Could Robert Griffin III be the NFL's next Steve Young?
By Jesse Reed
Robert Griffin III has a chance to become the league’s next Steve Young.
Though the two quarterbacks came into the league in completely different ways - Griffin as a highly touted No. 2 overall pick and Young as a supplemental selection following a stint in the USFL - the long-term trajectory of their careers could look eerily similar when it’s all said and done.
Young started his Hall of Fame career as a punching bag behind a god-awful Tampa Bay Buccaneers offensive line in the mid-1980s. He completed just 53 percent of his passes, throwing 11 touchdowns and 21 interceptions while being sacked 68 times in his first 19 starts, earning a record of 3-16.
Griffin’s introduction into the league was far from comparable. But in the two years following his breakout rookie campaign the embattled quarterback did experience a similar story, though his numbers were actually much better. In his last 20 starts for Washington, RG3 completed 63 percent of his passes, throwing 20 touchdowns and 18 interceptions with a record of 5-15. He was also blistered on a regular basis by defensive linemen - like Young was - to the tune of 71 sacks.
As we all know, Young was traded to the San Francisco 49ers and head coach Bill Walsh, who was tutoring another brilliant young quarterback at the time by the name of Joe Montana. Young spent four full seasons as a full-time backup before getting his first real chance to shine in 1991 while Montana was out with an elbow injury.
Griffin might not need four years to heal from all the wounds - emotional, mental and physical - he suffered in Washington. That said, he does need to be brought into a similar situation.
In case you haven’t been following the story, head coach Jay Gruden recently announced that Kirk Cousins is now the starting quarterback in Washington. Not because of any concussion issues RG3 may or may not be experiencing, but because of performance.
This announcement flies in the face of what Gruden said last week, when he stood behind Griffin after the quarterback had been abused by the Detroit Lions in Week 2. Griffin then practiced all week with the club after being cleared by team doctors before somehow an independent neurologist got involved and said he couldn’t play.
How that happened remains a mystery, but is sure fails the stink test. That same day, another report came out saying Griffin didn’t even think he had ever sustained a concussion in Week 2’s contest against Detroit.
This is one ugly situation, and it’s one that has ruined any chance Griffin had of success, regardless of the fact that he’s one of the most talented athletes in the NFL. Heck, even going back to his rookie season under Mike Shanahan, it could be argued his career was torpedoed by a poor decision to let him play while injured.
The young quarterback needs a second chance. But it can’t just be any chance. Whether he rides the pine in Washington, is released or traded, Griffin needs to land with a team that has the luxury of a franchise passer already on its roster. We’ve discussed the best potential landing spots for RG3, and you can read about that here.
The bottom line is that Griffin needs to be tutored and nurtured, just like Young was when Walsh rescued his career from the league’s most incompetent team at that time.
Make no mistake about it, if he gets an opportunity to sit behind an established starter and has the mental fortitude to get past the psychological beating he’s taken the past couple of seasons, then Griffin has the talent to become a superstar once again in the NFL.
Looking down the road 10-15 years, should things fall into place for this young man, we could very well be comparing his career to that of Young, who seized his second chance with both hands and didn’t let go.
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