AS THE OPENING week of the 2014 NFL season draws to a close, there are two teams with serious issues at quarterback.
And, in some way, you can excuse the St. Louis Rams.
Having started their game at home to the Minnesota Vikings with back-up quarterback Shaun Hill under center, they were forced use Austin Davis – who had never taken a snap in two full seasons with the Rams – for the second half after Sam Bradford’s replacement limped out.
Davis was sacked (four) more times than he completed passes (three) as St. Louis fell to 28 point loss.
The other quarterback who really failed to impress was former Heisman Trophy winner Robert Griffin III who completed 29 of 37 passes for 267 yards without ever really threatening the endzone.
Proof, if ever it was needed, that just because a quarterback is efficient, it doesn’t necessarily follow on that he’s going to be effective.
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The former Baylor quarterback made 11 of his first dozen efforts but the Washington offence only gained 45 yards on those 12 plays. RGIII wasn’t bad, he just wasn’t the quarterback they built a statute for in Baylor earlier this year.
He was also far from the force of nature who took college football by storm in his final year before bringing that form to the NFL in his rookie season when he threw for 3,200 yards, finding the redzone 20 times and rushed for seven more scores on 815 yards.
Robert Griffin III spends a lot of Washington career on the turf. AP / Press Association Images
AP / Press Association Images / Press Association Images
There were signs of an obvious regression during an injury-plagued 2013 when the 24-year old threw 20% less touchdowns but more than double the number of interceptions of his rookie year. More tellingly, his run game – such a crucial part of what makes him RGIII – almost disappeared, making just 489 yards on 86 attempts for no scores.
You could put that down to a sophomore slump but last night, against an admittedly good Texans defence, he made just three yards on two attempts.
Now, a lot of that is to do with the conservative play calling of new offensive co-ordinator Sean McVay. McVay has been with Washington since the Shanahan era and though he may well be a good appointment for the team and new head coach Jay Gruden, he might not be the OC Griffin needs to restart his stuttering career.
It must also be said that it’s all to easy to get sucked into week one results and statistics and draw a narrative for the entire season from relatively little detail. Last year the Titans, Texans and Rams all started the season in impressive style. None of them made the playoffs.
Likewise the Ravens and Steelers both suffered humiliating opening losses and were still very much in the hunt for the playoffs on the final day of the regular season.
Things could turn around for Washington. It helps they’re in a contender for the worst division in football where it’s very possible a team with a losing record could make the postseason this year.
But something else needs to change for Griffin to rediscover his form. The arrogance that came with the Superman socks and dynamic playmaking ability has been replaced by fear and the sound of footsteps in his ear as he steps back to throw.
Some of those footsteps belong to defensive linemen looking to add to the 71 sacks the third year quarterback has already endured in his career. Others belong to Kirk Cousins, his back-up, who – in the eyes of Washington fans – gets better every time he watches RGIII put in an average performance from the sidelines.
There are about 1,500 miles between Washington’s FedEx Field and Baylor University in Waco, Texas where the nearly 10 foot high bronze statue of Robert Griffin III stands.
Sadly, the difference between the quarterback we saw light up college football and the one who now cuts a lonely figure in the National Football League is becoming just as vast.
NFL Week One Results
Green Bay Packers 16 @ Seattle Seahawks 36
New England Patriots 20 @ Miami Dolphins 33
New Orleans Saints 34 @ Atlanta Falcons 37
Cincinnati Bengals 23 @ Baltimore Ravens 16
Buffalo Bills 23 @ Chicago Bears 20
Washington 6 @ Houston Texans 17
Tennessee Titans 26 @ Kansas City Chiefs 10
Oakland Raiders 14 @ New York Jets 19
Jacksonville Jaguars 17 @ Philadelphia Eagles 34
Cleveland Browns 27 @ Pittsburgh Steelers 30
Minnesota Vikings 34 @ St. Louis Rams 6
Carolina Panthers 20 @ Tampa Bay Buccaneers 14
San Francisco 49ers 28 @ Dallas Cowboys 17
Indianapolis Colts 24 @ Denver Broncos 31
Still to come…
New York Giants @ Detroit Lions
San Diego Chargers @ Arizona Cardinals
The Redzone: No Washington monument likely for RGIII
Updated at 12pm.
