With OTAs, everyone can look good playing in shorts without real pressure. But coaches and journalists can now see these guys in person and on the practice field, and the early reports are enthusiastic when it comes to Robert Griffin III.
Tag: RG3 (Page 3 of 3)
Jason Whitlock has an interesting take on Robert Griffin III and the impressive 40-time he displayed at the combine.
In my opinion, Griffin’s speed doesn’t enhance his draft stock. It damages it.
I am not a Robert Griffin hater. I love RG3. In all likelihood, he will be my favorite NFL player next season. He could quickly become my favorite active athlete, ahead of Tiger Woods, Ray Lewis and Jeff George (has yet to file his retirement paperwork).
But I’m worried about Griffin. He’s blessed with too many tools. Oftentimes, the greatest athletes are physically limited, which strengthens their focus. Bill Russell could never match Wilt Chamberlain’s size and limitless athleticism. Larry Bird and Magic Johnson weren’t the greatest leapers or the quickest on their feet.
Tom Brady and Peyton Manning are relatively immobile. They play from the pocket because they have no choice. They mastered the art of playing from the pocket because they had no other choice.
NFL games are won most consistently by quarterbacks who play from the pocket. If a quarterback leaves the pocket, he’s going to get hit. If a quarterback gets hit regularly, he’s going to get hurt. If a franchise quarterback gets injured, his team has little chance of winning the Super Bowl.
NFL teams are looking for the next Manning or Brady. Or the next Eli Manning, Aaron Rodgers and Ben Roethlisberger. A little mobility is good, especially if the quarterback moves in the pocket in an effort to throw downfield. Rodgers and Big Ben are terrific at moving to throw. Is that how Griffin will use his athleticism?
Or does Griffin have so much speed that he’ll channel Michael Vick?
Whitlock goes on to recount Vick’s early problems as he relied too much on his speed and athleticism. Athletes like Steve Young had to learn how to stay in the pocket.
Whitlock basically sums up the primary reason why Andrew Luck is rated higher than RG3, even as some think RG3 has more upside. It’s a risk/reward analysis. Luck has shown that he can win strictly as a pocket passer, using his athleticism only when needed.
Can RG3 learn to play that way? Of course he can. But just because he has the aptitude and temperament to learn doesn’t guarantee success. Luck isn’t guaranteed success either, but we’ve seen him operate consistently from the pocket, so there’s less risk.
Ever since his record-shattering game against the Lions at the end of the 2011 season, Matt Flynn has been a hot topic. He isn’t getting quite as much press as RG3 (who is, other than Jeremy Lin?), but he’s still one of the key pieces in what will be one of the wildest offseasons in NFL history.
Today we learned that the Green Bay Packers have let Flynn become an unrestricted free agent by not using the franchise tag on him as many had speculated. It was the right call. Flynn will get plenty of attention as a free agent, but as a signed player with a one-year contract in the neighborhood of $14 million, the path to obtaining Flynn would end up being much tougher for many teams.
If you watch the video above, you’ll see that some of Flynn’s eye-pooping stats from that game were created by the great Packer playmakers. One of his six touchdowns resulted from a simple screen pass that went for around 80 yards. Yet you’ll also see some great passes from Flynn as well. Is he a risk with only two pro starts under his belt? Of course he is. Is he potentially a system quarterback? Sure. But he learned that offense from the best, and he seems to have all the intangibles, so a West Coast Offense team like Cleveland could plug him in right away.
Who knows where he’ll end up, but he and Peyton Manning will have a huge impact on the future of a lot of teams, as their signings will also impact the market for Robert Griffin III, which will then impact where the rest of the college quarterbacks go in the draft. Betting NFL games will be very interesting at the beginning of next season, as we’ll have quite a few new quarterbacks, along with veterans like Manning offering up plenty of questions as you browse the lines and check on your sportsbook reviews.
It all probably starts with the Miami Dolphins. This might be the perfect fit for Matt Flynn as they now have his former offensive coordinator, Joe Philbin, as the new head coach. Yet their owner seems intent on becoming the next Daniel Snyder, so rumors are circulating about Miami going after Peyton Manning. And then of course we have the real Mr. Snyder to account for as the Redskins are rumored to be hot for RG3.
Who knows how all of this plays out, but with Flynn becoming a free agent and Manning sure to follow, it’s way too soon to guess what will happen in the draft.
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