Robert Griffin III's Debut Shows Redskins Have Escaped Doldrums of Poor QB Play

The Washington Redskins have finally found a franchise quarterback, and Robert Griffin III erased any doubt over his ability to lead an NFL team with a spectacular Week 1 performance. 

The No. 2 pick in this past draft connected on 19 of his 26 passes for 320 yards, two touchdowns and no interceptions against the New Orleans Saints. He also picked up 42 yards on 10 carries as the Redskins won 40-32. 

As ESPN notes, Griffin’s yardage total was the fourth highest in NFL history by a player in their debut.

This was an exciting performance for Redskins fans, who have dealt with decades of mediocre quarterback play.

Last season, Rex Grossman and John Beck were frustrating to watch. Before that Donovan McNabb was a complete failure in Washington, while Jason Campbell never panned out to be worth a first-round pick.

Prior to Campbell, Mark Brunell and Patrick Ramsey were never overly impressive. The last quarterback to take the team to the playoffs in consecutive seasons was Mark Rypien between 1990 and 1992. 

But now Griffin appears to be the starter for many years going forward, and if he can consistently play like he did against the Saints, the Redskins will be making regular trips to the postseason.

It is unrealistic to expect Griffin to pass for over 300 yards and no interceptions in most of his outings this season. There will be mistakes and poor performances during his rookie season.

But his potential was on display Sunday. His first touchdown pass was a perfect display of how truly incredible Griffin will be once he fully develops.

He recognized that the Saints sent safety Malcolm Jenkins on a blitz, then hung in the pocket and let Pierre Garcon get far enough down the field before firing off his back foot to complete an 88-yard catch and run for a touchdown. 

Griffin has the intangibles to recognize what defenses are doing and stay in the pocket long enough to take advantage of what he sees. He also has the rare athletic ability to complete throws that other quarterbacks would never dare attempt, in addition to being able to beat teams with his legs.

This skill set is extremely rare, and his maturity at such an early stage in his career shows that he has mental makeup to achieve his potential. Once he has a few years of NFL experience, plays like the touchdown pass to Garcon will be regular occurrences.

He is a truly exciting talent and his debut shows that there may be no ceiling on how dangerous a player he may one day become. In the near future, Redskins fans would be wise to temper their expectations, as Griffin—like every rookie quarterback—will go through a learning curve. 

Still, he was far and away the most impressive rookie quarterback this week and he would surprise few by winning the Offensive Rookie of the Year Award this year. When looking at the bigger picture, the team’s fans should be completely thrilled as the quarterback that will lead the team for the next decade or longer is currently taking snaps.