After their Week 4 win against the Tampa Bay Buccaneers, Redskins fans got to talk about their favorite subject: why they think the Redskins are awesome.
The fans calling into sports talk radio all sounded like they got laid in the morning—and when you get laid in the morning, you focus on all the good things that happen to you and ignore all the bad. They could ignore how their pass defense was ranked second-last in yards allowed and dead-last in touchdowns allowed. They could focus instead on how their star rookie quarterback drove their team to a last-minute victory. They could ignore how their kicker Billy Cundiff missed three field goals (well, ignore it a little) and focus instead on his game-winning kick.
Yes, the Redskins fans could bring their satiated selves to a home game against the Atlanta Falcons feeling pretty good. They could ignore the fact that the Falcons were undefeated, and that these dirty birds have been making their opponents look like piles of, well, you know. A lot of observers have been calling Falcons quarterback Matt Ryan their early pick for MVP. Other observers think Ryan would make a great American Gladiator.
But these are about as many jokes that can be pulled from a game in which Redskins fans’ worst nightmare became cruel reality. With 6:22 left in the third quarter, RGIII had driven his team to a goal-to-go third-down play. Scrambling to his right, he decided to keep the ball and the run. He had the opportunity to run out of bounds. He had the opportunity to slide down and protect himself. Instead, he chose to fight for that extra yard. He slid too late, and Falcons linebacker Sean Weatherspoon hit Griffin as he was going to the ground.
As he lay face down, it was clear that something was wrong. He was given a concussion test on the sideline, and he could not tell medical staff what the score was. (Coach Mike Shanahan was later criticized for calling his concussion “mild.”) Griffin would not return to the game. He was replaced by a fellow rookie quarterback, fourth-round draft pick Kirk Cousins.
One could report on the stellar play of Redskins defensive end Ryan Kerrigan, who returned an interception for a touchdown. One could report on how Kirk Cousins fared as a replacement. But really, all the discussion will and should focus on the play that took Griffin out of the game with a head injury.
In order to draft Griffin with second overall pick in the 2012 draft, they traded their first and second round picks in 2012 to the St. Louis Rams, plus their first round picks in 2013 and 2014. When they made that decision, they mortgaged their entire future on the success of this young man. When he goes out with an injury, the near future of their franchise goes out with an injury. The coaching staff needs to understand the weight of this responsibility, and they need to coach Griffin on how to handle it.
The Redskins lost to the Falcons, 24-17.