AS THE OPENING week of the 2014 NFL season draws to a close, there are two teams with serious issues at quarterback.
And, in some way, you can excuse the St. Louis Rams.
Having started their game at home to the Minnesota Vikings with back-up quarterback Shaun Hill under center, they were forced use Austin Davis – who had never taken a snap in two full seasons with the Rams – for the second half after Sam Bradford’s replacement limped out.
Davis was sacked (four) more times than he completed passes (three) as St. Louis fell to 28 point loss.
The other quarterback who really failed to impress was former Heisman Trophy winner Robert Griffin III who completed 29 of 37 passes for 267 yards without ever really threatening the endzone.
Proof, if ever it was needed, that just because a quarterback is efficient, it doesn’t necessarily follow on that he’s going to be effective.
The former Baylor quarterback made 11 of his first dozen efforts but the Washington offence only gained 45 yards on those 12 plays. RGIII wasn’t bad, he just wasn’t the quarterback they built a statute for in Baylor earlier this year.
He was also far from the force of nature who took college football by storm in his final year before bringing that form to the NFL in his rookie season when he threw for 3,200 yards, finding the redzone 20 times and rushed for seven more scores on 815 yards.
There were signs of an obvious regression during an injury-plagued 2013 when the 24-year old threw 20% less touchdowns but more than double the number of interceptions of his rookie year. More tellingly, his run game – such a crucial part of what makes him RGIII – almost disappeared, making just 489 yards on 86 attempts for no scores.
You could put that down to a sophomore slump but last night, against an admittedly good Texans defence, he made just three yards on two attempts.
Now, a lot of that is to do with the conservative play calling of new offensive co-ordinator Sean McVay. McVay has been with Washington since the Shanahan era and though he may well be a good appointment for the team and new head coach Jay Gruden, he might not be the OC Griffin needs to restart his stuttering career.
It must also be said that it’s all to easy to get sucked into week one results and statistics and draw a narrative for the entire season from relatively little detail. Last year the Titans, Texans and Rams all started the season in impressive style. None of them made the playoffs.
Likewise the Ravens and Steelers both suffered humiliating opening losses and were still very much in the hunt for the playoffs on the final day of the regular season.
Things could turn around for Washington. It helps they’re in a contender for the worst division in football where it’s very possible a team with a losing record could make the postseason this year.
But something else needs to change for Griffin to rediscover his form. The arrogance that came with the Superman socks and dynamic playmaking ability has been replaced by fear and the sound of footsteps in his ear as he steps back to throw.
Some of those footsteps belong to defensive linemen looking to add to the 71 sacks the third year quarterback has already endured in his career. Others belong to Kirk Cousins, his back-up, who – in the eyes of Washington fans – gets better every time he watches RGIII put in an average performance from the sidelines.
There are about 1,500 miles between Washington’s FedEx Field and Baylor University in Waco, Texas where the nearly 10 foot high bronze statue of Robert Griffin III stands.
Sadly, the difference between the quarterback we saw light up college football and the one who now cuts a lonely figure in the National Football League is becoming just as vast.
NFL Week One Results
Green Bay Packers 16 @ Seattle Seahawks 36
New England Patriots 20 @ Miami Dolphins 33
New Orleans Saints 34 @ Atlanta Falcons 37
Cincinnati Bengals 23 @ Baltimore Ravens 16
Buffalo Bills 23 @ Chicago Bears 20
Washington 6 @ Houston Texans 17
Tennessee Titans 26 @ Kansas City Chiefs 10
Oakland Raiders 14 @ New York Jets 19
Jacksonville Jaguars 17 @ Philadelphia Eagles 34
Cleveland Browns 27 @ Pittsburgh Steelers 30
Minnesota Vikings 34 @ St. Louis Rams 6
Carolina Panthers 20 @ Tampa Bay Buccaneers 14
San Francisco 49ers 28 @ Dallas Cowboys 17
Indianapolis Colts 24 @ Denver Broncos 31
Still to come…
New York Giants @ Detroit Lions
San Diego Chargers @ Arizona Cardinals
Manning beats ex-teammates as Broncos down Colts
As it happened: NFL Week 1 Sunday night hangout
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