Robert Griffin III ready to turn career around with Redskins in 2015

[JoeRedskin]

Originally Posted by 30gut

Then I wasn't clear in my post. I meant I think he can play well in any of those offenses right now. Each of those offenses is already more catered to what he does well then Jay's offense last year.

I would respectfully disagree. RGIII’s success came from an offense specifically designed to cut down his choices and allowed him to rely on his athleticism. To be clear, it’s not that I think RGIII is a Tebow, Carter or any of the other QB’s you mention. He clearly has some skills and when forced into a traditional role has performed as an average starter. As others noted, he has some downfield accuracy and arm strength that simply didn’t exist for Crouch or Pryor. Add that to his (formerly) freakish speed and he is not the dime-a-dozen college QB you think I am describing.

I agree with That Guy’s take that RGIII simply lacks pocket awareness on an instinctual level. Can I prove it with stats? No. Can I infer from watching? Yes. Other things I can infer: he holds the ball too long; he doesn’t feel the rush well; he doesn’t step up to avoid the rush; and, as TG said, once he does feel the pressure, the eyes are no longer looking downfield.

2012 was not entirely a fluke, but, as we have seen, it was also not the norm. The offense that worked for him has not worked as a base offense for anyone else since then. While still used, the pistol and read-option as done by RGIII/Shanahan is more than a gimmick but less than a solid base from which to run an offense. While RGIII might be an average QB in some of the offenses you mention, and based on his performance over the past two years, I would suggest he is – at best – an average to below average QB even in “offenses that have spread and zone-read elements.”

To be clear, I like RGIII and am very hopeful that he succeeds here. I believe that, right now, he is a very limited QB with exceptional athleticism, arm strength and, potentially, downfield accuracy. Some of his limitations may be overcome if he can accept coaching. Not sure if others can.