WP: Is Robert Griffin III the Washington Redskins’ franchise quarterback? - by Liz Clarke

[worldpost]

 

The "hatred" part comes through because the people you are arguing with are so condescending in their responses that actually the "hate" is having to deal with typing more and more explanations for something that seems so easy to understand to one side of the argument. If everyone who just so happened to have concerns about their "starting qb" actually were amicably discussed by the people that disagreed instead of given responses like "what haters" or "the hatred is disgusting" and so on, the inflections in these RG3 posts would never happen.  If people were allowed to say, " RG3 needs to learn how to make more difficult reads" without having "lol hater" posts as a response, more "incisive" posts about RG3 would have never been needed to be written. 

Exactly...  You don't have to be a RGIII lover or RGIII hater to be lumped on one side of the fence or another by the vocal

[BRAVEONTHEWARPATH93]

I stopped posting in the "cousins thoughts next few weeks thread" because I no longer wanted to contribute to a QB controversy in my small modicum of "fan accountability" I was willing to take on for being a fan of this team, at least when it came to the players and coaches (aka, ownership and the FO structure is a different story)... but, I feel like this article brings to light some things I've said in the past that I, and other posters, got laughed at for.

 

“I’ve had him for training camp and [offseason workouts], and obviously it’s a totally different speed,” Gruden said. “One game against Houston, in which he didn’t play very well...”

 

It looks like the head coach agreed that having a good completion % doesn't mean a god darn thing.  Thank god we have a written soundbyte by a head coach confirming what many people on here felt about RG3's 2014 performance before his injury.

 

And, people can't have it both ways, there are plenty of people on this board who also like to say "you are just a fan and know nothing compared to x, x, or x who actually are a professional in the NFL." Not that this was said to me directly, but just in general, some fans like to make it known that the average "fan" is just a peon compared to a professional, no matter how pathetic said "professionals" might be.

 

So, I'll chalk this up to being on the "right" side of the debate on whether RG3 played well against the texans, which in turn highlights the fact that his poor play in the preseason correlated with his poor perfomance in the Texans' game, which led to the "false" high completion percentage thanks to deliberately thrown quick passes just so RG3 could make a read and complete a pass.

 

Also, being "injury prone" isn't just a made up concept.  I'm not going so far as to say he is injury prone, but anyone pretending that being injury prone is just a crapshoot are also wrong.  Having a smaller stature combined with the propensity to engage in physical contact beyond the average player at a given position certainly can cause someone to be "injury prone" relative to someone else.  There have definitely been posters in the past who have stated with a certain viable level of knowledge about bones, joints, muscle systems etc. that the "type" of running motion and football movements they have seen from RG3 have caused them alarm about potential injuries.  Again, I can't say that these posters (who I'm sure are regular posters) are 100% correct in their thoughts either, but there were reasons for them to post things like that at the time as well, because they were worried about past injuries and the potential of future injuries based on what they knew about him.

 

This leads to that jaguars play.  When I watched that play again just now, I don't see the "magic" in that play.  He was throwing to a literal wide open desean.  I've never questioned his arm strength,  nor his ability to "rise to the occasion" in clutch moments. I always questioned his ability to make complex reads consistently.  So many circumstances have come up about this.  It's pretty much common knowledge to everyone considering the "assumed fact" that he needs the RO to be at his most effective.  But, there can't be two ways about it.  The reason why people acknowledge he needs the RO is because he needs to use his legs, to make up for his lack of running a "traditional" offense, since he can't make reads like that yet.  It seems very "cause and effect" to me, but some people think it's attacking his "character" or something. Whatever.  

 

Finally, on that play he injured his ankle, completely disregarding his propensity in the past of having zero concern about protecting his body while holding the ball, I get worried that the "way he runs" might have caused this.  He thinks his athletic ability is so invincible that he tries to run at 600 mph then plant and make a throw.  The intensity he puts on his legs and joints through the high stepping and stopping from a play like that is not something he is just going to un-learn, unless he comes back even slower from this ankle injury and can't reach the same types of speed and torque to achieve that potential problem again.  It's like his body was a bike moving at maximum speed and putting a kick-stand out and expecting it not to tip over.  And, this isn't a knock on his football playing ability, it's more about the disconnect of the physical and mental aspects of being an athlete.

