Will He play or won’t He play? Should He play? These were the questions facing Redskins fans after their star rookie quarterback Robert Griffin III suffered a concussion in their week 5 loss to the Atlanta Falcons. This was perhaps the hottest topic around the NFL last week. The discussion initially focused on Mike Shanahan’s describing Griffin’s injury as a “mild” concussion. This was summarily dismissed as an irresponsible choice of words. Perhaps Shanahan just believes in antiquated ailments that don’t actually exist, like “The ‘Xactlies”—that’s when your breath smells ‘xactly like your fanny.
Shanahan’s comments led many to believe that he was more concerned with winning games than protecting his franchise quarterback, and was rushing him back to play when he wasn’t ready. There were many observers who concurred with former Giants running back Tiki Barber, who felt that Griffin’s swift return to play would set a bad example for younger players. This writer believes that Barber should move out to the woods someplace so he can’t bother anybody.
Griffin was eventually cleared to play in advance of the Redskins home game against the Minnesota Vikings. If you’ve never heard of the Minnesota Vikings before, consider yourself fortunate. They lost four Super Bowl games back in the 1970s and have been largely inconsequential since. Coming off a three-win season, their most famous player might be their punter Chris Kluwe, who made the news for his open letter to a Maryland state delegate in support of same-sex marriage.
So did Offensive Coordinator Kyle Shanahan do more to protect RGIII from risk of injury? Did Griffin learn not to fight for that extra yard with the franchise largely dependent on his own health? Well, not exactly. The good news is that the Redskins offensive line only gave up one sack. The bad news is that Griffin ran the ball on 13 plays. He was once again the team’s leading rusher, going for 138 yards and two touchdowns. He didn’t fumble the ball, but he did throw an interception. He completed 17 of his 22 pass attempts, with one touchdown. The best news for Redskins fans is that he showed no lingering effects from his head injury, and he stayed healthy throughout the contest.
The second-most discussed player these past couple of weeks was Redskins kicker Billy Cundiff. After completing just seven of his 12 field goal attempts, the Redskins finally cut Cundiff. They signed second-year kicker Kai Forbath as the replacement. Forbath was given a 50 yard field-goal attempt and was successful. For Redskins fans, seeing a new kicker out there make a long attempt had to have been as satisfying as the time this writer made a 71 yard field goal in Tecmo Super Bowl.
But the play of the game would go to Griffin, not Forbath. With 2:56 remaining in the fourth quarter, the Redskins were trying to preserve a slim 31-26 lead. Having just given up a touchdown, the drive didn’t start well when the Redskins gave up their first and only sack of the game. This could have been the time to play it conservatively and start thinking about just moving the chains and running out the clock. Instead, Griffin ran the ball for a 76-yard touchdown. The home crowd rejoiced at this amazing performance, now called the “Landover Leap.” This solidified a victory and put the game out of reach.
The discussion this coming week won’t be on whether or not concussions can be called mild (they can’t). The discussion this coming week won’t be on whether or not Griffin should have played. Instead, Redskins fans will get to talk about what they love to talk about: how they just love the Redskins so much.
The Redskins defeated the Minnesota Vikings 38-26.
