What's the deal with Robert Griffin III?

[Anonymous]

Very few quarterbacks can thrive on a bad team but RG3 simply does not look very good on his own -- as the Coach said, on Sunday he was sometimes dropping back too far, sometimes not far enough, he just looked very unsure. His injuries have likely prevented him from developing but in his post-game comments, he seems like quite a jerk and not a leader and I suspect the whole place is falling apart, and I would be surprised if he could thrive elsewhere.

[Anonymous]

He's a really good athlete and that served him well in a college system. The problem is that being a good athlete does not necessarily translate to being a good (or even serviceable) NFL quarterback. Great athleticism does not provide the skills you need to be a good NFL quarterback - reads, decision making, fundamentals (foot work, throwing motion). He didn't have to do any of that to succeed in his college system and didn't develop those skills. He got away with it for his rookie year because teams were figuring him out. Now they know how to defend against him and he lacks the fundamental skills to deal with it. Those skills are critical in the NFL and it is very difficult to develop them at the pro level when he's starting and poor decision making has led to injuries (making it even more difficult to develop). I never thought he was a NFL quarterback but the only way he'll pass for one is if the rest of the team is built around him to compensate for his flaws and that will never happen. He hasn't been handled correctly either but at the end of the day I don't think that makes a difference in the result.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:He's a really good athlete and that served him well in a college system. The problem is that being a good athlete does not necessarily translate to being a good (or even serviceable) NFL quarterback. Great athleticism does not provide the skills you need to be a good NFL quarterback - reads, decision making, fundamentals (foot work, throwing motion). He didn't have to do any of that to succeed in his college system and didn't develop those skills. He got away with it for his rookie year because teams were figuring him out. Now they know how to defend against him and he lacks the fundamental skills to deal with it. Those skills are critical in the NFL and it is very difficult to develop them at the pro level when he's starting and poor decision making has led to injuries (making it even more difficult to develop). I never thought he was a NFL quarterback but the only way he'll pass for one is if the rest of the team is built around him to compensate for his flaws and that will never happen. He hasn't been handled correctly either but at the end of the day I don't think that makes a difference in the result.

I think this is right and the only thing I would add is that he's a good athlete in one particular dimension. He is a great runner, he has terrific speed. But you know the kind of great, natural athlete who excels in a number of sports? Who has hand-eye coordination, speed, strength, a sense of their body in space, and a sense of the whole field of play, so that they can play basketball and football and baseball and soccer, and hell even tennis and golf? That's not RG III. He's not a complete athlete in that sense.

I don't think he's stupid, as someone said above. In fact, I think he's quite bright. But I don't think he's a complete enough athlete to compete in this position at this level. I feel bad for him, even though it gets hard to like him when he makes comments like his most recent ones. He's in over his head, and there is probably not much he can do about it. It's devastating for anyone to experience something like this, but worse to experience it so publicly.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:He's too good for this miserable team and this city.

You keep saying good. I do not think it means what you think it means.

Inconceivable.

[Anonymous]

Read the Sports Bog in WaPo from the last week or so, especially the posts where Chris Cooley, former Redskin, breaks RG3's problems down extremely well. His speed isn't enough anymore like it was in college, he can't read the field, he misses obvious throwing opportunities, he waits too long to throw, he's terrified of getting hit and clenches in the pocket, and he's been coddled by Snyder to the point that he thinks he's too special to have to really study up and improve. Plus injuries.

[Anonymous]

He sucks...plain and simple.

RG3 is nothing more than a glorified System QB (look up definition on Google) who's first year is looking more and more like an anomaly as time goes by. Not a Skins fan by any stretch but since I live in the DMV, I follow this team out of interest and have seen the man play on TV.

He cannot make reads, he has "happy feet" and at times I have seen him stare down Garcon or some other receiver. He's been coddled and has an ego the size of France! RG3 needs to stop making commercials and start reading the playbook or else he'll find himself out of the league very soon.

But it gets worse for the Redskins; all three QBs on the roster are garbage. Kirk Cousins is an overrated passer who has raw talent and needs ALOT of time practicing before he should even step foot on a field; at best I see him as a backup. Colt McCoy is...well...he sucks, nothing more I can say about the guy other than he isn't good enough to sling the ball around in the NFL.

Maybe all three could play in the CFL or Arena football.

[Anonymous]

He was great in 2012. The problem is he takes too many avoidable hits and got hurt. In 2013, the NFL changed the rules and allowed defenses to hit the pitch man. So RG3 wanted to change the system to a more traditional QB play. RG3 has not played QB this way(ie in high school and college). Also add to that how bad the team is. So he is trying to learn how to play QB at the highest level and he is now scared to get hit(this happen to QB that get hit a lot on bad teams). This combo is very tough to over come.

[Anonymous]

The saddest aspect of the RG3 mess is that there are those who are suggesting Cousins or McCoy as a fall-back!

Cousins is a disaster and McCoy remains an unknown.

So if RG3 is benched, we are left with alternatives that are just as unpalatable.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:The saddest aspect of the RG3 mess is that there are those who are suggesting Cousins or McCoy as a fall-back!

Cousins is a disaster and McCoy remains an unknown.

So if RG3 is benched, we are left with alternatives that are just as unpalatable.

...aaaaaaand, our season is already over, so why not see if McCoy can't get his feet wet?

[Anonymous]

I think it's fair to say though, a lot of AA QBs rely too much on their physical ability to run more so than reading the plays and take what D gives you.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:I think it's fair to say though, a lot of AA QBs rely too much on their physical ability to run more so than reading the plays and take what D gives you.

QBs don't design the offense. Coaches and offensive coordinators do.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I think it's fair to say though, a lot of AA QBs rely too much on their physical ability to run more so than reading the plays and take what D gives you.

QBs don't design the offense. Coaches and offensive coordinators do.

Good point. But QBs are allowed to run when they don't see anything open. Some QBs are too quick to run b/c they think they can outrun Ds. RG has the same issue. Since he is not reading the plays well, either he holds too long or he runs. Neither is good.

[Anonymous]

The only black QB elected to the hall of fame was Warren Moon. There's been far and fewer black QBs in the past than whites but this generation probably won't harbor any HOF bound QBs. It's way too early to tell about Russell Wilson. Some blacks who've had moderate success: Daunte Culpeper, Randall Cunningham, Donovan McNabb, Doug Williams, and others who i might be missing but definitely not HOF worthy.

So the discussion on whether blacks make good NFL QBs is debateable. Time will tell, I guess.

[Anonymous]

Well...that's not racist at all...*sarcasm*

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:The only black QB elected to the hall of fame was Warren Moon. There's been far and fewer black QBs in the past than whites but this generation probably won't harbor any HOF bound QBs. It's way too early to tell about Russell Wilson. Some blacks who've had moderate success: Daunte Culpeper, Randall Cunningham, Donovan McNabb, Doug Williams, and others who i might be missing but definitely not HOF worthy.

So the discussion on whether blacks make good NFL QBs is debateable. Time will tell, I guess.

Huh. Didn't realize Rush Limbaugh posted on DCUM.