 

Again, I never ever said that RG3 wasn't "clutch" or doesn't "rise to the occasion" or didn't have the "physical tools to be great," the only things I ever knocked him for were, like everyone else, his lack of protecting his body, and then like "many" other people, his lack of being able to make consistent NFL level type reads.  I mean, there have been posts and posts in the past with visual proof of RG3 missing "easy" or "open" guys with screencaps proving so, not to mention articles, t.v. analysis, etc, that ultimately showed his propensity to complicate plays which if he would have just read them "properly" would have led to entirely different outcomes on plays.

 

And finally, no matter what anyone says, and it was chalked up to "psychoanalysis" of course, is that, being on every other commercial during all NFL games does not help your long term development as a QB, the most mentally intensive position in all of sports.  There is pretty much zero possibility that knowing in the back of your mind that you are the face of USAA and Subway commercials HELPS you on the football field.  It's capitalism bla bla bla and he won the heisman trophy, so even if he completely fails he still "justifies" these sponsorships, but there is no way that going full out on sponsorships eases your development as a QB, since any normal human knows that this type of stuff would add pressure to whatever profession you do in some capacity, since it's an even further level of results you need to accomplish on a per game basis otherwise you'll feel like you let down people.  Instead of just letting down your team and fans, you are now instead letting down all USAA card members and Subway patrons.  Lol... it's not that difficult to understand that he wen't that route too early.

 

 I know what's done is done, and he's not going to cancel these, but there are plenty of reasons why even after the Kirk debacle (which I owned up to and completely stopped defending him after the giants' game) I'm not pretending like when RG3 is back things are all of the sudden going to be hunky dory again automatically, there is still a ton to prove just to get him back to an "above average" QB level.  The reasons for defending Cousins to begin with lied in the lack of RG3 making consistent NFL reads as opposed to thinking Cousins was truly a great player or something.  Say what you want, but RG3 has averaged 6 PPG so far this season whereas Craptain Kirk averaged somewhere within the 20s, even with his gamebreaking INTs.  

 

And, Ive spent around 500 dollars on RG3 specific merchandise in the past 2 years, including an authentic jersey in the offseason, so let's not turn this into being a "hater" when it's more the ability to contextualize situations and show concern based on actual things you've seen.

 

Just like the Kirk thing, I will show 100% accountability and will gladly do so if/when RG3 starts to make the types of reads, ultimately that will turn into plays and results, that will enable him to be our franchise QB for the next decade.  Way too many ifs right now for my, and many others, liking.  

Find it interesting that no one responded to this post....

[Rskins06]

Find it interesting that no one responded to this post....

Way too many words for me to read at once.

[Taylor703]

Find it interesting that no one responded to this post....

What's so interesting about it? Nothing in that post hasn't been posted already. Guys that back Griffin are fanboys, the guys who backed Cousins are level-headed fans.

[BRAVEONTHEWARPATH93]

What's so interesting about it? Nothing in that post hasn't been posted already. Guys that back Griffin are fanboys, the guys who backed Cousins are level-headed fans.

 

yeah that's not even the gist.

 

 

It's every reasonable complaint against RG3 WITHOUT all the bs/bile that guys like Ihateusernames and nchr add. No one responded because it's all rational and for the most part, the truth. The missed reads, the injuries, etc. All real things and real concerns. But because I feel that way, I'm a "hater" or whatever other corny ass name that is only being used by ES lol. (Seriously, NO ONE says "hater" anymore in real life. Come on guys)

 

You guys like to pick apart the foolishness that ihateusernames posts and then lob ANYONE that is not 100% on board with RG3 in with him, which causes an endless cycle of crap. 

[Rskins06]

What's so interesting about it? Nothing in that post hasn't been posted already. Guys that back Griffin are fanboys, the guys who backed Cousins are level-headed fans.

What are the fans who just want better QB play from whomever is out there?

[BRAVEONTHEWARPATH93]

What are the fans who just want better QB play from whomever is out there?

Spaghetti monsters

They don't exist

[Taylor703]

yeah that's not even the gist.

 

 

It's every reasonable complaint against RG3 WITHOUT all the bs/bile that guys like Ihateusernames and nchr add. No one responded because it's all rational and for the most part, the truth. The missed reads, the injuries, etc. All real things and real concerns. But because I feel that way, I'm a "hater" or whatever other corny ass name that is only being used by ES lol. (Seriously, NO ONE says "hater" anymore in real life. Come on guys)

 

You guys like to pick apart the foolishness that ihateusernames posts and then lob ANYONE that is not 100% on board with RG3 in with him, which causes an endless cycle of crap.

