What Can The Redskins Do Specifically To "Protect" RG3?

[MadMonkey]

Name for me just ONE true dual-threat QB that has gone on to have a long, healthy, productive career. It CAN NOT be sustained in the NFL. We have all the evidence we need. QB's that play this way do not stay healthy. Cam Newton could possibly be the exception b/c he's built like a tank. We must convert Griffin to an Elway/Young type of QB or suffer the consequences. The long term wear and tear from constantly carrying the football is brutal in today's NFL. Why do you think running back's only last until 30 nowadays.

Ask and you shall receive.....

Steve Young!

722 carries for 4,239 yards (5.8 YPC) and 43 touchdowns. Career passing rating of 96.8/w 33,124 passing yards.

I'll throw in John Elway for good measure, hell might as well add Fran Tarkenton. and you can also add Randall Cunningham!

[isle-hawg]

They could protect him better, by pulling him out after he blows out his knee in the 1st qtr and insist on playing him and calling for designed runs for 3 more qtrs despite that he is playing with only one leg. They could also help him and the team to not bring him back before he is healthy and ready to play. Perhaps some grass vice painted dirt on the field would help also?

Should he ever get healthy enough to play again, how about beef up the OL and keep him in the pocket except on rare occasions?

[2cents]

Maybe. But isn't that overly optimistic? Isnt it more likely, given what we know now, that it simply gave way because it is genetically weak. The original BMore injury was a strained LCL - 2-4 weeks. You saw it after 3-4 weeks. Did it look like it had healed....at all? Did you see any progress from the Philly game to the Seattle game? I didn't.

Of course you didn't because he was playing on it. The timeframe is if he had stayed off of it, but he didn't

---------- Post added January-10th-2013 at 07:47 PM ----------

They could protect him better, by pulling him out after he blows out his knee in the 1st qtr and insist on playing him and calling for designed runs for 3 more qtrs despite that he is playing with only one leg. They could also help him and the team to not bring him back before he is healthy and ready to play. Perhaps some grass vice painted dirt on the field would help also?

Should he ever get healthy enough to play again, how about beef up the OL and keep him in the pocket except on rare occasions?

More QBs are hurt in the pocket then running around.

[2cents]

They could protect him better, by pulling him out after he blows out his knee in the 1st qtr and insist on playing him and calling for designed runs for 3 more qtrs despite that he is playing with only one leg. They could also help him and the team to not bring him back before he is healthy and ready to play. Perhaps some grass vice painted dirt on the field would help also?

Should he ever get healthy enough to play again, how about beef up the OL and keep him in the pocket except on rare occasions?

More QBs are hurt in the pocket then running around.

[rumplestilskin]

Ask and you shall receive.....

Steve Young!

722 carries for 4,239 yards (5.8 YPC) and 43 touchdowns. Career passing rating of 96.8/w 33,124 passing yards.

I'll throw in John Elway for good measure, hell might as well add Fran Tarkenton. and you can also add Randall Cunningham!

You could make an argument for Mark Brunell also.

[Oldfan]

Here is the point though, If trhe DE always takes Griff (waits for him to keep the ball) Morris is much more effective. In that case you just keep giving Morris (or whomever the RB is) the ball. If you loop a LB around to cover Griffin on the run while continueing to crash the DE to cover the RB, the middle of the field is open for a pass.

The defensive strategy will be to let RG3 keep the ball and run it. Then, at every opportunity, smack the crap out of him in order to make the Shanahans reluctant to call the option.

---------- Post added January-11th-2013 at 05:21 AM ----------

More QBs are hurt in the pocket then running around.

I'm sure that's been true because running QBs have been rare in the NFL.

---------- Post added January-11th-2013 at 05:58 AM ----------

Ask and you shall receive.....

Steve Young!

722 carries for 4,239 yards (5.8 YPC) and 43 touchdowns. Career passing rating of 96.8/w 33,124 passing yards.

I'll throw in John Elway for good measure, hell might as well add Fran Tarkenton. and you can also add Randall Cunningham!

Steve Young played 2,667 games. 772 attempts represent 3.7 attempts per game. Tarkenton was about the same.

Cunningham was an example of a running QB who wasn't any good after four or five seasons. After injuries, he missed as many games as he played.

Mark Brunnell could run but he didn't do it more than 3-5 times a game. The same is true for Elway.

[Morneblade]

The defensive strategy will be to let RG3 keep the ball and run it. Then, at every opportunity, smack the crap out of him in order to make the Shanahans reluctant to call the option.

