Robert Griffin III is through with commercials for now. The RGIII persona that fans seem to love will go away for a while.
Griffin wants to be a leader, but he knows that’s earned on the field. As a result, the rookie quarterback already has donned a new locker room attitude around his teammates.
“I’m not RGIII in there. I’m just Robert,” he said. “The team doesn’t look at me as a celebrity. There’s no autographs in the locker room.”
Griffin joined 89 other players who reported to training camp Wednesday. The rookies already had spent the past week at Redskins Park. The expanded 90-man roster harkens back to the 1970s, when two months of training camp in Carlisle, Pa., saw half leave by Labor Day. Now they have to make an impression in one month — realistically by the second preseason game Aug. 18.
Thursday’s first full practice should have 100-degree temperatures and thousands of rabid fans. After last year’s lockout resulted in a significant decline in training camp attendance, the throng is expected back. If 20,000 once gathered for a post-draft glimpse at FedEx Field, a crowd in the five figures to watch Griffin actually practice wouldn’t be surprising.
There’s nothing like a new coach or rookie quarterback to make fans willing to stand for hours on a slight hill watching drills and hoping for a chance to get an autograph. Considering fans paid more than $100 for Griffin’s signature at an offseason card show, waiting a few hours will be a bargain for those lucky enough to gain it.
Griffin understands that the extreme attention that accompanies Washington quarterbacks — much less the most anticipated one since Sammy Baugh in 1937 — can be overwhelming. That’s why he’s on a self-imposed “lockdown” after months of commercials, endorsements and appearances. Even his Twitter account will go mostly quiet. It’s all football now.
“Fans are starved for success, but the players in that locker room are starved for success,” he said. “Success for us is winning the games. I don’t set individual goals.”
With a dozen TV cameras and dozens of reporters talking to the only Redskins player available on reporting day, it’s easy to say Griffin is the face of the franchise. He joked it took arms, legs and skin to embody a franchise. Griffin knows he’s the team’s marketing tool, but he’s trying not to take it too seriously.
“I’m the mask,” he said, jokingly. “[Teammates] make up the body.”
Griffin seemed a little more serious as his first full practice approached. Not that he didn’t joke a little during 30 minutes of questioning, but minicamps and organized team activities since late April have gotten him ready for live play when defenders can hit him.
“I’ve had a taste of how fast the game is,” he said.
But not how fast it’s about to get. Griffin seems ready to face expectations. Rookies always think they are.
“I’m not proven,” he said, “but I don’t think I’m unproven.”
Examiner columnist Rick Snider has covered local sports since 1978. Read more on Twitter @Snide_Remarks or email [email protected].
