The Washington Redskins opened their locker room to reporters for the first time Tuesday, revealing Robert Griffin III's cubbyhole with six figurines, including Spider-Man, the Incredible Hulk, an extra-muscular version of Captain America and, of course, a Baylor Bear.
Underneath each figurine is a slogan. Spider-Man is "Amazing." Others include "Conquer Every Obstacle," "Sacrifice" and "Army Strong." The bear, a nod to his college team, gets a simple "BU." The Hulk is so large he's on a shelf by himself, accompanied by the words, "Be Unstoppable."
The No. 2 overall draft pick, weighted with the responsibility of being the future of the Redskins franchise, also has posted a piece of paper printed with the words: "Forget about being MVP; Forget about being in the Pro Bowl. Those are nice consolation prizes if you don't get a SUPER BOWL RING." That's followed by another slogan: "KNOW YOUR WHY."
Not that such a display shouldn't be expected. The son of two U.S. Army sergeants famously wore Superman socks to the Heisman Trophy ceremony last year, and he's written "Seize the day" and "Seize the moment" on the cleats he wears to practice.
Griffin also has a card holder with other inspirational sayings, featuring the first part of a Bible verse from Philippians: "I can do all things ..."
I wouldn't have imagined his locker looking any different. Kid is impressive in how grounded he is and how much he expects excellence from himself. Hard to find something not to like about him. GO RG3!!!
23 comments:
What is he the 40-year old Virgin?
Action figures?
Sounds pretty dumb to me. Actually, I was talking to my mailman - who is a huge and knowledgeable football fan (Denver Broncos are his time). He thinks RG3 is a phoney.
I don't think he is a phony, but there are people who do not like him.
There are haters and critics for everyone and everything. I'm glad your mailman is the authority on RG3 and you listen to him. Good for you.
You think it sounds dumb. I don't. Most athletes are superstitious or like to turn to prayer books or phrases for inspiration. Nothing new. I like that he is not focused on individual accolades but the larger goal of a Super Bowl. It's the right attitude to have. The guy shows tremendous maturity and it's hard not to find something negative on the guy.
All this said, he hasn't done anything in the NFL so we'll see how he does. However, what I've seen so far, I like the guy.
Your last paragraph of your post was pretty forceful in saying that there is little to dislike about him. There are things to dislike.
Personally, I like him but I think he is going to struggle this year. Three years from now I do think he will be someone who is considered a good QB.
What's there to dislike? His hair? The fact that he said "retarded" in an interview? His confidence?
I can see how haters may be turned off by his confidence, but the guy believes in his physical abilities as well as his mental capacity to learn how to play the game. I'd be worried if he lacked confidence. To dislike his attitude says people don't understand sports and/or an athlete's psychology.
The action figures are a bit childish, but he's a 22 year old kid who's grown up in a time when we're inundated with super hero movies and such. We have to remember how young the guy is. The fact that he can find inspiration from his military-family background, religious quotes, and from simple toys is actually quite refreshing in my opinion.
Robs, I said, "Hard to find something not to like about him." You have played sports. You follow sports. You understand how many athletes can/do become divas or are all in it for themselves. I too played/follow sports and I think it is rare to find a kid like RG3. To Deepie's point, what is there to dislike about the guy? If you want to pick on superficial things (like his hair, color of his skin, etc.) than sure. If you don't like his personality for some reason, than sure. If you just want to pick on the guy, than sure. Nobody is going to get 100% of the people to like them.
However, RG3 seems like a quality kid with a strong upbringing built to work hard, be confident, while also staying grounded and humble. Understands that it isn't about individual accolades but rather the team and not just being the best player but making those around him better. He speaks well and is smart and takes pride in those aspects of his life as much as his abilities to throw the football. He expects greatness but expects it for himself and not to show it off to others.
I like the guy. If you want to nitpick on silly things that's fine but there is no doubt that you don't find athletes like him often.
I said I liked him - but there are people who don't. They have their reasons for not liking him that are legitimate. I went back and looked and there are certainly some scouts who had issues with his ability and pocket presence - and (hold your breath) character issues at Baylor.
Let's not get into race issue or his dreds - those are non-issues and I am not really sure why you are bringing them into this discussion. Obviously there are racists out there. But if someone doesn't like RG3, that doesn't make them a racist.
