The Washington Redskins are entering their fourth season with Robert Griffin III on their roster, with the franchise’s condition worse than it was when he arrived. It’s not all his fault, but he’s a very good example of how dysfunctional the franchise is.
A very good run down of the history since RG3 got drafted can be found on this article by Rodger Sherman on SB Nation, although it does tend to forget the quarterback himself had a part to play in his NFL career not taking off and instead crashing and burning since his rookie season. Dan Snyder might be awful and Mike Shanahan did a bad job apart for one season with the Redskins, and they’ve also replaced general managers, turning to Scot McCloughan nine months ago. But Griffin isn’t some poor kid who isn’t at all to blame for the point we’re in.
Bashing Griffin is kinda useless. He’s been ridiculed and made fun of, and pretty much written off in this league. There are a lot of people who think that this season is his last with the Redskins, maybe his last in the NFL. Good seasons, especially just one of them, get forgotten fast in a league that cares about the now more than any other in North America, and Griffin doesn’t look like someone who can give anyone anything right now.
Moving on from him? That will happen eventually, but the important thing for Jay Gruden and with his new #1 quarterback, Kirk Cousins, the important thing will be trying to block out the noise that comes with Griffin’s presence. He’s just another quarterback, another backup, who a long time ago in a galaxy far, far away, looked like the next big thing, and is now someone that might be holding this franchise back (although there are other problems, big ones) from finally finding some success again.