Robert Griffin III's 'Best QB' Boast Sends Wrong Message to Washington Redskins

Robert Griffin III has done it again. No, he hasn't gone down injured for the hundredth time. Nor has he regained the mobility that took the NFL by storm in 2012. Thankfully, he hasn't even come up with another annoying T-shirt slogan designed to reassure Washington Redskins teammates and coaches he finally "gets it."

Instead, Griffin has again indulged in what rivals misreading coverages and taking too long in the pocket as his favorite pastime. RG3 has once again put his foot in his mouth during an interview.

No, this isn't a new spectacular display of athleticism, one that will convince Griffin's remaining diehard fans he can still be the franchise quarterback he clearly thinks he is. Actually, he's sure of it.

Here's what Griffin said to WJLA's Alex Parker:

"

I don’t feel like I have to come out here and show anybody anything or why I’m better than this guy or better than that guy. It’s more about going out and affirming that for me, I go out and I play, I know I’m the best quarterback on this team. I feel like I’m the best quarterback in the league and I have to go out and show that.

"

Talk about sending the wrong message. What should have been a humble promise for improvement after a pair of dismal seasons instead told Washington two very worrying things.

Alex Brandon/Associated Press

First, Griffin doesn't have the necessary humility to really change his game. Also, controversy is never going to be far away for the Burgundy and Gold as long as RG3 is around.

Both of those things were obvious in the dismissive show of defiance Griffin made in the wake of his original comments, per Liz Clarke of the Washington Post:

"

So, addressing what happened yesterday with the firestorm that took off with what I said, I know what I meant. I think everybody in this circle knows what I meant. It’s unfortunate that my name keeps getting used for headlines for people to click on stories. But I know what I want to be, and I know what I strive to be. And I’m not going to make any apologies for that. That’s all I’ve got to say.

"

Sure, Robert, I know what you mean. Just like Santana Moss, your receivers and coaches knew what you meant back in 2013 when you publicly criticized them after a defeat, per Sally Jenkins, writing for the Washington Post.

John Bazemore/Associated Press

While he may have a point about an eagerness from some to take his words out of context, Griffin must also accept the role his own actions play in creating controversy in the press. This shut-up-and-leave-me-alone-style rebuttal totally lacks any sense of self-awareness.

There's no awareness that his words as the starting quarterback for an NFL franchise in the nation's capital are going to have impact. No, it's not his choice of words that caused the problem, it's social media.

That line of thought should come as no surprise from a quarterback who's fallen foul of successive head coaches. A quarterback who has been benched more than once during just three pro seasons. And a quarterback with a dire record since taking the league by surprise as a rookie.

Still, none of that ever seems to be Griffin's fault. It's the offense he's being asked to play. It's the line in front of him. It's his relationship with the coach. It's the players around him.

Exactly when is anything No. 10's fault? That's only part of the worrying message he sent the Redskins with his latest interview.

Whatever his intention, Griffin's words have provided yet another needless distraction for a franchise that can never quite shed its dysfunctional label.

Almost everybody walking upright and with even a mild interest in the NFL has had their say on this one. It's created a mini furor a franchise engaged in the long and necessary work of rebuilding really doesn't need.

The backlash to the comments has even prompted the Redskins to reportedly think about cutting back Griffin's media exposure, according to New York Post reporter Bart Hubbuch:

"

The Redskins are shutting off RG3's non-gameday access "for a while" after his boast controversy. I hope the NFL and local media intervene.

— Bart Hubbuch (@BartHubbuch) August 18, 2015"

Cue even more controversy. What else? During the last few years, controversy in Washington has usually meant one person only, RG3.

The fact is that the Redskins are absolutely right to limit Griffin's media exposure, if only to provide the time to send him on a crash course in public speaking.

However Griffin meant his words to come out, they can't hide the fact he too often says the wrong thing.

In this case, what's wrong is the worryingly distorted sense of grandeur implicit in Griffin's latest boast. This is not the first time he's put himself in the echelon of the game's elite at the position.

Last season, the player who is just 4-16 as a starter since winning Offensive Rookie of the Year in 2012, actually put himself in the Peyton Manning, Aaron Rodgers bracket, per Isabelle Khurshudyan of the Washington Post:

"

It takes 11 men. It doesn’t take one guy, and that’s proven. If you want to look at the good teams in this league and the great quarterbacks, the Peytons and the Aaron Rodgers, 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.

"

If ever there was a man in need of a major reality check...

Charlie Riedel/Associated Press

Put these words together with RG3's "best quarterback in the league" claim, and you arrive at one question: Where's he been the last two years?

There's a dangerous delusion going on with No. 10. It's sending the worst possible message to Redskins head coach Jay Gruden.

It was Gruden who brutally slapped Griffin down in public after last season's comments. While no coach should take his player to task so openly, the fact that Gruden felt he had to check Griffin's ego spoke volumes.

After Griffin's latest words, those volumes aren't being spoken anymore. They're being roared by King Kong through a megaphone.

Griffin seems blissfully unaware of his many, many deficiencies as a starting quarterback. This offseason is supposed to be about fixing those problems.

