September 9th, 2014
An honest question for Redskins fans: What level of success does Robert Griffin III need to achieve as a quarterback to make his acquisition worthwhile for the franchise?
For example, if he’s Elway, then he was a bargain. If he’s Achille Smith, he’s a disaster.
But what if he’s Brad Johnson? Or Joe Flacco? Or Steve McNair?
I’m looking for analogies here in terms of both numbers and longevity. And I wonder where the line is under which drafting him at the price the Redskins paid clearly becomes a mistake that, with the benefit of hindsight, would not be repeated.
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Was “Achille” a Freudian slip?
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sorry for the confusing wording:
If StL offered the Redskins every player StL drafted using picks they obtained via the RGIII trade, FOR TODAY’S RGIII, the Skins would decline. Every GM would decline. Hence, Skins got the better deal. -
I’m no fan of the team but I’ve lived in the DC area for quite some time, so I feel reasonably qualified* to comment.
Based on my belief that the team will do nothing more than win a single playoff game here and there, regardless of field and sideline personnel, as long as Snyder remains the owner, ANY kind of pick-trading for ANY player at ANY position is a waste of time and money. (This assumes, reasonably I think, that “Win the Super Bowl” is the top goal of everyone in the NFL.) The organization’s dysfunction and inconsistency practically guarantee that players of above-average skill will not achieve their potential, with the very real risk of physical injury and skill retrogression thrown in.
So, to answer your question, RGIII’s success is bound to that of his team. Too bad for him.
*Not like that’s stopped me before
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On the bright side, RG3’s successful rookie season was a big reason that the Cowboys — on the heels of a season in which they suffered tons of injuries and literally ended the season starting guys that hadn’t even made their practice squad, and yet still finished 14th in yards allowed per game — fired their defensive coordinator (Rob Ryan), and hired 74 year old Monte Kiffin. They were hoping that a switch from 3-4 to 4-3 would help corral QBs like RG3 and Mike Vick.
That led to Monte Kiffin presiding over the unquestionably worst defense in Cowboys history, and probably the worst defense in NFL history. (By contrast, the Saints hired Rob Ryan, and went from the worst defense in the NFL in 2012, to giving up the 4th fewest yards per game in 2013.)
So even if RG3 never starts in a Super Bowl, Redskins fans get to enjoy watching terrible, terrible Cowboys teams imploding. That’s got to count for something, right?
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I’m sure all the Redskins fans and Cowboys fans (like me) posting comments here are amused by the subtle concern-trolling of NFC East rivals by this blog’s Iggles-fan proprietor .
đ Please remember us fondly, JVL, as we endure the comic mismanagement of Messrs. Snyder and Jerral Wayne Jones while you enjoy the Eagles’ upcoming decade of consecutive division titles under Chip Kelly. (Stick a fork in Coughlin and Eli Manning, they’re done.)I can validate MattM’s observations re: RGIII and Rob Ryan’s ouster in Dallas — although surely another reason was Jones’s need to pin the blame for that year’s Annual Cowboy Collapse on someone besides the team’s G.M. (himself) and Jason Garrett, his hand-picked red-headed wonder boy head coach.
As to the RGIII question — I think it all depends on how you define “success” and “worthwhile to the franchise.” If you define that as “wins at least one Super Bowl,” then you’ve got a wide range of comps for RGII to be a “success.” Some pretty pedestrian QBs have won Super Bowls, including two you listed, JVL (Brad Johnson, Flacco) as well as Trent Dilfer — all guys carried to championships by dominant defenses. If Griffin manages to only be pretty good but somehow still wins a Super Bowl, then I suppose you’d have to say the trade was worth it, right? Lombardi trophies live forever. (Right, JVL? Oh, wait, an Eagles fan wouldn’t know about that… HA! Sorry, I couldn’t resist.)
On the other hand, what if RGIII ends up like Marino or Fouts or pre-Terrell-Davis Elway — i.e., a transcendent QB who lights up defenses and maybe reaches a Super Bowl or two, but never wins a trophy because of an average supporting cast (due in no small part to the price paid in draft picks surrendered to acquire him)? Is that a “success”? I’d say no, because you don’t make that lopsided a trade unless you think the guy you’re getting will eventually win you titles.
But I think Dave S. makes the most pertinent point above. Surrendering so many picks to get RGIII meant the Skins needed to have a superbly-run organization to still surround him with enough talent to even sniff a title. And they have been anything but a superbly-run organization under Snyder…
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Uh, the Giants surrendered a ton of picks for Eli, and won 2 SBs with him (while San Diego got Rivers and LT and never won anything). I don’t get the RG3 hate. I really don’t.
SkinsFanPG September 9, 2014 at 1:08 pm
Steve McNair.
Here is the more important question: If StL offered the Skins every player they picked using the Skins’ picks, would the Redskins accept the offer? Not a chance. Not a single GM in the NFL would take that trade today. QBs are too valuable. That is what makes the StL picks so insane- they didn’t use a single one on a top QB prospect. For all the talk about how the Redskins gave up too much, StL did little with those picks to turn their franchise into a perennial playoff team. They have an oft-injured starter that nobody thinks is any good and ZERO prospect of making the playoffs anytime soon.