THE QUARTERBACK Will the fog lift with the arrival of Robert Griffin III, who has brought hope to D.C.? The Times tackles the season with a focus on the most important position in football — looking back, looking deep and looking ahead. RG3 ON SAME PAGE SHULER KNOWS WELL SONNY, BILLY AND JOE: WITH OC SHANAHAN PRESSURE RG3 FacES WHEN QBS RULED D.C. Page 3 Page 5 Pages 6-7 The Official Newspaper of 2012 – Online, On The Air, On Your Doorstep E2 | SPORTS • R FRIDAY, SEPTEMBER 7, 2012 THE QUARTERBACK: 2012 NFL Preview ADVICE FOR RG3 “Play the game you’ve played your whole life.” — BRYCE HARPER, Nationals outfielder “The most important thing is to realize he’s a very, very important part of the Redskins — he is the face of the Redskins — but he has to understand that everything is not squarely on his shoulders. He’s got to rely on other teammates to work with him. He’s not going to be able to do it by himself. He’s smart enough to realize it’s a team game. He’s very talented and can make some things happen — but in the NFL you can’t take them all on by yourself.” — DOUG WILLIAMS, former Redskins quarterback and Super Bowl XXII MVP “No hesitation. Don’t PreSTON KereS/SpeciAL TO THE WASHINGTON TIMES second-guess yourself, your Washington quarterback Robert Griffin III and Indianapolis counterpart Andrew Luck always will be measured against each other after Luck and Griffin went 1-2 in the instincts. Go with your gut draft. Other rookie QBs who earned starting jobs are (botttom, left to right) Cleveland’s Brandon Weeden, Seattle’s Russell Wilson and Miami’s Ryan Tannehill. on your decisions on and off the field. Use your intuition.” — DALE EARNHARDT JR., NASCAR driver and noted Redskins fan Rookie QBs step right up “He have to be himself, that’s most important laying adept at throwing the football. I and college” — and was the son of For the longest time, that tended thing. It doesn’t matter quarter- think that’s the reason you have the a college coach to boot. “It’s just dif- to be the philosophy with rookie what other people say or if back in [Joe] Flaccos coming in, and [Mark] ferent now,” he says. “The defenses quarterbacks (with rare exceptions): he gonna make a bad play the NFL Sanchez with the Jets and Matt Ryan are much different. When John first You ease them into the lineup so as used to with Atlanta, and they’re lighting it came in, the defense could do a lot not to damage their psyches. Maybe or good play, he just have to Prequire the foot- up in their first year because they’re more than what these quarterbacks you start them at some point in their concentrate on his own.” ball equivalent of exposed to the passing game [earlier] are facing now. Nowadays you can’t first season (e.g. Eli Manning and Mi- — ALEX OVECHKIN, Capitals captain a Class A license. and a lot of people are using that do anything to the receiver after 5 chael Vick), or maybe you don’t (e.g. Either that or you wide-open set. You never used to yards. You can’t touch him. So receiv- Philip Rivers and Carson Palmer). had to be certi- hear of that. Peyton Manning, John ers are getting more open now. And But the main thing was, you didn’t “There’s always going to be DAN fied to operate Elway — they didn’t light it up in these spread offenses are putting a want to force-feed them and ask the hype about being the DALY heavy machin- their first year like some of these lot of pressure on defenses.” them to do something they weren’t face of the franchise, but ery — a crane, quarterbacks are doing now.” Still, it’s a big departure from the ready to do, especially with so much say. But times Reeves knows whereof he speaks. NFL of old — or even the turn-of- invested in them. remember that it is about certainly have changed. Come Week He coached Elway as a rookie in the-millenium NFL. Consider: The In recent years, though, clubs you and your teammates 1, five teams, the Washington Red- Denver in 1983, when John went 4-6 past seven quarterbacks who went in haven’t been hesitant about roll- and what you can build skins among them, will place their as a starter and completed 47.5 per- the top five of the draft have started ing the dice with a QB straight off offensive fate in the hands of a rookie cent of his passes. in Week 1 as rookies (Ryan, Sanchez, a college campus. Why? Because and accomplish together.” QB, a guy who was drafted just a few