Robert Griffin III is a phenomenal media personality on ESPN, but before all that, his charisma and quarterbacking prowess made him a Heisman Trophy winner at Baylor and the NFL’s Offensive Rookie of the Year for the now-Washington Commanders.
RGIII is doing just fine these days. However, you can’t help but wonder what could’ve been if Washington hadn’t bailed more or less on his development once he went down with a knee injury in the playoffs as a rookie. The former No. 2 overall pick came back too soon for the following season, which led to a coaching shift from Mike Shanahan to Jay Gruden.
Welp. Gruden preferred Kirk Cousins over RGIII. To the point where he’d send him out to be the f*cking scout team safety. Yes, that actually happened. No, Gruden could not even remember Cousins’ first name in a press conference. He called him Kurt.
Gruden is now out here trying to say that the Philadelphia Eagles are ruining Jalen Hurts amid their embarrassing 32-9 loss to Baker Mayfield’s Tampa Bay Buccaneers.
I thought that alone was worth a post. Then, the two former coworkers had another exchange in which Griffin sent Gruden through the Earth’s crust with a Tush Push/Brotherly Shove level of force:
Classic coach who doesn’t adapt his system to fit his players’ strengths, and instead shoehorns guys in as square pegs in round holes. I almost nauseated myself with the number of clichés I just spouted off. Why actually, you know, do your job and try to develop the guy the organization invested the No. 2 overall pick in when you can just simply GIVE UP!? What a joke, Jay.
Rookie-season Robert Griffin III walked so that Lamar Jackson could run. I know, I know. That sounds a little disrespectful to Russell Wilson. What I mean is, RGIII had all the physical tools you could want for a QB in 2024. The problem was, he was just a little ahead of his time, to the point where, shocker, the team that needed many years to rid itself of Dan Snyder as an owner totally tanked his confidence, career, and any chance at being a long-term NFL starter.
You could say Griffin got some opportunities thereafter, but not really anything legit. Hell, Griffin was just pitching himself this year to be the Cleveland Browns’ QB once Deshaun Watson (POOR GUY) went down with a season-ending injury. We would’ve been denied the Joe Flacco Renaissance. That short-lived phenomenon that died in abrupt fashion with two pick-sixes in a playoff loss.
Since leaving the Commanders franchise in 2019, Gruden was the offensive coordinator in Jacksonville during the 2020 campaign. He was out of coaching for a year before becoming an offensive consultant for the Los Angeles Rams. I’m on RGIII’s side on this, yet I don’t think anyone was set up for any sustainable success in Washington under Snyder’s ownership.
Just listen to Alex Smith break down the situation in Washington. This clip was from almost two years ago but is evergreen in describing the Snyder era.
As for the Jalen Hurts side of things, I feel like my brain is going to fry if I have to watch them run it back with Brian Johnson as their offensive coordinator and Nick Sirianni as head coach. Howie Roseman and Jeffrey Lurie will not let this mayhem stand. So Gruden did have a point. He just wasn’t the guy to make it.
Once Hurts gets a Shane Steichen-esque play-caller again, he should be fine. I guess those don’t grow on trees. I know going from Steichen to Johnson is arguably the biggest drop-off of an offensive coordinator transition in NFL history.
