MissouriCowboy
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So much for backstabbing; people are now targeting Robert Griffin IIIfrom the front.
A day after a brutal 27-7 home loss to the woeful Tampa Bay Buccaneers, the Washington Commanders' franchise quarterback got a rough appraisal from the head coach who was supposed to relieve him from the overbearing Mike Shanahan.
told reporters on Monday that his starting quarterback has "fundamental flaws," which is quite a statement considering Griffin compared himself to Peyton Manning and Aaron Rodgersonly a day before. The Bucs would likely agree, as Gerald McCoy said his team game planned around Griffin's slow release and cornerback Johnthan Banksdescribed playing against the Commanders' offense as "easy."
Griffin accepted a great deal of blame in his Sunday news conference following the loss, but all anyone noted was this comment: "If you want to look at the good teams in this league and the great quarterbacks, the Peytons and the Aaron Rodgers'," Griffin said, "those guys don't play well if their guys don't play well. They don't. We need everybody. I need every one of those guys in that locker room, and I know they're looking at me saying the same thing."
More than a few onlookers interpreted that as Griffin putting himself on the Mt. Rushmore of quarterbacks, even though the best game his team played this 3-7 season happened when he was on the sideline watching Colt McCoy beat the Dallas Cowboys. In full context, Griffin's comment wasn't so bad. But a lot of Washington watchers aren't looking for full context when it comes to Griffin.
As that microwaved controversy reached a boil overnight and into Monday morning, Commanders receiver DeSean Jackson posted on his Instagram account: "You can't do epic [expletive] with basic people." And that could be understood as a defense of Griffin (plagued with "basic" teammates), or a blast of him.
Pretty much everything in Washington is open to this kind of interpretation: every in-game throw or postgame comment is either another reason to blame Griffin, defend Griffin or both. Has he lost the locker room? Did he ever have the locker room? Does it matter if he has it or not, considering how leaderless and rudderless the franchise is? Griffin's Elmer Fudd hat on Sunday was so perfect: everyone is taking aim.
But we're beyond target practice now. Even Griffin's most ardent defender has to acknowledge that he wanted to be the team's unquestioned leader, and now that he is, everything is his fault. Gruden called Griffin's play "not even close" to where it needs to be. Griffin is the captain, and the ship is sinking.
A day after a brutal 27-7 home loss to the woeful Tampa Bay Buccaneers, the Washington Commanders' franchise quarterback got a rough appraisal from the head coach who was supposed to relieve him from the overbearing Mike Shanahan.
told reporters on Monday that his starting quarterback has "fundamental flaws," which is quite a statement considering Griffin compared himself to Peyton Manning and Aaron Rodgersonly a day before. The Bucs would likely agree, as Gerald McCoy said his team game planned around Griffin's slow release and cornerback Johnthan Banksdescribed playing against the Commanders' offense as "easy."
Griffin accepted a great deal of blame in his Sunday news conference following the loss, but all anyone noted was this comment: "If you want to look at the good teams in this league and the great quarterbacks, the Peytons and the Aaron Rodgers'," Griffin said, "those guys don't play well if their guys don't play well. They don't. We need everybody. I need every one of those guys in that locker room, and I know they're looking at me saying the same thing."
More than a few onlookers interpreted that as Griffin putting himself on the Mt. Rushmore of quarterbacks, even though the best game his team played this 3-7 season happened when he was on the sideline watching Colt McCoy beat the Dallas Cowboys. In full context, Griffin's comment wasn't so bad. But a lot of Washington watchers aren't looking for full context when it comes to Griffin.
As that microwaved controversy reached a boil overnight and into Monday morning, Commanders receiver DeSean Jackson posted on his Instagram account: "You can't do epic [expletive] with basic people." And that could be understood as a defense of Griffin (plagued with "basic" teammates), or a blast of him.
Pretty much everything in Washington is open to this kind of interpretation: every in-game throw or postgame comment is either another reason to blame Griffin, defend Griffin or both. Has he lost the locker room? Did he ever have the locker room? Does it matter if he has it or not, considering how leaderless and rudderless the franchise is? Griffin's Elmer Fudd hat on Sunday was so perfect: everyone is taking aim.
But we're beyond target practice now. Even Griffin's most ardent defender has to acknowledge that he wanted to be the team's unquestioned leader, and now that he is, everything is his fault. Gruden called Griffin's play "not even close" to where it needs to be. Griffin is the captain, and the ship is sinking.
