Saul: Redskins rookie Griffin III dominating NFL defenses
September 23, 2012
Robert Griffin III is the real deal.
I know we’re only three games into the season. I know…
Robert Griffin III is the real deal.
I know we’re only three games into the season. I know he’s played the Saints, Rams and Bengals — three teams with a combined 3-6 record. And yes, the Redskins are 1-2 overall and look like a mediocre team once again this season.
But here are some stats that tell a more accurate story:
The Redskins have scored 99 points so far this season, the most in the entire NFL. Unfortunately, only the Bengals’ and Saints’ defenses have allowed more points against, hence the Redskins’ 1-2 record.
Don’t blame RG3, the Redskins’ talented rookie quarterback, for the team’s failures.
Griffin is sixth in the league in quarterback rating at 104.9. He’s averaging almost nine yards per completion and he has thrown four touchdowns. He’s been virtually mistake-free, throwing only one interception so far this year.
In comparison to the great Andrew Luck, the only player drafted above RG3 in last April’s draft, Griffin looks dominant.
He’s thrown three fewer interceptions, his completion percentage is nearly 15 percent higher, he averages almost three yards more per completion and his quarterback rating is almost 30 points higher.
And RG3 can run.
He’s ranked the No. 15 rusher in the NFL right now with 209 yards on the season, and he’s scored three touchdowns using his legs.
Want to compare him to another mobile quarterback, Michael Vick? It’s not even close.
Griffin has 115 more rushing yards and two more touchdowns than the Philadelphia Eagles’ passer.
But these were things we knew. We knew RG3 was fast. We knew he was dangerous. We knew he had an accurate arm, freakish size and athleticism.
But what we didn’t know about were his intangibles.
Take a look back at this Sunday, when the Redskins got torched in the first half against the Bengals and fell behind 24-7. Instead of folding because of the adversity, RG3 took control.
On the first drive of the second half, Griffin had to complete only two passes to march the Redskins 80 yards down the field for a touchdown.
On their next possession, the Redskins unleashed the triple option — a formation rarely seen in the NFL. Essentially, Griffin would roll out of the pocket with running back Alfred Morris and wide receiver Brandon Banks and make a simple choice: take it himself, pitch to Morris or pitch to Banks.
The drive started when Griffin sent a perfect ball under pressure to receiver Leonard Hankerson for a 23-yard gain. Then, the Redskins rolled Griffin out twice in a row to let him make the decision. On both occasions, the Bengals swarmed Griffin, and each time he found Morris or Banks. Washington quickly advanced the ball into Cincinnati territory.
Just six plays later, the Redskins scored another touchdown, and the Bengals simply didn’t know how to slow Griffin down.
And Griffin didn’t stop. With seven minutes left, down by 14 points and starting at his own 10-yard line, Griffin orchestrated a masterpiece.
Using no timeouts, the rookie quarterback went 9-for-11 for 93 yards and had two rushes for seven yards — one of which was a touchdown to finish the drive. He did all that in less than four minutes.
After the Redskins’ defense finally got a stop, Griffin took the field again, knowing he needed to drive 98 yards in less than two minutes to tie the game.
In five plays, the Redskins were at the Bengals’ 19-yard line.
But then everything went wrong for Washington’s comeback hopes.
First, the Redskins battered offensive line did what it had done all day: let the Bengals through.
Griffin took a sack after shaking off the first would-be tackler and hurried the offense to spike the ball with seven seconds left. Then, Redskins tight end Fred Davis was called for a false start, and the Bengals stormed the field, wrongfully anticipating a 10-second penalty run off, which prompted the replacement refs to call a phantom unsportsmanlike conduct penalty against the Redskins sideline.
The officials then walked off 25 yards in penalties instead of the 20 they should have assessed.
This sequence led to Griffin chucking a last-second incompletion from his own 41-yard line on a third-and-50. The Redskins lost 38-31, but Griffin proved to his team and his fans that he had arrived.
After the game, when asked how he managed to get up over and over again despite the huge hits he took all game, Griffin’s response summed him up as a player:
“A lot of teams believe if you hit the quarterback enough, he’s going to stop coming after you,” Griffin said. “I just want everybody to know that’s never going to happen with me.”
Write Isaac at [email protected].
