RGIII, Redskins Need to Part Ways

Nov 23, 2014; Santa Clara, CA, USA; Washington Redskins quarterback Robert Griffin III (10) stands on the field before the start of the game against the San Francisco 49ers at Levi

Robert Griffin III once had the support of everyone involved with the Washington Redskins; his owner, his coaches, his teammates, his fans, the media.

He took the Redskins from a joke of a franchise to the playoffs en route to winning the 2012 Offensive Rookie of the Year.

Well, two seasons and two injuries later, RGIII has lost the support of most people involved with the Redskins; many fans, many members of the media and his coaches, it appears. It seems Dan Synder is the only one all-in for Griffin, at least publicly.

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For weeks it has seemed that head coach Jay Gruden was not sold on Griffin being the franchise quarterback, let alone starting a game.

The shaky confidence in RGIII from Gruden continued on Monday in an interview with Chick Hernandez on Comcast SportsNet Washington.

After being asked how much time Gruden was willing to give RGIII to get comfortable – remember, he missed much of the season with that ankle injury – Gruden responded with a not-so-clear answer:

"“Well, we want to beat Indianapolis. We want to win every game. And I have to put the people in there who [are] gonna help us win those games. And we’re gonna seriously go down and look at this film, look at last week’s film, look at Minnesota’s film, look at Houston’s film, and try to put a plan together that will help him succeed. Or we’ll have to find out if somebody else is there that can help us beat Indianapolis instead.”"

See that last part? That’s Gruden saying that Griffin’s leash is extremely short.

He continued to say in the interview that RGIII is his quarterback right now, but right now was Monday, and the game is Sunday.

So, without the faith of the coach calling the plays and without the faith of so many others who were once ready to crown you as the next best quarterback, what sense would it make for this “marriage” between RGIII and the Redskins to drag on?

Yes, the Redskins gave up far too much for Griffin for them to easily cut ties with him. And yes, he’s still under contract for one more season.

His numbers are also terrible for someone who has DeSean Jackson, Pierre Garcon, Jordan Reed and Alfred Morris – he has somehow only thrown for two touchdowns and roughly 174 yards per game.

But this is a franchise that, at least for the past decade, has always had problems on the offensive line when it comes to pass blocking. Need evidence? Look no further than this season, where Griffin has been sacked 20 times in five games.

This is a franchise that has an owner who typically spends a ton of money in free agency on players who never pan out.

Nov 23, 2014; Santa Clara, CA, USA; Washington Redskins quarterback Robert Griffin III (10) lays on the ground after throwing an incomplete pass against the San Francisco 49ers in the third quarter at Levi

This is a franchise that has won one playoff game since the start of the new century.

So, when the fans are chanting for another quarterback during the game, your coach is seemingly done with you and you play for a franchise that has struggled to get itself back to the glory days of the late 80’s and early 90’s, there’s not much you can do to win them back except for winning. And you can’t do that with two touchdowns in five games and standing on the edge of being benched.

As long as RGIII is in Washington, Snyder will want him to play, despite the head coach’s wishes. That right there just causes more drama.

Both Griffin and the Redskins organization need a fresh start.

Maybe the injuries and talk have gotten to Griffin and he’s just a shell of his former self. Or maybe being brought into a new environment with people who have faith in him will bring out the best of Griffin.

And maybe the Redskins will win more games with another quarterback starting.

But, unless Griffin plays lights out while on his very short leash, this marriage needs to end.

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