Texas Bowl: Baylor's Robert Griffin Better Than Denard Robinson, Terrelle Pryor?
The Baylor Bears are taking a short trip to Houston to take on the Illinois Fighting Illini in the Texas Bowl on Thursday, December 29th in Reliant Stadium.
The Bears (7-5, 4-4 Big 12) are favored by one over their foe from the Big Ten and are led by their dynamic sophomore quarterback, Robert Griffin III.
Playing for the overachieving Bears, Griffin has flown under the radar all year but is one of the most talented quarterbacks in college football.
Fellow dual-threats like Ohio State Buckeye Terrelle Pryor and Michigan Wolverine Denard "Shoelace" Robinson have gotten more recognition, but Griffin has rivaled their numbers.
So the question is: Is Griffin a better dual-threat quarterback than Pryor and Robinson?
Who Has The Best Stats?
1 of 10
Robert Griffin III: 66.3 CMP%, 3,195 passing yards, 7.7 YPA, 29 total TD, 8 INT, 144.23 RAT, 591 rushing yards, 4.4 YPC
Terelle Pryor: 65.8 CMP%, 2,551 passing yards, 8.56 YPA, 29 total TD, 11 INT, 157.98 RAT, 639 yards, 5.3 YPC
Denard Robinson: 62.0 CMP%, 2,316 passing yards, 9.3 YPA, 30 total TD, 10 INT, 152.94 RAT, 1,643 rushing yards, 6.7 YPC
Results:
1. Robinson
2. Griffin
3. Pryor
Robinson is the clear winner here in per play and total productivity, while Griffin barely edges Pryor due to three fewer interceptions and a lot more passing yards. Then again, Griffin had over 100 more passing attempts than Pryor.
Either way, advantage Denard.
Who's The Best Passer?
2 of 10
Griffin has the most passing yards, Pryor the highest rating and Robinson the highest yards per attempt.
So who's the best passer?
Pryor, for now.
While he is often criticized for his slow delivery and lack of touch on short-intermediate throws, the fact is that Pryor has made great strides as a passer, and is clearly the best of the bunch.
Griffin is just a bit ahead of Robinson at this point, with a more natural throwing motion and slightly better accuracy.
But Griffin is in just his second season as a full-time starter, while Robinson is in his first.
Pryor, in his third season, has a clear advantage right now.
Results: 1. Pryor
2. Griffin
3. Robinson
Who's The Best Runner?
3 of 10
This one is not even a question.
While Griffin and Pryor are two of the best running quarterbacks in the country, Robinson is head-and-shoulders above them, and everyone else.
His 1,643 yards are third nationally and his 6.7 ypc average is tops among all players with 200-plus carries.
Robinson's straight-line speed and lateral quickness are unparalleled, even within this elite group.
As for Griffin, he hasn't had as much success as Pryor this year running the ball, but it's close.
Results: 1. Robinson
2. Pryor
3. Griffin
CAVEAT: Griffin tore his ACL in just his third game last season. It generally takes athletes two years to fully recover, so it's safe to assume he'll improve his rushing stats next year.
.jpg?w=256 "Ohio State Team Doctor")
Who's The Best Athlete?
4 of 10
Robinson and Griffin ran track in addition to quarterbacking their high school squads, while Pryor was also an excellent basketball player. Robinson and Griffin have both run track in college.
Robinson's accolades: Third in the State, 100-meter dash (top time: 10.44 seconds), member of state champion 4x100-meter relay team, 6.81 60-meter dash time as a freshman, reported 40-yard dash time: 4.32 seconds
Griffin's accolades: State record-holder for 110-meter (13.46 seconds) and 300-meter hurdles (35.33 seconds, one-hundreth of a second short of national high school record), ranked No. 1 400-meter intermediate hurdler and 110-meter sprint hurdler in the nation as a junior, Gatorade Texas Boys Track and Field Athlete of the Year award, 1st place as a freshman in NCAA 400-meter hurdles, semifinalist in 400-meter hurdles Olympic Trials
Pryor's accolades: member of State Champion basketball team, No. 1-ranked recruit nationally, reported 40-yard dash time: 4.4, 4-star basketball recruit (according to Rivals), 37-inch vertical, averaged 20.8 points, 10 rebounds, seven assists, three steals and three blocks as a senior basketball player
These are clearly three of the best athletes in college football.
I still maintain that Denard has the most straight-line speed/quickness, but Griffin's olympic-quality hurdling is the most impressive stat of the bunch.
And the fact that Pryor is even in the same conversation as the others in terms of speed is remarkable considering that he's 6'6", 223 lbs.
For comparison's sake, Robinson is the slightest at 6'0", 193 lbs. and Griffin is the bulkiest at 6'2", 200 lbs.
Let's call this one a wash. I'm equally awed by each.
Who Faces The Most Pressure?
5 of 10
Coming into Columbus as arguably the most-hyped recruit in the history of college football, Pryor's every move has been placed under a microscope.
He's disappointed relative to his unprecedented expectations, but when you consider the pressure on him and the fact that he's still been a great quarterback, you have to give Pryor credit.
Robinson wasn't even the top-ranked quarterback in his class going into his freshman year—Tate Forcier had that honor—but ever since taking over he has had to endure the pressure of quarterbacking the winningest team in college football history.
The fans have been behind him for the whole roller-coaster ride this season, but that's only because he's been so good. If Denard ever slips, the Michigan-faithful won't have any trouble booing "Shoelace" off the field.
