Time for RG3 and the Redskins to just stop talking

The most talked about knee in America continues to draw comments from every corner of the Redskins organization. This time, former Redskins’ quarterback Joe Theismann decided he needed to voice his opinion on whether he felt Robert Griffin III would be ready for the opener against Philadelphia.

“If you ask Robert, he says he’s right on schedule,” Theismann said. “I fully expect him to be dressed on Monday night against the Philadelphia Eagles when the Redskins open their season. I would be very, very surprised if he’s not.”

Why, oh why do people continue adding fuel to this fire?

When Griffin went down on that fateful night in January, Daniel Snyder, Mike Shanahan, and Bruce Allen all saw their football futures flash before their eyes. So much had been put on their young quarterback, the thought of having to start over without their budding superstar would have been an unbelievable blow to the team and franchise.

Whether or not Shanahan should have kept Griffin in that game against the Seahawks has been exhaustively debated. At this point, you’ve chosen which side of the fence you stand on. What I think we can all agree on is that everyone needs to be extremely cautious when it comes to the Griffin’s recovery.

Yet, every single person close to Griffin runs to the media as fast as they can and declares how far ahead of schedule he is.

Dr. James Andrews got the parade started when he took off his bauble hat and declared that Griffin seemed “superhuman”. Then Griffin got in on the act himself with his All in for Week 1 Adidas campaign. Shanahan even said that Griffin would “set a record for coming back”.

STOP!

By constantly hyping Griffin’s recovery, the team is setting expectations that Griffin may not be able to meet. The question of whether Griffin will be ready for the season has shifted to whether Griffin will be ready for training camp. This is crazy.

The problem with constantly talking about how great Griffin looks and how fast the knee is healing is that it puts pressure on Griffin over something he has no control over. Granted, there are things he can do to help his recovery, but at the end of the day the body will heal at its own pace.

From the several projected recovery times I’ve seen, his recovery could take anywhere from six months to a year. It is great that Griffin seems to be recovering so well, but there is still a chance he will not be ready for the opener.

Is there any reason to try and rush Griffin back for camp? No. That’s not to say that camp is not important, but it is simply not worth risking any sort of setback only six months removed from the injury.

After all the superhuman talk, how will fans react if he is held out of camp? How will Griffin react? This is a quarterback who tried to hide the fact he was hurt in the playoffs, who has been declaring he is ‘all in’ for Week 1. Now everyone is telling him that he is superhuman and ahead of schedule. If Dr. Andrews thinks Griffin is not ready to play for camp or if, Heaven forbid, he is not ready for the start of the season, then what?

The Redskins have painted themselves into a corner.

At the beginning of the offseason they needed to decide as an organization to play this close to the vest. Sure, the media would get their glimpses at OTAs and ask their questions, but ultimately, if the team kept expectations low, so much the better.

If Griffin is not ready to play by training camp or by the season opener, the team risks angering their young star who suddenly is not living up to the pressure and expectations put on him by their own glowing praise.

Please, just stop talking.

For the latest DC sports news, check out CSNWashington.com and follow me on Twitter @TheDC_Sportsguy

Redskins' Bid for a Franchise QB

After all the speculation and the wondering, we finally have an answer as to what the Redskins plan to do about finding a quarterback.  The Redskins traded three first round draft picks and a second round pick to the St. Louis Rams in exchange for the 2nd overall pick in this year's draft.  With this pick, the Redskins will be able to draft Robert Griffin III and hopefully obtain the franchise quarterback they have sought since Joe Theismann.  Now instead of wondering who the next Redskins' QB will be, we are left to wonder whether or not he'll be any good.

When analyzing this year's draft class, most NFL scouts will say there are two QBs with franchise level potential.  With Andrew Luck expected to go to Indianapolis with the first overall pick, that leaves RG3 for the Redskins.  Over the past year, RG3 has taken the NFL by storm.  Most knew of Luck, who was projected to go 1st overall last season had he chosen to leave college, but Griffin was not widely known until his Heisman winning season at Baylor.  Griffin threw for 36 TDs and only 6 INTs.  He further impressed teams with his performance at the combine where he ran a 4.41 40-yd dash, a remarkable feat for a QB.  His athleticism and potential are off the charts, but he he still remains an unknown quantity.

A lot has been written about the risks of drafting a quarterback.  Scouting prospects is an inexact science and the Redskins have bet the farm on a player who has never taken a snap in the NFL.  Statistically speaking, it is likely that either Luck or Griffin will be a bust.  Should Griffin suffer a bad injury or just not be built for the NFL game, the Redskins will still be in need of a franchise QB and they'll have to find one without a first round pick until 2015.  This is the type of decision that defines a staff and so Mike Shanahan and Bruce Allen have likely bet their careers in DC as well as 4 draft picks on Griffin.  No pressure kid.

Still, this was the right move and the QB mess many teams now find themselves in is evidence of that.  Peyton Manning informed the Redskins early on that he was not interested in coming to DC.  That didn't leave a whole lot of options.  Now that Manning is headed to Denver and Griffin is likely headed here, Seattle, Arizona, Miami, and Cleveland are picking up the scraps.  Seattle signed Matt Flynn who is still somewhat unproven and does not have nearly the upside Griffin has.  Arizona owes Kevin Kolb $7 million for a lack luster 2011 season, and Miami and Cleveland are left wondering who's left to trade for.  The simple fact is that Griffin could be the franchise QB of the Redskins for 10-15 years.  If the Colts had known how good Manning would be, would they have traded 4 picks for him?  Absolutely.  I remember thinking to myself when the Giants traded for Eli Manning how stupid they were.  They were giving up 2 picks plus a QB in Philip Rivers who was just as good if not better.  Boy was I wrong.  The Redskins are not working with the benefit of hindsight, but this is a risk/reward business.  The higher the risk, the higher the reward.  The Redskins saw the guy they wanted and they went for it.  Now all we can do is watch and hope Griffin is the QB we all think he is.