What Does Robert Griffin III Still Need to Fix in Order Secure a Long-Term Role?
Washington Redskins quarterback Robert Griffin III has played just two complete football games in the last 11 months. The supposed franchise leader sat out the final three-and-a-half games of a spoiled 2013 campaign and missed six of Washington's first eight games (and most of a seventh) this season due to a dislocated left ankle.
As a result, the Redskins have hit their Week 10 bye having hardly had a chance to draw conclusions regarding Griffin's future as the franchise quarterback. The 2012 No. 2 overall pick hasn't been right since that fantastic rookie season, so when he returned from injury Sunday against the Minnesota Vikings he knew he had just eight games in order to squash the many concerns coming from his critics.
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Redemption doesn't often come on one afternoon, especially when rust and distractions factor in. Not only was Griffin playing his first game since Sept. 14, but he had also been through quite a morning in the Gopher State.
There was that scary highway accident involving two team buses en route to the stadium, as well as a fresh report from ESPN that the 24-year-old quarterback had "alienated himself" in the locker room.
Those aren't necessarily excuses, especially since head coach Jay Gruden stated unequivocally that Griffin wouldn't return to game action until his injured ankle was 100 percent. But it probably wouldn't be fair to make any grand statements based solely on Sunday's performance.
Not that it was an especially good or bad showing. The Redskins lost a tough road game, but Griffin led the offense to 26 points. He completed a solid 64 percent of his 28 passes and posted a passer rating of 90.0. He had some superb completions as well as some head-scratching moments.
As a result, his first-year head coach stated candidly this week that no major decisions have been made.
“The jury is still out on that position,” Gruden said, per ESPN.com's John Keim. “We feel good about Robert’s progress so far and we’ve just got to continue to build and see how he does from week to week. Hopefully we can see that here at the end of the season. That’s what we have to see and what we have to find out.”
But let's at least take a look at what went right and what went wrong for RG3 on Sunday in order to reexamine what he needs to do between now and Washington's Dec. 28 regular-season finale against the Dallas Cowboys. We'll do so while reminding you of the issues he was having before the 2014 season had arrived.
Original problem: He was exposing himself to far too many hits
Against the Vikings...
Signs of trouble: He has to do a better job sensing where pressure's coming from and when to get rid of the ball, but he also has to know when to give up on a play entirely and take a short jaunt to the sideline. That's what he should have done when he scrambled away from pressure on this 1st-and-10 play in the third quarter...
But instead, with no receivers open, Griffin inexplicably tried to stop on a dime and reset his stance in an attempt to salvage the play...
That resulted in a four-yard loss and quite a big hit on the quarterback.
Had he kept charging toward the sideline, he'd have picked up a short gain while avoiding a hit.
Griffin's offensive line was a problem on Sunday. He was pressured on a league-high 55.9 percent of his dropbacks, according to Pro Football Focus (subscription required). But he still held on for too long on too many occasions. In fact, per PFF, he and Teddy Bridgewater were the only quarterbacks from Week 9 who took more than 3.0 seconds on average to attempt a pass.
Gruden's breakdown of that problem, courtesy of Keim:
"You’ve got to have a clock in your head as a quarterback and sometimes he gets locked in somewhere and by the time he comes off to his secondary receiver, he feels the pocket closing in on him and doesn’t have time to move. We can help him. The line can help him a little bit. I can help him with the drops to maybe get it out quicker. But for the most part he’s just got to continue to play and learn that and play with that feel in the pocket.
"
Signs of progress: He didn't try to turn up field for more yards after picking up the first down on this short read-option pickup in the second quarter...
And later, he slid (rather smoothly, even!) on a pair of scrambles, the first of which drew an unnecessary roughness penalty...
Original problem: Poor decision making
Against the Vikings...
Signs of trouble: That interception at the end of the first half just can't happen, period. The throw was bad, but the decision was worse. He rushed a throw to a receiver who had hardly any breathing room, and the ball was put in the wrong spot.
