The first thing that must be noted is this: Robert Griffin III is still not property of the Redskins. And there’s always a chance, albeit a slim one, that Indianapolis might draft him.
But the line that formed for him at a collector’s show in Chantilly contained nobody wearing a Colts jersey. It did contain several fans in burgundy shirts with the gold initials RG3 inside a Superman logo. It also contained a lot of buzz – fans cheered when it was announced that his session was about to begin.
Some fans showed up with Superman capes, or socks. Most showed up with something ma fans here haven’t had in a while: hope.
“He was happy to see our shirts,” said Mark Cypher, a 19-year-old Purcellville resident who along with his brother Matthew and one of their Loudoun Valley teachers, Wes Dick, were the first in line for the $100 a pop photo. Each of them had the previously mentioned T-shirt. “We told him Welcome to D.C. and we’re excited to see him play. We can’t wait.”
So, yeah, it’s safe to say the more than 300 fans who paid a minimum of $100 for his signature – keeping him at his table for nearly two hours longer than advertised — expect him to be a Redskin. And it’s also safe to say they are eager to embrace a guy they see as a potential savior – the latest one at least — for this franchise. The Redskins have the second overall pick and Andrew Luck is expected to be drafted first by Indianapolis.
Even some of his (potential) future teammates were there for the event – and also curious about the RG3 momentum.
“It’s great excitement,” linebacker Lorenzo Alexander said. “Hopefully he ends up here with all that excitement around him. What he brings to the game is excitement and an intelligence level that will give us an opportunity to play at a high level and ultimately get to the playoffs. That’s what everyone is excited about, this new movement of bringing in young guys who can play at a high level and also making the move to trade up to get a guy of that caliber at quarterback which is what you need in this league to be a playoff team.”
Alexander said teammates have not talked much about Griffin, knowing he’s still not yet a Redskin. Most players have been around long enough to know that college hype doesn’t mean a whole lot in the NFL.
“Once that guy is picked, there will be more talk about it,” Alexander said. “But he’s still a rookie and he’ll be treated like a rookie. We’ll have fun with him. Either guy [Griffin or Andrew Luck] has the tools to put us back where we need to be.
“There’s still a big learning curve. There’s a big difference between the NFL and college football. But [Griffin] has the tool set to set himself apart like Cam Newton did taking the Panthers from two wins to six wins. If he does that for us from five wins to nine wins we have a chance to be in the playoffs. People believe in what he’s able to do and he has the talent to do it.”
Griffin’s handlers did not allow him to be interviewed during his nearly four and a half hour stay at the show. Still, that didn’t exactly diminish the excitement surrounding him.
“It’ll be good to work with him,” Redskins running back Roy Helu said. “He doesn’t need advice from me. He’s doing great as it is.”
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