistently, everybody wants to point fingers, particularly at a young quarterback. He snapped after a tough Week 11 loss to the Buccaneers in a post game press conference, a game in which he played terribly. After the game, RGIII, who was sacked six times that afternoon, said, "If you want to look at the good teams in this league and the great quarterbacks, the Peytons (Manning) and the Aaron Rodgers, those guys don't play well if their guys don't play well." He makes a good point, but Aaron Rodgers and Peyton Manning are sure first-ballot hall of fame quarterbacks, and RGIII has a long way to go.
The Redskins gave up a fortune to get RGIII: three first-round picks, a second-round pick, and over $37 million dollars on his contract by the end of this upcoming season. Those are expenses that have and will continue to set the franchise back. His first season, he absolutely earned every penny, and the Redskins looked like geniuses for giving up a lot to get him. But the NFL is all about "what have you done for me lately?" and in RGIII's case, he doesn't have much to show for the past two seasons. He might not even be available for Week One, because his horrible pocket presence caused him a concussion against the Detroit Lions in preseason. Not to mention backup quarterbacks Colt McCoy and Kirk Cousins have shown great promise in both preseason and regular season games over the past two years.
Photo via SB Nation
It is time for the Redskins to cut their losses, AND cut RGIII.
