Redskins Palate Cleanser

Tired of salary c(r)ap?

Bummed preseason is still 76 days away?

Frustrated with Redskins.com's flaccid OTA coverage?

You're not alone.

If I might make a suggestion ... 

Feed your passion.

Feed it. 

 

The Waiting

In the days and weeks following the St. Louis/Washington trade, up to and through the NFL draft and subsequent Redskins rookie camp, feeding the daily Robert Griffin III obsession was easy. There was such a cornucopia of news available that the difficult part was trying to assimilate it all in the few hours a working person has to spare.

But now the dust has settled.

In the interminable lull between camps, the available nourishment has been pared down to following links–any links–even if they're about socks.

These days the morning ritual includes a quick stop on Google's sports news roundup, typing "RG3" in the search field and scanning the entire list. You know, in case someone somewhere wrote something new about the Redskins, their new quarterback phenom, and their inevitable return to rightful gridiron relevance.

Or better yet there might be a new video.

At first, the Baylor games were the video prize. On-field heroics. Amazing throws, breathtaking runs. Having watched them all repeatedly, however, today the off-field, who-is-this-guy version have become equally prized. Maybe more so, given that ultimately they are what led to the kid getting under our Skins.

Twenty-two year old Robert Griffin III has spawned more man-crushes–particularly among men who generally cringe at mention of such a thing–than anyone since Art Monk was hailed into Canton.

And no, it's not just about the kid. Any thinking soul knows there is more to it than that. It's about the kid becoming quarterback of the Washington Redskins.

So will this all prove just another too-good-to-be-true infatuation? Jeremy Lin 2.0? Yeah maybe–shit happens.

But not yet. Not today ...

Space Rocks and Matriculation: The Case for Kirk Cousins

For the record, as I write this, my second monitor is sporting jpegs of rabbits feet, four-leaf covers and a random Redskins cheerleader (which may not bring luck but damn). I am also whispering an agnostic's prayer to beat the band.

With that preemptive apologia in mind ...

What if Robert Griffin III, the Washington Redskins prized rookie quarterback and potential "franchise saviour," were to mysteriously go missing this summer, never to be heard from again? Or get clonked on the head by a meterorite, contract amnesia and no longer be able to read the free safety?

You know, what if something bad happens, and it turns out RG3 doesn't Captain My Captain the Redskins out of the woods after all?

The question has to be asked. Not in the abstract, but in the practical, the concrete, the "we better have a Plan B in place or we risk some very real, very unhappy consequences."

One thing the Redskins absolutely could not afford to do was head into 2012 and beyond with no one but RG3 or Andrew Luck (I admit it, there were moments I wondered if knucklehead Indianopolis Colts owner Jim Irsay maybe was that flighty) standing between them and Rex Grossman.

You can hear the critics, right? If the Redskins not drafted a second quarterback in April, there would be a host of critics complaining, "so...if RG3 goes down we're back to Grossbeck?!"

I can pretty much guarantee the question was asked at Redskins Park in the days and weeks leading up to the NFL Draft. It better have been asked, because if it was not, the Asbburn Brain Trust would not have been doing their jobs.

Enter former Michigan State quarterback Kirk Cousins... 

Welcome Home, RGIII

It has been a generation.

1991 – 2011

Mark Rypien
Cary Conklin
Rich Gannon
John Friesz
Heath Shuler
Gus Frerotte
Trent Green
Brad Johnson
Jeff George
Tony Banks
Danny Wuerffel
Shane Matthews
Tim Hasselbeck
Patrick Ramsey
Mark Brunell
Todd Collins
Jason Campbell
Donovan McNabb
John Beck
Rex Grossman

2012 –

If you are a Redskins fan, you understand.

Hail.

RG3 vs Luck Angle I Wish I'd Had the Guts to Post First

Rat farts.

I've been batting around a possible Robert Griffin III vs. Andrew Luck comparison angle for a couple of weeks now, but had yet to think through enough to try to give written form. 

It's a good one too, one of those potential "I called it!" moments one either ends up getting to crow about down the road or, alternatively, cringing from hoping no one remembers.

Wish I'd pulled the trigger.

I stumbled across this column by Chris Baldwin today. Baldwin claims it, nails it, owns it and punctuates it in a way that needs no elucidation.  He does to this concept what Heinlein did to any storyline he decided to explore.

So much for my future act-like-you-been-there moment of confirmation.

The article speaks more than clearly enough for itself, so you don't need me to add anything ... but for those not inclined to click links, it boils down to this:

The problem is the Colts picked a Sam Perkins with an MJ on the board.

Yeah.

So on the off chance the Redskins charismatic new quarterback becomes an NFL legend, helping the Washington Redskins carve new championship notches on their belts and becoming a cultural and international icon, I hereby humbly claim the right to point back to April 27, 2012, and, if not go all Tarzan about it, at least say:

Thanks for understanding, Chris.

Hail.