That means improving his footwork, speeding up his reads and decisions from the pocket, along with encouraging more efficiency with the ball. These are the staple requirements of playing quarterback in the pros, yet Griffin still hasn't got them down.

Doing so is a long process, one demanding humility and the willingness to make improvements. Instead, Griffin is publicly trumpeting his greatness.

Here's what should really worry Gruden and general manager Scot McCloughan. Does the self-anointed "best quarterback in the league" even believe he needs to improve as much as he does?

The fact that Griffin claims to feel no pressure or sense of competition from the two quarterbacks who started ahead of him at times in 2014 suggests he doesn't believe it.

Maybe that belief is why he doesn't work at improving his craft as hard as coaches would like. Former San Francisco 49ers Super Bowl winner Steve Young suggested last season that an unwillingness to put the work in is the main knock on RG3, per Chicago Sun-Times reporter Michael David Smith:

Is Griffin even improving? He's had positive moments this offseason, but the very real causes for concern are still there for Gruden and his staff.

Rich Tandler of Real Redskins detailed a vivid example from one of Washington's final sessions at training camp:

"

On a third and one from about the 40, Griffin couldn’t handle the snap, recovered, rolled out, and overthrew WR Andre Roberts in the end zone. Jay Gruden seemed to be particularly disappointed by this play. He had his hands on his knees and stared at the ground for several seconds after it was over.

"

The words you are looking for, Jay, are "Cousins or McCoy?" Or maybe 2016 NFL draft first round, if you're really being optimistic.

Griffin dubbing himself the "best quarterback on the roster" implies he's very secure in his job. It's anybody's guess where that sense of security comes from after he's been benched in each of the last two seasons.

He should be in prove-it mode this offseason. Not boast-about-it mode. 

Griffin ought to be feeling the heat from Cousins and McCoy. Maybe then his words would have more of a humble tone and real improvement would start to show on the field.

Tim Sharp/Associated Press

The play Tandler referenced came on a day when Griffin was twice picked off during a red-zone series. Overall, the feeling coming out of Washington's camp is that No. 10 has taken some baby steps forward, but many of his old problems persist.

Mike Jones of the Washington Post detailed how camp went for RG3, whom he dubbed the "most consistent" of the team's quarterbacks in practice but also added more is needed:

"

Griffin is doing a better job of scanning the field, getting the ball out of his hands more quickly and making better decisions. His fundamentals have improved, and that helps delivery. There are times, however, where those fundamentals get sloppy, and his accuracy wanes. Or sometimes, Griffin misses an opportunity downfield because he’s so intent on getting the ball out more quickly. He still has a habit of staring down receivers, which helps telegraph to defenders where he’s going with the ball.

"

These issues are the same ones that have dogged Griffin's career and successive seasons for the Redskins. He has to know how far he still has to travel before he eradicates these fundamental flaws so Washington can consistently win with him under center.

Of course, Griffin would argue his latest words were indeed referring to that journey. So would Yahoo Sports' Frank Schwab.

He presented the second half of Griffin's original quote (h/t Parker):

"

Any athlete at any level, if they concede to someone else, they’re not a top competitor, they’re not trying to be the best that they can be. There’s guys in this league that have done way more than me. But, I still view myself as the best because that’s what I work toward every single day.

"

As Schwab put it: "You don't want to concede if you're competing at the highest level." That's a very valid point and the same defense Griffin offered.

No athlete in any sport is going to succeed for long if he enters his arena with his chin on his chest, thinking he's not good enough. But there's a balance between a player showing the bravado necessary to succeed in the NFL's physical environment and one who knows and accepts where he is in his career.

Why couldn't Griffin merely phrase his current status along these lines: My goal is to be the best but I know I'm not there yet. I've made mistakes and have a lot of work to do. But with the coaches and players I have around me, I believe in myself and this team.

Something as simple as that would avoid all the controversy. But it seems Griffin just doesn't get it. Instead, his ill-chosen words and subsequent defiance have treated the Redskins to another media storm.

They've turned an offseason supposed to herald a more professional approach on McCloughan's watch into just another circus. Right or wrong, that's just the reality of life with No. 10 on the team.

More troubling is the lack of rhetoric from the man himself focused on the many ways he must improve this season. The fact that McCloughan has spent his first offseason in charge building a team designed not to depend on its quarterback should send Griffin a pretty clear message.

Jason Hirschfeld/Associated Press

Being made a second-class citizen under center ought to let the Griff know he's as far from being the league's best as any pro signal-caller could be. But to hear him talk, he just doesn't get it.

Griffin is on a hiding to nothing in Washington. It's not entirely a problem of his own making. He was mistakenly drafted as the supposed "missing piece" for a team still lacking so many of the things any quarterback needs to succeed.

But the bad choices at the top are being outweighed by the catalogue of errors RG3 continues to make, both on the field and anytime he steps behind a microphone.

In his most important offseason, Griffin's words have sent a terrible message to both the coach who lacks faith in him and the franchise he's supposed to lead to glory.