Redskins' Griffin Is a Sitting Duck for Serious Injuries

Robert Griffin III is slight of foot and may feel invincible in Superman socks. But if the Washington Redskins rookie doesn't smarten up, he's not going to last long in the land of football giants. 

On Saturday night in Chicago, Griffin was fearless in the face of the Bears' fearsome pass rush. But when push came to shove, he made decisions that put his health at risk. 

"On one play, Griffin took a shot from Bears defensive end Julius Peppers after protection broke down and the quarterback backpedaled around the backfield," stated Mike Jones, in a column he wrote for the Washington Post. "Griffin finally threw the ball away, but not soon enough for Peppers to slow up and avoid hitting him." 

RGIII also showed off his running ability for the first time, but he displayed a stubbornness for staying in bounds. 

"He came in as a running quarterback, so he is no stranger to taking hits," said Redskins left tackle Trent Williams, via Eric Edholm of YahooSports.com. 

When he takes off with the ball, everybody holds their breath, but to him, he thinks he’s fine.

That's all well and good, if a 230-pound linebacker isn't bearing down on him. But if RGIII wants to stay healthy, he should think twice about taking chances. 

"You just know you can't see everybody," said Griffin, per the Washington Examiner's John Keim. "You weigh the pros and cons. In the heat of battle, you figure it out as you go along. I've got to know when to make the play and when not to try to make a play."

In the second quarter, Griffin tried to make a play. But while attempting to escape the pocket, he fumbled the ball away. According to Keim, it was "a blown assignment, followed by a failed block, [which subsequently was] followed by his decision to make a play at the last second." 

“I should have tried to secure the ball in that situation, but if you get hit while you’re throwing, it’s kind of hard to have ball security,” Griffin said, via Yahoo Sports' Edholm. 

“So it’s just something I have to learn from and make sure it doesn’t happen again."

Mistakes are inevitable for any rookie who enters football's highest level, but Griffin will need to make quicker decisions or he'll pay the price. 

"More than half the time Griffin dropped back to pass vs. Chicago, he held the ball for approximately 3.2 seconds or more," wrote Keim in his Examiner column.  

3.2 seconds is far too long to stand in harm's way, as Michael Vick learned Monday night in New England, when he suffered a body blow to the ribs that knocked him out of the game. X-rays were negative, but it's only a matter of time before Vick gets creamed again, for trying to do too much.  

"He’s sore and bruised up a little bit," said Eagles receiver DeSean Jackson, per ProFootballTalk's Josh Alper. "He’s just like, 'Man, I can’t keep taking hits like that.'"

Neither can Robert Griffin III, if he knows what's good for him.

"We had three sacks," Griffin said, via Mike Jones of the Washington Post.

"

I told the offensive line, kind of joking, ‘We've just got to work on a few things, and throw the ball away.' You never want them to feel bad about those types of things, when it’s your own fault.  

"

Taking responsibility for his actions is admirable, but learning from mistakes will take time for the 22-year-old Griffin. 

"The only way you get better is through repetition," said Mike Shanahan, per Post columnist Jason Reid. "Am I going to worry every time Robert makes a mistake in something he does? No. Because I know what goes into this."  

Shanahan was actually referring to a time during training camp when Griffin used an insensitive word to describe some poor decision-making on his part. He didn't mean to offend anyone and offered his apology, but it was clearly a rookie mistake. 

"You can be 35 and still be immature," said Redskins linebacker Lorenzo Alexander in Reid's column. "We know there are a whole lot of examples like that around this league. When you make a mistake, especially when you’re in the position Robert is in, everyone is watching to see how you respond. Do you get down? Do you run from it? Or do you face up to it and move on? Robert does it the right way. That’s the type of guy guys want to follow."

And from his mistakes, Griffin will gain wisdom. The Redskins just hope it occurs on the field and not on a trainer's table.