For a team that made the playoffs for the first time in five seasons, for a team that risked their future to draft a franchise QB, it was not supposed to end up like this in 2013. The Redskins, and especially Robert Griffin III, took the league by storm in 2012; with an inventive offensive playbook, a natural playmaker taking the snaps and a RB that finished behind only one of the greatest single-season performances in league history. Yet sitting at 3-7, with turmoil throughout the locker room, Washington seems poised to return to square one in the offseason (and possible ineptitude for the near future).
But what went wrong in D.C.? How could a team with so much promise fall back to the inglorious days of “Sexy Rexy” Grossman or Jeff George? Well it starts and finishes with that QB position; the position they thought they found a permanent fixture in when the sent three first round picks (and a second rounder in 2012) to acquire a Heisman trophy winner. But the problem does not strictly lay on his shoulders.
Washington Post
In the illustrious draft class last season, that dispersed some of the best QB talent onto the league in the history of the game, RG3 won the Rookie of the Year. His overall talent is unquestioned and the league was caught with its paints down up against the “Zone-Read” offense. But now that defenses are starting to comprehend the intricacies of the Redskins scheme, their QB must use his head, not his feet, to direct his teammates. That task has been all too much for the 23 year old so far this season, but its the people around him inhibiting his development, not his skill set.
Yet it is not the offensive line, nor the pass catchers, nor the running game or even the defense impeding this team to move onto the next level; its the leadership. That all starts and finishes with one man, Mike Shanahan; a man that signed up for that kind of power four years ago. No matter how great of a “football mind” Shanahan has been over his coaching career, which has lasted over three decades now, his lack of teaching and developing leaders has ruined the Redskins. For a man who has free reign (with the help of his counterpart, GM Bruce Allen) to pick and chose players to stock the cupboard, he only has one player to lean on in the locker room as a responsible team manager; MLB London Fletcher (who Shanahan inherited on his roster when signing up for the job). Fletcher can only do so much though, with a locker room full of knuckle-heads, loud mouths and general assholes (i.e. DeAngelo Hall, Trent Williams, Fred Davis, Brandon Meriweather, etc.). And who suffers from the most from such an shameful dynamic? The QB.
The poor example set forth by these “veterans” only further hamper their franchise player from becoming a true team captain. But it only starts with his peers for RG3; his coach simply does not exude any ounce of respectability when it comes to leading a proud organization. It started with Shanahan’s unwillingness to pull his injured star QB last season (when he could barely stand), to save his own ass from another losing season (and most likely costing himself and his son their jobs). A real leader who not only do what is best for his team but his players as well; yet the Redskins head coach had ideas of grandeur.
Courtesy: NY Daily News
Heading into the offseason, RG3 met the operating table and became close acquaintances with Dr. James Andrews (which is never a good thing when it comes to a professional athlete). Instead of telling the young man to continue his rehab until fully healed, Shanahan instead threw his hobbled prodigy into game action week one; very little practice and no preseason to lean on for a second year QB.
By the way, when RG3 found himself in front of the cameras during that recovery period, the war of words began. The franchise player felt that the coaching staff not only put him in harms way with the offense they run, but also the way they handled his ensuing injury. Shanahan used the rebuttal that Griffin brought the injury onto himself because he did “not avoid getting hit;” putting his QB on blast for the entire NFL community to see. That is the lack of leadership that the Redskins front man has displayed for the last fourteen months; passing blame onto others instead of taking responsibility for your actions as a coach (a responsibility at any level by the man in charge).
Now everyone wonders why RG3 questioned the play calling in his post game press conference after the loss to the Eagles. He is only replicating the actions that were taught to him by those in power; no one has given a positive example of how to react to adversity in the NFL. Nobody has displayed Griffin with the model behavior to command 53 other men. His teammates, like Pierre Garcon and Santana Moss, can continue call him out in interviews, claiming that RG3 has played at a high enough standard to win. But that only perpetuates the issues with leadership and the examples set forth by the Redskins coach.
Now the Redskins are 3-7, their QB’s development dwindled, their is turmoil in the locker room between players and coaches, they are still without a first round pick and their head coach will finish with his third losing season in four years. Things will only get worse before they get better. Mr. Snyder may have to decide between the QB and coach before the 2014 season starts, which doesn’t bode well for the father and son duo on the sidelines at FedEx Field.
