Grantland: What Really Went Wrong with Robert Griffin III

[MattFancy]

http://www.grantland.com/blog/the-triangle/post/_/id/86415/what-really-went-wrong-with-robert-griffin-iii

 

Last week, the Washington Redskins benched quarterback Robert Griffin III. We've heard all sorts of explanations: that Griffin had taken too many hits; that the franchise needed to see what it had in backup Kirk Cousins; that head coach Mike Shanahan was trying to send the message that he's the coach and Griffin merely the player; even that Shanahan was pulling a George Costanza and trying to get fired. There's a kernel of truth in all of those explanations — well, probably not the Constanza theory — but after going back and studying the film from every game of Griffin's last three seasons, I'm certain that Griffin's play was the main reason he didn't suit up Sunday and won't play Washington's final two games.

 

Despite the torrent of leaks, media reports, and bizarre press conferences, we know very little about how Washington actually came to this decision or about the team's overall future direction. But we know one thing: Griffin will still be Washington's starting quarterback in Week 1 next season. Despite the fact that Griffin hasn't played well, despite the injuries, and despite the dalliance with Cousins, Washington simply has too much invested in Griffin to move on just yet. For now, Griffin's future is still the Redskins' future. But if the quarterback wants to keep his job long term, he must play better. And I think he will.

 

A REALLY, REALLY good read. I agree with pretty much everything he has to say about RG3. I belive all hope is not lost and he will come back better next season.

[zoony]

I agree I think that was a good read.

[MattFancy]

I agree I think that was a good read.

 

I think it's refreshing to get a completely unbiased view from the outside. Makes it seem like the sky isn't falling on RG3.

[Redskins Diehard]

I don't know what you guys see in that article.  It appears as if the author has not firmly planted himself on either the "Griffin is completely to blame" or the "Shanahan is completely to blame" side.  How is it possible that it is a combination of coaching and play?

[MattFancy]

I don't know what you guys see in that article.  It appears as if the author has not firmly planted himself on either the "Griffin is completely to blame" or the "Shanahan is completely to blame" side.  How is it possible that it is a combination of coaching and play?

 

I don't understand. From the article, Brown makes it seem like our offense changed dramatically from last season. We took out some of the explosive plays calls and it seemed like we couldn't find an identify on offense. So yeah that could be due to the play calling and coaching of Kyle or it could be because RG3 wasn't completley healthy and couldn't operate in the offense from last season.

[Redskins Diehard]

I don't understand. From the article, Brown makes it seem like our offense changed dramatically from last season. We took out some of the explosive plays calls and it seemed like we couldn't find an identify on offense. So yeah that could be due to the play calling and coaching of Kyle or it could be because RG3 wasn't completley healthy and couldn't operate in the offense from last season.

That's right.  It could be either.  Or it could be a combination of both.  We see the sausage on Sunday, we don't see the making of the sausage throughout the week.

[MattFancy]

That's right.  It could be either.  Or it could be a combination of both.  We see the sausage on Sunday, we don't see the making of the sausage throughout the week.

 

I mean, I believe it's a little of both. I don't think RG3 has been 100% all season and I think we all got ahead of ourselves expecting him to be. We all saw what AP did last year and just figured RG3 could do the same. While his numbers aren't terrible, he definitely has gone through the sophmore slump.

 

I also think coaching play a role too. It seems like Mike/Kyle were unsure of how to use him this year. They couldn't decide if they wanted him to be a drop-back passer or a runner like last season. Was some of that due to the injury? Yeah probably. But as coaches, they needed to do a better job of preparing RG3 to play week-in and week-out.

[Burgold]

I think it's clearly both.  For me though, the tie goes to the coach because the coach can pull the player.  If Griffin was really struggling in a way that it was killing the team then you take the PR hit and bench him before the team implodes and before the season is lost.

[martytheman]

Not a bad article, it really helps put things into perspective, how an "awful" year for RG3 is a pretty damn good year for alot of guys.

I have been down on him this year also.. but I think it's because he set the bar sooo high that anything less is a disappointment.

 

in any event, it does help put things in a different light.

 

and also, I HATE the bunch formation/crowded backfield nonsense they insist on running.. I don't know what the rationale is for bunching 20 guys in between the hash marks.. you would think a spread look would help things more.. but they never go with it.

[KingGibbs]

Just disappear this offseason III. Go and work on your craft and have people ask where you've been instead of saying please go away.

[Voice_of_Reason]

This was a well thought out, well written, apparently unbiased, and somewhat humorous article.  I give it an A+.

 

I like that it focused on the "on-field" stuff and didn't get too much into the off-field stuff.

 

I also like that he had some critical things to say about the offense, as well as the play of the QB.  Because both things are true.  

 

But I've been saying since week 1 that Robert's footwork was very "loose." The Shanahan offense is, at it's very core, the WCO. Where footwork is king. And if you dig up the WCO offense NFL Films thing, with Bill Walsh (thenceforth known and "The Founder") and Joe Montanta, who to this day might still have run that offense better than anybody since, you can see how intricate the footwork is, how important every step is, etc.  It's great stuff.  