"We can't throw a pick there," Gruden said, according to Keim. "Can't throw an out-breaking route on the inside. That can never happen."
And it often seems Griffin doesn't run when he should and vice versa. He's still making the wrong decision far too often, the best example of which might have come at on that final fourth-down incomplete pass to Pierre Garcon in the fourth quarter.
Garcon was relatively open and Griffin made a bad throw, but he might have been better off running. I'll let you be the judge...
Signs of progress: A sack looks bad on the stat sheet, but Griffin actually made a good decision when he took a sack early in the third quarter with Everson Griffen in his face. Off of play action, he had one slightly open receiver (tight end Jordan Reed), but as you can see there's a linebacker (Jasper Brinkley) in coverage moving into that range...
Tucking it in on second down in a close game was the right decision. Although, it was a little surprising that Griffin couldn't do more with his legs there, only getting back to the line of scrimmage. He certainly doesn't look as quick as he did as a rookie, which might explain why he didn't take off on that strange sack we looked at earlier.
Combine this decision with his strong decisions on scrambles, which we reviewed earlier in this breakdown, and it does appear RG3 is making some progress in this area.
Original problem: He was too reliant on his legs
Against the Vikings...
Signs of trouble: None, really.
Signs of progress: Griffin ran six times (with one kneeldown), which is about right. A few of those were safe read-option plays and others were calculated scrambles. It was a disciplined performance. If anything, he could have run more. But that's the catch-22 mobile quarterbacks face. Plus, we'll give the guy a break coming back from an ankle injury.
It was also good to see Griffin slow down, collect himself and find Roy Helu rather than just take off for dear life after making an incredible play to dodge a sure sack in the first quarter.
Original problem: He stared down receivers
Against the Vikings...
Signs of trouble: The pressure wasn't a factor when he made this low-percentage pass to a well-covered DeSean Jackson, failing to consider the two receivers who had become open on the other side of the field...
Gotta go through those progressions when you have the chance.
Signs of progress: He did rely on his first read quite a lot, but his only major mistake didn't come as a result of a staredown. He was 7 of 11 on throws to Jackson and Garcon and threw five passes to running back Roy Helu. That's a good sign and a strong indication that he's considering checkdown options.
Original problem: His footwork was lacking
Against the Vikings...
Signs of trouble: Griffin stepped into pressure instead of sliding away from it on a few occasions, but it wasn't something that plagued him throughout the day. With better pass protection, it might not have been a factor at all. And in one case, after shifting into a crowded part of the pocket, he saved himself by escaping and throwing an absolute dart off his back foot to Helu for a first down on 3rd-and-5.
The mechanics weren't ideal and he was saving himself from a bad initial move, but this is something the Redskins can deal with in the odd desperate moment...
Signs of progress: Aside from that, his footwork was pretty good, especially on the 13-yard touchdown pass to DeSean Jackson. He also had 56- and 45-yard throws to Jackson, both of which were sweet, but he still sometimes looks as though he's not stepping into his throws fully.
Of course, it doesn't help that the line is constantly being trucked back into him. Here's what he was forced to step into on the 45-yarder in the first quarter...
He also did a great job backpedaling away from pressure in the pocket before completing a 14-yard pass to tight end Niles Paul in the third quarter.
On the right track
Griffin completed each of his first six passes, worked the ball around to all of his weapons and set up running back Alfred Morris for his best game of the season on the ground. He was also accurate on three of his five deep passes and posted strong stats across the board despite facing an avalanche of pressure.
Now he's got two weeks to prepare for a seven-week run that could decide whether he'll have a better chance at being a Hall of Famer or a bust. So while the Redskins are likely out of it at 3-6, this upcoming stretch is likely to be a game-changer.
And if RG3 can pick up some momentum from that first game back, this season might not be a complete waste after all for fans of the boys in burgundy.
Brad Gagnon has covered the NFC East for Bleacher Report since 2012.
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