Homer: Pierre Garçon compares Peyton Manning and Robert Griffin III

[themurf]

(photo by Brian Murphy)

It’s no secret the Washington Redskins have struggled to find consistent production from the quarterback position for roughly two decades. But the franchise has had nearly as much trouble identifying go-to options at the receiver position.

Whether they’ve traded for (Brandon Lloyd), drafted (Devin Thomas, Malcolm Kelly) or signed them as free agents (Antwaan Randle El, David Patten), Redskins pass catchers have rarely lived up to the hype.

Sure, there’s Santana Moss, who ranks fourth in receptions, fourth in yards and seventh in touchdowns in franchise history, but he’s clearly the exception.

Aside from Moss, the last time a Redskins receiver finished a season with more than 1,000 receiving yards was nearly a decade ago — when Laveranues Coles had 82 catches for 1,204 yards in ‘03.

That is why I was more than a little bit skeptical when the team agreed to a five-year, $42.5 million contract with receiver Pierre Garçon this offseason. After all, the 26-year-old has played in all 16 games in a season only once in his four-year career and failed to net 1,000 yards in a season when he was catching passes from Peyton Manning — one of the best to ever play the game.

If he couldn’t put up big-time numbers while catching passes from a first-ballot Hall of Famer, then what reasonable human being would believe he could do so in Washington?

And then I saw Garçon play in person and immediately began to understand why the front office was so big on him. At first glance, the Mount Union product appears to be just another receiver, weighing in at 6-feet and 212 lbs.

But what makes him so special is his freak of nature athleticism. There were several times during training camp, when a quarterback was off the mark on a throw intended for Garçon, and yet, he somehow found a way to go up and reel in the pass in anyway.

This might be why Garçon has quickly emerged as the favorite target for rookie quarterback Robert Griffin III. Even if the pass isn’t perfect, Garçon has shown he’s able to catch pretty much anything remotely close to him. If training camp and two preseason games are any indication, those two will be happily testing defenses all season long.

Garçon’s next chance to impress comes this weekend, when the Redskins host the Indianapolis Colts — a team he’s more than a little familiar with.

“I gave a lot of consideration,” Garçon said when asked about re-signing with the Colts. “That was my first option. I never wanted to leave Indianapolis. That was my first option, to stay there. But, you know, football is football. Things happen and hopefully it works out the best.”

Of course, the Colts don’t exactly look like the Colts anymore — not with core players such as Manning, Garçon, running back Joseph Addai, tight end Dallas Clark and center Jeff Saturday all gone.

“It will be strange to see someone other than Peyton there at quarterback,” he said. “But last year I kind of got used to it.”

While Colts fans are excited to see what Andrew Luck can do, receiver Reggie Wayne and pass rusher Dwight Freeney appear to be the only household names remaining from the previous regime in Indy.

“I know Reggie wanted to be there as well,” Garçon said. “Everybody wants to stay there. It’s home. It’s all Reggie knew, it’s all I knew. It was his first option as well, staying in Indianapolis. They love him. He loves Indianapolis. I wasn’t surprised that he went back.”

Rumors surfaced prior to free agency that Manning, Wayne and Garçon might try to force a team to sign all three players in a packaged deal. Garçon said whoever came up with that storyline failed to consult him.

“That was far from the truth,” he said. “It was the offseason, so they needed something to talk about. I guess that’s why that story came up.”

Since coming to Washington, Garçon has been asked more than once to compare and contrast the styles of Manning and Griffin. After all, Redskins fans would be thrilled in RGIII is half as successful as Manning has been throughout his career.

“Both of them are very smart and communicative with their teammates,” he said. “They’re both very good at getting everyone on the same page, which is what you need at the quarterback position. Both have very strong arms and they’re very smart. They’re both able to do a lot of things, but it’s going to take a lot more time for Robert to get to Peyton Manning’s level. It could happen though.”

What do quarterbacks like Manning and Griffin have that so many other quarterbacks don’t? What separates them from their peers?

“They’ve got to see the future,” Garçon said. “They’ve got to see things before they happen. If you only see it when it happens, it’s too late. They’ve got to anticipate where the defense is going to be, where they’re lining up and stuff like that. When you’re ahead of the defense like that, you’re going to be more successful.”

