RG3 Sliding

Robert Griffin attempting to slide 

and it still needs work

The Washington Redskins are less than 3 weeks from opening their season.  Yes, the Redskins are 2-0 in the preseason, but the Redskins were also 4-0 last preseason and were only 3-13 in 2013 which was good enough for the Redskins to give up the #2 pick in the NFL draft to St. Louis Rams because of  the Robert Griffin trade.  

Now Griffin is having trouble sliding.  This isn't the first time that that a Redskins quarterback has had trouble with going to ground- Jason Campbell had issues with this is as well..  Zorn commented on Campbell (via DC Sports Bog)

"I don't want him to get hurt," Zorn said. "Obviously, nobody does. But you know, if he can't learn to fall better, he's gonna hurt himself."

Other teammates  who commented on Campbell was Colt Brennan who called Campbell's technique "hilarious".  In the meantime, the Redskins currently employ Colt McCoy on their preseason roster.   I wonder if Brennan is also making fun of RG3's sliding technique.

Jay Gruden has similar concerns as well about Griffin (via The Associated Press' Howard Fendrich)

It's something we have to continue to talk to him about—how important he is to this team and this franchise. When he gets out of the pocket, he needs to protect himself. He's had a habit in his career of being able to get himself out of those predicaments with his speed and his athleticism. But here it's a 16-game season, with the great talent across the league in the NFL, (and) he's got to pick his shots and learn how to get down a little bit better.

Granted Griffin is a superior player to Campbell but the fact that is a discussion is still an underlying concern of Griffin having a long and healthy career.  Last year with a knee brace,  RG3 was surprisingly athletic rushing for 489 yards but only completing 60% compared to 65% during his rookie season.  Griffin probably will not be able to match his 989 rushing total ever again given his body size and past knee issues.  So Griffin is going to have to take less risks and learn to give up plays rather than expose himself to injuries.

The Redskins are adopting a new offense which has been blamed for RG3's slow start.  Previously, Griffin and his camp were blaming the Shanahans.   Then again, this is preseason, while RG3 isn't on track, it's not like the Washington are calling the best possible plays for him.  Guys like Eli Manning also had trouble running the offense early in his career.  Still, Griffin skill-set as a pocket passer needs to develop quickly for the Redskins to become a playoff caliber team.