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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For the Washington Redskins it is Hardly Mission Accomplished

How satisfied can the Redskins really be with a win over Oakland? They may have gotten their first win, but this team still has a long way to go. Click here for the full story.

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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.

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

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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Washington Redskins Offer Some Surprises With Their Final 53

http://sports.yahoo.com/news/washington-redskins-offer-surprises-final-53-173900203--nfl.html

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Robert Griffin III and Tom Brady: Two Quarterbacks, Only One Controversy

http://sports.yahoo.com/news/robert-griffin-iii-tom-brady-two-quarterbacks-only-192200433.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.

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

NFC East preview

The Redskins may be the defending NFC East champions, but the uncertainty of Robert Griffin III’s health has left experts scratching their heads as to who may emerge as champions for the 2013-14 season. No one seems to know just quite what to expect from the division this season. Here’s a quick synopsis of the other NFC East teams to try and give you a better idea of what the division has in store for 2013.

 

The Dallas Cowboys

 

The Cowboys every year seem to assemble plenty of talent but are never able to live up to their potential. The main problem has been the constant meddling of owner Jerry Jones. As owner of the team, he is well within his rights to run things however he sees fit. What he fails to realize, however, is that the Cowboys would be better off if he left the decision making to people who actually know about football (sound familiar Redskins’ fans?).

 

The drama started early this year when it was found that offensive coordinator Bill Callahan would take over the offensive play calling duties for head coach Jason Garrett. As Jones was the first to announce it to the media, I have to believe he had something to do with it. I'm also pretty confident this was not Garrett's idea.

 

So Garrett, who was originally brought in because of his offensive acumen, will not be calling the offensive plays? Doesn’t sound like Jones trusts him anymore. Publicly undermining the head coach does not really sit well with a locker room.

 

The Cowboys also re-signed the widely mocked Tony Romo for $108 million. While he has not been able to win when it matters most, I do understand the signing. Good quarterbacks are hard to find. Without Romo, the Cowboys would have found themselves overpaying for Matt Flynn or putting their hopes in a rookie. Judging by this year's draft class, Romo was definitely the best option.

 

Coming out and saying that he needs to work harder, however, is not exactly a confidence booster.

 

Yes, Jones threw both his head coach and quarterback under the bus this off-season. If the Cowboys struggle at any point this season, then these stories will pop back up. Did Romo really deserve that huge contract extension? Does Jones really believe in his head coach?

 

The moment this team starts to struggle, things will fall apart. I think they win eight games based on talent alone, but they have too many issues to overcome to actually challenge for the division.

 

Philadelphia Eagles

 

The Eagles proclaimed themselves the‘dream team’ two years ago, but failed to make the playoffs either season and really hit rock bottom last year with only four wins. With a talented, but under-achieving roster and a new head coach straight out of the college ranks, it is hard to really know what to expect from the Eagles. They could really turn things around this season or they could be a complete disaster.

 

Chip Kelly was the head coach at Oregon from 2009 to 2012 and compiled an impressive record of 46-7. Success in college has not always translated to success in the NFL, but given the recent success of college coaches in the pros (Jim Harbaugh, Pete Carroll) the Eagles decided to roll the dice.

 

Big mistake; Kelly will be remembered as Philadelphia’s Steve Spurrier.

 

When Spurrier came into the NFL, he went with what he knew without any real plan of how to adapt his coaching style to the NFL. This was evident when he brought in both Danny Wuerffel and Shane Matthews. Both were quarterbacks for Spurrier in Florida and both were terrible in the NFL. They were the embodiment of everything that was wrong with Spurrier as an NFL coach; ultimately he just could not separate himself from the college mentality.

 

Kelly has never coached in the NFL at any level. His offensive system relied heavily on his team’s advantage in speed. The Eagles have fast players, but talent at the NFL level is much more even. Kelly will not enjoy such a large advantage.

 

What really screams ‘Spurrier’ to me though is that the Eagles traded up to draft quarterback Matt Barkley. Barkley is not a particularly mobile quarterback which means unless Kelly dramatically changes his offense, he will not be a great fit.

 

So why draft him?