---------- Post added January-11th-2013 at 05:21 AM ----------

So you teach RGIII to get down before anyone clobbers him. It's what most QB's do when they scramble, and something RGIII is getting a little better at. Maybe he doesnt break off alot of 76 yard TD's that way, but it's actually very easy to keep him safe. Get down.

[skins island connection]

Thats simple:

Mike and Kyle just needs to tell RGIII to watch baseball this year, and especially pay close attention to players SLIDING to base.

I would have hoped that he has learned from this, and will slide FEET FIRST from now on; the 28 inches more he might gain by going head first or like in the Baltimore game, that awkward half-assed sideways attempt at a slide that left his legs floating in the air waiting for a hit, is just not worth ruining his season for.

So, RGIII, slide, slide, slide. When in doubt, slide again. There are other players on the team who should be pulling their own weight, so its not up to you only to carry the team; slide.

SIC

[WheresRickySanders83]

More then anything else I would like to see Griffin play with less reckless abandon.

I noticed in college and it was evident his rookie season that he approaches the game with a lot of running bravado more then smarts. One thing I noticed about Cam that I think people miss is his ability to avoid contact. People think Cam's size helps him avoid injuries but I think its Cam awareness as a runner. Russell Wilson has that same quality, I don't ever recall seeing Russell ever get blasted by a big hit. He knows when and how to get down and avoid contact.

It a skill that I first noticed with Marvin Harrison. Me and my buddy would marvel at how Harrison would make a catch and get down right away before contact or gain run after the catch and still get down before contact.

Imo Griffin needs to cultivate this awareness/skill.

I agree 100%. The read option isn't the issue--the issue is his awareness once he leaves the pocket. If anything, the read option runs are safer because they usually provide a good angle to the sideline and on defenders. Scrambles are obviously less structured and require the QB to almost be more aware. This is the issue.

[Oldfan]

So you teach RGIII to get down before anyone clobbers him. It's what most QB's do when they scramble, and something RGIII is getting a little better at. Maybe he doesnt break off alot of 76 yard TD's that way, but it's actually very easy to keep him safe. Get down.

Of course; but is that ALL you are going to do? Are you still going to have him running 10-12 times a game after his second knee surgery?

[The Robert Griffin Experience]

Cunningham was an example of a running QB who wasn't any good after four or five seasons. After injuries, he missed as many games as he played.

It's funny you mention Cunningham. His initial injury to his ACL was in the pocket dropping back.

Randall Cunningham has found another reason not to stay in the pocket.

The Philadelphia Eagles quarterback was planted there last Sunday when he was hit by Bryce Paup of the Green Bay Packers and lost for the season with two torn ligaments in his left knee.

That gave Cunningham another argument to answer all the coaches who have told him over the years he shouldn't be so quick to run out of the pocket.

Maybe he doesnt break off alot of 76 yard TD's that way, but it's actually very easy to keep him safe. Get down.

RGIII ran 76 yards on a great read where he was almost untouched. His injuries came on two fairly bad decisions to try to get a few more yards.

It really comes down to better decision-making, not taking plays out of the playbook.

[Oldfan]

It's funny you mention Cunningham. His initial injury to his ACL was in the pocket dropping back.

Are you offering that fact as evidence that, for a QB, staying in the pocket involves just as much risk as running the ball? If so, it doesn't float. You will need a statistic showing the injury percentages of a large sample of runs and a large sample of pocket plays.

...His injuries came on two fairly bad decisions to try to get a few more yards...

That isn't true, but it doesn't matter.

Rg3's risk of injury can be cut by 50% if he runs 5-6 times a game as opposed to 10-12 times a game. That's a logical deduction.

[Bang]

Rg3's risk of injury can be cut by 50% if he runs 5-6 times a game as opposed to 10-12 times a game. That's a logical deduction.

No it isn't.. it's a deduction that says he can ONLY be hurt running the ball.

Quarterbacks get hurt standing stock still way more often. In fact, almost all QB injuries happen to guys who are in the pocket.

This argument is dumb. Football players are at risk every time they play. They cannot be "protected".. except by the blockers that try to keep them from being hit. And that isn't 100% no matter how good they are.

RG3 could never run another option play, and his career can be ended by a hit in the knee while he's in the pocket. The odds are the same.

The only way to ever reduce the possibility of a player being injured is to take them off the field.

~Bang

[TD_washingtonredskins]

Of course; but is that ALL you are going to do? Are you still going to have him running 10-12 times a game after his second knee surgery?

