The embarrassing 17-6 loss to the lowly reigning NFL worst Texans on Sunday was a hit to the RG3 era. The fact that we witnessed a Robert Griffin III directed offense produce one scoring drive (with a blocked extra point to boot, thank you very much) in four quarters is alarming.
Griffin ran three times for two yards in this game, fumbled twice (lost one), and while his passing was efficient, it remained very safe throughout. Griffin got a pass last season from many because he was recovering from a devastating knee injury. If we’re being honest, he probably shouldn’t have seen the field before at least Week 8 last year. The fact that he played by Week 1 was irresponsible on the Redskins’ part.
And in terms of productivity, there was a serious drop off in 2013. And so it immediately begs the question: has RG3 gone from taking the league by storm as one of its biggest rising stars in 2012 and the offensive rookie of the year, to a bust in such a short amount of time?
It’s undeniable that the knee injury completely changed the dynamic nature of Griffin’s style at quarterback. He went from a Pro Bowler that rushed for seven scores and had a passer rating of 102.4, to a guy who rushed for no scores, had a passer rating of 82.2, more than doubled his interceptions from the previous year, and threw for just 16 touchdown passes in 13 games.
That regression continued in this most recent Texans game against a team that by all accounts is stuck in the rebuilding process. He’s still just clearly not the same player. And if he continues to stay where he is now in terms of ability and health then he’s not an NFL superstar in the making. Instead, he’s just another mediocre quarterback barely worthy of a start. Given the expectations and absurd production he gave us in year one, it’s fair to say what he’s done since then can be labelled a major disappointment.
Certainly one game in 2014 is not enough to suggest Griffin’s season will continue down this path. But this was a weak opponent and an opportunity for Griffin to re-assert himself as elite in the making and he absolutely did not seize it. Instead, serious concern is starting to exist that he will never return to that special form he had as a rookie. And if he’s not the same dynamic player, can he cut it as a pocket passer? After getting a taste of just how special he could be in 2012 fans are all left wanting more. Can ever duplicate it again? It’s a fair question to ask at this point.
If he can’t, this will be one of the most dramatic and sad falls from grace we have seen in NFL history. When you also take into account what was given up to acquire him, one season of high-level play is just not enough to justify the Redskins’ investment it.
It’s too soon to draw sweeping conclusions at this point. But for the mental sanity of the Redskins’ front office, the Washington fan base, and his teammates, RG3 needs a statement performance very soon.
