Five Reasons Why the Washington Redskins Can Beat the Dallas Cowboys

The Washington Redskins head to Dallas Sunday night after the Cowboys' impressive showing last week, but there is still plenty of reason for Redskins fans to be optimistic. For the full story, click here.

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Time for the Washington Redskins to Stop Talking About How Good They Are and Prove It

We have heard a lot of talk about the Redskins and how good they are, but we have yet to see it on the field. Click here for a story on why it is time for the Redskins to put up, or shut up.

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Operation Patience Part 2: Why Benching RG3 for Kirk Cousins is a Really Bad Idea

An 0-2 start for the Redskins has some people calling for Kirk Cousins. Click here to find out why that would be a really bad idea.

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Why RG3 needs to keep playing

The Washington Redskins meet the Green Bay Packers this Sunday and the question on everyone’s mind is whether Robert Griffin III will be back to normal.

After Week 1, it was clear he was playing with full confidence. Numerous replays showed he was not following through on his throws or putting on weight on his front leg. Many have argued that this performance showed he came back too early and should not have played. I think it shows exactly the opposite.

What’s holding Griffin back now is his own confidence. He has been medically cleared, but still does not have confidence in his knee. That is a mental hurdle, not a physical one. Griffin has to play because that is the only way he can overcome that.

Compare his first half performance to his second half. In the first half, he threw two interceptions, botched a toss to Alfred Morris, and the offense was completely out of sync. In the second half, he did not turn the ball over at all and threw for two touchdowns.

Griffin will begin to play like his old self when he overcomes the mental hurdle that is holding him back. The solution is to keep playing, not to continue hiding him away.

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Redskins Need to Avoid Same Offensive Mistakes to Beat the Packers

The Washington Redskins will meet the Green Bay Packers this Sunday and if they hope to win, they'll have to do fix some problems on offense. Click here to read more.

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Washington Redskins: RG3 Shows Us Why the Preseason Matters

http://sports.yahoo.com/news/washington-redskins-rg3-shows-us-why-preseason-matters-144400716--nfl.html

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Washington Redskins: Three Things RG3 Must Do in Week 1

http://sports.yahoo.com/news/washington-redskins-three-things-rg3-must-week-1-221900474--nfl.html

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Five Burning Questions for the Washington Redskins

http://sports.yahoo.com/news/five-burning-questions-washington-redskins-211400385.html

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Should the Washington Redskins Keep Three Quarterbacks?

http://sports.yahoo.com/news/washington-redskins-keep-three-quarterbacks-174600415.html

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The Washington Redskins: Three Things to Watch for in Training Camp

http://sports.yahoo.com/news/washington-redskins-three-things-watch-training-camp-150900482.html

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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.

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Should RG3 play in training camp or the preseason?

All the football talk in DC seems to be focused on Robert Griffin III, not surprisingly. Fans got their first look at Griffin on the field since last season during the Redskins’ OTAs.

He looked great.

He sprinted, threw the football, ran drills, and it did not appear that the knee was bothering him at all. Though he was working with the other injured players and was not taking snaps with the first team offense, one could not help but be impressed with how good he looks only five months removed from suffering the injury.

It’s that kind of optimism that scares me.

When asked if he would be practicing with the team at the start of training camp, Griffin told reporters “Without a doubt”. You can already see the coming storm.

While Griffin may be optimistic, it is up to Mike Shanahan and Dr. James Andrews to figure out if training camp is a good idea regardless of what Griffin may think or say.

Training camp is very important, especially for a player in only his second year in the league. He will practice in a non-contact jersey as all quarterbacks do and no one on defense will even think about tackling him. If he is healthy, he would definitely benefit from practicing. Most likely, he will be fine, but he also would not be the first quarterback to suffer an injury in camp.

The preseason is another story. While no one will be allowed near him in camp, everyone will be gunning for him in the preseason. Few players ever approach a situation with the intention of injuring a player, but that does not mean defenses won’t be trying to hit Griffin as hard as they can. There will be opposing players competing for jobs on the field. What better way to make an impression than smashing one of the most electrifying quarterbacks into the ground?

I’m not advocating locking him in armored truck until opening day, but the Redskins must be careful with Griffin even if feels healthy in time for camp. If Dr. Andrews thinks he needs more time, sit him.

