*This is the first of many offseason outlooks for the Redskins by Marcus from College Park.*
It wasn’t the economy that went “over the cliff” last week in the Capitol City. Instead the football team that trains in Virginia, plays in Maryland and claims to be Washington DC ‘s team threw themselves over the edge, landing in a heap of dirt, dust and deceit on the wasteland of a playing field called FedEx.
Robert Griffin III, who is in fact Washington’s’ first round draft pick for the years of 2012, 2013 and 2014, collapsed with the hopes and dreams of Burgundy and Gold nation against Seattle. Under the weight of enormous controversy, conflicting viewpoint’s of players, coaches, fans and the medical community, RG3 finished his season and the teams’ playoff hopes, roiling about on a lousy dirt field. There was plenty of claimed blame to go around but once Ashburn went into lockdown mode, Snyder, Shanahan and Andrews (the new Moe, Larry and Curly) ripped a page from DC’s political playbook and stone walled, placed the blame on each other, defended each other and then allowed others to place the blame on RG3 for being a competitor and a warrior. The only competitive courage that’s been on display since the injury is RG3’s alone while facing down the scalpel. What were the Stooges up to during the challenging moments? They were cowering in shamed silence and hiding.
Of course deception has always been part of handling a political mess here in DC and Ashburn has been playing the shell game with the facts in the case of RG3’s surgery as well. It was bad enough that we were told that RG3 was heading to Florida for “further testing”, when in fact it was to have the QB operated on under the cover of blackout but that the complete truth and extent of the surgery was left to be revealed by a broken hearted father and former DC tackle turned Surgeon, Mark Adickes.
Dr. Adickes, who is close to the Griffin family in Houston and performed RG3’s first ACL repair surgery gave the public it’s first direct and factual statement regarding the operation. It wasn’t good. RG3 had major reconstruction of his right knee including a revision of his patella graft that was used in his initial ACL repair, repair of his LCL, repair of a torn medial miniscus and surgery to his left knee to remove bone and patella tendon tissue to repair the right knee. There you have it, surgery on both knees. Dr. Adickes also added that RG3 would have difficulty using crutches since both knees were operated on. Translation: If RG3 wanted to rally the fans by appearing before camera, he’d have to be rolled in front of the microphone in a chair! If that image has you ready to release your most blood curdling scream, go ahead and do it! I have. Throw in his second concussion in less than a year and being x-rayed for broken ribs and you have a bulging medical file for a QB who was to be “The Franchise” for a decade or more. Try selling that “Franchise Tag” now Stooges, Woo, Woo, Woo, Woo!
Courtesy: ESPN/The Three Stooges
According to the Stooges and their supporting cast, everything will be just peachy come the 2013 season. After all, RG3 has this incredible work ethic, Olympic physique, blah, blah, blah…. Just like during the Seattle game, Moe, Larry and Curly would have you believe their word’s and not your eyes or a long list of the facts. Shouldn’t we mention that the brass has put all the pressure back on RG3 again, saying it’s up to HIM to push his rehab in order to return for 2013. Huh!? It’s all on RG3 again? When are those knuckleheads in Ashburn going to take some responsibility during this mess?
Artist Henri Mattise often said that “Creativity Takes Courage”. The Slap Stick Stooges of Ashburn would be well advised to heed Mattises’ word’s and use all the necessary courage to create and accept a system of responsible checks and balances that insures the health of their players, so that the disgrace of playing and watching an injured young man collapse before a national television audience never happens again.