John (my mailman) is a pretty educated football fan. He sits in his truck and listens to Sports/NFL Satellite radio all day. He is not a racist and couldn't care less about his hair. He just thinks he is a phoney from what he has heard/read and observed.
All of these guys have agents, handlers, and publicists who help create and shape their public images.
We don't really know the guy. Flashing a smile and wearing cute socks is nice, but ultimately he will have to win games and he will have to deal with losing. We will learn more about him in coming weeks/months/years.
John must either be a Cowgirls fan or you've expressed your hatred of the Skins to him to provoke some sort of biased view of RG3 out of him.
Like I said, to dislike RG3, or to consider him a phony, indicates that someone doesn't understand sports. A phony wouldn't have pulled a below-average football program out of the NCAA cellar. A phony wouldn't have thrown 37 TDs and run for many more. A phony wouldn't have won the Heisman Trophy.
RG3's character, ability to lead, and confidence are all favorable attributes. Whether or not those attributes translate into success on the field is yet to be determined. Obviously, odds say there is a significant chance that he may not succeed as a player. Saying he's a phony or someone not to be liked is a different issue, which, to me, calls into question just how "educated" your mailman is.
So John "the Mailman" thinks he is a phony? That would mean that he thinks that RG3 is some how insincere, pretentious, and deceitful. I would be curious as to why he thinks that.
There is a great article ESPN posted on RG3 several months ago. Here is the link: http://espn.go.com/nfl/draft2012/story/_/id/7820629/nfl-robert-griffin-iii-more-just-name-baylor-heisman-winner-espn-magazine
A couple of snipets from the article:
At 2, he was living in Japan, and at 6, he was living in a slum. At 9, Robby was singing solos in church, and at 11, his principal thought he'd someday be U.S. president. He had finished high school in three and a half years. He irreverently wore SpongeBob socks and composed songs. His goal in life was to be a lawyer.
The morning of his 13th birthday, Feb. 12, 2003, about 5 a.m., his father woke him with news that he would be leaving to serve in Iraq, in charge of refueling tanks and helicopters. He was due to leave in an hour. Robby wept. Robert Jr. gave him a workout regimen to follow and said: "You the man now. You're going to have to take care of your sisters and your mom. I do not want them watching CNN all the time, worrying about me. Daddy's going to be okay."
At Copperas Cove High School, Robby wasn't the typical macho quarterback. He would write songs and unashamedly wear his braids. He rejected the latest designer gear. One day in 10th grade, Robby couldn't find matching blue socks, so he wore one blue sock and one red one (with shorts, no less). His buddies laughed, the cheerleaders giggled, the geeks nodded -- and he smiled that toothy grin. "Eventually, I would wear all kinds of socks," Robby says. "I wear polka dot, striped, argyle, Scooby-Doo, Elmo, Cookie Monster. I got penguins, I've got holiday socks, snowflakes, Christmas, Valentine's Day, St. Patrick's Day, snowmen, Santa Claus, Snoopy, Mickey Mouse, Tinkerbell, the Grinch, Winnie the Pooh and Kermit the Frog."
In Robby's junior year of high school, he was starting point guard, starting quarterback, a track standout and class president. His GPA was just south of 4.0. He didn't have his driver's license and never went to one postgame party.
Griffin graduated from Baylor in three years with a degree in political science and a 3.67 GPA, while appearing on the Dean's List twice. During his final year of college sports eligibility, he we was studying for a master's degree in communication.
The guy clearly marches to the beat of his own drum. He is more than an athletic QB. There is actually some smarts and substance behind his gifted athleticism.
He is not out to sell himself. He is comfortable in his own shoes and he is out to be as successful as he can be. Who knows what he will do in his career. Maybe he will be great. Maybe he won't. The thing is though, I don't doubt he will give it his all and that he has all the tools and intangibles to be successful. Again, would love to hear why John "the Mailman" believes he is a phony.
There will always be people that hate. That is the nature of people.
Robs, you said there are things to dislike (about him). What are those things?
You guys have clearly drunk the Kool-Aid on RG3 and cannot have any real conversation about him.
I explained about John. He is knowledgeable and he is a very realistic Broncos fan. Contrary to what you may think, I don't spend my time bashing the Deadskins to him. We talk regularly about FF, the Bears (he likes Cutler and thought it was a mistake to trade him to the Bears), and the Broncos.
