Class is in session, and Robert Griffin III is taking notes.
The Washington Redskins quarterback got a firsthand look at how Tom Brady and the New England Patriots operate last preseason when the two teams held joint practices in August. The squads then went in completely opposite directions, as Griffin’s Redskins finished 4-12 while Brady’s Patriots went on to win the Super Bowl.
Yet apparently RGIII’s observations of New England stuck with him. In a recent interview with NFL Media’s Jeff Darlington, the 25-year-old quarterback complimented the Patriots with an interesting analogy.
“What you do learn from watching (Brady) — and then watching the Patriots organization — you get a big-picture look at it,” Griffin said, via NFL.com. “Man, honestly, they operate like a high school football team. You remember in high school, how the coach calls everybody up, everybody runs up, gets on a knee and looks at the coach like what he is saying is the most important thing in the world? That’s how the Patriots are.”
So, Griffin just compared Bill Belichick to a high school coach. In the best way possible.
“They’re attentive,” Griffin added. “They run on and off the field. They run after practice. They do what they have to do — and everyone understands, whether they like it or not, this is what it takes to win championships. And they won the championship.
“For us to see that, as the Washington Redskins — to see exactly where it starts, and then to see the result — that’s big. We can’t ignore that. We don’t need to mimic them or try to be like them. We need to create our own culture — but we can learn from some of those things.”
RGIII gets the chance for another lesson this year, as Washington and New England will face off in a regular-season matchup at Gillette Stadium.
Thumbnail photo via Geoff Burke/USA TODAY Sports Images