 

And Griffin isn't doing it. And that's not entirely his fault based on injury and missing the off-season. But what it's leading to is hesitation, missed reads and inaccuracy. 

 

Great read.  It's good to read a piece that doesn't seem to have an agenda.

[justice98]

Not a bad article, it really helps put things into perspective, how an "awful" year for RG3 is a pretty damn good year for alot of guys.

I have been down on him this year also.. but I think it's because he set the bar sooo high that anything less is a disappointment.

 

in any event, it does help put things in a different light.

 

and also, I HATE the bunch formation/crowded backfield nonsense they insist on running.. I don't know what the rationale is for bunching 20 guys in between the hash marks.. you would think a spread look would help things more.. but they never go with it.

 

A lot of guys that aren't any good.  It was not a good year by any stretch.  

[Voice_of_Reason]

Just disappear this offseason III. Go and work on your craft and have people ask where you've been instead of saying please go away.

 

One thing I think is absolutely critical, though, is that whoever is here, HC, OC, QB coach, all combination, they sit down with Robert and get on the same page, build trust, and all have to buy in together on what they are trying to achieve.  

 

If I could cherry pick one guy from all of history for Robert to talk to, not necessarily coach him, but just have some extended conversations about how to play QB, what it takes, what he needs to work on, how he should work, etc, it would be Steve Young. I think he's about as similar to Griffin as anybody in NFL history, at least anybody who's in the HOF.  Young is about the same height, was super athletic (though not as athletic as Robert), had a few tough years in Tampa before becoming one of the most effective QBs of all time, using his footwork, his accuracy, ability to read defenses, and athleticism.  The only reason he's not the best QB for the team he played for is because there's that Joe guy who won 4 SBs that happened to play for the same team.

[MattFancy]

A lot of guys that aren't any good.  It was not a good year by any stretch.  

 

RG3's numbers through 13 games were extremely similar to Luck, Wilson, Kap this year and Cam last year.

 

RG3: 60.1/3,203/16/12

Luck: 58.6/3,119/19/8

Wilson: 64.5/2,871/23/7

Kap: 57.2/2,487/16/8

Newton: 57.7/3869/19/12 (full-season)

 

So if RG3's numbers aren't good, then what about these guys?

[Koolblue13]

I really believe London said it best in his presser. The kid hasn't had a break in a very long time. He has been under such intense pressure to perform, that is has to wear you down A LOT. He didn't get to relax last offseason and didn't have the chance to focus on football either, because he was rushing back to play.

 

I think with a full healthy offseason, time to decompress and then get back to work fresh, he will be one of the top QBs in this league, led by a very professional coach. This entire season, we've felt behind. Pushing the boulder up the hill.

[justice98]

As it pertains to the offseason program and training camp, what was he not able to do?  I know the article mentioned footwork.  But he was out there running sprints in the spring and doing all kinds of things, it's not like he wasn't able to do ANYTHING as his recovery progressed, particularly once OTA season hit.  I would think he'd have at least been able to work in footwork drills on the side.  He wasn't just standing around.

 

And the OTAs and minicamp consists of only a total of two weeks of organized activity, in separate 2-3 day chunks beginning in late May.  What specifically goes on in these OTAs that was so critical that he couldn't overcome it? 

One thing I think is absolutely critical, though, is that whoever is here, HC, OC, QB coach, all combination, they sit down with Robert and get on the same page, build trust, and all have to buy in together on what they are trying to achieve.  

 

 

 

Indeed.  We thought we had that last year, but it all went south.  

[TheGreek1973]

A very logical well thought out article.  Something I believe many of us "bench RGIII" fans have said now for weeks.  Putting  him out there time and time again when its obviously he is not getting better his throwing mechanics makes zero sense.

 

Here's to RGIII coming back next year healthy and better than ever.

[MattFancy]

As it pertains to the offseason program and training camp, what was he not able to do?  I know the article mentioned footwork.  But he was out there running sprints in the spring and doing all kinds of things, it's not like he wasn't able to do ANYTHING as his recovery progressed, particularly once OTA season hit.  I would think he'd have at least been able to work in footwork drills on the side.  He wasn't just standing around.

 

And the OTAs and minicamp consists of only a total of two weeks of organized activity, in separate 2-3 day chunks beginning in late May.  What specifically goes on in these OTAs that was so critical that he couldn't overcome it? 

 

Indeed.  We thought we had that last year, but it all went south.  

 

Well he wasn't really able to work on timing with his WRs. He wasn't even cleared to practive until right before training camp and even then, I don't think they really let him practice with the team until a week or 2 into training camp. Yes, he could have been working on his footwork then and for all we know, maybe he was? I think the brace and not being 100% played a role in his footwork being messed up.

[justice98]

RG3's numbers through 13 games were extremely similar to Luck, Wilson, Kap this year and Cam last year.

 

RG3: 60.1/3,203/16/12

Luck: 58.6/3,119/19/8

Wilson: 64.5/2,871/23/7

Kap: 57.2/2,487/16/8

Newton: 57.7/3869/19/12 (full-season)

 

So if RG3's numbers aren't good, then what about these guys?