 

Barkley was the starting quarterback at USC for four years, so he is someone Kelly is very familiar with. There is nothing wrong with bringing in players you know and Kelly's past with Barkley gives him insight as to what type of NFL player he could be. Only going with what you know, however, and not adapting to a very different NFL style of football is not a recipe for success.

 

Kelly traded up for a quarterback he was familiar with who probably will not fit the type of offense he wants to run. That’s not a good start.

 

The Eagles have undoubtedly underachieved the past few years with a roster filled with talented, speedy players. Desean Jacskon, Jeremy Maclin, and LeSean Mccoy could all potentially thrive under Kelly so it is hard to gauge what they will do this year. This team is too good to win only four games and with a new coach, I expect they will play much better though it is only a mirage. Kelly will not last long, but for at least one year things will look much better for Philly. They will win seven games.

 

The New York Giants

 

The 2011 Super Bowl Champions failed to make the playoffs in 2012, going only 9-7. With the dysfunction of Dallas and Philadelphia, the Giants are the Redskins’ biggest challenge to repeating as division champs. The good news is that the despite the Giants’ playoff success, they seem to struggle in the regular season.

 

Since 2007, they have won 10, 12, 8, 10, 9, and 9 games in the regular season missing the playoffs three times and winning the Super Bowl twice. While the Giants are probably the best team in the division, they will remain very catchable through out the season.

 

The Giants have had the quietest off-season of any of the NFC East teams and look to be about as good as they were last season. There was some talk that Victor Cruz would not sign his RFA tender which would have been a major loss, but he ended up signing it Friday.

 

How well they do will depend on how they respond to not making the playoffs last season. Either they come back with a strong effort or they blow off the regular season once again and we will be treated to the yearly speculation over Tom Caughlin’s job security. Either way the Giants will win ten games and either just miss the playoffs or barely sneak in.

 

There is a lot of dysfunction in the NFC East, but there is also a lot of talent. Still, with no one poised to run away with it, the division looks to be up for grabs. With a healthy Griffin, the Redskins can definitely repeat as champions.

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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Redskins stay patient in free agency

Free agency opened Tuesday afternoon and so far, the Redskins have stayed relatively quiet choosing instead to focus on re-signing and re-structuring the contracts of players already on the roster rather than signing big name free agents with high price tags.

While the Redskins have largely been forced to stand pat due to the $18 million cap penalty imposed by the NFL, their patience may be the clearest sign yet that this organization has turned a corner.

The Redskins’ have thus far signed only two free agents: offensive tackles Tony Pashos and Jeremy Trueblood. They have also re-signed Logan Paulsen, Darrel Young, Rob Jackson, Kory Lichtensteiger, Nick Sundberg, Sav Rocca, and Kedric Golston. None of these are real earth-shattering moves, but they are very low-risk and, most importantly, fairly cheap.

The Redskins were forced to restructure several contracts in order to keep many of their key players and still get below the cap. They did not, however, follow the Vinny Cerrato model of restructuring. Previously, the team would push the total amount owed to a player back, meaning the player would still earn the full amount of their contracts but the bulk would be earned in the latter years. Essentially, it was the Redskins way of kicking the can down the road. Since the team could not afford said players, pushing the money back year after year only exacerbated the situation. The Redskins found themselves with a terrible team they could not afford to pay.

This year, the team had a very different philosophy. Instead of pushing the money back, they have instead convinced players to accept pay cuts.

As of now, Adam Carriker, Santana Moss, and Brandon Meriweather have all agreed to restructure their contracts and take pay cuts. It is amazing what players are willing to do to play on a good team. This would have been a much tougher sell had the Redskins gone 6-10 last season.

The Redskins also had to make a very frank assessment of their roster to see who will be part of the team’s future and move on from players who will not. The team will not re-sign Brandon Banks or Jammal Brown whose contracts just expired. They also cut DeAngelo Hall whose contract was set to count $8 million against the cap.

While these moves all appear to be smart and necessary that is not to say the Redskins are not feeling the sting of their suddenly tight purse strings.

