The Washington Redskins gave up all their first-round draft picks through 2014 and a second-round pick for the chance to draft quarterback Robert Griffin III — assuming the Indianapolis Colts select Andrew Luck first overall as anticipated. What could go wrong?
Griffin could stink on the field or be a problem off the field. Neither is likely.
The guy is off the charts in all measureables in football and life. He will be among the fastest quarterbacks in NFL history. He has a cannon for an arm. He is so smart he graduated early from high school and wants to be a lawyer. And he volunteers to take care of small children in his spare time.
He could get hurt, of course. But that is hardly a unique risk.
The draft picks the Redskins gave away could wind up being major contributors with the Rams for years to come. But if Griffin proves as great as advertised, no one will care.
No, the X factor in what could go wrong is not Griffin.
It is the Redskins.
They could really mess this up.
In fact, based on the news the Redskins will lose $36 million in cap space over this year and next, they already may have messed this up.
To believe that Griffin will become an elite NFL quarterback worth the high price paid by the Redskins is to believe that the Redskins won’t get in the way of that development, that something inside Redskins Park won’t go wrong.
That’s a leap of faith.
Granted, it’s not the preposterous leap of faith it might have been several years ago in the Vinny Cerrato administration, when the Redskins were importing retired bingo callers to draw up plays and seeking Clinton Portis’ approval on draft picks.
From most accounts, general manager George Allen and coach Mike Shanahan did a good job in last year’s draft, from trading down to acquire more picks to the players selected themselves, including Ryan Kerrigan, Roy Helu and Evan Royster.
But there’s that quarterback position, where every decision the new, smarter guys have made rivals anything foolish Cerrato did — from trading second- and fourth-round draft picks for Donovan McNabb to entrusting the 2011 team to Rex Grossman and John Beck.
For Griffin to pay off, you have to believe that those smarter guys who made those decisions will make the right ones about the development of Griffin and the players who surround him.
That’s what could go wrong.
Examiner columnist Thom Loverro is the co-host of “The Sports Fix” from noon to 2 p.m. Monday through Friday on ESPN980 and espn980.com. Contact him at [email protected].
