[A Salt Weapon]

Originally Posted by DJ's left nut

If that were the case I'd agree that Michael Irvin is full of shit.

It's not been the case. Many commentators and fans are making this oddly personal with RGIII. They are saying he's a me-first diva. Prior to his struggles he was seen as a great teammate and a team-first guy. The moment he started to struggle, people suddenly started calling him a prima-donna.

I don't think he's changed as a person. He was considered a warrior and a leader when he was playing well. Suddenly his character's being called into question when he's struggling.

It's strange and it's not something you see happen in the media for most guys. When Cassel was awful, people weren't calling him an entitled shitheel. That's what people are doing with RGIII and I don't think it's even remotely fair; that's not been who he's been as a person or player throughout his college career and it isn't who he was last year when he was playing well.

Again - the root cause is that he's playing like shit, but lots of guys play like shit without having attacks on their character. I think the media has largely taken an oddly venomous approach to RGIII this season and I think it's definitely fair to question why.

Originally Posted by DJ's left nut

He started playing better. The rumblings about tattoos and immaturity started early on in the season. When he started playing well and they started winning, the whispers disappeared.

Like I said, this isn't straight up racism; had RGIII kept playing well we wouldn't have heard this. I just find it a little unsettling that most of the time a young, black QB starts to struggle, the immediate issue becomes one a 'diva' attitude and an unwillingness to lead. There have been loads of shitty QBs in this league and they didn't take these arrows. Someone mentioned Cutler - he wasn't getting blasted as a lousy leader until a little later in his career; his early struggles were simply the struggles of a young QB.

Others have mentioned Geno - the difference between those 2 is that the "Geno is a shitty leader" narrative has been largely played out; it was the focus of the draft leadup. And with Geno, there is actually some track record to suggest that Geno was a mediocre/poor leader in his years at WVU. Those were surfacing even when he was playing well.

Every single report around RGIII from college through last season was what a great person and leader he was. Suddenly when he's struggling it's not growing pains, it's a lack of personal character and accountability despite 5+ years of high level football that suggest otherwise.

That should make one take pause.

Originally Posted by DJ's left nut

And that's certainly a fair possibility. Members of the media are often hypercritical of guys they once fawned over; it's almost as though they're bitter about being made look a fool. It could also be overcompensating. Guys like Rick Riley, Tom Jackson and Bob Costas are the worst about this sort of thing; the bloviating asswipes that feel 'betrayed'. The PED stuff was the worst display of that you'll ever see.

Maybe there is something to the media types overcompensating for 'buying in' to the RGIII legend in 2012. Like I said, there may be some other explanations for it. But it's worth having the conversation - dismissing it out of hand is willfully ignorant. It suggests that RGIII's struggles have been treated the same as any other young QBs and I simply don't see how you can view what's gone on and believe that to be true.

I can't claim omniscience here; I can't read these guys minds. But the vitriol being tossed RGIIIs way is deserving of suspicion and I have no problem with Michael Irvin wondering aloud why that may be the case.

Originally Posted by Pestilence

He's not talking strictly about the benching. He's talking about the way that the media is now basically attacking RG3 and coming up with bullshit about his ego and how he's a drama queen.

Not to turn this political, but I can't help but thinking that as soon as RG3 came out and announced he was a conservative republican and not in love with obama, the media attacked him. After all it wouldn't be the first time.