To say that Washington Redskins quarterback Robert Griffin's career has gone smoothly since his stellar rookie season would be a lie. As every NFL fan knows, RGIII's has been under intense scrutiny ever since he lit the league on fire in 2012. Since then, his career has been marred by injuries, ineffective play and the dysfunctional organization around him.
But new Redskins general manager Scot McCloughan has slowly been adding some much needed stability to this organization since taking over earlier this year and is trying to put Griffin in a position to succeed. McCloughan invested the No. 5 overall pick in the draft in offensive lineman Brandon Scherff to better protect Griffin. He also replaced nearly half of the team's starting defense with younger, better options. At this point, if Griffin fails then it is all on him. There is no one else left to blame. That is why RGIII is on the hot seat this season.
"After two lackluster (and poor) seasons, [Griffin] has another shot to remind everyone what sort of player he can be and once was," ESPN Redskins reporter John Keim wrote. "Griffin has been thoroughly criticized the past two seasons, for his play and his personality. The latter wouldn't matter as much if his play had been better. He's still transitioning to being more of a pocket passer, or just a good one in general. His first coach, Mike Shanahan, always knew it would take him time to reach a higher level as a passer after coming from a spread offense in college. Griffin went from the Heisman Trophy to Rookie of the Year to being benched this past season for his performance. He can still run, he still has a good arm and he is smart. The Redskins picked up his fifth-year option, but if he does not play well they can still cut him after the season."
Griffin missed seven games last season with a dislocated ankle, the third major leg injury he has suffered since college. In the nine games he did play in, he completed 68.7 percent of his passes while throwing for 1,694 yards with four touchdowns and five interceptions. He also rushed for 176 yards and one score on a 4.6 yards-per-carry average.
Perhaps his biggest issue is his inability to avoid sacks. While Washington's offensive line has been sub-par for all of his career, there's no denying that he holds onto the ball for far too long. If he can correct this mistake and stay healthy, there's a chance his career in Washington can be salvaged. If not? Well, the Redskins might be looking at quarterbacks early on in the 2016 NFL Draft.