Well, he ran 120 times over 15 games, so he really only ran 8 times per game. Over the final 5 games of the season that he played, that average dropped to 5 times per game (25 total runs).

I don't know how many were designed and how many happened organically, but it seems pretty clear that a) some overstate how much he truly ran the ball this year and the team made an effort to scale back his running as the season wore on.

[Pride]

Provide a better line for him? Don't get me wrong our line is awesome in the run game, but are extremely over rated in pass protection outside Williams who's been beast this year. The other 4 guys are at best average in pass protection.

[TD_washingtonredskins]

Rg3's risk of injury can be cut by 50% if he runs 5-6 times a game as opposed to 10-12 times a game. That's a logical deduction.

Given that's the range he was in during our winning streak, I think it's safe to assume that will be the plan moving forward. Some of those games pre-dated his injury too.

[skins island connection]

It's funny you mention Cunningham. His initial injury to his ACL was in the pocket dropping back.

RGIII ran 76 yards on a great read where he was almost untouched. His injuries came on two fairly bad decisions to try to get a few more yards.

It really comes down to better decision-making, not taking plays out of the playbook.

Well, considering the field he played on, the 'Vet', that comes as no shock. ****, I've gotten sprained MCLs just WATCHING games played on that field!

[Bang]

So what if he gets hurt on those 5 or 6 runs? Do we cut it to two runs? What if he gets hurt on his first one?

and what if he gets hurt standing there trying to pass?

Then what,, will we reduce our passing plays by 50% to try and protect him?

You cannot minimize risk by saying "don't run".

for every running QB who supposedly lost their ability after injuries, I can point to another pocket passer who had the same thing happen while he stood there in the pocket.

Maybe the Broncos should limit Peyton manning's dropbacks? After all, isn't that how he got hurt before? The Pats should run the ball most of the time to protect Brady from another in the pocket season ender?

Injuries are flukes. They happen in a million different ways. You start the game, and you either finish the game or you get hurt. Every player takes this risk every single week.

~Bang

[Oldfan]

Well, he ran 120 times over 15 games, so he really only ran 8 times per game. Over the final 5 games of the season that he played, that average dropped to 5 times per game (25 total runs).

So, if the average dropped to five, and the season average was eight, then it must have been higher than eight before it dropped, right?

[TD_washingtonredskins]

So, if the average dropped to five, and the season average was eight, then it must have been higher than eight before it dropped, right?

Sure...If he played 10 games prior to those last 5 and had 95 carries left over (120-25), then it appears that over the first part of the season he ran 9.5 times per game. Why?

[Oldfan]

Sure...If he played 10 games prior to those last 5 and had 95 carries left over (120-25), then it appears that over the first part of the season he ran 9.5 times per game. Why?

if he returns healthy, I think that 9.5 average is too high. Jay Cutler ran often in college, but Shanahan had him running less than four times a game in 2008 and still managed one of the top two or three offenses in the NFL. He used Cutler's mobility on the boots and he moved the pocket. With an O-line no better than the one we have, that team gave up a league low 11 sacks.

Oh, and that team didn't have an Alfred Morris either.

[TD_washingtonredskins]

if he returns healthy, I think that 9.5 average is too high. Jay Cutler ran often in college, but Shanahan had him running less than four times a game in 2008 and still managed one of the top two or three offenses in the NFL. He used Cutler's mobility on the boots and he moved the pocket. With an O-line no better than the one we have, that team gave up a league low 11 sacks.

I agree. I was just pointing out that we all seem to overstate how much he actually ran this year (even if the 8x per game is also too high). If he's running about as often as he did down the stretch I think that will adequately take advantage of his unique skills while also providing him good protection.

[Oldfan]

I agree. I was just pointing out that we all seem to overstate how much he actually ran this year (even if the 8x per game is also too high). If he's running about as often as he did down the stretch I think that will adequately take advantage of his unique skills while also providing him good protection.

I'd be satisfied with 5-6 times a game, but the read-option proponents are not likely to be because some of that average will include a few scrambles.

[TD_washingtonredskins]

I'd be satisfied with 5-6 times a game, but the read-option proponents are not likely to be because some of that average will include a few scrambles.

Yeah...and 5 times per game is tricky because of the option. If we run the read-option 8 times, it's possible, though unlikely, that he'd have to carry the ball 8 times.

[Oldfan]

Yeah...and 5 times per game is tricky because of the option. If we run the read-option 8 times, it's possible, though unlikely, that he'd have to carry the ball 8 times.

...and the number of times he carries it is dictated by the defense once the play is called.