The Redskins late season run capped off a great year in sports for Washington D.C., with three teams making the playoffs. But just like the Capitals and Nationals earlier in the year, the Redskins ended their ride with an early playoff exit.
The Nationals experienced a dilemma as the season ended, with star pitcher Stephen Strasburg recovering from elbow surgery. They controversially opted to limit his season and save him for long-term success by removing him from the pitching rotation before the Nats entered the playoffs. The Redskins chose a different route, choosing to push their injured star to start.
Rookie quarterback Robert Griffin III had suffered both a concussion and a mild LCL sprain earlier in the year. Both injuries briefly benched the franchise quarterback, but he played on throughout the season.
Head coach Mike Shanahan’s decision to play his rookie star throughout nagging and continued injuries backfired late in Sunday’s loss to the Seattle Seahawks. RGIII went down in the fourth quarter, further injuring his LCL. In letting RGIII play, Shanahan attempted to continue the Redskins’ surprising 2012 campaign, but may well have limited his team’s future success.
Benching one of the NFL’s most explosive rookie playmakers, a player who almost singlehandedly turned the Redskins from the doldrums of the NFC East into division champs, would’ve been the right move.
After his injury Dec. 9 against the Baltimore Ravens, Griffin wasn’t the same explosive rusher and accurate passer as he was before. He seemed to run at half speed, limping through his strides. In the regular season finale against the Dallas Cowboys, Griffin had the worst game of his season. He had a passer rating of 66.9, subdued compared to his league rookie record season-long rating of 102.4. Redskins super fans, the media and critics alike agreed he wasn’t the same quarterback after his injury.
But Shanahan and Griffin himself agreed that he was healthy enough to start the first round of the playoffs. USA Today, however, reported that Dr. James Andrews, who worked on Griffin, was worried about the long-term possibility of further injury by continuing to play.
The Redskins’ aggressive decision to push Griffin and start him even while he was still hurt could even hinder the them in seasons to come. The Washington Post reported that Griffin has a partial tear of his LCL and ACL, which could require surgery and a nine-month recovery.
Griffin even conceded that he made a dangerous decision to continue playing.
“I think I did put myself at more risk by being out there,” he told reporters.
The Redskins had ample opportunities to see Griffin’s change from a powerhouse threat in both rushing and passing into a fragile, limping target. They elected both after his initial injury and throughout the playoff game to let him stay in and play, through easily visible ailments.
While letting him play helped continue this season’s run, it could hinder future ones. Shanahan should’ve taken an idea from the Nationals and made the conservative – but safe – move, to ensure that his franchise quarterback is able to lead his team for seasons to come.
A.Oates • Jan 9, 2013 at 1:41 pm
Bound to lose Scott? Had RGIII not tweaked his knee late in the first the Skins had that game in the bag. And really, this was a damned if you don’t damned if you do situation, could you imagine the bile that would have resulted had RGIII sat himself out or Shanny substituted in Cousins for the game and they lost to Seattle? Or have we already forgotten what happened when Jay Cutler did the same?
Scott • Jan 8, 2013 at 7:30 pm
Zimm- Well-written article. I think that the blame falls 100% on Shanahan. It’s a shame that he was willing to compromise the future of the franchise for one game–a game that they were bound to lose regardless. RGIII is a sensational QB (this coming from a Redskin antagonist), and to see his career shortened or mediocritized (is that a word?).