Really, cause I don't recall ever lumping you in with them.

And you're upset about being called a hater, being a fan of Griffin automatically got you labeled a fanboy here and had people questioning your sign up date as to whether you were really a Redskins fan or just a fan of RGIII lol.

We all love the team and we all want to cheer for a winner. Losing makes us all a little crazy. And I apologize if I was ever rude with you or attacked you in anyway.

[Rskins06]

yeah that's not even the gist.

 

 

It's every reasonable complaint against RG3 WITHOUT all the bs/bile that guys like Ihateusernames and nchr add. No one responded because it's all rational and for the most part, the truth. The missed reads, the injuries, etc. All real things and real concerns. But because I feel that way, I'm a "hater" or whatever other corny ass name that is only being used by ES lol. (Seriously, NO ONE says "hater" anymore in real life. Come on guys)

 

You guys like to pick apart the foolishness that ihateusernames posts and then lob ANYONE that is not 100% on board with RG3 in with him, which causes an endless cycle of crap. 

Okay, I will admit, I didn't read it until reading your post.  Then went and read it and have to agree with you.  It seemed to be one of the better posts about RG3, it didn't blast him, didn't praise him, just pointed out things anyone who looks at from a neutral stance can agree with.

Spaghetti monsters

They don't exist

I don't even like Spaghetti.

[Taylor703]

Spaghetti monsters

They don't exist

And just so you know, I got called a Kirk Cousins lover on Twitter by Kevin@HTTR-24-7 because I claimed the first turnover was more on Polumbus missing his block than Kirk just having a poor play.

[AlvinWaltonIsMyBoy]

Man, sure would love for Griff to suit up on Monday and beat the **** out of the ****ing Cowgirls.  I know it's a pipe dream, but man oh man, that would be awesome.

 

I know this team has holes galore and Haslett calling defenses, but we could really use a spark.  

 

Griff saved us in 2012.  Can he do it again?  I have no idea, but I think he can still be a great QB in this league.

 

Like many fans here, I just would like to see something happen on the field that will make me BELIEVE again.  300 yds, 4TDs, and an upset of the douchebags in big D on national TV would be a nice start.

 

(exits bar)

[ZRagone]

 

It's every reasonable complaint against RG3 WITHOUT all the bs/bile that guys like Ihateusernames and nchr add. No one responded because it's all rational and for the most part, the truth. The missed reads, the injuries, etc. All real things and real concerns. But because I feel that way, I'm a "hater" or whatever other corny ass name that is only being used by ES lol. (Seriously, NO ONE says "hater" anymore in real life. Come on guys)

 

You guys like to pick apart the foolishness that ihateusernames posts and then lob ANYONE that is not 100% on board with RG3 in with him, which causes an endless cycle of crap. 

 

It's actually kind of simple...

 

It's the same reason why pro-cousins people would pick apart those that went over the top with the criticisms of him early on but generally would ignore the well reasoned folks as well.

 

There's few people on this forum that seem to think Griffin is an absolute 100% can't miss guy whose currently an elite finished product that is going to be a top 5 QB by next year.

 

Most of the people who go after the idiots like ihateusernames who make ridiculous and just patentedly idiotic comments like "he's a running back" are actually logical and fair minded folks. Why would they go after Taco Bell for what was, by and large, a pretty reasonable look at Griffin.

 

Griffin is far from a finished product, and at this point whether or not you view him more positive or negative comes down to belief. Whether you believe he has the mental ability to develop or not. Whether you believe his injury problems are going to be more Stafford (few season then fine going forward) or Bradford (seemingly over and over again). Whether you believe his talent is good enough to be a franchise guy in a more traditional offense. Whether you believe he even needs to play in a prostyle offense.

 

I can understand someone looking at him and being more worried/negative if they don't believe he has the ability to develop, is Bradford than Stafford, needs to run a traditional offense, and think he's just above average at best in running such an offense.

 

But there's a large difference on seemingly being a bit negative on a guy.....and declaring him a "running back" or a "2nd stringer at best" or garbage or any other such thing.

 

What is there to say to Taco Bell? I disagree with him on some of his comments that come down to belief...but for the most part, yeah, there's definitely questions with Robert. No doubt. There's plenty of things to make one worry, there's also plenty to make one confident.

