| Fat Elvis |
10-10-2011 09:19 PM |
Quote:
Originally Posted by -King-
(Post 7985192)
I didn't know Griffin was working on his masters. That's the kind of player Pioli would love. Comes from a strong family. Obviously smart. Humble. Great on the football field.
I'm on board.
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http://nflsfuture.com/robert-griffin...outing-report/
Quote:
Is it possible to play any better than Robert Griffin III is playing at the moment?
Last season, we watched as Cam Newton destroyed opponents on his way to a Heisman, National Championship, and #1 pick in the 2011 NFL Draft. Newton was the most dynamic player in college football and even he didn’t amass the numbers or the level of domination that RGIII is throwing up on opponents.
With RGIII’s outburst have come the Cam Newton comparisons. The only comparable with Newton is his meteoric rise up draft boards. RGIII is a dean’s list student that earned his degree in Political Science in three years and is currently working on his master’s in communications. RGIII is a mixture of smarts, world class athleticism, and arm talent that are not comparable to anyone. The closest comparison to RGIII is not Cam Newton or Mike Vick but more of a Steve Young (with twice the speed).
RGIII will not take over the number one slot in the 2012 NFL Draft from Andrew Luck. I will, however, make an argument for RGIII to unseat Matt Barkley and Landry Jones for the second QB off the board come April.
Here’s a breakdown of the skills that will make Robert Griffin III a top 5 pick in the 2012 NFL Draft.
Arm Strength
RGIII doesn’t have Mike Vick’s arm strength but can make any and every throw on the field. He will have no problem throwing the deep out from the far hash into a tight window. In addition to pure arm strength, RGIII can throw the ball down the field with accuracy from any spot on the field. You won’t see receivers, and he has a good one with speed, outrunning his arm.
Accuracy
RGIII would stand out in this area compared to Vick or Newton coming out of college. He leads the NCAA in completion percentage at 85% currently. Aside from the numbers, RGIII is throwing receivers to spots much like a good NFL QB would do after they have mastered an offense. His accuracy is impeccable and probably the single most important reason why he has taken a giant leap in the 2012 NFL Draft prospect rankings.
Mechanics
Griffin has a perfect over-the-top throwing motion and does a great job setting his feet and transferring weight. Usually, guys that are naturally runners struggle with the feet side of the throwing motion but RGIII has picture perfect throwing balance and weight transfer that help with his upper body.
Pocket Awareness
Hard to argue against a guy that has taken two sacks all year but if there’s an area to nitpick this would be it. He has a great sense for oncoming blitzers but tends to hold onto the ball when nothing is there. He will need to learn to get rid of the ball rather than take unnecessary hits in the NFL. Mike Vick is currently learning this the hard way. It’s tough teaching this because it’s part of what makes these guys great.
Athleticism
RGIII was a semifinalist at the Olympic Trials in the 400 hurdles following high school. He’s a nightmare for defenses in space with his speed and agility. He’s the closest thing to Mike Vick that we have seen coming out of college and should run in the low 4.4’s at the Combine. More importantly than his raw speed, is his ability to throw on the run. What makes RGIII so dangerous is that he is always looking downfield for open receivers. Teams have to game plan for his athleticism but also his ability to throw on the run which makes him a danger that we haven’t seen. Cam Newton is good at keeping his eyes downfield and Mike Vick has learned this skill over time but RGIII is better than either at keeping teams honest with this ability.
Intangibles
As I mentioned, RGIII is a dean’s list student but also a student of the game. Teammates have talked about his work ethic in the film room and leadership abilities. He is further ahead than Vick or Newton were on the mental side of the game.
In most normal years, without Andrew Luck, RGIII would be talked about as a candidate for the number one pick in the NFL Draft. Put all the above attributes together and you have a complete package that is a top 5 lock in the 2012 NFL Draft.
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http://heismanpundit.com/2011/09/08/...naissance-man/
Quote:
Somewhere out there, a little kid is sitting at home dreaming of being the next Robert Griffin III.
Given that we live in a low-down, dirty era of sports scandals and scoundrels, be assured that this is a good thing.
A very good thing.
What does that child see when he looks at Griffin?
How about a two-sport athletic marvel excelling at the most difficult position in football, who also happens to be an honors student with a bachelor’s degree in political science already pinned to his wall, a master’s degree in communications in progress and law school on the horizon?
If all were right with the world, an athlete with this kind of resume would be a household name. But the vast majority of the country is just now getting acquainted with Griffin thanks to his 359-yard, 5-touchdown performance in Baylor’s thrilling 50-48 win over TCU last Friday. It was quite a ‘how do you do’ to the college football world. And it looks like his life may never be the same again.
