At his pro day, Heisman Trophy winner Robert Griffin III was smiling, slapping hands with his receivers and making precise throws.
Just what Griffin had planned for his pro day, when he finally threw Wednesday for NFL personnel. That included owner Dan Snyder and coach Mike Shanahan from the Washington Redskins, who traded three first-round picks and a second-rounder for the No. 2 overall pick in next month's draft, presumably to get the dual-threat quarterback from Baylor.
Griffin was sharp throwing a scripted 51 passes he had been working on with quarterback consultant Terry Shea. Only a few balls even hit the ground. His footwork was excellent and he drew accolades from pretty much everyone that watched him.
Granted the pro day is a scripted session so it should be all good. However, what you have to like is the guy played relaxed and confident and thrived under the pressure of such a heavily scrutinized event. I love to hear the guy talk as he exudes confidence and talks about wanting to compete and learn and improve. I love that he said that other guys say they will work hard but when he says it, he means it. It comes across as genuine and judging by what his dad said and the way he was brought up, it does seem genuine.
ESPN's Todd McShay (who I think is much smarter than Kiper) said that his mechanics have improved and it's clear he has been working. It was also nice to see him make several "pro" type of passes as there is the concern that he hasn't played in a pro style offense. I think it is pretty safe to say that he will go to the Skins at the #2 pick. It's going to be interesting to watch him.
Deepie was much more exuberant while watching RG3 at the pro day. He got a major stiffie and left a puddle of drool in front of his tv.
2 comments:
Exuberant is an understatement. I've had a stiffie since his pro-day ended. From a medical standpoint, that's probably a bad thing, but I don't care.
I watched a little of Andrew Luck's pro-day as well. The guy is a first class, top notch prospect and he probably will be a rock solid QB in the league for years. There are some differences though that make me believe that RG3 is the better prospect for the Skins.
1. Luck's arm strength has been questioned. Well, he put the arm strength issue to rest when he through the ball 75 yards through the air on his last throw. I think the issue is that he doesn't put a lot of zip on the ball like RG3 is capable of doing. In the NFL, there's no time to let a ball float to the receiver. I'm sure Luck will figure this out and it won't be an issue. With RG3, however, there's no doubting his arm strength. He has a cannon and yet, he can also put a lot of touch on the ball for short dump-offs. I think RG3 is a few steps ahead of Luck in this category.
2. Fan appeal - Let's face it. The Skins have a HUGE African American fan base in and around DC. The Colts are in the heart of predominantly blue collar, white America. RG3 in DC is a perfect fit, just like Luck in Indy will be. The fan bases in each region will embrace their new star QBs, if for nothing other than each will relate well with the fans.
3. Re-energizing the team - Luck is a tremendous young talent and appears to be every bit the first class human being that RG3 appears to be. Regardless, RG3's charisma is exactly what the Skins need in their new leader. He exudes character and class. He speaks openly about hard work and dedication. He does all this with a smile and demeanor that isn't brash, but confident. You can't help but like the guy and if the QB is that type of person, other players will fall in line. Fred Davis and Trent Williams won't be taking hits from the bong with this guy influencing them. Who's going to want to disappoint him?
All in all, if we get Luck. I'll be fine, but the Skins need RG3 more than they need Luck.
Barring some sort of super strange occurrence, the Colts are going with Luck.
Football is as much a business as it is a sport. Irsay wants the second coming of Manning and Luck fits that bill. As you said, Indy is in the center of blue collar, white America. Would they want the black guy with dreadlocks engaged to a white woman or would they rather have the white dude that looks like Gomer Pyle's son?
Of course they won't make the decision purely on race. No question both are talented and both have tremendous potential but assuming all that being equal, fan appeal will play a part in the decision.
Post a Comment