Hope.
Hope is a powerful thing, and for many of us that’s what Robert was and is for us. He embodies the Hope for a brighter future here in D.C., but that Hope can be a dangerous thing.
This morning when I woke up I felt sick. Sick knowing that after all his hard work and dedication to this franchise Robert Griffin III will have to spend his first NFL off-season not enjoying some well deserved rest but instead focusing on rehabbing a partially torn ACL and LCL, which according to most well respected sports doctors in the country familiar with that injury say it can be anywhere up to 8 months recovery time.
Like every other fan in Redskins Nation and media outlet in the country I placed the blame FIRMLY on head coach Mike Shanahan, but after taking a moment to look at the last year in review I think that I too am to blame in some respects for the decision coach Shanahan made last Sunday and for most of the season putting Robert in danger to win. Here in the DMV (D.C., Maryland, Virginia) we put tremendous pressure on our sports teams to perform and win. When players and coaches arrive here in D.C. they are all greeted with high expectations and immediately put under a microscope that only the president would be familiar with.
Rarely if ever in sports are athletes who are hyped up to epic proportions able to live up to what we as fans and the media build them up to be. Robert lived up to that hype, not only was he everything that he was supposed to be, he then did something that I don’t think many people have ever seen before — he pushed the bar higher and in his first year started the foundations of a legacy. Sports Illustrated predicted the Redskins to go 2-14 this season and most media outlets in the country followed their lead. So when Robert began to wow us with his dynamic ability to escape pressure and throw the deep ball with deadly accuracy, I believe the vast majority of us couldn’t resist temptations and drank the delicious kool-aid. Some fans after closing out the season on a 7 game winning streak were having dreams of a Redskins SuperBowl.
After winning the last 7 games of the season, the first NFC East title since 1999, and then having the privilege of hosting the first home playoff game in over a decade, Mike Shanahan did what a lot of people would have done in that situation, he had Hope. Hope that his dynamic young QB was not that hurt, Hope that Robert would do what he has done all season — find a way to win the game. He had Hope that after the last 3 years of rebuilding this team he would be rewarded with more winning, he had Hope that this team could win a SuperBowl and cement his legacy.
We as fans can place the blame of Robert’s injury in a lot of different places, but remember to take some of the blame yourselves because we are, and have always been in this together.
Let’s just Hope that Robert has a speedy recovery, and that the bright future we have all been thinking about is still a possibility.
9 Comments
The immediate future may be a bit cloudy, but I do think that Kirk Cousins is a capable NFL QB. I also believe that with a full off-season to prepare the the #1 guy, he will have a great chance to succeed.
As far as long term, the way surgeries are these days and with the medical staff/rehab they can do, it is not far fetched to think Griffin can come back 100%….or at least very near 100%. After all he is a 22 year old, world class elite athlete. Just look at Peterson.
If he has to sit out all of next season, so be it. He would return the following year as a 24 year old so all hope is not lost.
This will be his second knee reconstruction. That makes a huge difference
We are not a one man team. Our D should be 10x better next year with Rak, Carriker, Meriweather and a few upgrades in FA and the draft. I expect if rg3 misses significant time and I think he will. The D and Alfred Morris will carry this team to the playoffs.
People forget that we lost our 2 best defensive weapons early in the season. The Redskins D will be formidable to say the least this year. All we are really missing is a marquee safety and a better corner than D. Hall (one that doesn’t take so many risks).
I think with a solid draft (ie picking up a CB and Safety who can contribute) along with getting everyone back from injuries, the defense has a chance to be much improved and could potentially be a bright spot.
this isnt john wall were talking about, so his rehab should go a little better
Please don’t use AP as an example he already had two screws and a band placed on his ACL in 09 this is atleast 9 to 12 months.
I wasn’t comparing the two in terms of the injury and recovery time. I was referring to how Adrian Peterson came back better than ever after surgery….something I hope is also possible for Griffin. I wasn’t saying RGIII would be back tearing up the league in 7 months because AP did.
The only reason we were 10-6 and not 13-3 is because we lost 2 of our biggest defensive weapons early in the season. The Skins are MORE than RGIII… he has given us hope, but the team has emerged better than ever. Captain Kirk will indeed prove that he was a GENIUS pick by the Shanahans, as he is probably the best backup QB in the league… and with RGIII playing the dangerous running QB game, he will be needed.
I have hope that the Redskins will again win the NFC East, and host more than one home playoff game. Can they make the Super Bowl? Yes, but so can 31 other teams if everything falls their way.