 

The problem with the loonies and the frothing Griffin bashers isn't that they're negative in a reasoned fashion ala Taco Bell...its that they're unreasonably negative and completely and utterly disregard that there's even a legitimate notion that there are potential reasons to be confident about the guy.

 

When people are stupid and saying dumb things you absolutely don't agree with then it's pretty simple and interesting to try to argue with them because you can argue, in part, on TANGIBLE things. For example, one can tangibly look at someone with a 100+ QB rating with nearly 400 pass attempts and say that a claim that he's "just a running back" is just retarded.

 

When people are somewhat reasoned but simply negative largley based on a difference of pretty basic opinion then it becomes a lot less interesting to try and debate and argue with them because yo'ure largely arguing on nuance and opinion rather than significantly tangible things.

 

 

...

 

The other issue is one that often applies to me here and on other forums I'm on.

 

tl;dr

 

A lot of forum readers have a tendancy to skip really long posts in active threads.

[DogofWar1]

Griffin needs to have until the end of 2015.  That's just good policy.  Even if another Luck/Manning falls into our lap in the draft and we pick him, keep Griffin in unless he completely falls apart.

 

Not even taking into account the picks we spent, we've got him on a cheap rookie deal.  We should take advantage of that.  If he's still developing, use the full 5 years to determine if he's doing that, not 3 years then toss him.

 

QBs take time to develop.

 

People seem to forget that.  Few and far between are the QBs that enter the league and are high level franchise players in years 1 or 2.

Matt Ryan didn't break out until year 3.  Phillip Rivers wasn't Phillip Rivers until year 3.  Drew Brees was year 4.  Matt Stafford was year 3.  Tony Romo was undrafted until 2003, and he wasn't a full time starter until 2007.  He didn't get starts until year 4, and wasn't Tony Romo until year 5.

 

Give Griffin time.  If he's struggling after this year, give him another year.  If he's struggling after year 4, then yes, we probably move on, but judging a QB after 2 and a half years is far too quick and risks missing out on opportunity.

 

That goes both for fans and Gruden, and I hope Gruden and McVay don't get frustrated about development when development is slow.

 

Griffin is learning.  His injuries are unfortunate, but this latest one was a fluke.  He's been pretty quiet and let Cousins do his thing in the interim.  Cousins did not take advantage of that silence, and that's on him.  Unless Griffin is injured again, this is his team in 2014, and should remain his in 2015.

[RED06]

Find it interesting that no one responded to this post....

I actually didn't have enough energy to read it all. But I'm sure Taco Bell post is pretty much an even playing field. The whole RG3/QB subject is wearing me out now. I feel he will be good if he learns to protect himself. I have nothing more to add other than that at this point. But I am an RG3 supporter. Ride or die until he proves me wrong.

[BRAVEONTHEWARPATH93]

And just so you know, I got called a Kirk Cousins lover on Twitter by Kevin@HTTR-24-7 because I claimed the first turnover was more on Polumbus missing his block than Kirk just having a poor play.

 

LOLLLL

 

That guy is starting to lose it. His twitter is getting unbearable. 

[GOGOheadray]

To be honest the guy who should of been our "frachise" QB; is sitting on the Colts roster right now. WE should of been sucking for luck just like the colts were doing; if we had we likely wouldn't be in this mess  we currently find ourselves in 2 years later. I too was awed by RG3's 2012 season and defended him against his detractors. But two years later reality is what it is and a QB that can't stay healthy and even when he does has up and down play isn't worth much.

 

I don't watch much college ball but I am sure Gruden and Allen are taking a long and hard look at the QB's coming out this year as they should; since IMO our franchise Qb is not on the roster currently.

[Bishop Hammer]

In my line of work I literally get paid to see problems before they happen. I'm good at it (and not much else). That's why I posted the thread last week about Gruden/Griffin. His comments were oddly icy, not overtly so be more than enough to raise red flags about the relationship. I got roasted for my intuitions, but now it seems there may be a bit more meat on this bone than we originally thought.

I think Gruden will go with the best QB on roster but he hes not a 100% positive RG3 is that player. Jay gave Cousins a chance and now Grudens pretty sure Kirks not that player either.

I'm sure he will give Griffin a chance when he's healthy but if number 10 doesnt play well Gruden isn't going to let him keep the starting spot.

