RG3 & D.C: Finally some hope for beleaguered Redskins fans everywhere

Courtesy of CBS Sports

When the news broke this past Friday night that the Redskins had traded up for the 2nd pick in this upcoming draft, presumably to select star Baylor quarterback Robert Griffin III, I felt a wave of relief and optimism as a Redskins fan that I hadn't felt for years. Griffin is going to be a Redskin. I could hardly believe it.


After it became well-known that the Redskins and the Rams had come to an agreement, and after the Twitter world (predictably) exploded because of it, there were arguments made, seemingly by everyone, expressing both support and disdain for the Redskins' bold move. There are legitimate reasons for skepticism regarding the trade on the part of the Redskins: Yes, they gave up a ton to get him. Yes, they are taking an extraordinary risk. And, yes, Griffin could ultimately be a bust. But, in my humble opinion, the Redskins had to make this move, no matter the cost. But please, before you get on your keyboard and berate me for supporting this potentially devastating trade, hear me out on this.

The Redskins have been desperately searching for a true, face-of-the-franchise, starting quarterback, since well...since I've been alive on this planet. The Redskins won their last Super Bowl precisely 20 years ago, with Mark Rypien at the helm, and since then, have experienced a span of losing and misfortunate that no storied franchise should ever have to withstand. Since Dan Snyder took over as owner in 1999, the Redskins have made the playoffs a whopping three times, with countless atrocious trades and personnel decisions in between. The list of starting quarterbacks since then is nothing short of a joke: Jeff George, Tony Banks, Danny Wuerffel, Shane Matthews, Patrick Ramsey, and most recently, Rex Grossman, and John Beck...you can see my point. The NFL is a quarterback's league. If you look at every perennially successful team over the past two decades, all of them have had a Hall of Fame-caliber quarterback running the show. The Patriots? Tom Brady. The Colts? Peyton Manning (and now maybe Andrew Luck for the next decade). The 49ers? Joe Montana and Steve Young. The Packers? Brett Favre. The Saints were a miserable franchise before landing Drew Brees from the Chargers, and now they are contenders to win the Super Bowl every season. The point of all this being that, in the current NFL, you need a great quarterback to win, and win often. Period. I realize that what I'm saying isn't ground-breaking, this has pretty much become conventional wisdom throughout football, but my beloved Redskins never seemed to get the memo. Bringing in old guys past their prime isn't the answer (Donovan Mcnabb). Reaching for "pretty-good" college quarterbacks in the late 1st round isn't the answer either (Ramsey). Basically, it has been a combination of bad luck and poor managing that has led the Redskins to be so inept at finding their answer at quarterback. Dan Snyder and Mike Shanahan, along with the rest of the Redskins Nation, are hoping that that search could now be over.

Griffin is the total package. Athletically, this guy is beastly. At 6'2", 225 pounds, he is big enough to take a some hits, while also being fast and agile enough (he ran a 4.4 second 40-yard dash at the combine) to evade any would-be tacklers or defensive lineman. He can also throw with the best of them. Yes, the Big 12 Conference is like Arena Football in many respects, but Griffin threw for 36 TD's to 8 INT's, while completing 72.8% of his passes, for a whopping 3,998 yards. These are great numbers no matter the conference, and clearly show that this kid can pass the rock. If you don't believe me, check out his highlight tape from his Heisman Trophy winning season. 

Superman Socks? Check. 

More importantly than all of his athletic feats and football accomplishments, Griffin seems to have the right character. He is humble, but also has a distinct swagger that I believe is vital for NFL quarterbacks to succeed (case-in-point: Cam Newton). He knows he's good, but he's going to prove it to you on the field, instead of talking trash in the papers. When Griffin arrives in District, people are going to love him. He is very well-spoken and articulate, something which is unfortunately somewhat of a rarity among college football stars today, and he can serve as a role model for D.C's countless underprivileged black youths. He seems like a genuinely good person, and I'm confident that he's going to work his ass off to be successful at the next level. D.C. is going to go crazy for this guy and the Redskins, especially if he can generate some wins early on, and he's immediately going to sell tickets and jerseys for this team.

All of this being said, the risks are considerable for the Redskins, so there is merit to the arguments against this move. 1st-round picks are like gold, and maybe the Redskins will regret not having those picks to help build the team the next couple of years. But in this league you sometimes have to make bold moves to get what you need. You just can't put a price on a true franchise quarterback. Shanahan and the 'Skins are desperate for one, and they believe Griffin can be that guy. If it doesn't work out in the end, and Griffin turns out to be a bust, people will look back on this trade as one of the worst in history, and Shanahan will surely be fired. By the same token, if the Redskins win a Super Bowl or two during his time here, people will look back on it as one of the smartest trades, and Shanahan will look like a genius. That is simply the nature of this league; sometimes you just have to roll the dice and go for broke if you want to turn your fortunes around.

Whichever way it ultimately ends up, all I can say is that as a fan of this team, I finally have hope. And that's something I haven't had for a long time, and to me, it's something that is definitely worth three 1st-round picks.

Welcome to D.C., RG3. Good luck, we're all counting on you.