And as for Griffin, he does play in the football-crazy state of Texas, but playing for perennial afterthought Baylor, he doesn't face nearly the same amount of pressure as Pryor and Robinson.
Results: 1. Pryor
2. Robinson
3. Griffin
Who Has The Best Supporting Cast?
6 of 10
Pryor is blessed with one of the nation's best defenses, while Robinson and Griffin are burdened by two of its worst.
This eases the pressure on Pryor, who doesn't have to win games by himself.
The Buckeyes can win without Pryor. But the Wolverines and Bears can't win without their quarterbacks playing well.
Granted, not being the team's only weapon hurts Pryor's stats, but overall, it's a huge advantage for the Buckeye.
Also, in Robinson's case especially, his receivers' affinity for drops has hurt the team and his passing numbers tremendously.
But still, Robinson has a slightly better supporting cast than Griffin, with more talented wide receivers and linemen (on both sides of the ball).
Results: 1. Pryor
2. Robinson
3. Griffin
If All Of Them Stay Next Season, Who Has The Best Heisman Chance?
7 of 10
Pryor opened the season as a hesiman favorite, and while he was always considered a contender to gain an invite to New York, he never really broke out.
Robinson came out of the first few weeks as an apparent lock for the award, but faded as injuries and tougher competition sapped his stats. His team's struggles didn't help, either.
Griffin got nearly no recognition, even though he deserved some.
As for next year, Griffin and Robinson should both be back, but Pryor may leave.
But if they all come back, here's how I think it will shake out:
Robinson: It's easy to forget that this was Robinson's first year as a starter. And he didn't get a whole lot of useful quarterback coaching while in high school.
If you watched him last year, it looked pretty clear that he'd never become a full-time passer. I even called for the return of Tate Forcier (you can check out that embarrassing piece here).
But after receiving help from Michigan's excellent coaching staff, he has progressed rapidly.
After another offseason of practice, Robinson is going to shock some people with his improvement.
Griffin: Just like Robinson, Griffin should make huge strides next year.
He's in just his second year as a starter, and should be fully recovered from his ACL injury around the beginning of next season. That should help him regain his explosiveness, and he should become even more of a running threat than this year.
Pryor: Pryor (if he comes back) will miss the first five games and that will likely keep him out of Heisman contention.
But look for him to improve his passing again, like he has every year.
Verdict: Robinson and Griffin both receive virtually all of their offense's touches.
They are both going to put up huge numbers, but the difference will come with Denard's prized legs. If he continues to put up the staggering 400 or 500-plus yard games of early in the season, he could run away with the award.
Look for Robinson and Griffin to both be in the hunt all year long, with Robinson eventually winding up as the better candidate.
Who Will End Up With The Best College Career?
8 of 10
When it comes to team accomplishment, Pryor will run away this one (unless the Wolverines defense markedly improves in the next two years).
But in terms of individual achievement, Griffin has already come close to Pryor's best season, and Denard has surpassed him in just his first full-time season.
Robinson and Griffin should come out of college with better career numbers than Pryor.
And don't forget, Robinson has already set the NCAA record for rushing yards (in a single season) by a quarterback.
Results: 1. Robinson
2. Griffin
3. Pryor
Who Will Be The Best NFL Player?
9 of 10
Here's where it gets tough.
Pryor: He may earn a mid-round pick this year (if he leaves) due to his athleticism, but I don't think he's nearly ready to be an NFL quarterback. It's possible he'll be able to develop in a few years, but it'll be tough for a team to show that type of patience with fans clamoring for rookie quarterbacks to start when things go wrong.
I think if he shows that he can be an effective route-runner he may develop into an explosive wide receiver, but I question whether his long, awkward stride will translate well to the position.
Ultimately, I think he'll get picked in the middle rounds, but turn out to be a bust.
Robinson: It's tough to project where he'll be as passer in a year or two when he ultimately enters the draft, but right now he isn't even close to an NFL quarterback.
While I won't count out a guy who went from a complete joke of a passer to a guy completing over 60% of his passes, I don't think too many teams will be willing to give him a chance at quarterback.
I do think he could be valuable as a receiver, running back or kick returner, and I think he'll have a fairly successful NFL career in the mold of a Devin Hester/Josh Cribbs/Brad Smith/Antwaan Randle El.
But he won't be a quarterback.
Griffin: Griffin seems like the best bet of the bunch to become a quarterback.
He won't be written off by teams because of his size (Denard likely will), and after being a run-first guy as a freshman, he now looks to pass first.
Just like Pryor and Robinson, Griffin has a long way to go in proving he can be an NFL quarterback, but I think with two more years of starting, he'll get a chance.
And don't be surprised when he's starting for someone in 2014 or 2015.
So, Who's The Best?
10 of 10
Pryor will likely end his career with the most success from a wins/bowl standpoint.
But Robinson could be the only one with a Heisman.
And Griffin might be the best of the bunch in the NFL.
So who's the best?
Well, if I was picking one of the three to run my offense today, I'd have to choose Pryor.
But for next year? Robinson.
And if I'm an NFL GM in two years? Griffin.
So who's the best? It depends what you want.
Matt Rudnitsky is a student at the University of Michigan and a Featured Columnist/writing intern at Bleacher Report. Follow him on Twitter at https://twitter.com/Mattrud
Also, check out my take on the Pryor suspension situation here.
.jpg?w=480 "Ohio State Team Doctor")