[Taco Bell]

I appreciate the support I got from a few posters in this thread, and I really do only try to post when I feel like there's something meaningful to say (on high stress topics like these at least)... in this case, it was the gruden quote about how he felt about RG3's performance.  Myself and many others were laughed at for thinking, based on whatever ultimate conclusions we came to, that RG3 played poorly in that Texans game.  So, I felt as though there was something very tangible there to bring forth a defense of "our" opinion once again, with a very relevant backer on "our" side, the head coach. Lol...

 

And look, being "mr textwall and context" that I am, I totally understand and accept that many of my posts, both because I have a low post count and the nature of text walls on message boards, lead my posts to either be unread or misconstrued. Which I accept and understand given the... context of my situation lol...  It's more for my own posterity in case of either myself or someone else dredging my posts in any contingency for future discussions,  so having my entire or at least most of my "argument" placed into one post is to help myself and others.  Also, it's easier in my posting "style" to have drafts that I can edit periodically and/or erase if I no longer feel like they are worth posting as well.  I'm not saying I am this idiotic in a gameday thread for example, although my cynicism will certainly remain lol. 

 

And also, I am perfectly fine not having a response by even fair minded people who disagree with me here, like Zragone, because if what I said was reasonable, what really is the bother with responding right?  These posts are more for myself and anyone that checks in on this thread and sees that someone they may have disagreed with in the past actually has the HC in their corner on a specific topic that they may have been too condescending about.  There are certainly specific posters I have in mind, but it's fine, because I know I've been wrong about multiple things this past season as well.  I have owned up to them in posts, so I feel like I have my own ass covered, so hooray. lol

 

In all actuality, given that cousins has played his way out of the "starter" discussion (for 2014, he might latch on somewhere else down the line or stick here after 2015, who knows), it truly enables RG3 to have a warmer return, and removes the inevitable QB controversy intangible that he, and the team, would have needed to worry about.  I'll take a "qb controversy free" return of RG3 to really focus on his game vs. a possible what, 4th round pick for a "good" Cousins in the offseason after an incessant dysfunctional qb controversy for the rest of this pivotal season.

 

The only thing I'm "down" on rg3 about is the "reading defense" racket, with the reasons provided, and of course, that is a big thing. But, if he can pick that stuff up, which there are plenty of positive indicators why it's not "over" for him, like, he's smart, great support system (outside the team lol), great head on his shoulders, has the "clutch gene," physically he's still got all the athletic and arm talent in the world to become a dominant passer, he's got it made.  

[TSO]

^^ Agreed, Taco. I'll just add that I said going into the season that all it'd take for me to believe Robert is back on track and will be a franchise QB moving forward was: 

 

1) He is able to move within the pocket to buy time while keeping his eyes down the field consistently instead of bouncing it outside too quickly. 

 

2) When he does bounce it outside, that it's not always to his right and that he stays behind the line of scrimmage to make plays throwing the ball instead of automatically running to the sideline full speed, which makes it next to impossible for him to extend the play much or evade defenders coming after him. 

 

3) When he does make the intention to run past the LOS, he does so with some control and is able to actually make evasive football moves (jukes, stutter steps, simple change of direction) instead of just straight line full speed where he usually ends up flying out of bounds uncontrollably or taking a big hit.

 

I didn't really see any of those things improved yet, to be honest. Against the Texans, it seemed like the game plan was overly conservative so that he simply couldn't make those mistakes, but I don't blame Gruden for that, he was just masking those issues.

 

The play he made where he dislocated his ankle was interesting because it had both some of the problems (too willing to leave the pocket when he had Desean open early and when he did leave the pocket it was to his right as always) and some of the solutions (ran with some control instead of full speed to the sideline and kept his eyes downfield to make a play throwing the ball, which he did). 

 

For me, it's that simple. Those are real, tangible things I'm looking for. If he can fix those things to where we're just not seeing it anymore, I'll believe. Until then, I've lost a lot of confidence in him. But that can be regained very quickly and I'm praying he does fix those issues, because he's our best chance at a superstar at that position.     

[DogofWar1]

My biggest complaint about Griffin (aside from exposing himself a bit trying to make plays...that never say die attitude can be a problem at times) is that when he moves around and outside the pocket, he gets too low.  He seems to prepare himself to run, and then gets back up to look for a receiver before bolting.  It looks a little awkward.

 

On passing plays I'd like Griffin to stay high, step into the pocket, then get low once the options aren't there in order to run.