You can look online at some of the negative stuff that came out from NFL scouts about RG3 being selfish, playing in a shotgun-spread offense and having trouble making multiple reads before the draft.
You guys don't want to hear ANY criticism of the guy. Fine. I said I like him, but if he doesn't pan out (and you have to say there is a reasonable chance he won't actually be the savior), then I hope you guys won't cry too much.
I don't think anyone is questioning the criticism of RG3's ability to succeed as an NFL QB. As I said, chances are that he'll be just a decent QB and not the God-send that Redskins Nation is making him out to be. I'll openly admit that I don't think his experience in the Baylor spread offense translates very well to the system Shanny has installed.
Only time will tell whether or not Bob is the real deal. My problem with what you're saying is that there are valid criticisms of his character. I read the articles describing him as having character issues and that his pocket presence leaves something to be desired. Just because a couple of knuckleheads say the sky is falling doesn't mean we all have to hide under a rock. The overwhelming majority of experts agreed that Griffin is a supreme talent with all of the tools - physical and mental - necessary to succeed at the next level. That's not a guarantee of success, but to me it makes those few scouts seem foolish and unqualified to consider themselves NFL talent evaluators.
I expect Bob to struggle with timing and with reading defenses this season. I think his smarts will help him improve as the season progresses. As long as he's a markedly better QB at the end of the season, this year will be a success.
It will be interesting to watch. I think he has supreme potential. Where I think the Redskins will fail is in other aspects of the game. They have no legitimate running back. No offensive line to brag about. Unproven receivers. Weak secondary and the list can go on. I understand that This is a rebuilding year, And they may improve more next year with free agency. The huge issue here is that too much is riding on RG3. It is virtually an all or nothing gamble. If he does not perform as well as he is expected to it will set the team back by 5 years atleast. I just don't know if the skins personnel moves are or will be good enough to help RG3 succeed. If shanny has another 6-10year or worse (which is my prediction) there will be major pressure on him the the following year. I dont know how he will do but imagine if RG3 has to go through a coaching change. u guys can say all you want that he is great and acting like a leader and can't find anything wrong with him but its a team game and the Skins are average at best as a team and have given up too much for him to make significant additions in the coming years to build a core of young players to support him for years to come.
Hey man, I am just being real. JKSD is breaking out his knee pads and is just about ready to do anything for RG3 - and I do mean ANYTHING! (Use your imagination)
While I like RG3, the point is that there are people who don't like him. And, for many of them it is not just because he is black or has dreds.
Deeps - even you are saying that scouts who question him are knuckleheads. They must have some ability to judge talent. They may very well be right.
Evaluating QBs is not a science. If it was, then Ryan Leaf and Heath Schuler would be superstars wrapping up their Hall of Fame careers and Tom Brady would be a career backup at best.
You should be excited about him, but you need to recognize that he is not a "can't miss" prospect and is likely to have some significant struggles.
I (and I believe Deepie) have never said that he is a can't miss prospect. When did I say that? I like RG3 no question. The more I hear/see/read about him, the more I like him. HOWEVER, I have NEVER said that he is a can't miss prospect.
Here is what I think we can agree on:
1. He has tremendous physical gifts.
2. He is intelligent.
3. He appears to be a natural born leader.
For these reasons, I think is increases the probability for success. However, it does not guarantee it. This said, how can I not have an intelligent conversation about him?
I BELIEVE you like him just as I like him.
Now you said that there are reasons not to like him. What are they? Look, I understand that there has never been (nor will there ever be) a prospect that has gotten 100% approval from critics, scouts, fans, etc. I'm sure you can find guys high on Ryan Leaf and down on P. Manning when they came out. So of course it is to be expected that some critics will have concerns about RG3. I'm sure there are critics that have concerns about Luck. However, the vast majority of critics believe that these guys will be successful. Again, it doesn't guarantee success. Still, who are the naysayers for RG3 and what are they saying? I have no problem accepting that there are critics that don't believe in him. All I say is that RG3 seems like an obvious physical talent and a great kid with a great upbringing and seems smart, humble, and determined to achieve team success as opposed to individual success. He understands the situation he is in and he accepts it. He does not seem to be out to sell himself and flame out. He seems to want to prove that he is the real deal not to the critics but to himself and those that are closest and matter most in his life.