On a personal note, what’s been the biggest adjustment Garçon has had to make since coming to Washington?

“Just learning the area,” he said. “There’s a lot of traffic in the Virginia area, especially in the morning. There’s a lot less in Indy. Just learning places to eat or hang out at. Getting familiar with the grocery stores, gas prices and all that stuff.”

As far as on the field, what’s been the biggest change?

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[SWFLSkins]

Ok finally something to sink my mental teeth into, thanks Brian.

[pjfootballer]

Another good one Murph. I had 4 WRs that I was high on in our fantasy football draft. Garcon, Desean Jackson, Torry Smith and Damaryius Thomas that I thought could help my team. I had the 10th pick of 10 in the first round and figured if I got one of those 4, I'd be happy. A Dolphins fan took Garcon at #7. I was a bit disappointed, but he told me even as a Dolphins fan, he could see Garcon and Griffin having good chemistry. By the way, I picked Desean Jackson at 10 and then picked up Torry Smith at 20. Got 2 of the 4, to add the Dwayne Bowe and Marques Colston.

[wholee]

I always take the time to read your posts Murf. Good stuff! Hail!

[LeakeJS]

Can't wait for the shop to get their act together and sell some #88 jerseys!!

[nuposse87]

I think I've tried to delude myself many times that receivers we bring in will definitely blossom into the players we want them to be. I don't expect Pierre to be more than a really good 2, I think he proved to be good enough meet those expectations last year in Indy. He does have better hands than I've heard, so maybe we are picking a bit better than in seasons past.

[BornToHail]

Great read as always.

Garcon certainly looks good and has me excited to see how the chemistry in the preseason translates to regular season.

[roanoker]

Good article. The broadcast of "Griffin to Garcon" during games will become routine.

[themurf]

I always take the time to read your posts Murf. Good stuff! Hail!

There are plenty of quality writers who post their content on ES, so I thank you for taking the time to read my work. Cheers.

[Truant]

“Just learning the area,” he said. “There’s a lot of traffic in the Virginia area, especially in the morning. There’s a lot less in Indy. Just learning places to eat or hang out at. Getting familiar with the grocery stores, gas prices and all that stuff.”

Pierre, my man, I think you're a'ite to avoid shopping around for gas prices for the next 8000 years.

[Darth Tater]

Ok finally something to sink my mental teeth into, thanks Brian.

For some reason, I read that as metal teeth and figure it might have something to do with having to many pancakes on your head without any panache.

[SWFLSkins]

For some reason, I read that as metal teeth and figure it might have something to do with having to many pancakes on your head without any panache.

Care for a stick of unwrapped juicy fruit?

[Always A Commander Never A Captain]

I drafted Garcon and Royster in fantasy (barely missing on RG3). Been trying to think of a good fantasy name involving Garcon, but its not really coming to me?

As good as Garcon?

Going, going, Garcon?

Garcantuan (something)?

Anyways, what really excites me about Garcon is that it looks like his routes are more diverse than Colts fans say, and he's also got some serious ability after the catch.

[Boss_Hogg]

Rumors surfaced prior to free agency that Manning, Wayne and Garçon might try to force a team to sign all three players in a packaged deal. Garçon said whoever came up with that storyline failed to consult him.

I think it was Jason La Confora that started that BS drivel.

[LetThePointsSoar]

Murph - broken record here, but love your work. Hands down, always my favorite read, and this one is no different, nice piece.

[DieselPwr44]

Thanks for the read Murf.

Reading around the internet, I've seen opposing fans say for the most part : "They got RG3,so what? He's got no one to throw to..."

Here's to reading those same fans' remarks after Pierre lights them up!

[amm0409]

themurf,

That was good stuff. I got to see Garcon up close, his much bigger than I thought, and when I saw him practice I was impressed with his speed and athletic ability. It should make out for an interesting year

[moondog]

So far, I love Garcon and I'm excited to see him featured in our offense. My only complaint so far was his drop on that slant route on 2nd and long against Chicago. That's a play we haven't run or run effectively in a long time and Garcon/Hankerson are perfect receivers for it. I wanted to see Garcon catch that ball and pick up some yards after the catch. The QB needs to be on the money with that throw and unfortunately RG3 was way off on that one but I still thought Garcon should have reeled it in.

