Redskins phenom QB Robert Griffin III helped lead the the team to a 14-0 lead over Seattle on two dominating drives in the first quarter of the NFL playoff game Sunday. After aggravating his previous knee injury, the Skins managed just 11 yards in the second quarter. That’s when Coach Mike Shanahan should have removed Griffin from the game.
Griffin’s limited mobility, which is a key part of his game despite having a rifle arm as well, was a huge detriment to the Redskins offense. The playbook got much smaller against the Seahawks and when the Skins started getting bad field position, it was just about over even though the Redskins held a 14-13 lead in the fourth quarter.
Shanahan should have started Kirk Cousins in the second half. Sure, give Griffin the second quarter to see if he could go – he deserved that much considering the excitement he has brought to Redskins’ fans. There is so much unhealthy Jesus-like devotion to Griffin that the fans weren’t even clamoring for a more healthy Cousins, who after all led the Skins to one win as a sub and one win as a backup, to enter the game.
Perhaps the Redskins wouldn’t have beaten the Seahawks with Cousins starting the game but the Redskins were up 14-0 and rolling when Griffin aggravated his injury. The Redskins could have and should have won with Cousins in that situation.
It wasn’t until Griffin became incapacitated after not being able to get on a fumble that laid on the ground in front of him for what seemed like an eternity that Cousins came in. By that time, Seattle was up 24-14 and time was almost out. The Seahawks could afford to just bring everybody after Cousins to rush the fellow rookie.
I’m not sure if Shanahan was overly enamored of Griffin or if he were hoodwinked by Griffin who boldly proclaims that the Redskins are his team and he should be out there with them. He even disagreed with Hall of Famer Sonny Jurgensen who told him in the locker room that sometimes you have to step aside when you’re not 100 percent for the betterment of the team.
Griffin certainly has a big ego but I think he is a team player who really thought he could lead the team to victory. In the first quarter, he was 6 of 9 for 68 yards and two touchdowns. His quarterback rating dropped from 97 to 5.9 after that when he completed 4 of 10 for 16 yards and an interception.
With a 14-0 cushion and Albert Morris running at will, the Redskins, again, could have and should have beaten the Seahawks with Cousins in the game.
Below are several links to articles about the situation but my favorite was an article by Dan Graziano of ESPN.com.
Graziano wrote that there was a stadium full of people (and I was one of them) who could tell the Redskins’ offense was impotent with this shell of Griffin operating it. He started his piece by writing, “He should have come out of the game. It’s really that simple, and it’s not hindsight.
“Anybody who watched Washington Redskins quarterback Robert Griffin III hobble through the second and third quarters of his team’s season-ending 24-14 playoff loss to the Seattle Seahawks on Sunday at FedEx Field could see that (A) he was badly hurt and (B) he was hurting his team’s chances.”
To read more, please click here.
Other links:
Robert Griffin III knee injury diagnosis unclear
Knee injury brings painful end to brilliant season
Concern begins for Robert Griffin III
Robert Griffin III’s injury leaves so many questions