 

Of course, part of the problem is the line, there's rarely a pocket to step into, but then Gruden needs to start calling bootlegs so that Griffin can move away from the pressure without having to bolt out of the pocket frantically as it collapses.

 

It's a coach AND player thing.

 

Thankfully, if we can fix this, I like the odds of success.  We finally have weapons.  Good weapons.  If we can keep RGIII upright long enough for him to throw, then we should see positive results.

[RED06]

Taco Bell,

I wanted to only respond to your post after I read the whole thing.  It was a bit long for me to quote the whole thing, but nevertheless I'm responding.

While I do understand and agree with some of your opinions about RG3, I do wonder why most RG3 doubters fail to acknowledge that after 2012, all playing grounds for RG3 wasn't the same as his rookie season.

***ie no offseason, total rehabbing of his knee, crazy coaches, media drama EVERY week (some of which RG3 was responsible for) yet, he still completed 60% of his passes while obviously not healthy. **

 

The points I liked about your post was, you highlighted actual issues within RG's game. It wasn't just one line responses filled with nothing as some do, A LOT. Not saying that I agreed with all of it because I didn't. But, from what I see and read, most RG3 "haters" etc are putting RG3 on an even playing field year 2 with Russell Wilson and Luck. It's NOT the same at all. But again, it becomes hard when someone dismisses all the things that will help a QB in year 2 as an "excuse" when they're fully aware of what he went through in 2013.

 

This notion that he can't read defenses is hard for me because, you will NOT complete 60% of your passes 2 years in a row if you couldn't. With that being said, he does need to improve with it and many other areas of his game. That, I do agree with you. Where I strongly disagree with you is NO ONE can say anyone was right about anything concerning a QB yr 3. Steve Young, Drew Brees, Doug Williams and a few other QB's came around after rocky starts to their NFL careers.

 

Matthew Stafford is a pocket passer that has been hurt A LOT in his NFL career. They stayed with him though. How much they supported him, I don't know. I don't follow Detroit. But the point is some are already calling for RG3 to be gone coming INTO HIS 3RD year. That's where I SMDH.............

 

I'm NOT in anyway excusing RG3 though! He needs to play better no doubt. He needs to get better playing from within the pocket (feeling the pocket), he needs to learn how to protect himself and NOT be hard headed as hell and think he can run through LB's.

 

You had a much better approach than most who have issues with RG3 which made it easy to have a conversation based on the areas of your post where I disagreed.

 

I always scratch my head when people compare RG3 to Luck! Luck played in a pro style offense, so the transition for him was easier than RG3. That's like comparing 2 computer programmers, one had to learn a whole new concept of programming while the other stayed basically in the same field of programming. But people saying the one who stayed in the same field of programming is better than the one who had to learn EVERYTHING about programming from scratch again. It's not the same!

 

Joe Gibbs, Bill Walsh and many other Hall of Fame coaches have said it will take at least 3yrs for a new QB to feel comfortable with the system he's in. Luck, Russell Wilson, Kap, Cam Newton all are in the same offense they started their careers with.  RG3 is in his 2nd offense in 3years. I will leave it there. Have a great week Taco Bell. Great post by the way.

[Skins3000]

Chris Russell in the pregame today said that that is some tension between Jay-McVay with RG3, though its not as bad as things were with Shanny.  Russell seems to think most of it stems from Gruden's impatience with RG3's development -- Russell actually put the blame somewhat on Gruden saying in his view he and McKay are too impatient and need to learn patient in developing him. 

 

I like Jay.  But those comments in this article in my view just aren't smart.  It's OK for Jay to think this stuff but no need to antagonize your QB with quotes like that in the press for the world to see, IMO. 

Yeah I heard this crap from Russell at the beginning of training camp. Now Chris once again is repeating it. Personally I am not a Chris Russell fan and his reporting. My issue is every one wants the quarterback to be spectacular like 2012 but the reality is RG3 would have to run a college offense that will eventually catch up to him. Luck struggled and struggled worst than anyone imagined in his rookie year. His QBR rating was in the ranks of Mark Sanchez basically bad but Luck had a good team around him and allowed Luck to play without all the unnecessary ridicule. RG3 should have that luxury but he just does not for some reason. Maybe people are turned off based on the commercials, or the marketing of himself but personally none of that matters to me. As long as RG3 is being a law abiding citizen I could care less about his locker room demeanor as Al Galdi has stated in a vague manner on the Drive. It all boils down to me if A. the player gets a fair shot at being a legitimate quarterback, B. Are they trying to develop the quarterback by coaching the player adequately and understanding the player is a raw talent and not NFL ready like Kirk Cousins was. The coaching staff also realizing it will take this year and that in my opinion is now a wash and next year to really know what this team has at quarterback. 

