Dear Daniel Snyder and the Washington Redskins organization,
Congratulations. Your team is officially a dumpster fire. Wednesday CSN-Washington’s Tarik El-Bashir was on hand for the best news from your team in weeks, a fight during practice between wide receiver Andre Roberts and cornerback Bashaud Breeland. It’s the most positive story to come out of Washington in weeks.
A week ago, the story was downright pitiful. It turns out 10 is the loneliest number as benched quarterback Robert Griffin III, in which all your hopes lay just a few seasons ago, was so despondent from his demotion that he spent 40 minutes after practice alone, punting the ball to himself.
And that happened just a few days after your former linebacker (and future Hall of Famer) London Fletcher called out defensive coordinator Jim Haslett on CBS Sports Network’s pregame show, asking, “Why does Jim Haslett still have his job?”
It all culminated in a perfect week, a 24-0 domination by the St. Louis Rams, a team forever married to the Redskins over one of the most lopsided draft-day trades of all time.
Look at this quick vine, for instance:
Those six players are just part of the eight-player haul the Rams ended up getting through the Robert Griffin III trade three seasons ago. The six players that came out as captains for the Rams for the coin toss were Janoris Jenkins, Michael Brockers, Zac Stacy, Stedman Bailey, Greg Robinson and Alec Ogletree. Five of them are starters and Stacy, who’s been beat out by Tre Mason this season, nearly ran for 1,000 yards last season. Of the eight players the Rams ended up drafting from the deal, only lineman Rokevious Watkins and running back Isaiah Pead are no longer with the team.
At the beginning of the season your biggest problem was your racist name. Native American activists all over the country were calling on you to change it. Even President Barack Obama weighed in, saying, “If I were the owner of the team and I knew that there was a name of my team, even if it had a storied history, that was offending a sizeable group of people, I’d think about changing it.”
That controversy died down after resulting in a pretty hilarious The Daily Show piece that was controversial only because the people in it actually said the things they think.
Now, a month or so later Redskins fans have to look at that as the high point of the season. At least you still have fans.
Here are your two main problems.
ROBERT GRIFFIN III
You gave up a lot to get your “franchise” quarterback in 2012 and all the guy’s done is make Subway commercials. You traded the No. 6 pick in 2012, along with your next two first round picks and a 2012 second round pick to the Rams for him. Picks that the Rams have used to build half their team from. You did get one good, playoff season out of RGIII before the bust light went off and opposing defenses started taking his run lanes away, but that’s it.
RG3’s problem is the same one that ended Tim Tebow’s NFL career and it isn’t hype. A young quarterback has to grow and develop, expand his game and learn the position. Was Peyton Manning the same guy he is now his rookie season? Not even close. What about Dan Marino or Andrew Luck? All had exciting rookie campaigns, but none of those guys thought they had the position down from the start. RG3 does. And he’s wrong.
Any criticism of how he’s playing the QB position, RGIII just considers hate. “You’re not making your pass reads” becomes a personal insult to Griffin instead of a legitimate problem he needs to improve. When asked Wednesday by the Washington Post’s Mike Jones if his confidence was shaken, Griffin replied, “My confidence is sky high.”
I wouldn’t be confident if I was controlling RGIII in a game of Madden right now. He’s living in a fantasy world where he’s being unfairly blamed. Then he passes the blame to his teammates.
Until RGIII has the desire to improve, he won’t. He simply can’t and his own ego his the thing that’s going to end his career, not only in Washington, but in the NFL.
JAY GRUDEN
I wouldn’t have hired Jay Gruden to mop the bathroom floor at a Denny’s, so the fact that the Redskins have been a disaster with Gruden at the helm is no surprise. Jay is the Ozzie Canseco of the Gruden family. And just like you wouldn’t let Ozzie inject you with steroids, you shouldn’t let Jay coach your football team.
It can not be overstated. Jay Gruden is one of the best Arena League quarterbacks of all time. I would high five him for that right now if he didn’t have both his hands stuck inside Pringles cans. He was also a successful Arena League coach, leading the Orlando Predators to titles in 1998 and 2000. You put all that together and I still wouldn’t let him work the front register at Hardees.
Gruden’s greatest achievement as offensive coordinator for the Cincinnati Bengals was spending the offseason making fun of his quarterback’s wedding ring. It’s as if you were looking for the worst possible choice as your head coach, Redksins, and were pissed because the Detroit Lions stole Jim Caldwell out from under you.
Reports out of Washington say that the team may have to make a choice between the two this offseason, but my bet is both guys will return for another inglorious run in 2015. For your sake, Redskins, I hope all this racism stuff starts picking up steam again.
Your Friend, Adam Greene
