Homer: Addressing the arguments against acquiring Robert Griffin III

[DogofWar1]

There is no way RGIII is not an all-pro by his second year. You can't name one flaw in his game. It's almost comical that he'll fall to us at #2.

I'm all on the Griffin bandwagon, but this post is inviting an attack by the less-RGIII-inclined.

I'll head it off at the pass and list the places where RGIII's game has some (potential, not necessarily actual) problems.

1. He didn't take snaps under center and doesn't have footwork for (3, 5, and 7 step) drops

- RGIII has apparently been working on his snaps under center and is getting time in with QB coaches to get better footwork. There's nothing to really suggest he can't make the transition to under center. On top of that, offenses are adopting more spread concepts, so he'll probably be out of the shotgun plenty anyway.

2. He doesn't go through progressions.

- Denver playbook from 04, and by extension at least a chunk of ours I'd imagine, deals with 1-2 progression reads mirrored on two sides. It means he wouldn't be required to go through 4 progressions every play.

- Baylor offense was designed to not require him to go through progressions, it was generally 1-2 then run. That's how the plays were written, and it had less to do with RGIII's skills than with Baylor's terrible Oline giving him no time. Right now there's nothing to suggest he can't go through progressions, but we haven't seem him do it yet either.

3. He doesn't throw with anticipation.

- Legitimate knock but like #2, it's because he hasn't been asked to do this yet. There have been flashes of skill where it looks like he CAN throw with anticipation, but we don't know for sure yet. I can't remember where I read it, but someone was saying that if RGIII can't throw with anticipation then he'll be like Vick or Tebow, in that he can keep a play alive until someone gets open vs. throwing someone open, and will be limited but still could be successful. If he can throw with anticipation, watch out.

There's also concern he might not be perfect for reading defenses, but that's more intelligence than physical, while the above included a physical component. Considering this kid is super smart and motivated, I'm not concerned about his ability to read defenses 2 years down the road. They'll be some rough patches with disguised coverage in year one, but he'll pick it up quickly.

He certainly is miles ahead of every prospect behind him, mainly because physically he's all there. All that needs work is technique, timing, etc. Compare that to Tannehill, who has problems with not floating deep balls, and who makes mentally poor decisions, or with Foles, who is a statue.

[Win4us]

It's a circular argument. Good QBs stay in the same system because they're good and their coaches keep their jobs. Bad QBs get coaches fired and bad QBs get replaced by someone else. Look at Jason Campbell. He was not a bad QB. He's better than Rex Grossman. But he wasn't good enough to win games on his own. He wasn't good enough to let Jim Zorn keep his job and therefore he was replaced when the scheme changed. Happens all the time. Now, maybe you're trying to argue that a mediocre QB, if placed in one system with one coach long enough, will become good. I don't buy that for one second. But the greater problem is, unless results are shown, no QB is going to be rn out there year after year without results. And without results, no coach will keep his job forever either.

Good QBs allow for consistency in coaching and scheme. Not the other way around.

It could also be stated as good coaching allows for consistency in players and scheme, or even GM'ing. Isn't the point to see what the QB can offer you in a sound, unrevolving and consistent system. There's no way you can say the skins have had that for atleast 4 consecutive seasons, atleast since Norv. Where as most if not all the superbowl winning QB's HAVE had a stable system/philosohpy in place.

JC and Patrick weren't exactly world beaters out there, but to say changing systems every couple of years wouldn't effect even the best of QB's we'll just have to disagree on.

If you can't buy that a decent QB with the same coaching staff, system and wise annual attention to surround him can't get better that's okay. It's the same way i view a QB isn't the only one on the field and needs that system, WITH players around him for the team to be succesful.

---------- Post added March-7th-2012 at 08:48 PM ----------

Campbell played in the same system the entire time Gibbs was here, then had two seasons in the WCO with Zorn. He's not exactly Alex Smith; two systems in a 5 years with us, including a whole season on the bench to learn. And Campbell actually had decent enough stats in Zorn's tenure. Campbell was mediocre, though, and that's why in 2005 he was only a fringe first rounder; most people had a high second round grade on him, maybe sneaking into the first.

Trent Green had 3 years in Norv's offense before he became the starter, and Brad Johnson had pretty much exclusively been in vertical, Coryell-esque offenses in their career. (Which is why Johnson had such a problem adjusting to Gruden's WCO when he went to Tampa from a terminology standpoint). Even Tony Banks played almost exclusively in the same offenses, just with different coaches. Mark Brunnell was much the same deal. Collins was a system guy.

The only guy you can really make an argument for is Patrick Ramsey, but again, he wasn't exactly a top flight prospect to begin with.

While changing offensive philosophies hasn't helped, with the veterans we've picked up, they almost always played in some version of our head coach's/offensive coordinator's system before the got here.

I hear ya and not exactly lobbying for JC or Pat to be first ballot hall of famers lol. It's more of switching systems imho would keep even the better QB's from excelling. Eli, Peyton, Brady, ect have had little to no change in coaches, systems or GM'ing philosophies. That's what i want the skins to start doing. To get a first round QB and with that keep Kyle's system in place for him to soak up for atleast a contract term is what we need to happen, if not grabbing 2 in this years draft to learn that one style..