I'm still curious as to why John "the Mailman" (who you seem to respect as a football authority) thinks he is a phony. That would mean that he thinks RG3 is a fake. Did he see/read something that would give him reason to believe he is a fake or is it just his gut feeling?
Robs, here are three questions that hopefully you can/will answer:
1. Why does John "the Mailman" believe RG3 is a phony?
2. Who are the negative "critics" and what are they saying (please give links and don't just pull out selective words/sentences as I would like to get the full context)?
3. Given what I have written above, I think it's clear that I can have an intelligent conversation about RG3. Would you not agree? Also, do you disagree with anything I wrote above?
JSR, I agree that this is a rebuilding year. I believe this is the second year of the rebuild. What you have to like is that we have gotten rid of many of the older, higer priced, guys (Portis, Haynesworth, Daniels, Holliday, etc.) who did not fit the system and have gotten much younger, with more depth, and guys that better fit the system. On top of that, we now have HOPEFULLY a QB that we can build around. He certainly would appear to be a better option than the Rex/Becks experiment.
I expect RG3 to make his fair share of mistakes this season. That will be natural for a rookie QB. What I want to see though is consistent improvement and growth from week to week.
As far as the other positions on the team that you mentioned, we are much stronger at WR. I like Garcon and Hankerson. Hank was really good last year when he got in until he got injured. He is big receiver not afraid to go over the middle. The addition of Morgan is big too and I like Moss working out of the slot. This is a much stronger group compared to Moss and Armstrong last season.
RB is okay. I think the days of having a top fledged RB are over. Sure, of course you want a stud back there but it's a passing league now and you just need a solid guy back there. I am okay with Hightower, Helu, and Royster. I think we will be okay with that group.
O line is under rated. It's not the best but frankly nearly every team wants better O line play. I do believe we have more depth here but this will certainly be an area of the team to watch.
Defensively we are strong with our front seven. We have young strong guys that should be more comfortable playing together within the system so I expect bigger things from this group.
Secondary is a mash of guys looking resurrect their careers particularly at the safety positions. I think the secondary will benefit from a strong front seven but we'll see how they perform. I believe that they feel like they have to prove something as individuals and as a group so it will be interesting to watch them.
As far as Shanny, I think next year will be critical for him. There is no question next year we need to get to the playoffs and make some noise. If that doesn't happen, his tenure here will have been a failure.
Again, I like the direction of the team but we are still in rebuilding mode.
All I want to see this year is improvement from week to week. Being in all the games and being relevant late in the season. If we have that, I am good with the season.
I do like him. But here are some things that you have to worry about and which made Andrew Luck a far better choice as the first pick:
He played in a spread offense out of the shotgun most plays - not likely at the pro level.
He has to prove he has a pocket presence - hasn't done that yet.
He played in a pass happy system that has not always been kind to college QBs moving on to the NFL level.
He had a great year last year and a fairly good junior year, but he did most of that in relative obscurity. Luck played in more of a pro-offense with the glare of national media coverage and very high expectations over the last two years - and he delivered with that pressure over him.
As for his personality, RG3 is definitely cocky. There is no problem with that by itself - you want that in a leader/QB, but there are reports that he can be selfish and has a sense of entitlement that could be problematic when things go bad. I have no idea whether that is true or not, but it is out there.
The criticism of Cutler is that he is selfish or that he has an attitude issue. That is not always true and it doesn't always mean bad things will happen, but when RG3 is losing games and making rookie mistakes, how is he going to deal with them. He has had success for a long time and some guys just don't handle it well (think VY).
One final thing, will you please not make fun of John (my mailman). He is a good and decent guy who is very knowledgeable about football. I'm sure if you met him you would really like him and would enjoy talking football with him. He is not an RG3 or Redskin hater - he just isn't buying into RG3. I assume it is based on all of the stuff he hears and reads about football. It is out there if you look for it. I don't know why you have to constantly berate him.
You can read stuff on your own about what NFL scouts think about RG3 if you just Google stuff like "RG3 character" or "RG3 is selfish" and stuff like that. Obviously, most of the assessments are positive, but there are real concerns that some people (scouts and NFL execs) have about him when he is not in the public eye.