Team leader and Pro Bowler Lorenzo Alexander will not be returning next season. The Redskins were forced to low-ball their offer to him and he instead chose to sign in Arizona. The departure of Hall also leaves the team with a single starting cornerback on the roster, Josh Wilson, and no money to sign a replacement. The draft pool for defensive backs appears to be fairly deep, but as the team is equally as thin at safety and without a first round pick, you cannot reasonably believe the Redskins will be able to revamp the backfield through the draft alone.

With several holes left to fill and few draft picks, I believe the Redskins are not done with restructuring contracts. Trent Williams seems the most likely candidate as he has been with the team since 2010 and, according to Fox Sports, is the highest paid player on the team.

There is also the question of Fred Davis. As of today (Thursday), he remains unsigned. That is good for the Redskins because if he had been given a blockbuster deal, he would have taken it. Teams will be spooked by his drug suspension and injury concerns, but he will still seek a large deal and that could put him out of reach. Adam Schefter reported today that Davis was choosing between Washington and Cleveland. If the Redskins get into a bidding war with the Browns, they will lose. Even so, it might not be a bad thing at this point. A starting cornerback may be more important than another starting tight end.

Despite the turmoil and the lack of cap room this season, the Redskins seem to have handled the situation well (now that they have begun dealing with the penalty rather than threatening fruitless appeals). With several holes left to fill and with the draft coming up, the Redskins will still seek whatever cap room they can find to try and patch together their roster for next season.

While I understand and applaud most of the moves the team has made thus far, I do not have high hopes for the 2013 season. As the cap penalty and free agency began to play out, we really began to understand just how deep the penalty cut. The defense had some glaring holes last season and chances are it is probably going to look worse in 2013. I do not see how the secondary can be better with late-round draft picks and bargain-basement players. The return of Meriweather will help, but you cannot rely on him to remain healthy and you still need another starting safety and a cornerback.

The Redskins may again have to rely very heavily on their offense and, with Robert Griffin III still recovering, I am not sure how well the offense will be able to shoulder the load.

Don’t despair though fans, if you take a long-term perspective, things are looking up. The Redskins will have that $18 million back for 2014 and will be able to make a splash then. The core that Mike Shanahan has built through the draft will still be largely intact, there hopefully will be no doubts surrounding Griffin’s health headed into the season, and the Redskins will have approximately $18 million extra in cap space to work with.

I’m not declaring 2013 a throw-away season because it is not; they have potential to compete as they did last year. If you are talking championship though, the Redskins can stay the course and really be in good shape for 2014.

All it will take is a little patience.

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Should Redskins Feel Buyer’s Remorse for RG3 Trade?

What a difference a month makes.

On December 30^th, Robert Griffin III led the Redskins to a 28-18 win over the Dallas Cowboys to cap off an improbable seven-game winning streak. The win clinched a playoff bid and the team’s first NFC East Division title in 13 years.

Since then, Griffin underwent surgery to repair his LCL and ACL and we’ve seen quarterbacks previously dismissed as inferior dazzle in their quest for the Super Bowl. Despite how incredible Griffin was in his rookie season, with his future now in doubt the Redskins may be thinking about all those draft picks they gave away for their “long-term” QB.

Griffin left fans in awe of his abilities in his rookie season. The Redskins have not had a franchise quarterback since Joe Theismann, but Griffin showed that streak was over in his very first game. In New Orleans, Griffin threw for 320 yards, two touchdowns, and ran for another 42 yards. You could not ask for a better debut.

Griffin took the team on his back for much of the season, helping the Redskins improve to 10-6 after going 5-11 just one year ago. He boasts impressive arm strength, pinpoint accuracy, and incredible mobility. These skills make him one of, if not the most dangerous QB in the NFL.

The problem with Griffin is his durability. I would not label him injury prone, but the way in which he plays makes him more susceptible to serious injuries.

Griffin played 16 games this season and did not finish three of them. He also missed one game entirely due to injuries sustained the week before. Each of these injuries could have been avoided.

Many critics of the Redskins’ offense argue that the read option system the team runs allows a QB to take too many hits. This can be successful in college, but in the NFL where players are bigger and faster, you cannot allow your most important player to take so much punishment. While injuries are always a risk, both Russell Wilson of the Seahawks and Colin Kaepernick of the 49ers have managed to run a very similar type of offense successfully and without injury. True, even Michael Vick managed to play one full season in his career, but if you watch Wilson and Kaepernick play the difference between how they play and Griffin plays the same offense is noticeable.

