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Doug Williams: Redskins haven't given up on Robert Griffin III ... yet
In an interview on SiriusXM NFL Radio Channel's "The End Zone" show over the weekend, former Washington Redskins quarterback Doug Williams, who now serves as a personnel executive in the organization, placed a portion of the blame for widespread criticism of Robert Griffin III on social media.
Williams is right, if by social media he means Redskins coach Jay Gruden's near weekly public shaming of the former No. 2 overall pick during media sessions this past season. While Gruden told Shutdown Corner at last month's combine that he expects Griffin to remain the starter, Washington is among the teams who will interview elite QB prospect Marcus Mariota, according to the NFL Network's Albert Breer.
So, Williams attempted to quell any concerns about Griffin's future before Mariota rumors spread too far.
"Talking to Jay and talking to everybody involved, I think it's adamant that Jay has done what he thought was right — naming him the starting quarterback — but at the same time Jay also says, 'We hope that he can improve.' And this is a young guy that’s got some talent. There's an adjustment that he has to make, and I think, given time, that’s one of the reasons why nobody has given up on him — the fact that with the talent that he does have you’re hoping that the last couple of years with the injuries and everything is out of the way, that he will develop into the guy that we all hope for him to be. And I think it’s fair to give him that opportunity."
After Griffin's impressive 2012 rookie campaign, knee and ankle injuries derailed his last two seasons, resulting in almost as many interceptions (18) as combined passing and rushing touchdowns (21). Williams cited the contrasting offensive styles of Gruden and Griffin — the former's West Coast approach and the latter's read-option history — as one reason for the necessary "adjustment," and the Super Bowl XXII MVP hopes this year's hiring of new Redskins QB coach Matt Cavanaugh will help in that regard.
Still, when asked by CSN Washington about Washington's interest in Mariota during a recent charity event, Gruden deftly danced around the question without fully endorsing Griffin as his QB of the future.
"There are a lot of people who are going to be available with the fifth pick. We're going to look at them all, and we're going to make a good Redskins decision and whoever that is will be a big help for us."
Likewise, Gruden dropped the phrase "three-way competition" in a conversation with Redskins.com about the return of all three starting QBs from last season: Griffin, Kirk Cousins and Colt McCoy.
“When we start, Day 1, Robert [Griffin III] will be the starter, and then we’ll divvy up their reps from there. There will be plenty of work to go around. There will be plenty of balls for these guys to throw, and we’ll get plenty of reps for them all. The tough thing when you have three quarterbacks, and you’re having a three-way competition is trying to get enough reps to make it a fair competition. But really, we’re going to start out with Robert getting the first-team reps and splitting up the reps from there.”
So, while "nobody has given up on him," Griffin's status as a starting quarterback isn't set in stone, either.