I can imagine that RG3 is a bit of a phony - it is not that hard to believe. I don't personally feel that way, but in no way would it surprise me. We'll see.
I agree with the concerns about the types of offenses played by both Luck and Griffin and how Luck played in a pro style offense and as a result his transition to the pro game MAY be faster. I can agree on that.
I have never guaranteed RG3's success in the NFL. What I like about him (and I have said this repeatedly since we drafted him) is that he is physically gifted, intelligent, a natural leader, and a guy that is confident but humble and this has come from what appears to be a good upbringing. I also like that he is good at other things in his life and appears to be very well rounded.
As far as RG3 being "cocky," I have not seen that. I see a guy that is confident but I have certainly not seen him be cocky (there is a difference). Frankly, I think all great QBs have to be confident with a slight measure of cockiness there. In fact, he seems pretty humble by my estimation. I think he is realistic when he talks and how he understands the situation he is in (in a big market, large fan base, team lacking a franchise QB for decades, what the Skins gave up to draft him). He understands all eyes are on him and accepts it. I don't know the guy but from what I have seen/heard/read I certainly wouldn't characterize him as cocky.
It will be interesting to watch RG3 this season and see his success as well as his mistakes/failures and how he deals with them. However, to compare him to VY is ridiculous. VY is an immature moron.
Who knows in 3 years we may say that he was a huge bust or we may say that he was worth every bit of what the Skins gave up for him.
I have not made fun of John "the Mailman." I only asked why John "the Mailman" thinks RG3 is fake. You claim that he is knowledgeable and that's fine. I am just curious as to what his basis is for calling RG3 fake? Is it just his feeling and/or opinion based on nothing (and that's okay) or does he have something that backs that up?
I have addressed everything - we'll just have to see.
Funny because I don't think you addressed everything. However, I am used to your vagueness and partial answers so nothing new.
Specifically, you didn't address:
1. How can I not "have any real conversation about him (RG3)?"
2. What is John "the Mailman's" basis for calling RG3 fake? Is it just his feeling and/or opinion based on nothing (and that's okay) or does he have something that backs that up?
BTW - I looked up RG3 character/selfish and there are several links with the same comment that came from an unnamed scout. This unnamed scout said the following:
"He's got a little bit of a selfish streak. Everybody was laying on Cam (Newton), but for some reason this guy has become gloves off. He doesn't treat anybody good"
What's interesting is in many of the same links there are a number of critics defending RG3 (see the youtube clip of Skip Bayless and Hugh Douglas).
Even RG3 was asked to address the report and said the following:
Griffin said that it’s just one of the things that comes with being in the draft, and that the “people who know me… know I’m not selfish.”
“You could say [I'm] surprised, but you never know,” Griffin said. “It’s just, when the draft gets closer, everybody’s going to try and find something wrong with you to try and pull you down, so I’m not going to sit here and argue that, well, that guy is dead wrong. But I think the people that know me — and even in the people in the media have seen — know I’m not a selfish guy. You know you don’t have to fight your own battles — let other people fight them for you.”
“That’s about all I can say about that,” Griffin said. “I heard it, but it’s not something I’m going to address.”
He took the high road. I don't know what more you want him to say. I suppose people can confuse his confidence with being cocky and selfish and lacking character.
Some people may think his quote comparing himself to Luck prior to the draft is cocky. He said:
"I hate to talk about myself like that, but if I had to straight up tell a head coach or an owner why they should take me, it's because I'm the best in everything I've done," Griffin said. "I'm the most accurate. I have the strongest arm. I may not be the tallest. I may not be the heaviest. But I'm the best quarterback in the nation, and if they pass on me, then I understand. But I'm going to go out and be the best quarterback for somebody else."
Still, he answered honestly and if a team did ask him why they should take him, what else is he supposed to say? I think any good QB has to believe they are good and would express that. It's the same any time we interview. We need to project that we are the best candidate for that company to select. What is wrong with that?
Robs, we can find all kind of stuff on the internet. There are going to be believers and non believers. I just ask you to exercise some better judgement before you post something. I think you know better but show it to me. If you are just trying to hate, that's okay too but just admit that. In either case, you are a silly Robs.
Wow. That is interesting.
Yep. About the reply I expected.
Silly Robs.
Pears are for kids.
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