[UK Skins]

It's nice to see that the majority of posters on here are back talking about the QB situation without the labels and the name calling. I think that's partly because those who were hoping Cousins might be a decent QB for us have found out otherwise, and the "Griffin supporters" have started to admit the areas where he could improve too. Is it time we started debating McCoy's strengths and weaknesses now?

[Skins3000]

Taco Bell,

I wanted to only respond to your post after I read the whole thing.  It was a bit long for me to quote the whole thing, but nevertheless I'm responding.

While I do understand and agree with some of your opinions about RG3, I do wonder why most RG3 doubters fail to acknowledge that after 2012, all playing grounds for RG3 wasn't the same as his rookie season.

***ie no offseason, total rehabbing of his knee, crazy coaches, media drama EVERY week (some of which RG3 was responsible for) yet, he still completed 60% of his passes while obviously not healthy. **

 

The points I liked about your post was, you highlighted actual issues within RG's game. It wasn't just one line responses filled with nothing as some do, A LOT. Not saying that I agreed with all of it because I didn't. But, from what I see and read, most RG3 "haters" etc are putting RG3 on an even playing field year 2 with Russell Wilson and Luck. It's NOT the same at all. But again, it becomes hard when someone dismisses all the things that will help a QB in year 2 as an "excuse" when they're fully aware of what he went through in 2013.

 

This notion that he can't read defenses is hard for me because, you will NOT complete 60% of your passes 2 years in a row if you couldn't. With that being said, he does need to improve with it and many other areas of his game. That, I do agree with you. Where I strongly disagree with you is NO ONE can say anyone was right about anything concerning a QB yr 3. Steve Young, Drew Brees, Doug Williams and a few other QB's came around after rocky starts to their NFL careers.

 

Matthew Stafford is a pocket passer that has been hurt A LOT in his NFL career. They stayed with him though. How much they supported him, I don't know. I don't follow Detroit. But the point is some are already calling for RG3 to be gone coming INTO HIS 3RD year. That's where I SMDH.............

 

I'm NOT in anyway excusing RG3 though! He needs to play better no doubt. He needs to get better playing from within the pocket (feeling the pocket), he needs to learn how to protect himself and NOT be hard headed as hell and think he can run through LB's.

 

You had a much better approach than most who have issues with RG3 which made it easy to have a conversation based on the areas of your post where I disagreed.

 

I always scratch my head when people compare RG3 to Luck! Luck played in a pro style offense, so the transition for him was easier than RG3. That's like comparing 2 computer programmers, one had to learn a whole new concept of programming while the other stayed basically in the same field of programming. But people saying the one who stayed in the same field of programming is better than the one who had to learn EVERYTHING about programming from scratch again. It's not the same!

 

Joe Gibbs, Bill Walsh and many other Hall of Fame coaches have said it will take at least 3yrs for a new QB to feel comfortable with the system he's in. Luck, Russell Wilson, Kap, Cam Newton all are in the same offense they started their careers with.  RG3 is in his 2nd offense in 3years. I will leave it there. Have a great week Taco Bell. Great post by the way.

Cam Newton changed coordinators when Chudzinski was hired by the Browns. Steve Smith did not care for Chudzinski because Steve believed it was a cute offense and Chudzinski was just setting himself up to be a head coach. Hmmm sounds familiar here. 

 

http://www.cbssports.com/nfl/eye-on-football/23478167/steve-smith-cute-panthers-offense-suffered-while-chud-looked-for-job

[Stefanskins]

Yes, RG3 is a franchise QB. He will be the first player voted to the HoF while still playing... amazing how many people dismiss his unbelievable 2012 season. He will come back against Dallass and we will be 5 - 5 in four weeks. The way other teams are losing we could get a wild card at 10 - 6. With RG3 back I can see us going 8 - 1. Sand Fran ain't world beaters anymore, Dallass is a paper tiger and we have to beat the colts out of sheer principle. So that could leave us 7-6 with the last 3 games for the East.

We have to go 5 - 1 over the next 6 games - Boys, Vikes, Bucs, 9ers, Colts and Rams... its possible...