Robert Griffin III led the Washington Redskins to the playoffs last season, but apparently he’s still lacking in leadership.
Griffin is finally starting to look like RG3 again, after struggling mightily during his first few weeks back from ACL surgery, but even that hasn’t convinced some pundits that he has the leadership to get Washington back on track.
Former Redskins and Hall of Fame cornerback Darrell Green doesn’t like what he’s been seeing from his former team, just 3-6 this season, and he seems to believe that Griffin’s usage and leadership has something to do with it.
“It’s not very good,” Green said on Showtime’s Inside the NFL on Friday. “It’s not very good. I think that it’s been rough, but it looks like the kid — and I’m talking about RG III — it looks like he’s starting to get it back.
“But I just feel so bad that you would have a system where it’s all predicated on this guy running. He’s the second rusher on the team. It doesn’t work, in my opinion.”
Alfred Morris leads Washington in rushing this season with 825 yards on the season. Griffin does rank second in that equation, though, rushing for 301 yards through nine games on the year. The next closest back is Roy Helu, who has managed 171 yards on the ground this season.
While Griffin is still running the ball quite a bit, averaging a little more than six carries per game in 2013, he is still well under his average of eight rushes per game from last season. Even so, Green still sees a problem, including with Griffin’s leadership.
“I think that’s the problem,” Green said of Griffin running so much. “I think it’s super important to have leadership, and I don’t think [Griffin] really is the leader.”
While those comments can’t feel great, coming from a Redskins legend, Griffin understands and openly accepts that perception.
“Right now, it’s not a burden,” Griffin said. “It’s a burden if you make it a burden. You’ve got to believe. I understand what comes with being the quarterback of the Washington Redskins. I understand what comes with being a quarterback in the NFL. And yeah, it might be a little harder here because of certain aspects of what goes on around this team. I understand that. I’ve got tough skin.”
Washington is still just two game out of first place in the NFC North, meaning Griffin could change the tides of the Redskins’ season and thoughts about his leadership with a few more wins over the next few weeks.
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