National Football League

Fran Tarkenton: Robert Griffin III 'so into himself,' will never make it

Published Dec. 6, 2014 2:23 p.m. ET

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Robert Griffin III has plenty of fans (although that number might be dwindling), but NFL legend Fran Tarkenton sure isn't an RG3 supporter.

Tarkenton recently lit into the Washington Redskins quarterback with a scathing critique of Griffin's play to this point in his NFL career. Speaking to The Monday Morning Quarterback's Jenny Vrentas, Tarkenton went off.

"I said two years ago that RG3 would not make it," Tarkenton started. "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.

"He goes into Washington, which is the worst place for him to go. They have been so hungry for a quarterback, and for winning, they worshiped him. Here's RG3; he's our savior, he's our guy. His father gets involved and is in the locker room -- I have never seen a father in a locker room on Sundays. The owner, Dan Snyder, adopts him and becomes his best friend. So RG3, at 21, 22, thought he was Jesus, right?"

Tarkenton's biggest sticking point when it comes to Griffin, however, sure seems to be what the former QB perceives as Griffin's gigantic ego.

"And he was making pontifical statements about how he approached the game," Tarkenton told Vrentas. "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.

"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."

Add it all up, and Tarkenton doesn't think Griffin is destined for success at the NFL level.

"There's no discipline and understanding of the defense because he is a pontificator. He will never make it. He will be out of football. He will be in the same graveyard as JaMarcus Russell and Vince Young."

Ouch.

This isn't the first time Tarkenton has publicly blasted a quarterback, though. The 74-year-old Minnesota Vikings legend also ripped Brett Favre in 2009 when Favre joined the Vikings.

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