Robert Griffin III is not the most popular player in Washington these days. His preseason debut ended in disastrous fashion as he suffered a concussion and a shoulder stinger.
The new additions to the Redskins offensive line were supposed to help keep RGIII away from pressure however there might be an internal struggle we are not seeing. Week 3 of the preseason is supposed to be the dress rehearsal sometimes starters get the first quarter or less to get some work in. RGIII was named the starter before he was even cleared to play for week 3.
Rumors have swirled that RGIII's perception of himself are out of date and do not match the player on the field. Griffin actually looked as if he regressed in his pocket awareness and footwork, we all know he cannot run like he could in college after two ACL tears, but he holds on to the ball for a ridiculous amount of time. RGIII stated in a recent press conference,
"We all look at the film and we don't look at it and say, 'Hey, it's this guy's fault, that guy's fault. We don't point the finger or point the blame. You watch the film and you assess yourself. You say, 'What can I do to make sure this doesn't happen anymore. We've all done that."
Griffin showed zero accountability for getting hit as much as he did, I mean let's face it if you leave the pocket and wait to get hit, that's on you.
This could also frustrate the offensive line, good players, who can be consistent with a pocket passer, after RGIII was knocked out Kirk Cousins and Colt McCoy were not sacked a single time. That says volumes about RGIII's awareness as a quarterback or the offensive line's lack of love for the signal caller.
The offensive linemen also never help RGIII up; these offensive lines in the NFL are notoriously protective of their quarterbacks. Even the slightest tap on Aaron Rodgers or Tony Romo and their O lines come over to help them up and dust them off.
Now with him being listed as the starter you have to wonder if the Redskins are a) trying to make him tougher by throwing him into the fire, b) Jay Gruden really dislikes RGIII and wants him to play his way out of Washington, c) the Redskins are trying to see how much is left in the tank before they cut the cord and move on. Whatever the case may be letting your second round, "franchise", quarterback get hit or sacked 3 out of the 5 times he takes his first five drop backs in a game is definitely not the answer.
