Robert Griffin III

The quarterback class of 2012 turned out to be one of the better ones in NFL history. In fact it was so good that when all is said and done, it might go down as the best of all time. Four of the 11 QBs drafted were taken in the first round; five started 15 or more games; three others combined for another 14 starts; and three would lead their teams into the playoffs.

However, through it all, two names stood out above the rest—Robert Griffin III and Andrew Luck.

Though different in their style of play, Griffin and Luck would come out of their rookie seasons looking very much the same. In their first experience as NFL starters, both quarterbacks went 8-4 in conference play, were over .500 in their division, and neither one ended up with a losing record either at home or on the road. Andrew Luck led the Colts to the playoffs with an 11-5 record while the Redskins would do the same finishing at 10-6. RGIII, however, would personally go just 9-6 with Washington’s 10th win coming at the hands of yet another rookie, Kirk Cousins.

The likenesses between the two are astounding. They both even set two rookie QB records apiece.

Here are the individual numbers from Robert Griffin III and Andrew Luck’s rookie seasons:

When they were selected first and second overall in the 2012 NFL Draft, there was no doubt their names would be linked to one another for all eternity. Now, after leading their teams to the playoffs while breaking records along the way, their path to the Hall of Fame seems destined to be parallel as well.

Unbelievably Believable – Griffin Worked Out with his Dad after the Heisman Trophy Ceremony

I don’t know if I’ve ever heard of something like this before, but you simply cannot make this stuff up. Even if you tried, you could only do so about a man as humbly dedicated and venerable as Robert Griffin III.

The story of how RGIII became the 2011 Heisman Trophy winner is as extensive and memorable as it is inspiring. It’s a lasting tale filled with trials and travails, hardships overcome, life lessons learned and infinite triumphs along the way. From great-grandmother to grandfather, father to son, Robert Griffin III is a man sewn from the cloth of extraordinary ancestral descent.

When Robby was a young boy, his parents instilled the values of discipline and hard work into his life. Not just in terms of athletics, either, as Griffin was always a well-rounded individual as well as a straight-A student through his time at Baylor University. His high level of athleticism, however, was undeniable and equally fuelled throughout the years.

Whenever Robert told his father of his aspirations, RGII would give him a grueling regimen to follow in order to achieve his goals, often saying “If you're going to do something, why not be the best?” Griffin eagerly took on the many challenges Robert Jr. (RGII) would present to him and on December 10th, 2011, he would finally heed his father’s words in becoming the best college football had to offer.

His journey to becoming the nation’s top collegiate athlete was a memorable one lined with grace and humility, so it should come as no shock to anyone that Griffin's Heisman Trophy acceptance speech was equally humble and distinguished.

What might be shocking to some, however, would come hours later after the presentation and festivities concluded.

As joyous an occasion as winning the Heisman Trophy was, RGIII had never taken to the lure of alcohol, so no suds would be imbibed at the after-party. Sure, he would have his fun partying with the rest of the Heisman Trophy candidates like Andrew Luck, Trent Richardson and Montee Ball, but infusing the experience with unnecessary components was not what made Robert Griffin III who he was. This is:

At two o’clock in the morning after the party had died down, RG3 and his father went back to their hotel and took part in a little bit of what brought them to this point; they worked out. At 2 a.m., after winning the biggest award in college sports, Robert Griffin III went to the hotel fitness center and worked out.

HE WORKED OUT!

As usual, his father was teaching him how to be the best. When asked about it later, RG2 exclaimed, “I told him, '10 years down the road, you're the Heisman Trophy winner, but right now you can't act like that. You've got to act the way you acted before you won the award.'"

Like I said, you simply cannot make this sort of stuff up.

When Robert Griffin III made up his mind to pursue football instead of basketball or track and field (which he could have just as easily succeeded in), he did so with a plan, and that plan was to play the quarterback position. Not as a running QB, mind you—and certainly not as a wide receiver or defensive back as big-name schools Oklahoma and LSU recruited him to play—but as a normal, pocket passing quarterback. It was his dream to do so and one of the reasons he stuck to his commitment with Baylor instead of succumbing to the lure of some of the nation’s top programs.

In the first game of Griffin’s 2008 freshman season, his dream would finally be realized. Griffin took over for Miami transfer Kirby Freeman to start the second quarter and though Baylor ended up losing the game; their new QB would never look back. In fact, Griffin went on to gain Big 12 Offensive Freshman of the Year honors despite the team going 4-8 on the season.

When the 2009 season began for the Baylor Bears, there were high hopes that RGIII (the nickname he acquired during his freshman year) would help put an end the school’s longest stretch without a Bowl appearance; 15 years. However, in just the third game of the season, the dreams of so many Baylor fans were crushed when Griffin tore his right ACL during their first offensive series against Northwestern State. It was a non-contact injury in which his knee simply buckled after planting his right foot on an option play. Griffin heard a pop, laid on the ground for I’m sure seemed like an eternity, and that was that.

Actually, it wasn’t.

