The way in which the DC Media and fans screwed over Robert Griffin III really pisses me off! I'm so glad this season is over and done with so that perhaps this outstanding athlete and all-around profoundly decent human being gets a chance to latch on to a team and a city that will truly appreciate and develop his many talents -both on and off the field.
This poor guy was doomed from the day he was drafted by the Deadskins. He was made out to be some other-worldly super human being who would be able to leap buildings in a single bound and walk on water. The lone person who was going to swoop in an save Washington's dysfunctional football team which, by the way, had (and has) way more serious problems than the lack of a decent QB.
And, guess what - he came in and did everything and more that was asked of him that first year. He took a beating thanks to a lame-ass offensive line and he practically carried the entire dysfunctional bunch to the playoffs only to have his coaching staff sacrifice him mercilessly on the field in that last play-off loss to the Seahawks.
But that wasn't the end of the story for RGIII. Nope, he beat almost insurmountable odds to come back -months ahead of schedule- from a very serious injury to be ready to go by the start of the next season. He displayed a level of commitment and discipline that's becoming more and more rare these days in the NFL. His determination was unwavering; his allegiance to the team unquestionable. He always tried to say and do the right thing on and off the field and yet, at every turn the media was there to take something he said or did out of context and pounce on him... question his loyalty... intimate a huge ego on his part. The poor guy didn't stand a chance -especially being part of such a historically dysfunctional organization as the Redskins.
There's no way he was 100% for that second season. Anyone with half a brain could figure that out. But RGIII knew what was expected him and he did his best to be ready and, again, put himself and his body on the line playing behind another lame-ass offensive line. Was anyone really surprised he got hurt again so quickly?! But instead of becoming a bigger hero for this team, he started to be a labeled a liability and the media and fans started to find fault with how he played the game - how he put EVERYTHING on the line to win. That just wasn't smart!
The coaching staff -realizing full well that their very expensive QB was becoming nothing more than a crash test dummy behind an ineffective offensive line- decided it was time to try to change the way RGIII played the QB position. He had to be more of a drop-back passer and less of a scrambler. RGIII obliged and plunged himself full force into learning this new QB methodology. Some QBs get years to develop these sorts of skills - RGIII was given a couple months and it was everyone's expectation that -being the super human being he is- he would master it in record time. And when he didn't it became all his fault.
Redskins fans were tired of losing and they had little patience when it came to RGIII - after all, he was the Messiah according to all the press reports! The savior of DC!!! Surely he could do more super-human feats! Why did he suddenly need time to develop??! This isn't what everyone paid millions of dollars for. Washington fans wanted results and they wanted them IMMEDIATELY. Never mind the fact that there were 53 other players on the team who needed to step up. No! This was all RGIII's fault.
And at every turn, RGIII handled himself with poise and professionalism, constantly reaffirming his commitment to his team, his coaches and the fans. Somehow this kept getting thrown back in his face as a sign of his huge ego. The media was constantly trying to cook up stories about locker room discontent and RGIII was constantly misquoted and misinterpreted. Anyone else would've cracked or struck back at all the lies and false accusations. Not RGIII. He just tried to stay positive and do what was asked of him and he continued to be professional, patient and an all-around team player up until the very last game of this season.
Meanwhile, the fans who had once kissed the ground he walked on now made fun of him and heaped all the blame on him for everything wrong with their beloved football team. Thanks for taking a beating for three years - both on and off the field - but don't let the door hit you on your ass on the way out! Good riddance to you, loser!
Sorry, RGIII is the furthest thing from a loser. The real losers are the fans. It's made me embarrassed to root for this team and be grouped in with some of the asshole fans who find it so easy to talk shit about RGIII and what a bust he was. Truth is, even if he never takes another snap behind center, he's accomplished 1,000 times more in his young life than a vast majority of the asshole fans talking shit about him will their entire lives. He walks away from Washington with millions of dollars and a great deal of dignity. Only time will tell if he can rebound physically and professionally from his mistreatment in Washington, but there's no doubt in my mind he'll continue to be a stand-up human being and someone that young folks can look up to and admire. Football is a game - nothing more. And there are plenty of players who are superstars on the field and total fuck-ups in every day life - that seems to be the norm more and more in the NFL. But RGIII's got a very bright future ahead of him; whether it's on or off the field and he's made a lot of life-long fans out of folks like me -not for what he's done, but for who he is. I wish him the very best. And to all the Redskins fans who jumped on the bandwagon to tear him down and bought into all the media bullshit all these years. Well... you can all kiss my ass! HAIL!
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