Whenever Griffin scrambles, the play inevitably ends with a bone-crunching hit as Griffin continues extending the play looking for extra yardage. Wilson and Kaepernick run along the sidelines and slide when rushing in the middle. Essentially, the problem is not the Redskins’ offense, but the way Griffin approaches it.

With his entire 2103 season now in doubt and Wilson and Kaepernick running the same system with success, do you think the Redskins think about those four draft picks they traded for Griffin?

Hindsight is of course 20/20 and there was no way the Redskins could have known Wilson would be as effective as he has been. Wilson fell to the third round of the draft as every NFL team had questions regarding his size, but ask yourself this: would the Redskins have been better off keeping the picks and drafting Wilson?

With Wilson falling to the third round, the Redskins could have addressed other needs as well as quarterback with the 2012 draft. The Redskins could legitimately have drafted both Wilson and Morris Claiborne. Claiborne could certainly have helped the team’s struggling secondary this year. Of course, the fan base would not have been pleased at least initially. After the John Beck disaster, few would have had the stomach to see Shanahan pass on a chance to trade up for Griffin choosing instead to draft a "hidden gem" in the third round, but the results would have silenced the critics.

Let’s say teams were aware of Wilson’s potential. Many experts have said Wilson’s talent puts him on par with Griffin and Andrew Luck; the only reason he fell so far was because he is only 5ft 11in. The Redskins’ would not have needed to trade up for a quarterback.  Indianapolis would have selected a QB with the number one pick, but no one in front of the Redskins needed one.  Cleveland may have traded up to ensure their spot, but that would still leave the Redskins either Luck, Wilson, or Griffin depending on who was left.

The Redskins’ prospects for the 2013 draft would be very different as well given that they would still have their first round pick. With an $18 million cap penalty, it will be hard to address team weaknesses through free agency. A first round pick, however, would allow the Redskins to draft a safety that could have an immediate impact on the field.

Don’t get me wrong, I love Griffin. He has better arm strength than any of the rookie QBs and incredible accuracy. A healthy Griffin is undoubtedly better than Wilson, Kaepernick, and debatably Luck. He does not help the team, however, if he can’t stay on the field.

After Griffin’s concussion against Atlanta, he came back saying all the right things about how he needed to be more careful and protect himself.  That message did not sink in.

He needs to consider what’s best the team and best for his career. Take notes on how both Wilson and Kaepernick run the read option. It’s ok to slide; it’s not ok for your career to be cut short after only two or three seasons.

If Griffin takes another shot to the knee, his career may be over before St. Louis can even use the last draft pick they received in the trade. That was not what the Redskins had in mind when they drafted their franchise QB.

How Should Shanahan have Handled RG3?

The Redskins’ season came to an inglorious end Sunday night with a 24-14 loss to Seattle. Redskins’ fans hope their future did not end that night along with the season.

 

In the fourth quarter, Robert Griffin III bent down to pick up a low snap, his leg caught in the turf, and his knee buckled beneath him. As Griffin lay on the ground writhing in agony, the worst fears of the Redskins’ faithful became realized.

 

The question on everyone’s mind this week is whether Griffin should have stayed in the game. In the first quarter, Griffin threw the ball as he scrambled towards the sidelines and seemed to pull up after the throw. He began to visibly limp after that play and struggled for the remainder of the game.

 

Many people have been critical of Shanahan’s decision to keep him in the game, but before you bash him, remember that hindsight is 20/20. It is easy to say now that Griffin should have been pulled, but you cannot ignore the circumstances during the game.

 

It is completely unfair to say that Griffin should have been pulled when he began limping in the first quarter. Immediately after reinjuring his leg, Griffin threw his second touchdown pass of the day. While he clearly was playing injured, he had played injured the last two games. There was no way for Shanahan to know just how ineffective he would be. Had the doctors or trainers gone to Shanahan and told him Griffin needed to come out, then of course, he should have pulled him, but that does not seem to be the case.

