Comm455/History of Journalism

For any football fans or people affiliated to the DC metro area, the discussion of the Washington Redskins “getting it next year” has become all too familiar. With an amazing history of success throughout the 1980s and early 1990s, the Skins started to fall short in the 21 century.

Since 2000, the Redskins have had more than 10 different starting quarterbacks, a number far too high in such a short period of time. Offenses need time to adjust to the play calling and the way a quarterback works, as each person is different the way they handle pressure, 4th quarters, 3rd down and long, etc.

However, this year the Skins really “got it.”

Robert Griffin III, a 22-year-old fresh out of Baylor University, is quickly becoming a prominent football and media star. You cannot watch football anymore without hearing news about this rookie, and Skins fans are loving it.

Robert Griffin III, a new hope

RG3, as many refer to him as, has already outdone himself, not appearing to be “rookie-like” in the slightest.

On his first game September 9th, Skins were put up against the New Orleans Saints, with hugely successful QB Drew Brees leading them, and the Skins were seen as losing that game by at least 6 points. Griffin completed 19 of his 26 passes for 320 yards and went on to beat the Saints 40-32, a huge statement to make for a rookie in his first appearance in this league.

In game 6 against the Minnesota Vikings, Griffin secured the win with a 76-yard run, something that has not be done by a QB since 1996.

He has gotten 6 rushing TD’s in his first 6 games, something never done before by a QB. In fact, Griffin, along with fellow Skins runningback, Alfred Morris, is leading in rookie rushing yards this season with 479.

This is not going unnoticed, as RG3 now has endorsements with such power-house companies: Adidas, EA Sports, Subway, Nissan and Gatorade just to name a few. According to ESPN’s Dollar blog,

“He’s earned more than any other rookie in NFL history before throwing his first regular-season pass.”

Although currently at a record of 3-4, the Skins have very little of this to blame on RG3. Even one of the Skins division rivals, the New York Giants, who they played this last Sunday have to agree that RG3 is the real deal.

“That’s the best QB we’ve played this year. He’s faster in person than he is on tape. He’s very, very fast. He’s a very talented young man. He’s going to have a lot of success in this league.” – Giants DT Chris Canty

This video showcases Griffin’s highlights from games 1-6 and after viewing this, it should appear very clear that this man is going to do wonders in the league.