If he is cleared to play, I think you still have to sit him for the preseason. The Redskins went to great lengths to re-sign 21 of their 22 starters from last season. Griffin does not need to get used to a new offense, new coaching staff, new center, new receivers, etc. At most, he should play only a handful of series and then should be taken off the field. I don’t know that the Redskins would gain anything by putting him at risk in a meaningless game situation.

The point is, let’s tamper down the optimism. Griffin looks great, but despite what he says the Redskins still need to determine for themselves just how much to push him in camp and in the preseason. It makes sense to play him with the first team offense at camp, but not so much during the preseason. Even if he is healthy and cleared to play, that does not mean he needs to go 100% until the start of the season. There is still need for caution.

Griffin looks to be on track to start the season opener vs. Philadelphia, but only if both he and the team continue to handle his recovery responsibly.

RG3 makes appearance at Kentucky Derby

http://www.csnwashington.com/football-washington-redskins/talk/rg3-makes-appearance-kentucky-derby

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RG-Newton?

As the football world turned its collective attention to the matchup between the last two Heisman trophy winners, the inevitable comparison began to be made.  With all the struggles we have seen from Cam Newton this season, is Robert Griffin III destined for a similar sophomore slump?

Newton took the NFL by storm in his rookie year.  Originally thought to be a second or third round pick, Newton’s stock rose considerably after the National Championship and NFL combine.  He eventually rose to the point where the Carolina Panthers decided to take a chance on him and took him number one overall.

A Heisman trophy winner picked in the draft to revive a struggling franchise who took the NFL by storm in his rookie year?  You can see why the two are being compared.

Newton, however, has struggled this year.  Through eight games, he has thrown for six touchdowns and eight interceptions.  After setting a rookie record for rushing touchdowns last year with 14, he is currently on pace for eight.

Perhaps more troubling has been Newton’s demeanor.  He has looked absolutely despondent at times and his press conferences range from bizarre to downright depressing.  No one likes to lose, but it does not help when the emotional leader of the offense secludes himself on the sidelines with a towel over his head.

At 3-6, the Redskins have struggled much more than many anticipated.  If this continues into next season, will we see the same sort of statistical and emotional fall for Griffin?

While Newton’s rookie season was undoubtedly impressive, it masked the shortfalls of his game.  Those shortfalls are now being exposed.  Accuracy has always been an issue of Newton’s.  Last season he threw 17 interceptions, slightly more than one per game.  This season he has eight through eight games.  His accuracy was a known issue, but his intangibles made him worth the risk.

While people like comparing Griffin to Newton because of the similarities of their circumstances and their mobility, they are two very different quarterbacks.  Griffin has the ability to run, but he is a pocket passer.  He looks for the pass, and has a strong, accurate arm.  Griffin’s style is more suited to the NFL than Newton’s.

Griffin also has a different character and mentality than Newton does.  Newton was expelled from the University of Florida, transferred into junior college, and then to Auburn.  He was further investigated by the NCAA because his father allegedly demanded money from colleges for his son’s commitment.  Griffin committed to the University of Houston to play for coach Art Briles.  When Briles decided to accept the head coaching job at Baylor, Griffin decided to instead commit to Baylor where he played his entire college career.  Character was a red flag for Newton, not for Griffin.

Expectations were also too high for Carolina this year.  Center Ryan Kalil took out a newspaper ad at the beginning of the year declaring the Panthers were headed to the Super Bowl.  At 2-6, that’s obviously not going to happen.  The team’s struggles are not all Newton’s fault, but as the quarterback he obviously feels the most pressure.

Could the Redskins fall flat again next season?  There’s a definite chance.  The team has played terribly so far this year and with an $18 million cap penalty that will carry over to next season, the team will struggle to improve its personnel.  The pressure of a bad season will fall on Griffin, as well, but I doubt any of the failures will be because of him.  Much of the Redskins’ issues this year have been on the defensive side of the ball.  Griffin also does not have the turnover issues Newton has.  Whatever trouble the Redskins may have next season, Griffin is not likely to be part of the problem.  The same cannot be said of Newton this season.

NFL teams are going to get wise to Griffin’s game, that is inevitable, but he will get used to the NFL as well.  He will have his struggles, but his abilities and style of play are more suited to NFL success.  He also has good head on his shoulders.  He does not turn the ball over and always says the right thing on camera.  Griffin may well have a sophomore slump, but regardless he will still be an impressive player and you certainly are not going to see him mope on the sidelines.  Carolina can have their Superman, we’ll just take our man in the Superman socks.

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