Robert Griffin III may fancy himself the best quarterback in the NFL, but he sure as heck didn’t look like it on Thursday night while constantly peeling himself off the turf at FedEx Field.
Griffin looked gun shy as he was consistently battered by the Detroit Lions in Washington’s second preseason game. He was hit six times on eight dropbacks, sacked three times and fumbled twice.
Here’s a look at some of the punishment he took:
Here all the hits RG3 took tonight, #Ouch http://t.co/9TqQxo2rk7 pic.twitter.com/CKYNny8MBn
— gifdsports (@gifdsports) August 21, 2015
This hit was brutal:
Dan Snyder: so help me we're going to destroy this kid yet pic.twitter.com/KRH8j6Ypgw
— Mike Tunison (@xmasape) August 21, 2015
Griffin left with a shoulder stinger and also was tested for a concussion, so we hope he didn’t suffer one.
You can blame the offensive line plenty for RG3 getting drilled, but a good part of this is still on Griffin. He is responsible for calling plays and assigning protections, and he has the ability to slip in and out of the pocket to avoid rushes. Oh yeah, he can also get rid of the ball before he gets hit if he chooses to.
Neither Colt McCoy nor Kirk Cousins were sacked during their action, and both completed far more passes and led touchdown drives. RG3 is clearly uncomfortable, lost, and he looks like a guy who forgot how to function as a quarterback. In the past he used to be able to scramble when in trouble, and he’s no longer doing (or relying) on that. That’s really taking a toll.