Manning, meanwhile, threw 28 Detroit’s Matthew Stafford, Bradford, he’s a more finished product these — JOHN WALL, Wizards point guard months ago. If you wanted to call this interceptions in ’98 with the Colts, Newton, Luck and Griffin). Only days, generally. “Some of them run “mind-blowing,” I wouldn’t object. the most ever by a first-year QB. one, on the other hand, of the nine that spread offense in high school,” “Enjoy the ride because it After all, quarterback is the most Parcells says, “then they go to college can turn in a heartbeat. You complicated — not to mention and run it again. They’ve got eight or really have to be a grounded most important — position on the In recent years, though, clubs haven’t been nine years in the system before they field. Mastering it can take years, even get to the pros.” individual, which he is.” and many QBs never come close to hesitant at all about rolling the dice with a QB Nowadays, the question isn’t: Can — JOE THEISMANN, reaching the advanced-degree level. straight off a college campus. Why? Because he’s the kid handle it? The question is: former Redskins quarterback But that hasn’t stopped the Redskins a more finished product these days, generally. Does he have enough talent around from handing the job to Robert him to be successful? Teams with “Don’t add any more Griffin III, whose last birthday was “Some of them run that spread offense in high high picks usually aren’t very good, his 22nd. The Indianapolis Colts and that can make it hard on a rookie pressure to yourself than (Andrew Luck), Miami Dolphins school,” Parcells says, “then they go to college quarterback. Troy Aikman, remem- you already have. No one (Ryan Tannehill), Cleveland Browns and run it again. They’ve got eight or nine years ber, went 0-11 in his first season in wants to succeed more. ... (Brandon Weeden) and Seattle Dallas, and Peyton Manning started Seahawks (Russell Wilson) have in the system before they even get to the pros.” out 3-13 in Indy. No one wants to win more. taken the same plunge, for richer or “It’d be nice for every rookie I would just say, ‘Hey, relax, for poorer. quarterback to be able to sit and take a deep breath, learn And let’s be clear here: None of That was pretty much to be ex- top-five QBs before that was installed relax and just watch and make sure these clubs has been forced to start pected, too. From 1960 through 1999, as the starter right away (David Carr that they’re groomed,” Kyle Shana- as much as you can, go a rookie because of an injury to a only four rookie quarterbacks — true with expansion Houston in 2002). han says, “because it doesn’t matter out there and don’t try to veteran or some other calamity. rookies, not “bookkeeping rookies” “You plug a young guy in [too] who you are, when you’re a rookie make the plays yourself.’” They’re doing it willingly. They’re — attempted 175 or more passes and early, and he’s not ready, you can quarterback it takes time.” If you — HEATH SHULER, doing it because they’re convinced posted a rating of 75 or higher. The destroy that player,” Bill Parcells says. look at the first-year QBs who’ve former Redskins quarterback these first-year QBs are up to the task short list: Greg Cook, 1969 Cincinnati “You don’t want to throw him to the done well, he adds, “They either of directing an NFL offense (and that Bengals; Jim McMahon, ’82 Chicago wolves and [have] the wolves bite so had a top-five defense or a real good such experience will only fast-track Bears; Dan Marino, ’83 Dolphins; and hard that he loses his self-confidence running game [or, in the case of “My dad was a chef and he their development). Charlie Batch, ’98 Detroit Lions. — or the fans or the press get on him, Roethlisberger, both]. They had to said when you start trying Have there ever been this many In the dozen seasons since, six and [the experience] really serves as play well, but they were successful to please everybody with rookie starting quarterbacks in the rookie QBs have done it: Ben Roeth- a deterrent to progress rather than because they weren’t asked to do opening week? Understand: I’m not lisberger (Pittsburgh) in 2004, Ryan helping progress. everything. If you ask a young guy your cooking, you lose the talking about QBs who spent a year and Flacco (Baltimore) in ’08, Sam “If I’d put [Tony] Romo in in his to do everything, it’s a matter of time authenticity.