Hopefully he and RG3 get that play down because it can be a very useful weapon for us, especially with his speed. Teams like the Packers use it very effectively.

[rskin72]

Thanks for the interesting article....was a good read....very interesting to read Garcon's comments concerning manning vs rgiii. His comments to me have more weight on the qb subject as he has actually played with one of the all time greats.

I thought the Garcon acquisition was a good move......as the Colts always wanted wr's that were smart, quick, and could make tough catches. I am looking forward to watching him grow with rgiii....and think he will become rgiii's favorite target as well as our stud wr.

[ddub52]

This guy just signed a $42 million dollar contract and he's worried about gas prices lol

[Skinsfan4life83]

Thanks for the read Murf.

Reading around the internet, I've seen opposing fans say for the most part : "They got RG3,so what? He's got no one to throw to..."

Here's to reading those same fans' remarks after Pierre lights them up!

It's not just fans saying that. The national media has been saying it as well since we drafted him. Hence the reason ESPN has us going 2-14 in a recent set of power rankings. Saying we have no weapons is ludicrous. Especially since our wide reciever situation is better than quite a few other teams. Garcon, Moss, Hankerson, Morgan, Davis, Paul and Robinson are a very good set of weapons if you ask me. Throw in Helu and Royster and RGIII has plenty of weapons to use on the field. The never ending Redskins hate is getting old.

[Murphs56]

It's not just fans saying that. The national media has been saying it as well since we drafted him. Hence the reason ESPN has us going 2-14 in a recent set of power rankings. Saying we have no weapons is ludicrous. Especially since our wide reciever situation is better than quite a few other teams. Garcon, Moss, Hankerson, Morgan, Davis, Paul and Robinson are a very good set of weapons if you ask me. Throw in Helu and Royster and RGIII has plenty of weapons to use on the field. The never ending Redskins hate is getting old.

RG III has a studio apartment in Manhattan compared to Luck, Weeden and Tannehill when it comes to weapons if you ask me lol

[skins island connection]

I drafted Garcon and Royster in fantasy (barely missing on RG3). Been trying to think of a good fantasy name involving Garcon, but its not really coming to me?

As good as Garcon?

Going, going, Garcon?

Garcantuan (something)?

Anyways, what really excites me about Garcon is that it looks like his routes are more diverse than Colts fans say, and he's also got some serious ability after the catch.

IF, you were to have been lucky enough to get RGIII, "GaG Order would have been sweet...:cool:

[themurf]

This guy just signed a $42 million dollar contract and he's worried about gas prices lol

I mean, when you put it that way ....

[redskins55]

It's not just fans saying that. The national media has been saying it as well since we drafted him. Hence the reason ESPN has us going 2-14 in a recent set of power rankings. Saying we have no weapons is ludicrous. Especially since our wide reciever situation is better than quite a few other teams. Garcon, Moss, Hankerson, Morgan, Davis, Paul and Robinson are a very good set of weapons if you ask me. Throw in Helu and Royster and RGIII has plenty of weapons to use on the field. The never ending Redskins hate is getting old.

Whoooa... slow down there partner..

Lets not get ahead of ourselves here.. When I hear the word " weapons" I'm thinking people who can do some serious damage to opposing defenses. We dont have that weapon in my opinion. First off none of our RBs are full time RBs and none can take it to the house on any given snap. They simply move the chains. Secondly, none of our receivers are elite. We dont have Andre Johnson, Larry Fitzgerald or Calvin Johnson. Garcon is on the level of a Jordy Nelson, Victor Cruz, or Anquan Bolden. Receivers who thrive as the #2 but wont have the ability to become elite as a #1.So temper the expectations on Garcon. He'll be good, but don't expect monster numbers. Same goes with Morgan and Hankerson. They have potential but they arn't consistent weapons. We don't have that receiver that we can go to in a crunch or that will make a play when its not there. We have alot more options than years past, but the ideal is to give Griffin a weapon on offense that can be a game changer.Someone that can take the pressure off him. ( ie: AJ Green, Steve Smith, Brandon Marshall, Julio Jones & Rowdy White) We just dont have that right now. But it will be an upgrade from Moss, Armstrong, and Gaffney.and sure to be exciting to watch.