2012 NFL Draft: Will Washington Redskins Go All-in on Robert Griffin III?

Thursday, April 26, 2012 is likely to be a historical day for the Washington Redskins. Owner Dan Snyder, general manager Bruce Allen, and head coach Mike Shanahan are highly speculated to go all-in on this year’s Heisman Trophy winner Robert Griffin III.

I wrote an article over a month ago and opened it by engaging readers to imagine RG3 playing quarterback for the Redskins. It was simply a way to acknowledge the amount of talent the former Baylor quarterback has—not to realistically believe he was going to be a Redskin. But wow, it may actually happen.

As soon as it become an actual reality that RG3 could end up a Redskin, my fellow fans and I freaked out. I have never seen a celebratory topic completely taken over like that—of course, with all of the criticism of the trade coming from non-Redskins fans.

So, let me justify this acquisition. It is a gamble? Yes, an extremely substantial one. Is Robert Griffin a guaranteed success? Absolutely not. Does he have the potential to be successful? Ummm…yeah. Did the Washington Redskins need to make this trade? Final answer: yes.

This is a quarterback-driven league. Look at the recent Super Bowl winners—Eli Manning, Aaron Rodgers, Drew Brees, Ben Roethlisberger, Peyton Manning and Tom Brady.

Statistically, all of these quarterbacks put up all-pro type numbers. They perform in crunch time. They are the leaders of their locker rooms, and model citizens (okay, besides Roethlisberger). And they are the faces of their respective franchise.

That’s likely what the Redskins organization is intending RG3 to be. In the future, when you think of the Washington Redskins, you think of Robert Griffin. A winner, role model, class act and someone who embodies the integrity of the franchise. Is that worth swapping first-round picks, giving up two future first-round picks and a second-rounder? To reiterate myself—yes.

That’s why RGIII is worth every penny. I’m not saying he’s going to step on the field and immediately produce—there’s not enough talent around him yet for that to occur. But for the first time since FedEx Field’s opening, there will be a player as exciting as RG3.

Now, here’s what needs to happen if Griffin is to succeed. Kyle Shanahan needs to buy a big eraser and alter his offense. It will need to be conducive to Griffin's strengths: rolling out of the pocket and throwing on the run, a lot of go-routes (Robert Griffin’s best throw is the deep ball), as well as giving him the ability to improvise when necessary.

As we enter the third year in the Mike Shanahan era, there isn't anymore time to wait. Shanahan’s had some good draft picks, but there hasn’t been any improvement in the one goal of football—winning.

Sure, Ryan Kerrigan, Leonard Hankerson, Roy Helu, Evan Royster, Chris Neild and Niles Paul all seemed to be valuable draft picks. However, that doesn’t matter if you aren’t competing at a high level. The same goes for successful free-agent acquisitions such as Stephen Bowen, Adam Carriker, Josh Wilson and Jabar Gaffney.

Mike Shanahan had to do something drastic; he failed with Donovan McNabb, Rex Grossman and John Beck. He needs to get “his guy.” Barring some major surprise, Robert Griffin III will be the guy.

Frankly, this is his last chance. Shanahan established a Hall of Fame-type resume during his stint in Denver. Since then, he has tarnished his legacy in the two seasons at the helm in DC. If he fails again, he’s not only tainting his personal career, but this decision could potentially severely debilitate the franchise for the next decade.

That all being considered, I agree and fully support the trade for the second-overall pick in this year’s draft; it needed to happen. The Redskins haven’t had a consistent Pro Bowl quarterback since Joe Theismann. (That’s over 25 years for those wondering.)

I made the mistake of going to a game at FedEx Field last year against the New York Jets. It was flat out embarrassing, as Jets fans swarmed the seats and the Redskins got destroyed. After that game, I said I wasn’t going back to another game. I couldn’t handle it. It was too depressing to see the team I love fail so miserably, and a once-proud fanbase be engulfed with fans of the opposing team.

Well, I got an email a couple days ago from a friend asking if I was interested in purchasing some tickets for next season. If you were to ask me prior to the trade with St. Louis, I would have said no way. Now I’m left pondering that decision based off of what could happen with a talent like the aforementioned Robert Griffin III. Man! I’m getting excited again.