The Washington Redskins' joint practices in August with the New England Patriots left an impression on Robert Griffin III. The beleaguered Redskins quarterback indicated it was an eye-opening experience to watch how Bill Belichick, Tom Brady and the rest of the team conducted practice, comparing it to the way a high school football team would operate.
Washington and New England held joint practices in training camp before the 2014 season began, and witnessing firsthand how New England conducted itself as an organization left a mark on Griffin.
"What you do learn from watching (Brady) -- and then watching the Patriots organization -- you get a big-picture look at it," Griffin told NFL.com during a lengthy interview. "Man, honestly, they operate like a high school football team. You remember in high school, how the coach calls everybody up, everybody runs up, gets on a knee and looks at the coach like what he is saying is the most important thing in the world? That's how the Patriots are.
"They're attentive. They run on and off the field. They run after practice. They do what they have to do -- and everyone understands, whether they like it or not, this is what it takes to win championships. And they won the championship.
"For us to see that, as the Washington Redskins -- to see exactly where it starts, and then to see the result -- that's big. We can't ignore that. We don't need to mimic them or try to be like them. We need to create our own culture -- but we can learn from some of those things."
New England is widely considered to be the staple franchise of the NFL, at least in terms of how the organization operates from the owner down to the players. New England has also been a model of consistency under Belichick since 2000, finishing with a winning record in every season except Belichick's first and only missing the playoffs three times over the last 15 seasons.