 

True, the offense struggled immensely through the second quarter. The Redskins managed only 16 yards in two drives. That’s not good, but it’s also probably not enough to determine that Kirk Cousins gave them a better chance to win. Also, keep in mind the situation. The Redskins were ahead 14-13. While it seems obvious now that pulling Griffin was the right move for his future, it would have been a tough sell not just to Griffin, but also to the media and the fans.

 

Imagine if Griffin had been pulled at halftime and the Redskins had lost. Wouldn’t the clamor over what Shanahan was thinking be just as loud as it is now? Yes, the coach gets paid to make tough decisions even if they are unpopular, but are two drives really enough to go on?

 

My point is not that Shanahan should have kept Griffin in, it’s that you could make a valid argument either way. That’s not to say Shanahan handled this well, however.

 

There are many different versions of what happened on the sideline; who said what, who examined Griffin, who decided he was ok to go in, etc. As soon as Griffin limped off the field in the first quarter, the trainers should have been there. It doesn’t matter whether he wanted to talk to them or not, he needed to be examined. The most important things for the doctors to find is how serious the injury was, whether Griffin was able to continue playing, and how likely it was that he could make it worse. If the doctors came to Shanahan on the sideline and said Griffin needed to come out, then it doesn’t matter if Griffin wanted to keep playing or not. The fact that Griffin re-aggravated his knee on a play in which he wasn’t even touched, then hurt himself even worse later in the game, makes me think Griffin was not examined on the sideline as thoroughly as he should have been.  Clearly there was a chance he could reaggravate his injury because he did just that. Was he unlucky or was he hurt to the point that by continuing to play he was putting himself at serious risk for a disastrous injury?

 

The most egregious mistake the Redskins made was not adjusting their play calling in light of Griffin’s struggles. The team has hailed their two rookie phenoms all season long, but for some reason when one was injured, they took the ball completely out of the other’s hands.

Alfred Morris had only 16 carries and eight of them came in the first quarter. If Shanahan thought Griffin gave them the best chance to win I’m willing to accept that, but it was undeniable that the the injury rendered him less effective. This was a situation in which the team needed to turn to Morris. The Redskins did not trail until the fourth quarter, there was no reason to abandon the run. Morris had 33 carries against the Cowboys, he’s capable of shouldering the load.

 

This is something that both Shanahans, assuming Kyle returns next season, need to think about going forward. Initial predictions for Griffin’s recovery are somewhere between six months to a year. Some doctors have said he will not be the same dynamic player when he returns and even if he is, the offense needs to change.

Critics of the pistol offense argue that this college-style offense puts Griffin at too much risk. We can now safely put that debate to rest because it absolutely does. Granted, Griffin was not hit on either of the plays he was injured on against Seattle, but the initial knee injury came from a hit in the game against Baltimore as Griffin scrambled from the pocket. Before that, he suffered a concussion against Atlanta.  He is the franchise quarterback. His running abilities are what make him dynamic, but the Redskins should be looking to prevent him from taking hits, not putting him in a situation to get hit more. Clearly, his body cannot take this type of punishment.

 

The responsibility does not fall solely on the coaches’shoulders, Griffin also needs to adjust his game. After his concussion, Griffin declared he would look to slide more and keep himself out of harms way. Obviously, his sliding needs some work.

 

Daniel Snyder also must do something about the field. It was a disgrace. It is embarrassing for fans and for the team when visiting teams come to your stadium to play on painted mud. It could very well have contributed or even caused Griffin’s injury. Seattle’s Chris Clemons tore his ACL during the game and, don’t forget, Adrian Peterson tore his ACL and MCL the year before at FedEx. It is a problem that needs to be addressed.

 

Judging Shanahan’s decision with the benefit of hindsight of course makes it an unfair debate, but an argument can be made defending either point of view. What’s clear, however, is that a change must be made to the offense in order to keep Griffin safer. We live in a world where Jay Cutler’s entire legacy has been tainted because he was injured in the 2011 NFC Championship game and did not look sad enough on the sidelines. Expecting Griffin to take himself out or to let you know when he’s injured is unrealistic. Shanahan needs to come into next season knowing he needs to protect his quarterback not just from opposing defenses, but from himself. Otherwise, Griffin’s career could be cut tragically short and the fans of Washington are going to pin the blame squarely on the coach’s shoulders.

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