In 2012 when the Washington Redskins used the second overall pick of the National Football League Draft to select quarterback Robert Griffin III, they were hopeful that he would be able to put the team on his back and lead the ‘Skins to a Super Bowl Championship. In Griffin’s first season in Washington he was a one man wrecking crew. Griffin started 15 games and he helped the Redskins win their first NFC East Title since 1999. Things went south for Griffin and the Redskins last season as the team lost 13 games for the first time since the 1994 NFL season. As a result of the Redskins terrible 2013 season Mike Shanahan was fired as the team’s head coach and he has been replaced by former Cincinnati Bengals offensive coordinator Jay Gruden. Gruden’s time in Washington will come down to how effective that Griffin can be under his guidance.
Some critics of Griffin will see a quarterback that regressed in his second NFL season. Last season Griffin was fighting an uphill battle all season long. Going towards the end of his rookie season Griffin suffered what was originally diagnosed as a knee sprain. In the 2012 NFC Wild Card Game, Griffin attempted to play on this knee against the Seattle Seahawks who were not in the business of throwing a pity party for him. The Redskins would go on to lose the game and Griffin would be headed for off-season surgery on his knee. Griffin’s knee procedure forced him to miss all of the Redskins OTA’s along with training camp. Without an off-season to improve on his first season which was highlighted by him being selected as the 2012 NFL Offensive Rookie of the Year, Griffin was thrown to the wolves last season to face defenses that had a year’s worth of game film to study his style.
Aside from all of that Griffin never had a legitimate wide receiver to throw the football to during his brief professional career until now.
After spending the first six years of his NFL career with the Philadelphia Eagles, wide receiver DeSean Jackson was released last month amid a cloud of controversy. Details of Jackson’s release have been sketchy at best as there have been rumors of alleged gang ties which he vehemently denies. Jackson’s shocking release paved the way for him to write a new chapter in his his football career in Washington as Gruden along with Redskins general manager Bruce Allen did not let the opportunity pass by to sign the speedster as he was signed by the ‘Skins last week.
Jackson is coming off of the best season of his six-year NFL career as he had 82 receptions for 1,332 yards and 9 receiving touchdowns. Jackson is only 27-years of age and he was eager to stay within the NFC East to show the Eagles that they made a mistake in releasing him which will help the Redskins as a motivated player always provides that extra boost to a team.
As talented as Griffin is he is only one man and it is tough for a single player to carry a team to a championship in the NFL without talent around him. Now Griffin has a wide receiver in Jackson that will make his job as a quarterback a little bit easier as he won’t have as much pressure to do it all by himself.
Carolina Panthers quarterback Cam Newton was the first overall pick of the 2011 NFL Draft and the wide receiver position has never been upgraded around him in Charlotte. This past season Newton helped the Panthers win their first NFC South Title since 2008, but they were eliminated in their first playoff game by the San Francisco 49ers as he could not single-handedly lead the Panthers to a playoff victory.
The Redskins also have a dynamic young running back in Alfred Morris who has amassed 2,888 rushing yards and 20 rushing touchdowns in just two NFL seasons. What Griffin, Jackson, and Morris, give the Redskins is a new version of “the triplets” as Washington will no longer be able to be classified as a one-dimensional offensive team. Jackson is a wide receiver that constantly commands a double team as he is as fast as any wide receiver in the NFL. For his NFL career Jackson has averaged 17.2 yards per reception and he is as shifty as they come.
Prior to joining the Bengals coaching staff in 2010, Gruden was a coach in the Arena Football League for 14 years and he now has an offense that he now has with the Redskins is reminiscent of the speed that you would see on the indoor carpet. Whether Gruden uses a conventional offense or installs some trick plays, the Redskins offense will be fun to watch this season and Griffin should reap the benefits of playing with Jackson.
Source: Pro-football-reference.com
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