Being the kind of gutsy player that he is, Griffin went to the sideline, got his knee wrapped, and came back out to lead Baylor on six scoring drives before finally leaving at halftime. It wasn’t until the next day that he found out he had torn his ACL.

Griffin was of course devastated to hear the news, but as he would say later, he was more bummed out for his teammates and university than for himself because 2009 was the year they were finally going to go to a Bowl game. That’s just the way he is.

As he habitually does, however, Robert Griffin III rose up to make the best of a situation. His rehab, grueling as it was, made him both stronger and faster than he was before sustaining the injury. In addition, he was finally able to take the time he needed to study defenses and learn the nuances of the quarterback position. As a result, he became a more cerebral player as opposed to one more dependent on his athleticism.

Fast-forward to 2012.

Three years removed from his first ACL surgery, Griffin is as strong as ever. Except now, he is playing against the best of the best as the starting quarterback for the Washington Redskins instead of facing baby-faced college kids in the Big 12 conference. His NFL career would start off famously, as even the most lethal players came to fear his abilities after seeing what he could do throughout his first month in the league.

Then, in Week 14 with his team on a roll and in the playoff hunt at 6-6, BAM! Griffin takes a hit to his right knee from a Baltimore Ravens player and needs to be helped off the field. The Redskins would go on to win the game, but the worst was feared for their young, star quarterback. It turned out to be merely a sprain, but Griffin would miss the following week’s game and look hobbled at best when he did return in Week 16. He went on to lead Washington into the playoffs with a 10-6 record, but he clearly was not the same player from before the injury.

Some believe he should have been kept out of game action until his knee was fully healed, others say that what would happen next would have happened either way.

On January 6, 2013, in the Redskins Wildcard Playoff game against the Seattle Seahawks, the unthinkable happened again. As it was with his first ACL tear, Griffin fell victim to a non-contact injury in which an obviously weakened knee buckled beneath him. And yes, it was his RIGHT knee, AGAIN.

The worst was confirmed the following day when the MRIs showed that Robert Griffin III not only tore his right ACL, but also did damage to the LCL and medial meniscus as well.

Rehab for the Redskins franchise player will be as long and as grueling as it was for him back in 2009, while the main concern continues to be whether or not he will return as the same player he was before this second right knee reconstruction.

Never fear, because if Griffin takes the same approach to the rehabilitation process as he did back in 2009, he could come back even better.

The thing about Robert Griffin III is that he never wanted to be a running quarterback… or at least never wanted to be thought of as one. However, the Washington Redskins may have had other plans for the man they traded the farm to get with the second pick in the 2012 NFL Draft.

It was obvious Griffin wasn’t solely about the run, as his arm-strength and accuracy were both graded amongst the best of those within the collegiate ranks. On the other hand, his speed was off the charts.

At the combine, the 4.41 time he put up in the 40-yard dash was insane

to watch and undoubtedly coerced every team in the league to question what they would consider giving up to get him. Andrew Luck was already assured of going No. 1, so it was just a matter of what the St. Louis Rams would accept for the No. 2 pick. As it turned out, it would take the Redskins 2012, 2013 and 2014 first-rounders along with their 2012 second-round pick to get him. That’s how sold Washington was on what Griffin brought to the table.

Basically, the Redskins had a vision for what they saw in RGIII, and that vision was to run an offensive scheme referred to as the “pistol offense”.

It was a game-plan designed to utilize Griffin’s talents within an option game, focusing more on his acute running skills than his ability to throw the ball. In retrospect, considering the beating he took throughout the season and his eventual ACL tear, the Shanahans might have reconsidered their assessment. That being said, Griffin DID run the offense to perfection, and put up some of the best rushing numbers for a quarterback in NFL history because of it.

Here is a look at what Robert Griffin III accomplished in just 15 games as a rookie NFL quarterback:

(+) RGIII is a total freak athlete and could probably run in the Olympics this year if not for his passion for football

(+) Went to the gym to work-out with his Dad the night he won the Heisman Trophy

(+) Has been trying to surpass the legend of Andrew Luck for awhile now and there’s no better place to do it than the NFL stage

(+) Was one of the best deep-ball throwers in the college game which should easily translate to the NFL game

(+) His legs will undoubtedly put up some nice fantasy points for your team

(+) Unlike most high-drafted rookie QBs, RGIII has some established players/receivers (Moss, Garcon) around him on offense which should allow for a quick transition

(+) Already the bona fide leader of the team and has won the affections of the Redskins veterans

(+) One of the better tight ends in the league (Fred Davis) gives him a nice security blanket…

(+) …as do those pass-catching RBs (Roy Helu, Tim Hightower)

(–) Rookie “happy-feet” could lead to poor play

(–) The switch from a college spread-offense to a more conventional pro-style offense may take a little getting used to

(–) Quarterbacks that can/will use their legs are always more liable to injury than their pocket-passing counterparts

(–) Those six games against the defenses in the NFC East (Eagles, Giants, Cowboys) look pretty daunting on the Redskins schedule

(–) Without a true WR1 on the team (the Redskins offense might have four WR2s), who can Griffin depend on? (Rookies tend to steer towards a clear-cut WR1)