 

The raw numbers don't tell the story.  RG3 built up a lot of numbers in garbage time, especially early.  Remember when he was doing nothing in the first half, then was throwing it on every down in the second half trying to close 20 pt deficits racking up numbers?  And I notice turnovers aren't in your list of numbers, that's kind of an important stat.  RG3 leads by a wide margin.

 

But I'd say the only one of those guys that hasn't been definitively better than Griffin in totality is maybe Kap.  Cuz he was fairly pedestrian for that stretch where the 49er passing game disappeared.

[Voice_of_Reason]

As it pertains to the offseason program and training camp, what was he not able to do?  I know the article mentioned footwork.  But he was out there running sprints in the spring and doing all kinds of things, it's not like he wasn't able to do ANYTHING as his recovery progressed, particularly once OTA season hit.  I would think he'd have at least been able to work in footwork drills on the side.  He wasn't just standing around.

 

And the OTAs and minicamp consists of only a total of two weeks of organized activity, in separate 2-3 day chunks beginning in late May.  What specifically goes on in these OTAs that was so critical that he couldn't overcome it? 

 

Look, the reports out of Training Camp were that up until 2-3 weeks before the season, he wasn't really even able to push off of his back leg.  He might have been able to do some stuff, but he wasn't able to do it at speed, and he wasn't able to do it in the context of a real practice.  You need those type of reps to really get comfortable.

 

He didn't start taking full team reps until AFTER training camp ended.

 

And all the other stuff he did, it couldn't possibly have been at full speed. Because he wasn't there health-wise yet. 

[MattFancy]

The raw numbers don't tell the story.  RG3 built up a lot of numbers in garbage time, especially early.  Remember when he was doing nothing in the first half, then was throwing it on every down in the second half trying to close 20 pt deficits racking up numbers?  And I notice turnovers aren't in your list of numbers, that's kind of an important stat.  RG3 leads by a wide margin.

 

But I'd say the only one of those guys that hasn't been definitively better than Griffin in totality is maybe Kap.  Cuz he was fairly pedestrian for that stretch where the 49er passing game disappeared.

 

Look at Luck's numbers for last season. How many times were the Colts trailing in the 4th quarter and Luck had to keep throwing? A bunch. The INT number was the final number in the slashes. RG3 and Cam had 12, Luck and Kap with 8, and Wilson had 7.

 

Again, not saying RG3 has played better than those guys this season, but he's basically playing like any 2nd year QB has previously.

[WhoRUSupposed2Be]

Good read.

 

It's simple... Robert needs to focus on the nuisances of the quarterback position and keep his father out of his ear as much as possible.

 

As much as Shanahan has been an ***hat and late on just about everything concerning the "BEST INTEREST OF THIS FOOTBALL TEAM," he should get a microscopic ounce of credit for identifying what we all could see this season concerning Griffin.

[bobbi3stix]

It amazes me that there are countless articles, blogs, reports and then speculation over what I think to be a lot easier. He rushed getting back, everyone wanted to believe he was okay to go. He wasn't ready, and every not-so-great player or play call got amplified.

 

Snowball effect, now everyone is wanting a scapegoat.

[justice98]

Look at Luck's numbers for last season. How many times were the Colts trailing in the 4th quarter and Luck had to keep throwing? A bunch. The INT number was the final number in the slashes. RG3 and Cam had 12, Luck and Kap with 8, and Wilson had 7.

 

Again, not saying RG3 has played better than those guys this season, but he's basically playing like any 2nd year QB has previously.

 

I saw INTs, but fumbles weren't included.   I don't know this for certain, but I'd be willing to guess RG3 leads the league in fumbles.  I know he at least leads that group.  He's got 11, I think Wilson has 10, but then he's also got 23 TDs and fewer INTs. 

Good read.

 

It's simple... Robert needs to focus on the nuisances of the quarterback position and keep his father out of his ear as much as possible.

 

As much as Shanahan has been an ***hat and late on just about everything concerning the "BEST INTEREST OF THIS FOOTBALL TEAM," he should get a microscopic ounce of credit for identifying what we all could see this season concerning Griffin.

 

I'm sure you mean "nuances" rather than "nuisances".  lol

[steve09ru]

Look at Luck's numbers for last season. How many times were the Colts trailing in the 4th quarter and Luck had to keep throwing? A bunch. The INT number was the final number in the slashes. RG3 and Cam had 12, Luck and Kap with 8, and Wilson had 7.

 

Again, not saying RG3 has played better than those guys this season, but he's basically playing like any 2nd year QB has previously.

The difference is in the most important stat - there's a lot more wiggle room if you are still winning but when those mistakes are part of the reason for the losses then it's more of a hit.  Favre was a great QB but a lot of losses were on him but he made up for it with being able to win.

 

I'm sure if Luck was losing then it would all be the same.  He's the one who puts them in the negative situations but he pulls out of it and ends up on top.  RG3 hasn't been able to get all the way out of negative situations and a lot of factors play into that including special teams and defense to an extent.