What Derailed The Robert Griffin III NFL Train?

Nov 23, 2014; Santa Clara, CA, USA; Washington Redskins quarterback Robert Griffin III (10) stands on the field before the start of the game against the San Francisco 49ers at Levi

Does anybody have faith that quarterback Robert Griffin III can still turn things around? Apparently not. Ask around the NFL of late and it seems every opinion that pops up is decidedly pessimistic. Count an unnamed offensive coach who told ESPN that in a recent interview.

"“There’s no coming back. He is done. The reason is, the injury slowed his legs, and his ego will not allow him to hit rock bottom and actually grind his way back up the right way.”"

Indeed it’s hard to find positives about where RGIII is headed. After a Pro Bowl campaign in 2012 that was capped off by Rookie of the Year honors, he has been able to duplicate that same success despite what, on paper, looks like a more talented offense around him than the one he had that year.

So that begs the question. What essentially crushed the unstoppable momentum he had building three years ago?

The Knee

It’s hard to admit for anybody, but never more than professional athletes. There are those players out there who just aren’t the same after a major knee injury. That’s not to say they don’t regain full health. It comes down to a matter of playing with the same reckless abandon that is needed to succeed in the pros.

They get gun shy and start thinking too much about where the next hit will come from rather than focusing on when and where to go with the football. That leads to reduced efficiency and more turnovers. That is just what happened to RGIII after that devastating injury in January 2013.

Honestly, can you be so sure you’d do any better?

Kirk Cousins

Worse still, the Redskins didn’t do him any favors by providing competition right from the start. That is what happened when they selected Kirk Cousins in the 4th round of the same 2012 draft.

Teams may embrace the idea of roster-wide competition but in the case of a rookie quarterback, it’s a question of confidence. How good was Griffin supposed to feel about his position as “the man” in the starting lineup when the organization didn’t wait long to bring in a potential replacement?

It also created confusion within the locker room as both coaches and players were never truly sure about who was the unquestioned leader in the huddle. History has shown that almost never leads to good things.

Coaching Instability

A last, crucial part to the proper development of a young passer is stability at the top. In his first three years as a pro, Robert Griffin III has seen both a GM and a head coaching change by Redskins owner Daniel Snyder.

That means significant shifts in scheme, teaching styles and personnel requirements that takes a long time for any player to get used to. Like it or not, it’s basically like starting from scratch. Given everything else he had to endure just in his first NFL season, that was not going to lead to anything productive in the short-term, regardless of the high hopes Washington may have had.

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