Hall of Fame quarterback Fran Tarkenton was part of the National Football League fraternity for 18 seasons, playing as a member of the Minnesota Vikings and New York Giants from 1961 to 1978. He's currently eighth on the all-time list with 47,003 yards passing, tenth all-time in completions with 3,686 and sixth all-time with 342 passing touchdowns.
So, when he decides to say something about a quarterback in today's game that is playing -- and failing -- in a major market, we should all prick our ears up and give a good listen to his insights.
Tarkenton, in a recent interview with Jenny Vrentas of Sports Illustrated's MMQB.com, said that he knew from the very beginning that Redskins quarterback Robert Griffin III was destined for failure.
"I said two years ago that RG3 would not make it. This guy comes from a good family, a good background, a good school, Baylor; he's a smart young man, physically gifted, he can throw it. But he came into the league with an arrogance...So RG3, at 21, 22, thought he was Jesus, right? And he was making pontifical statements about how he approached the game. I was listening to him the offseason after his rookie year, which was not a bad year, and I'm saying, 'Holy s***, this guy is out of control with his ego.' That was the first sign you saw that he lacked leadership."
RGIII's lack of leadership skills has been one of the biggest knocks against him this year as the 'Skins season slowly dissipates. He's performed poorly but, even worse, he's refused to take any of the blame.
This, Tarkenton said, is due to his all-too-high opinion of himself.
"Then, he was so into himself. You know a quarterback's job? Make his teammates better. It's not about you; it's about your teammates. You've got to make them better, and if you don't make them better, you have no chance. And he was all about RG3... He will never make it. He will be out of football. He will be in the same graveyard as JaMarcus Russell and Vince Young."
The full story of RGIII's professional career has yet to be written, but if Tarkenton is right, he won't be an NFL quarterback for much longer.