“It’s been crazy since that game,” said Griffin, who flew to Arlington afterward to appear on ESPN’s College Game Day. “I’ve done so many interviews, they’re calling me Ambassador Griffin. I think it’s a funny title, but I’ll do whatever I can do to help the university. I think it’s good to contribute to something bigger than yourself.”
Griffin should know all about that concept and the sacrifice it entails. After all, he’s the son of two retired U.S. Army sergeants. So it seems natural that he’d carry their selfless attitude over to his athletic career. Indeed, Griffin skipped his final semester at Copperas Cove High to enroll at Baylor so that he might contribute right away, in whatever fashion he could.
In the early going, that meant track and field, where his impact was immediate. A gifted hurdler, he finished third in the 400-meter intermediates at the 2008 NCAA meet, earning All-American honors in college before he had even completed his first pass on the gridiron. The athleticism, coordination and attitude required to dominate in one of track’s most difficult events carried over to his quarterbacking duties later that fall.
“Playing quarterback usually isn’t easy,” said Griffin, a redshirt junior who has been starting at Baylor since his second game. ”But as long as you have a good head on your shoulders, it can be. Being able to run the 400 hurdles, which is a man’s event and one of the hardest in track, gives you that mentality. It makes you focus on how successful you’re going to be, not on whether you might fail.”
It also teaches how to push one’s body to the limit for a larger goal. There is no better example of that than what Griffin did on Baylor’s final scoring drive against TCU.
Beleaguered after giving up 25 unanswered points to fall behind, 48-47, and with time ticking away, the Bears faced a third down and 10 at their own 20 yard line. They looked like they might fold under the pressure.
But Griffin wasn’t done yet. Working out of the shot gun, he threw a backwards pass in the right flat to wide receiver Kendall Wright, who then zipped it back to Griffin, who had run his route up the seam. Griffin caught it while getting smashed between two defenders.
For a second, he was down. He struggled to his feet, a bit shaken up.
But it was a first down. The gutsy play call by Baylor coach Art Briles had worked and the Bears were still alive and, more importantly, kicking.
“Coach Briles gave me the confidence to go and run it,” said Griffin. ”He called it right away, without hesitation. Kendall threw a great ball. I’m glad I could make the play.”
It could end up being the best play in college football all season. The trickery gave a spark to the rest of the team as it went on to clinch the program’s biggest win in years.
“Whenever you have a quarterback catching the ball while getting smashed between two guys, that’s grounds for getting a little hyped,” said Griffin.
If there’s a little hype around Baylor these days, Griffin is to blame. But if not for a few twists of fate, he might now be playing for a Miami team about to get hit hard by NCAA penalty. Growing up, Griffin was a big Miami fan.
“I loved the Hurricanes and those Ken Dorsey teams,” said Griffin. “I almost ended up there until Larry Coker got fired.”
So how, then, did he end up at Baylor?
“Coach Briles was a huge part of it,” said Griffin. “I really appreciated his honesty. Plus, Baylor is a Christian university and I’m a Christian. Academics was also big, as well as the track tradition. But I knew I could come here and play two sports and play football early.
“I knew I didn’t want to go somewhere else and sit for two years and get lost in the shuffle. It’s never a guarantee that you’ll play early, but if you put the work in, you can do it.”
Furthermore, the Briles offensive system seemed perfectly suited for Griffin’s rare talent.
“I like all the options I have at the line of scrimmage,” said Griffin, who threw for 3,501 yards and rushed for 635 last season. “An experienced quarterback in this system has unlimited options. Coach Briles dares to be different. He loves speed, but he also loves to create mismatches. He thinks on his feet. I’m proud to play for him.”
Last year, Griffin led the Bears to their first bowl since 1994. Heading into the 2011 season, he is being mentioned as a candidate for the Heisman Trophy. He made the Heismanpundit.com Preseason Watch List and came in third in the most recent HP poll of Heisman voters. But despite all the accolades and attention, Griffin won’t stop talking about ‘team’.
“The Heisman is a team award,” he said. ”If you win, that means your team did well. You have to win a lot of games. It’s gone away from being an individual award and now it’s been who’s the best player on one of the best teams. If I could take my whole team to the ceremony, I would.”
It’s a long season and, whatever happens, Griffin can be proud of what he’s accomplished so far. One or two more years of college ball awaits, then most likely an NFL career. Meanwhile, he still intends to study law and maybe get back to running a little track at some point, something he hasn’t done much of since his All-American freshman year.
He has no doubt that he can pick up where right he left off.
“Track is just something that’s in me,” Griffin said. ”There’s no telling what going to happen with that in the future. It’s like riding a bike. You never forget.
“It’s all about your mindset. Your mind can make your body do more than it realizes.”
Like catch a pass over the middle. Or lead a team to new heights.
Or, even win a Heisman.
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I'll take him. |
